kitvaria_sarene's review
5.0
So, it's nearly time for publication, high time for an actual review!
I was lucky enough to get a beta reading copy for this, and indeboured it within two days. While that's normal for me with audiobooks, for actual eye use that's close to a record for me these days.
Usually with beta reads, I send back one or two pages of things that didn't work perfectly for me. With this one i could only send a very helpful "It's amazing! I loved it!"
We get to learn more of our main characters, both about where they are going now, and about the muddy past, a lot of which is still hidden from them and us.
There's nice twists and turns indefinitely didn't expect, and also enough satisfying "I knew it!" moments to make me feel rather good while reading it. Despite this again almost having blood and gore drip from the pages. I don't need to tell you that books by Fletcher aren't for the faint of heart, if you made it to book three in this series.
I don't want to say too much, sonas to not spoil anything. We get more action, more fighting, more betrayals and loyalties, more introspection and definitely more internal struggles. The moral questions definitely are what made this as gripping and fascinating to me, and kept it from turning into a gore fest.
My only complaint, and it isn't even really a complaint is the ending. It is a well written end.
And I really, really, really want to strangle that Fletcher guy for that. I won't tell you why thought, you'll have to read it yourself to find out. And then join me in making him pay...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Was lucky enough to get a beta readers copy of this, and will put my full review up later.
But for now let me say *IT'S GOOD*
I was lucky enough to get a beta reading copy for this, and indeboured it within two days. While that's normal for me with audiobooks, for actual eye use that's close to a record for me these days.
Usually with beta reads, I send back one or two pages of things that didn't work perfectly for me. With this one i could only send a very helpful "It's amazing! I loved it!"
We get to learn more of our main characters, both about where they are going now, and about the muddy past, a lot of which is still hidden from them and us.
There's nice twists and turns indefinitely didn't expect, and also enough satisfying "I knew it!" moments to make me feel rather good while reading it. Despite this again almost having blood and gore drip from the pages. I don't need to tell you that books by Fletcher aren't for the faint of heart, if you made it to book three in this series.
I don't want to say too much, sonas to not spoil anything. We get more action, more fighting, more betrayals and loyalties, more introspection and definitely more internal struggles. The moral questions definitely are what made this as gripping and fascinating to me, and kept it from turning into a gore fest.
My only complaint, and it isn't even really a complaint is the ending. It is a well written end.
And I really, really, really want to strangle that Fletcher guy for that. I won't tell you why thought, you'll have to read it yourself to find out. And then join me in making him pay...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Was lucky enough to get a beta readers copy of this, and will put my full review up later.
But for now let me say *IT'S GOOD*
zurfloo's review
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
onegoodorangutang's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.75
frighter's review
adventurous
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
laurarhds's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
b3rgy's review against another edition
2.0
Disappointing. A book that couldn’t stick the landing after such a great debut with the first book. What was that…
gobshxte's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
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? Yes
5.0
nina_bloodsworn's review
5.0
Khraen, Khraen, Khraen .. what did you expect?!
Khraen's struggle, desperately trying to be different - with an enemy in himself and around.
what a wild ride and a great conclusion to the trilogy.
i have no words. amazing build-up and ending.
loved the worldbuilding, characters, deep friendship and twisted kind of love (not my usual jam but here it was done brilliant). a true master of twisted.
this going to be an author I will 100% read more from.
Khraen's struggle, desperately trying to be different - with an enemy in himself and around.
what a wild ride and a great conclusion to the trilogy.
i have no words. amazing build-up and ending.
loved the worldbuilding, characters, deep friendship and twisted kind of love (not my usual jam but here it was done brilliant). a true master of twisted.
this going to be an author I will 100% read more from.
leelah's review
3.0
So, ok.
It may be my FromSoftware obsessed brain, but The Obsidian Path really reads like the torturous game story Miyazaki would appreciate. You wake up not knowing anything, you level up and get fancy weapons using souls, you get stronger by obtaining shards of your heart killing different enemies (bosses) and there, at the end, you find out the truth and the path starts again.
It's the enduring cycle.
That's the whole point. Empires rising and falling, yesterday heroes become today's villains and vice versa, the constant struggle of journey you are on desperately trying to get some result that will inevitably lead to the same truth there at the end. And the new cycle.
So, yes, dark, bleak and brutal.
I really love what Fletcher wanted to achieve with this entire series. I always liked him for the dark and for the uncomfortable he brings up in his writing. And yes, thinking about the series as whole, I'd say I appreciated it more than each individual part and that's especially true for An End to Sorrow.
I was never bothered that much by Khraen's constant introspection because I was cackling how Fletcher made Khraen over and over going back on that promise to be a good guy, because he needed just a few thousand souls. Just this one time and then after that he will be a good guy. Until next time. Endless justifications and pathetic excuses. It was hilarious. I genuinely had fun in slowly deteriorating morality and questionable sanity of Khraen and his decision at the end was not surprising to me at all.
If he was repeating same moral conundrums and questions in his head, I kinda hoped we will see more, let's say, a substantial plot.
We open up a book with Khraen in weird stasis prison... which is very similar to wizard tower he was trapped in first book.
They have a tough sea voyage... kinda similar to floating episode in second book.
Nahgron was a bigger threat in second book, here he was like reasonable version of Khraen (and I admit, that Khraen would not be as much fun to read about).
Henka was manipulative and thinking several steps ahead which was revealed in previous book and nothing surprised me about her. I just thought her reason for doing anything she did at the end downgraded her again to Corpse Bride status.
I thought from that cover we will see Kantalment in action! We saw awesome armour, but Kantlament is only used as a play on words (can't lament- get it?! ::eye-roll::).
It's like stuff happened and Khraen get shards of his heart, but the way he's done it was not as exciting as I hoped considering he remembered more about demonology and has new weapons at his disposal. So many fun things only mentioned (like elemental who is mad at Khraen or why wizards wanted to know about demonic objects), but it was not utilized in this novel. Maybe sequel series?
I am a character reader and I always give preference to character development than plot, but I wanted better balance of both elements. With so many reflective parts and so many inner dialogue devoted to Khraen's character I did hope for more because the path to self-realization was always a goal, and not a surprise I wasn't expecting.
So, in worst of excuses, it's a 'me' thing.
remains awesome and I love him. It's my only flaw.
It may be my FromSoftware obsessed brain, but The Obsidian Path really reads like the torturous game story Miyazaki would appreciate. You wake up not knowing anything, you level up and get fancy weapons using souls, you get stronger by obtaining shards of your heart killing different enemies (bosses) and there, at the end, you find out the truth and the path starts again.
It's the enduring cycle.
That's the whole point. Empires rising and falling, yesterday heroes become today's villains and vice versa, the constant struggle of journey you are on desperately trying to get some result that will inevitably lead to the same truth there at the end. And the new cycle.
So, yes, dark, bleak and brutal.
I really love what Fletcher wanted to achieve with this entire series. I always liked him for the dark and for the uncomfortable he brings up in his writing. And yes, thinking about the series as whole, I'd say I appreciated it more than each individual part and that's especially true for An End to Sorrow.
I was never bothered that much by Khraen's constant introspection because I was cackling how Fletcher made Khraen over and over going back on that promise to be a good guy, because he needed just a few thousand souls. Just this one time and then after that he will be a good guy. Until next time. Endless justifications and pathetic excuses. It was hilarious. I genuinely had fun in slowly deteriorating morality and questionable sanity of Khraen and his decision at the end was not surprising to me at all.
If he was repeating same moral conundrums and questions in his head, I kinda hoped we will see more, let's say, a substantial plot.
We open up a book with Khraen in weird stasis prison... which is very similar to wizard tower he was trapped in first book.
They have a tough sea voyage... kinda similar to floating episode in second book.
Nahgron was a bigger threat in second book, here he was like reasonable version of Khraen (and I admit, that Khraen would not be as much fun to read about).
Henka was manipulative and thinking several steps ahead which was revealed in previous book and nothing surprised me about her. I just thought her reason for doing anything she did at the end downgraded her again to Corpse Bride status.
I thought from that cover we will see Kantalment in action! We saw awesome armour, but Kantlament is only used as a play on words (can't lament- get it?! ::eye-roll::).
It's like stuff happened and Khraen get shards of his heart, but the way he's done it was not as exciting as I hoped considering he remembered more about demonology and has new weapons at his disposal. So many fun things only mentioned (like elemental who is mad at Khraen or why wizards wanted to know about demonic objects), but it was not utilized in this novel. Maybe sequel series?
I am a character reader and I always give preference to character development than plot, but I wanted better balance of both elements. With so many reflective parts and so many inner dialogue devoted to Khraen's character I did hope for more because the path to self-realization was always a goal, and not a surprise I wasn't expecting.
So, in worst of excuses, it's a 'me' thing.
Spoiler
Brencatsy2022's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0