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johannaplatt's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really enjoyed this - the new POV was very refreshing and allowed the author to break away into some more morally grey moments with Murtagh and Thorn. The plot was engaging and kept moving throughout, and both main characters were forced to confront uncomfortable truths about themselves. Particularly loved Thorn's depiction and growth, and the evident depth of connection between them both. Would love to see more from these two!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, and Murder
Claustrophobiaketreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
If anyone has known me for long, they would know one of my first (and still favourite) series in fantasy is The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini. To say I've been looking forward to another book in this world is an understatement, though due to his less than stellar interludes such as The Fork the Witch and the Worm I was a bit cautious on having my hopes too high.
While this book wasn't terrible, it definitely wasn't the book we were all waiting for. This book takes place a year after the final battle in the final book of the series and (of course) follows the lesser seen duo of the series, Thorn and Murtagh. I really did enjoy finally seen the world from their PoV. Seeing just how the trials and tribulations of the original series had long lasting and immense effects upon these characters make them all the more important. We have a lot of small flashbacks to the horrors experienced by both Thorn and Murtagh which give better understanding and nuance to why these characters are the way they are. Seeing the bond between Thorn and Murtagh on a micro scale makes these characters all the easier to root for as individuals, and not just for their tortured past.
Sooo, the story is really where this book fails for me. I see a lot of readers rating the first half as a bit too DnD side-quest-y and finding the second half a lot more compelling but I had the opposite opinion. I loved seeing Murtagh and Thorn navigating their way towards a clear goal with a clear moral core was fantastically done. I liked seeing Murtagh contrasted against the average joe, seeing both how far he's come from being a normal human, but still so far he is away from where Eragon ended up at the end of the previous series.
-SPOILERS FROM HERE ON-
The second half seems to do away with this and introduce a whole new world-ending threat we're never seen, heard, or predicted would exist. Having this 'big bad' be introduced in such a badly paced and not as the start of a new series felt like a poor decision, in my opinion. Not only that, but the big bad retcons a lot of the previous threats seen in this world and I did NOT like that. The fact Murtagh and Thorn not only go to this potentially dangerous village with minimal warning to their friends, they also decide to just hang out there for days on end with little explanation or reason to while being aware of the fact it's a stupid and dangerous decision. Having both these characters once again go through the same trauma of capture, torture, and being broken as we get hints of throughout the book just felt gross and unearned. For a series I grew up loving for it's hopeful narrative interwoven between magic and whimsy, this book barely felt a part of that series. I understand people take this as a more 'adult' approach to Paolini's writing but it reads as badly paced and poorly thought out... I did like the first half, though. :')
While this book wasn't terrible, it definitely wasn't the book we were all waiting for. This book takes place a year after the final battle in the final book of the series and (of course) follows the lesser seen duo of the series, Thorn and Murtagh. I really did enjoy finally seen the world from their PoV. Seeing just how the trials and tribulations of the original series had long lasting and immense effects upon these characters make them all the more important. We have a lot of small flashbacks to the horrors experienced by both Thorn and Murtagh which give better understanding and nuance to why these characters are the way they are. Seeing the bond between Thorn and Murtagh on a micro scale makes these characters all the easier to root for as individuals, and not just for their tortured past.
Sooo, the story is really where this book fails for me. I see a lot of readers rating the first half as a bit too DnD side-quest-y and finding the second half a lot more compelling but I had the opposite opinion. I loved seeing Murtagh and Thorn navigating their way towards a clear goal with a clear moral core was fantastically done. I liked seeing Murtagh contrasted against the average joe, seeing both how far he's come from being a normal human, but still so far he is away from where Eragon ended up at the end of the previous series.
-SPOILERS FROM HERE ON-
The second half seems to do away with this and introduce a whole new world-ending threat we're never seen, heard, or predicted would exist. Having this 'big bad' be introduced in such a badly paced and not as the start of a new series felt like a poor decision, in my opinion. Not only that, but the big bad retcons a lot of the previous threats seen in this world and I did NOT like that. The fact Murtagh and Thorn not only go to this potentially dangerous village with minimal warning to their friends, they also decide to just hang out there for days on end with little explanation or reason to while being aware of the fact it's a stupid and dangerous decision. Having both these characters once again go through the same trauma of capture, torture, and being broken as we get hints of throughout the book just felt gross and unearned. For a series I grew up loving for it's hopeful narrative interwoven between magic and whimsy, this book barely felt a part of that series. I understand people take this as a more 'adult' approach to Paolini's writing but it reads as badly paced and poorly thought out... I did like the first half, though. :')
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Slavery, and Torture
defymavity's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book feels like a Dungeons and Dragons campaign in the best way possible
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Slavery
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death and Slavery
suicana's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This was difficult to rate because as a standalone, I'd give this at least 4 stars. Compared to the Eragon-saga however, I was a bit disappointed. I still love the world and enjoyed the glimpses you get of Alagaësia post-Galbatorix, but I'm not sure I enjoy the direction the plot is taking with an even bigger (literally), even more evil next villain for Murtagh to defeat. It felt a bit... cheap. The book also felt very slow, even if it was interesting throughout. Still, I'm invested now and will continue reading once the next book comes out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Physical abuse, and Slavery
zoey_blk's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
The first half of the book were easily five stars, but toward the middle of the second half I felt like I was a bit stuck. Everything was taking a bit too long compared to the rest of the book. I may have cried the second certain cities were mentioned, because the nostalgia was hitting so damn hard. I adored Murtaghs POV. It was awesome to dive into his head and get to know Thorns and his relationship. Love Thorns sass!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, and Blood
Minor: Slavery
amaranthine_dragon's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Really nice to be back in Alegasia [sic]. Like other reviews have said, there was a lot of introspection and some of the action felt like a zelda quest (here's a goal! But to get there you must do ____ and to do that you need to collect _____).
The third quarter of the book was my favorite in terms of character development and interactions, but while I liked the climax, I thought there were a few places where the resolution could have been stronger given the setup provided.namely: Murtagh's fear of spiders suddenly vanishing when he encounters a giant one why? And the new name of za'rok not really every being mentioned until the moment he renames the sword both sat odd with me.
There are also some lose ends despite it being a standalone, and a lot of buildup to a relatively short climax. I was impressed by how many elements played into what we already knew about the world, it made the story feel a lot tighter and kept the world interally consistent. That said, I wouldn't start with Paolini here as part of the fun of this book was the callbacks to the first series.
The third quarter of the book was my favorite in terms of character development and interactions, but while I liked the climax, I thought there were a few places where the resolution could have been stronger given the setup provided.
There are also some lose ends despite it being a standalone, and a lot of buildup to a relatively short climax. I was impressed by how many elements played into what we already knew about the world, it made the story feel a lot tighter and kept the world interally consistent. That said, I wouldn't start with Paolini here as part of the fun of this book was the callbacks to the first series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Slavery
Couldn't find a tag for cult / occult / ritual sacrifice but it's thereunmistakablyphoenix's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Murtagh is a character I have always had huge empathy for while reading the original 4 books in the Inheritance Cycle.
His actions have mostly been that of terrible circumstance to which he was born into, and while our original narrator, Eragon, had a harder time understanding Murtagh’s motivation and choices, or lack of, I could see beyond his comprehension to the reality of who Murtagh is- a lonely and stunted child trapped in an oppressive and abusive environment with a dictator taking special interest in his torture. I am so glad he got to continue his story in this installment and I especially loved the storyline.
There were some VERY difficult moments to read through and I felt real rage and profound sadness at Murtagh and Thorn’s plight and treatment, both past and present.
Paolini as always inspires with his writing, and I look forward to what he does next in the word of Alagaësia.
His actions have mostly been that of terrible circumstance to which he was born into, and while our original narrator, Eragon, had a harder time understanding Murtagh’s motivation and choices, or lack of, I could see beyond his comprehension to the reality of who Murtagh is- a lonely and stunted child trapped in an oppressive and abusive environment with a dictator taking special interest in his torture. I am so glad he got to continue his story in this installment and I especially loved the storyline.
There were some VERY difficult moments to read through and I felt real rage and profound sadness at Murtagh and Thorn’s plight and treatment, both past and present.
Paolini as always inspires with his writing, and I look forward to what he does next in the word of Alagaësia.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Self harm, Slavery, and Torture
gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It took me many, many months to get through this, but my gosh it was a fantastic read. Murtagh has always been my favourite morally grey character and to have a whole 600+ page book dedicated to him and Thorn was everything I could have wanted (besides just being back in this world again).
Getting to learn more about Murtagh's character arc and see where life took him and Thorn after all the events that transpired throughout the Inheritance Cycle was fascinating. I felt as though we were really given a chance to get to know them as more than 'the vilains' and it was beautiful.
To see how their tortured past (especially with Galbatorix) triggers them still was heartbreaking and so realistic in a person. The empathy I felt was overwhelming at times - I just wanted to reach through the pages of the book and give them both a big hug. It warms my heart to know that they are least have comfort in each other.
The character growth from both of them in this novel was incredibly impressive, working through the torments of their memories and wanting and trying to get through the other side was so inspiring but what really drove that inspiration further was that it wasn't done overnight. With Thorn especially, we really got a deeper understanding of how his forced growth as a hatchling and cruel trials Galbatorix made him go through affected him still and how he struggled awfully with confined spaces because of that. It was was heartbreaking to see his frustration and fear, being stuck in the cruel moments of the past that brought the fear on.
A theme I really enjoyed in Murtagh was the significant role dreams played - I believe that was also a concept in TSIASOS, so I found it intriguing to see how differently Paolini explores that theme in his sci-fi and in his fantasy, respectively.
A little side note here, but I couldn't help but love the little notes of "mmm", or 'hrmph'.. It just felt so intrinsically human.
I loved getting to see more of the world and did get annoyed at Murtagh's endless curiosity always getting him into trouble, but the things we discovered about the goings on after what we hoped would be a long lasting peace was worrying and I'm so eager to find out what happens next!
What else is in store for Murtagh and Thorn?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, War, and Injury/Injury detail
sanctuary_in_the_pages's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Gore, Torture, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse and War
Minor: Slavery
fuzzy_fairy's review
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Slavery, Torture, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Drug use, Physical abuse, and War