Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - Red Seas Under Red Skies

I loved the first book so much, but I think this one has turned me off the rest of the series. Lots and lots and lots of plot holes - and not just the expected ones in these kinds of swashbuckling heist and mystery books. Its like Lynch just decided to forget half the book he had written.

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roksyreads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

On the exotic shores of Tal Verrar, Locke Lamora and Jean Tannen have set their sights on the Sinspire, the most exclusive – not to mention guarded – gambling house in the world. But someone in Tal Verrar knows their secrets and intends to make the criminal duo pay for their past sins; all of their combined wits and cunning may not be enough to save them.

Similar to the first book, Lynch uses a dual narrative structure of past and present events to weave Locke and Jean’s journey to the latter stages of their ‘game’. You would expect a novel focused on conmen to go the way of Ocean’s Eleven/Twelve/Thirteen; setbacks would be quickly surmounted by clever tricks and cunning, and ultimately the conmen would succeed against the powerful clandestine ruler of the Sinspire. Pleasantly – or perhaps unpleasantly, at least for our protagonists – this is not the case. Locke and Jean are constantly faced with the challenges of maintaining multiple faces and plots, their lives hanging in the balance.

I am very fond of stories featuring found family and genuine friendship. Lynch brings so much emotion and depth to his characters and the relationships they build that it’s difficult not to become attached to this pair of morally grey conmen and the allies they make along the way. In this novel, I was particularly fond of Zamira, and most enjoyed the latter half of the novel in which she and her first mate, Ezri, featured prominently.

A dark, twisting, and detailed fantasy – with the added bonus of pirates and adventures on the high sea – Red Seas Under Red Skies was hard to put down and even harder to leave behind.

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murdoch's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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dragonaion's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

An excellent progression, the previous "grunge fantasy" has turned into a "romantic fantasy, steam punk, and pirate" with all of the brilliance and love from the first book. It is,however, a pleasant surprise to read how the love lives develop and reveal themselves between the two main characters; subtle in some ways, endearing in others, and all loving and heartfelt.
I was deeply engrossed in this story, to the point of reading at least 100 pages a day, and am delighted to know I have the next book already on my shelves to read.
"Thieves prosper and the rich remember"

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sporemiette's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I was worried at first that this book would follow the same formula as the first

(dashing rogues working towards a mad heist only to be forced into a scheme bigger than them by a powerful third party)

but I was pleasantly surprised. Also pleasantly surprised to see more representation in this installation. To think that a book published in 2007 has better queer rep than most books published today. sigh. I have to say though, I'm not a big fan of Lynch's reoccurring habit of

offing prominent female characters. First the Capa's daughter, now Ezri. I dread for Sabetha's sake in the next book lol.

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delfinmac's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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felofhe's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring lighthearted mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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