amalyndb's review against another edition
I loved the inclusion of other cultural practices around dragons and dragon slaying, especially the teaching involving Orcas and the Haida people.
I loved reading of the prairie and western landscapes interpreted through Siobhan McQuaid.
Reading this and the first novel, made me realize this is the first time I've encountered a character (or, the first time I understood and connected with a character) who also interprets people around them as instruments, and environment as instruments and the interplay of everything. I had thought everyone did this and just didn't talk about it. (Always wondered why friends stared at me when I mentioned which part of Deep Space Nine theme is which character)
I didn't love this entirely as much as the first, as i hadn't foreseen the ending and had some big feels. Despite most of the characters seeing it coming.
I loved reading of the prairie and western landscapes interpreted through Siobhan McQuaid.
Reading this and the first novel, made me realize this is the first time I've encountered a character (or, the first time I understood and connected with a character) who also interprets people around them as instruments, and environment as instruments and the interplay of everything. I had thought everyone did this and just didn't talk about it. (Always wondered why friends stared at me when I mentioned which part of Deep Space Nine theme is which character)
I didn't love this entirely as much as the first, as i hadn't foreseen the ending and had some big feels. Despite most of the characters seeing it coming.
dlberglund's review against another edition
3.0
Even though my review of book #1 was ridiculously lame, I did really enjoy it. This one? Not so much. One of the things that tickled me about the first was the sideways looks at dragon-revisionist history. Unfortunately, in this books it was taken to excess, to the detriment of the overall story arc and our connection with the characters. Huge swaths of the books are filled with explanations of Canadian dragon history and politics, much of which fell flat to this American who isn't familiar with Ontario-specific history. (On the plus side, Oregon and Washington were given our own country, though it was named Cascadon instead of Cascadia.) A large portion of the book has Owen and Siobhan in Oil Watch boot camp, along with all of the other slayers and support staff in training. If Siobhan couldn't be bothered to learn their names, how could I possibly be expected to pick out the important secondary characters from the bunch and invest emotional energy in them? The book was as cluttered with characters as it was with politics.
I wished there had been more heart (and plot) to the heart of the story. The premise was great, the world building (too) thorough, and our connection to the characters from book one had us hooked in. But the execution here did not at all meet my expectations.
I wished there had been more heart (and plot) to the heart of the story. The premise was great, the world building (too) thorough, and our connection to the characters from book one had us hooked in. But the execution here did not at all meet my expectations.
katleap's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars
I loved the first book[b:The Story of Owen|16068956|The Story of Owen (The Story of Owen #1)|E.K. Johnston|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1385213342s/16068956.jpg|21861446] so I was super excited that there was a sequel.
The first book felt like Owen's story and this book feels like Siobhan's. They are taking on the politicalness of the Oil Watch. It was interesting and I liked it. I liked the new characters. I did miss Owen though when he and Siobhan were separated.
So its sad.
I loved the first book[b:The Story of Owen|16068956|The Story of Owen (The Story of Owen #1)|E.K. Johnston|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1385213342s/16068956.jpg|21861446] so I was super excited that there was a sequel.
The first book felt like Owen's story and this book feels like Siobhan's. They are taking on the politicalness of the Oil Watch. It was interesting and I liked it. I liked the new characters. I did miss Owen though when he and Siobhan were separated.
Spoiler
The book gets 4 stars for the ending. I know why Owen died but I didn't like it at all. I wanted the hero to live or at least live longer before he died in dragon fire. It just seems like a waste.So its sad.
tehani's review against another edition
5.0
Not at all what I expected
A stunning conclusion to an unanticipated sequel to The Story of Owen. I recommend reading this duology as a story in sequence as it rewards the depth of feeling for the characters. Blew me away.
A stunning conclusion to an unanticipated sequel to The Story of Owen. I recommend reading this duology as a story in sequence as it rewards the depth of feeling for the characters. Blew me away.
blondelibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
I LOVED Owen, the Dragon Slayer of Trondheim but was a bit disappointed with this sequel. The easy camaraderie between the characters is not there as they are not together long. There were more social/environmental issues introduced than was reasonable - too many for there to be adequate time for understanding the issues enough to outrage the audience. The story needed more time to develop.
jenn_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Fire/Fire injury
snazel's review against another edition
5.0
I am going to be very disappointed, this Canada Day, when I don't get to hear the Chinook Symphony.
A great bit of military fantasy fiction. And so Canadian it hurts. Everyone should read it.
A great bit of military fantasy fiction. And so Canadian it hurts. Everyone should read it.
futurememory's review against another edition
3.0
I really liked the first part of The Story of Owen, so I anticipated getting my hands on this second - and final - chapter. While there's a lot that I really loved here, I felt it fell a bit short from the first book for me.
To start with what I really loved, Siobhan's injuries were handled fantastically in this novel. We really get to see what it's like to all of a sudden have a physical disability, one that actively impedes her livelihood and what she loves to do.
Everything is more complicated here, and the glimpses into the Oil Watch were fascinating.
My main problem was how disjointed the narrative is. There are a lot of themes that E. K. Johnston runs through, and most of them are either thrown to the wayside, or end inconclusively. We've gotten so much wonderfully detailed background about this alternative-history, dragon-plagued Canada (and man, is the world-building in this series one of my absolute favorite things about it), but not much of it coalesces into something ultimately meaningful. It ends up being a bit misleading to the reader. So many wonderful threads are dropped (the various political factions, what growing fame is like, the Filipino immigrant laborers, a glimpse into First Nation culture) and never picked up again.
It almost feels like this should have been more than two books. The story needs more space. I would have loved for more of the support characters to come into focus here (Courtney and Annie, and I would have LOVED more Sadie and Emily, Hannah and Lottie, who are barely here at all). We get little flashes, promises of more in terms of personality, but we're left a bit hanging. We do, thankfully, get a bit of the most intriguing (and tragic) character of the narrative, Porter.
That being said, this is again written beautifully, and the ending is extremely memorable and haunting. It does feel like a debut duology, so I'm really excited to see what E. K. Johnston has done in her future works!
To start with what I really loved, Siobhan's injuries were handled fantastically in this novel. We really get to see what it's like to all of a sudden have a physical disability, one that actively impedes her livelihood and what she loves to do.
Everything is more complicated here, and the glimpses into the Oil Watch were fascinating.
My main problem was how disjointed the narrative is. There are a lot of themes that E. K. Johnston runs through, and most of them are either thrown to the wayside, or end inconclusively. We've gotten so much wonderfully detailed background about this alternative-history, dragon-plagued Canada (and man, is the world-building in this series one of my absolute favorite things about it), but not much of it coalesces into something ultimately meaningful. It ends up being a bit misleading to the reader. So many wonderful threads are dropped (the various political factions, what growing fame is like, the Filipino immigrant laborers, a glimpse into First Nation culture) and never picked up again.
It almost feels like this should have been more than two books. The story needs more space. I would have loved for more of the support characters to come into focus here (Courtney and Annie, and I would have LOVED more Sadie and Emily, Hannah and Lottie, who are barely here at all). We get little flashes, promises of more in terms of personality, but we're left a bit hanging. We do, thankfully, get a bit of the most intriguing (and tragic) character of the narrative, Porter.
That being said, this is again written beautifully, and the ending is extremely memorable and haunting.
Spoiler
It does feel fairly emotionally manipulative, and I didn't particularly care for Hannah's final conversation with Siobhan regarding Owen's death (that one of them had to die - for what?). That being said, it completely hit me in the feels and did the job.bethebookworm's review against another edition
3.0
Uneven story pacing and less emotional impact than it should have carried at the end. Sort of feels written for screen rather than for book. Author mentions the musician who inspired both books, and I think the second book in particular needed a sound track.