goonerette's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
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? It's complicated
4.0
cillliangorm's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-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
camillavavruch's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
kitvaria_sarene's review against another edition
5.0
What a worthy end to a great trilogy!
I spaced reading these out quite a bit, as I didn't want to run out of books in the series. However you can't stall forever, so on Wednesday I finally started Siege of Shadows, and finished it Thursday evening...
All three of these books were great fun, but you can really see Andrews grow and stretch as an author, and the books go from good, to great, to brilliant!
We meet a lot of old acquaintances in this one, and some new unexpected new faces. There's a lot of magic, dragons, and all sorts of actual fantasy, which felt like a warm ray of sunshine after quite some low fantasy books.
The prose and voice is smooth as expected, and let me just breeze through the story in one rollercoaster ride of a story.
The characters get even more depth, and path new ways for themselves. A personal favourite of mine is people not necessarily being all out villains (or heroes), and Andrews always shows you both sides of "the enemy".
This has a very classical feel to it, with a clear good side, and little gore. However it also has more depth and shades of grey than a lot of teh actual classics. It's also way less predictable. Which struck a good balance for me between feeling right at home, and yet a nice fresh breath of air.
The actual plot was intriguing and more than one mystery at the core. And some nice twists that put a very happy grin on my face!
I would highly recommend this obviously, but specially if you're looking for something epic and not flat, and also not too heavy or grimdark.
With hope and friendships and good people, and yet also with an engaging story and actual high stakes.
I spaced reading these out quite a bit, as I didn't want to run out of books in the series. However you can't stall forever, so on Wednesday I finally started Siege of Shadows, and finished it Thursday evening...
All three of these books were great fun, but you can really see Andrews grow and stretch as an author, and the books go from good, to great, to brilliant!
We meet a lot of old acquaintances in this one, and some new unexpected new faces. There's a lot of magic, dragons, and all sorts of actual fantasy, which felt like a warm ray of sunshine after quite some low fantasy books.
The prose and voice is smooth as expected, and let me just breeze through the story in one rollercoaster ride of a story.
The characters get even more depth, and path new ways for themselves. A personal favourite of mine is people not necessarily being all out villains (or heroes), and Andrews always shows you both sides of "the enemy".
This has a very classical feel to it, with a clear good side, and little gore. However it also has more depth and shades of grey than a lot of teh actual classics. It's also way less predictable. Which struck a good balance for me between feeling right at home, and yet a nice fresh breath of air.
The actual plot was intriguing and more than one mystery at the core. And some nice twists that put a very happy grin on my face!
I would highly recommend this obviously, but specially if you're looking for something epic and not flat, and also not too heavy or grimdark.
With hope and friendships and good people, and yet also with an engaging story and actual high stakes.
mylhibug's review
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
jksteach's review
5.0
An excellent end to the trilogy! Each book has been better than the last (but Will and Sora are still my favorite).
Sini is the first female keeper in generations and her magic doesn’t work like the others. She needs to figure out her power and stop her sort-of brother from destroying everything she’s grown to love.
I loved all the characters in this book. There are dragons and elf babies and betrayals and redemptions! Awesome ❤️ Now on to Sable's story!
Sini is the first female keeper in generations and her magic doesn’t work like the others. She needs to figure out her power and stop her sort-of brother from destroying everything she’s grown to love.
I loved all the characters in this book. There are dragons and elf babies and betrayals and redemptions! Awesome ❤️ Now on to Sable's story!
booknookbella's review
4.5
Siege of Shadows
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
World: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Pacing: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: N/A
I liked this one the most out of the series. I was a bit apprehensive at first since it started a lot like the other two (a keeper's POV where the keeper is someone who seems to think they aren't very good at being a keeper), but in the end, I thought this was a very nice addition to the trilogy, and it wrapped up well. I loved the weird elflings, and then the budding romance between the MC and someone who is really off limits. Always enjoy one of those.
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
World: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Pacing: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: N/A
I liked this one the most out of the series. I was a bit apprehensive at first since it started a lot like the other two (a keeper's POV where the keeper is someone who seems to think they aren't very good at being a keeper), but in the end, I thought this was a very nice addition to the trilogy, and it wrapped up well. I loved the weird elflings, and then the budding romance between the MC and someone who is really off limits. Always enjoy one of those.
secre's review
5.0
Re-read: Audio; As has been the standard throughout this series, the audio is excellent. The characters truly come to life, with tone and character being perfectly captured.
And this series just keeps on getting better and better and I am left with a bitter sweet sort of mourning that it is over. This is beautifully written, with real detail and intricately layered world-building forming the backdrop to the wonderful characters and relationships throughout. It's difficult to say which is stronger; the world building or the characters as they are both simply excellent.
As I'd half expected, the novel perspective is once again different to the previous two, this time following Sini, a young new recruit to the Keepers. Unlike Will and Alaric, Sini didn't grow up educated by the Keepers but as a slave to the Roven, a nomadic tribe like people who loathe the Keepers and all they stand for. However much like Will and Alaric, Sini is both powerful and fragile, beset by her own doubts about her worth and whether she truly belongs to this new family she has found. I really appreciated how each of the three characters all have very different strengths and weaknesses that allow the world's magic system to be showcased in all its glory.
But it's not just Sini who is a draw here. All of the characters, whether they have a large part to play or not, are wonderfully drawn. I particularly loved the old twin Keepers, coming to the end of their lives and how their acceptance of death as a natural conclusion to their work is so difficult for Sini to comprehend. There's a huge cast of characters here, some old and some new, and they all come together into a cohesive whole. I loved the non-humans just as much as the humans though, all of them with weird and wonderful characteristics that made them fly off the page. We get an inkling at the beginning of the book of some of the newer characters, but I have to admit, I didn't expect it to move in quite the direction that it did.
And throughout all of this you have a strong narrative which is intricately linked to Sini's past, present and future. Her old loyalty to Lucas, who was all but a brother to her when they were slaves clashes and wars with the threat he poses to all that she now holds dear. His hatred of the Keepers is completely at odds with the life she has so painstakingly built for herself, and yet her ties to his motivations may well be the only thing that can save those she loves. What I particularly liked though, was how even small things often ended up linking into the larger narrative; a comment mentioned several chapters prior would come to mind and I'd suddenly realise what it was referring to. It's subtle and clever, and really added to my enjoyment of the novel.
In all, this is an excellent conclusion to the trilogy and I am only sad that it had to end. There are so many stories yet to be told and I want to read all of them!! That said, the conclusion wraps up all the loose ends well. You aren't left hanging. It's just that I got invested in so much of the world that I want it all drawn out for me. This is really a series that just gets better with each book and Siege of Shadows offers exceptional characters, intricate and detailed world-building, a strong narrative and some wonderful prose just as the icing on the cake.
And this series just keeps on getting better and better and I am left with a bitter sweet sort of mourning that it is over. This is beautifully written, with real detail and intricately layered world-building forming the backdrop to the wonderful characters and relationships throughout. It's difficult to say which is stronger; the world building or the characters as they are both simply excellent.
As I'd half expected, the novel perspective is once again different to the previous two, this time following Sini, a young new recruit to the Keepers. Unlike Will and Alaric, Sini didn't grow up educated by the Keepers but as a slave to the Roven, a nomadic tribe like people who loathe the Keepers and all they stand for. However much like Will and Alaric, Sini is both powerful and fragile, beset by her own doubts about her worth and whether she truly belongs to this new family she has found. I really appreciated how each of the three characters all have very different strengths and weaknesses that allow the world's magic system to be showcased in all its glory.
But it's not just Sini who is a draw here. All of the characters, whether they have a large part to play or not, are wonderfully drawn. I particularly loved the old twin Keepers, coming to the end of their lives and how their acceptance of death as a natural conclusion to their work is so difficult for Sini to comprehend. There's a huge cast of characters here, some old and some new, and they all come together into a cohesive whole. I loved the non-humans just as much as the humans though, all of them with weird and wonderful characteristics that made them fly off the page. We get an inkling at the beginning of the book of some of the newer characters, but I have to admit, I didn't expect it to move in quite the direction that it did.
And throughout all of this you have a strong narrative which is intricately linked to Sini's past, present and future. Her old loyalty to Lucas, who was all but a brother to her when they were slaves clashes and wars with the threat he poses to all that she now holds dear. His hatred of the Keepers is completely at odds with the life she has so painstakingly built for herself, and yet her ties to his motivations may well be the only thing that can save those she loves. What I particularly liked though, was how even small things often ended up linking into the larger narrative; a comment mentioned several chapters prior would come to mind and I'd suddenly realise what it was referring to. It's subtle and clever, and really added to my enjoyment of the novel.
In all, this is an excellent conclusion to the trilogy and I am only sad that it had to end. There are so many stories yet to be told and I want to read all of them!! That said, the conclusion wraps up all the loose ends well. You aren't left hanging. It's just that I got invested in so much of the world that I want it all drawn out for me. This is really a series that just gets better with each book and Siege of Shadows offers exceptional characters, intricate and detailed world-building, a strong narrative and some wonderful prose just as the icing on the cake.
entee's review
5.0
This was a great trilogy. It is a little simplistic if you are used to keeping track of the antics of 20+ characters simultaneously. Each volume closely follows the tale of a keeper, with the wider trilogy interweaving their stories together.
evalynex's review
5.0
I couldn't put down this book. Scratch that, I couldn't put down this SERIES. So good, I enjoyed every minute spent reading/devouring this world and its characters. Definitely a permanent series on my (virtual) bookshelf.