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rileyg18's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
hsinjulit's review against another edition
4.0
I am definitely biased because I adore Princess of Dorsa.
While Soldier of Dorsa did not grasp my heart as much as the first book did, I still enjoyed it very much. There were times I was so scared for Tasia and Joslyn that I dared not continue reading. But I pushed myself to read on because the suspense of not reading was killing me anyway. The overall plot was very good despite some flow disruptions due to multiple flashbacks and alternations between Tasia's and Joslyn's storylines. The pacing was also a bit too fast towards the end as even more things were happening at the same time. I figure the story would flow amazingly if adapted to screen.
This sequel demonstrated Tasia's leadership quality. She channelled confidence in her voice even when in doubt, worked extra hard to be treated more seriously because she is an empress not an emperor, and came up with ingenious ideas. Joslyn's steel will also shed light to the otherwise dark, shadow-tainted (pun-intended) plot line. Learning about Joslyn's past and her new journey only made me love her more. Her actions after the second bargain with the undatai were powered by love but aimed for duty. My heart ache just by reciting her name.
There are a few interesting things I'd like to point out. One is that the undatai of the Shadowlands functions a lot like in Brandon Sanderson's The Hero of Ages. The last fighting scene where . Another thing I noticed is that Soldier of Dorsa is definitely heavily influenced by kung fu and/or Samurai culture. The naming of the stances and moves and the use of q'isson are very much kung fu, and I have a feeling words like ku-sai and kuna-shi are inspired by Japanese.
Soldier of Dorsa is a very decent follow-up that did not disappoint. It left a lot unaddressed at the ending, including Tasia's future marriage arrangements. I hope Tasia will be able to marry Joslyn and not settle for Mace in the third book. It would be too painful for all three of them otherwise. Tasia and Joslyn being co-Empresses will be everything! I also look forward to seeing prosperity of the Empire under Tasia's reign, but I doubt things will go smoothly. My heart cannot fully rest until knowing what happens next. [28 Feb 2020]
While Soldier of Dorsa did not grasp my heart as much as the first book did, I still enjoyed it very much. There were times I was so scared for Tasia and Joslyn that I dared not continue reading. But I pushed myself to read on because the suspense of not reading was killing me anyway. The overall plot was very good despite some flow disruptions due to multiple flashbacks and alternations between Tasia's and Joslyn's storylines. The pacing was also a bit too fast towards the end as even more things were happening at the same time. I figure the story would flow amazingly if adapted to screen.
This sequel demonstrated Tasia's leadership quality. She channelled confidence in her voice even when in doubt, worked extra hard to be treated more seriously because she is an empress not an emperor, and came up with ingenious ideas
Spoiler
though often backfiredThere are a few interesting things I'd like to point out. One is that the undatai of the Shadowlands functions a lot like
Spoiler
RuinSpoiler
the undatai's prior knowledge of the dance of the Seven Cities also resembles the effect of atium in the same bookSoldier of Dorsa is a very decent follow-up that did not disappoint. It left a lot unaddressed at the ending, including Tasia's
Spoiler
apparent internal bleeding andtonedevoured's review against another edition
5.0
3 stars for the book and 2 stars for Joslyn.
i thought i couldn't love tasia and joslyn MORE but then i saw them WITH KIDS.
this book got me aching and i've spent most of it MAD because i wanted them together again and i'm still emotional about their love. that's it.
i thought i couldn't love tasia and joslyn MORE but then i saw them WITH KIDS.
this book got me aching and i've spent most of it MAD because i wanted them together again and i'm still emotional about their love. that's it.
gothicwhimsy's review against another edition
I may finish later! I had kind of enough of the main character's suffering so I never looked forward to picking it back up again. When I got busy it just fell off.
thatonereader_'s review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-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
3.75
cjeanette90's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent Fantasy, Excellent LGBTQIA Book
A great sequel that continues to develop the world and characters set up in the first book. Like the first in the series, this had me riveted from the first page (to the point of neglecting more important readings!)
A great sequel that continues to develop the world and characters set up in the first book. Like the first in the series, this had me riveted from the first page (to the point of neglecting more important readings!)
netgyrl's review
3.0
3 Stars - flashbacks really dragged the pacing - struggled to finish it
The audiobook version of this book is almost 22 hours. It felt like twice that length. There were so many flashbacks, way too many imo. Even during the rising action of the ending,
book: Oop! holl-up a minute! FLASHBACK.
me: Noooooo....wwwwhhhyyyy??? :(
I also found the story very frustrating.
One, our heroes are NOT TOGETHER for almost the entire book. The story is a million times more interesting when they team up.
Two, every thing they try to accomplish either doesn't work, only kinda works or worked but they really should have maybe been doing something different (that was suggested to them) but they choose not to do.
Three, what was the point of the Milo character?
Seems like a lot of people liked this way better then I did, so definitely read some of the other reviews and make your own decision.
I am going to post some massive spoilers below so if I decide to read the third book, I will not have a slog through this one again. DO NOT click the link unless you have read the book. You have been WARNED. :)
Josslyn is not dead. Yay! She tries to find Tasia, but along the way she learns that the deal she made with the Undatai "Prince of Shadows" has tainted her and will make her a danger to Tasia. She decides to go after her kunashi's magic sword. She travels to their old home. Finds a message and some dream/drug tea. Drug tea lets her enter the Shadowlands where she meets her kunashi and gets the sword. Why is the sword so important? Well... it can cure an shadow infected person - one tiny nick is all it takes to sever the connection that shadow has with its human host. The shadow returns to the shadowlands and the person is freed from possession. The sword breaks when she escapes the shadowland. Bummer. Now she needs to find the Smallmen and convince them to repair the sword. On the way she uses the drug tea to start practicing using shadow magic/powers. She is attacksed by assassins (the same sect that we encountered in book one). She captures one named Tysona and learns they are members of The Order. She gives a spiel about how shadows and humans were always meant to be together working in harmony and it was the Brotherhood who fucked it all up by banishing the shadows to the shadowlands. The Order is trying to do is bring everything back into balance. Josslyn is skeptical (as was I). After awhile and many flashbacks to when she as a kid, the Smallmen, FINALLY show up and put poor Josslyn thru a trial (think Luke's hollow tree experience on Dagobah) to prove her hero worthiness and they fix her sword. They also tell her she really really REALLY needs to head to Port Lorson to help Tasia, but of course instead she lets Tysona of The Order influence her to go after a "gate" that is letting shadows in to the world of men. The gate is an adorable young boy named, Milo, that as far as I can tell has no real purpose because every freaking shadow infected person can infect others with shadows making them all gates basically. whatev. She kills, Tysona, and travels to the Shadowland with Milo with the intention of finding the Prince of Shadows and killing him...oh! ha 0k, here is where him being a gate is different then the infected. As a gate his access goes both ways so Josslyn uses him to enter the shadowlands ...with him... not sure how that works but we will just go with it.
Meanwhile....
Tasia and Evard are in exile in Tarinto. One of the slaves that helps take care of her reminds Tasia of Josslyn. She is 13? And she and Tasia become friends and she is important thru the rest of the story helping Tasia. For the life of me I can't recall her name...Leda? Aleda?. They learn that Norix is going to give a bunch of land to the Mountain Men. Can't have that, so Tasia strikes a deal with Lord M'Tongless to have his son marry her sister Adela in return for troops to try and head off the massive contingent of lords and troops off to sign the treaty with the Mountain Men. They dont have enough troops so Tasia convinces Evard to have the Brotherhood conjure up a n illusion of 10k troops to make their 5k look like 15k. Evard thinks this is a bad plan. Turn out he was right and the plan falls because the person leading the delegation is none-other then her arsehole grandfather. He realizes something can't be right with all the troops she has and attacks. He captures Tasia and routes her army. He puts her in a dog cage and they start the long journey back to Port Lorson. Tasia is a mess, probably has heat stroke and dehydration. During this time Josslyn is in the mountains looking for the Smallmen and practicing dreamwalking and finds Tasia in a dream. Tasia is saved and she and a few of her remaining followers get away thru the desert. Josslyn visits again via a dream and tell her to go friend Brick (remember him from the first book?). She still thinks Josslyn is dead but follows her advice anyway and does indeed find Brick. They decide that instead of using the lords to overthrow Norix they will use commoners. The big plan is to cause enough noise via riots to get the city guard out into the county side and then cause riots in Port Lorson to get Norix to send the castle guards out, then they can sneak into the castle and get Norix and Adela. While inflitrating into the city as a ... you guessed it... a baker's girl, Tasia and Brick encounter Evard, who as been M.I.A. since the battle to stop the delegation. He warns Tasia that the shadows are planning something and she should come with him. She basically tells him to fuck right off and goes about her plan. Her followers start causing riots and Tasia gets into the castle and manages to get both her sister and Norix. They dose Norix with truth serum. They rouse all the lords and gather everyone to the council chambers where Nortix spills his guts (this part was fun) and Tasia is reinstated as Empress. Woohoo!
Buuuuuut.....
The shadows have been infecting people in Port Lorson getting ready for a big attack that happens at this point and is massively helped along by the riots caused by Tasia's followers. Tasia gets called out by the lord of shadows. He is basically going to keep killing her citizens one by one at the front gates of the castle unless she gives herself up. Which, of course, she does. Predictably, the Prince of Shadows infects/possesses her.
Back in the Shadowlands....
Tasia meets an old lady shadow seer who lets her know Josslyn is alive and about to do the crazy impossible and try and kill the Prince of Shadows. She teaches her a bit about how the shadowlands work so she can join up with Josslyn and help her. Josslyn and Tasia reunite. Awwww. Then there is a big fight with the prince of shadows. They win, but are both badly injured. Josslyn learns out to heal herself and does the same for Tasia and Milo. Old lady shadow seer tells them that even though they defeated the P of S (haha) here a bit of him is still alive and in possession of Tasia's body. If Josslyn can defeat him then all the infected in Port Lorson will be saved. (aside: Evard when told this says they become more like a rudderless ship. I dont know what ends up happening with all the possessed. it doesn't say in the book. seems like it would be super important but is left as a weird loose end) Josslyn travels to Port Lorson via the Smallmen's magic travel pebble (did i forget to mention that?) and meets up with Brick and the slave girl and the rest of the scooby gang. She needs to find Tasia and cut her with the sword to release her from the possession of the Prince of Shadows. When she confronts the P of S in Tasia's body they have a bit of fight, but Josslyn manages to cut her. However, being the Prince of Shadows and not a normal shadow, he?/it? hangs on long enough to cut Tasia in the gut - as in a killing blow. OMG! What?! This time Tasia is dying at the end of the book. However, Josslyn to the rescue - she heals Tasia using the shadow arts she has been learning throughout the story.
Together again...
The citizens continue the riot because grain prices are to high. There is no mention of what happened to all the shadow-infected. Tasia makes a bunch of decisions that to me seem like band aids to grain price problem and annoy me. She and Josslyn have some sexy times. The end.
The audiobook version of this book is almost 22 hours. It felt like twice that length. There were so many flashbacks, way too many imo. Even during the rising action of the ending,
book: Oop! holl-up a minute! FLASHBACK.
me: Noooooo....wwwwhhhyyyy??? :(
I also found the story very frustrating.
One, our heroes are NOT TOGETHER for almost the entire book. The story is a million times more interesting when they team up.
Two, every thing they try to accomplish either doesn't work, only kinda works or worked but they really should have maybe been doing something different (that was suggested to them) but they choose not to do.
Three, what was the point of the Milo character?
Spoiler
if the shadow infected can infect other people with shadows, why do we need Milo acting as a "gate" to infect people with shadows. The way it is described in the book, EVERY INFECTED person is essentially a "gate". I don't understand and its making my crazy.Seems like a lot of people liked this way better then I did, so definitely read some of the other reviews and make your own decision.
I am going to post some massive spoilers below so if I decide to read the third book, I will not have a slog through this one again. DO NOT click the link unless you have read the book. You have been WARNED. :)
Spoiler
Josslyn is not dead. Yay! She tries to find Tasia, but along the way she learns that the deal she made with the Undatai "Prince of Shadows" has tainted her and will make her a danger to Tasia. She decides to go after her kunashi's magic sword. She travels to their old home. Finds a message and some dream/drug tea. Drug tea lets her enter the Shadowlands where she meets her kunashi and gets the sword. Why is the sword so important? Well... it can cure an shadow infected person - one tiny nick is all it takes to sever the connection that shadow has with its human host. The shadow returns to the shadowlands and the person is freed from possession. The sword breaks when she escapes the shadowland. Bummer. Now she needs to find the Smallmen and convince them to repair the sword. On the way she uses the drug tea to start practicing using shadow magic/powers. She is attacksed by assassins (the same sect that we encountered in book one). She captures one named Tysona and learns they are members of The Order. She gives a spiel about how shadows and humans were always meant to be together working in harmony and it was the Brotherhood who fucked it all up by banishing the shadows to the shadowlands. The Order is trying to do is bring everything back into balance. Josslyn is skeptical (as was I). After awhile and many flashbacks to when she as a kid, the Smallmen, FINALLY show up and put poor Josslyn thru a trial (think Luke's hollow tree experience on Dagobah) to prove her hero worthiness and they fix her sword. They also tell her she really really REALLY needs to head to Port Lorson to help Tasia, but of course instead she lets Tysona of The Order influence her to go after a "gate" that is letting shadows in to the world of men. The gate is an adorable young boy named, Milo, that as far as I can tell has no real purpose because every freaking shadow infected person can infect others with shadows making them all gates basically. whatev. She kills, Tysona, and travels to the Shadowland with Milo with the intention of finding the Prince of Shadows and killing him...oh! ha 0k, here is where him being a gate is different then the infected. As a gate his access goes both ways so Josslyn uses him to enter the shadowlands ...with him... not sure how that works but we will just go with it.
Meanwhile....
Tasia and Evard are in exile in Tarinto. One of the slaves that helps take care of her reminds Tasia of Josslyn. She is 13? And she and Tasia become friends and she is important thru the rest of the story helping Tasia. For the life of me I can't recall her name...Leda? Aleda?. They learn that Norix is going to give a bunch of land to the Mountain Men. Can't have that, so Tasia strikes a deal with Lord M'Tongless to have his son marry her sister Adela in return for troops to try and head off the massive contingent of lords and troops off to sign the treaty with the Mountain Men. They dont have enough troops so Tasia convinces Evard to have the Brotherhood conjure up a n illusion of 10k troops to make their 5k look like 15k. Evard thinks this is a bad plan. Turn out he was right and the plan falls because the person leading the delegation is none-other then her arsehole grandfather. He realizes something can't be right with all the troops she has and attacks. He captures Tasia and routes her army. He puts her in a dog cage and they start the long journey back to Port Lorson. Tasia is a mess, probably has heat stroke and dehydration. During this time Josslyn is in the mountains looking for the Smallmen and practicing dreamwalking and finds Tasia in a dream. Tasia is saved and she and a few of her remaining followers get away thru the desert. Josslyn visits again via a dream and tell her to go friend Brick (remember him from the first book?). She still thinks Josslyn is dead but follows her advice anyway and does indeed find Brick. They decide that instead of using the lords to overthrow Norix they will use commoners. The big plan is to cause enough noise via riots to get the city guard out into the county side and then cause riots in Port Lorson to get Norix to send the castle guards out, then they can sneak into the castle and get Norix and Adela. While inflitrating into the city as a ... you guessed it... a baker's girl, Tasia and Brick encounter Evard, who as been M.I.A. since the battle to stop the delegation. He warns Tasia that the shadows are planning something and she should come with him. She basically tells him to fuck right off and goes about her plan. Her followers start causing riots and Tasia gets into the castle and manages to get both her sister and Norix. They dose Norix with truth serum. They rouse all the lords and gather everyone to the council chambers where Nortix spills his guts (this part was fun) and Tasia is reinstated as Empress. Woohoo!
Buuuuuut.....
The shadows have been infecting people in Port Lorson getting ready for a big attack that happens at this point and is massively helped along by the riots caused by Tasia's followers. Tasia gets called out by the lord of shadows. He is basically going to keep killing her citizens one by one at the front gates of the castle unless she gives herself up. Which, of course, she does. Predictably, the Prince of Shadows infects/possesses her.
Back in the Shadowlands....
Tasia meets an old lady shadow seer who lets her know Josslyn is alive and about to do the crazy impossible and try and kill the Prince of Shadows. She teaches her a bit about how the shadowlands work so she can join up with Josslyn and help her. Josslyn and Tasia reunite. Awwww. Then there is a big fight with the prince of shadows. They win, but are both badly injured. Josslyn learns out to heal herself and does the same for Tasia and Milo. Old lady shadow seer tells them that even though they defeated the P of S (haha) here a bit of him is still alive and in possession of Tasia's body. If Josslyn can defeat him then all the infected in Port Lorson will be saved. (aside: Evard when told this says they become more like a rudderless ship. I dont know what ends up happening with all the possessed. it doesn't say in the book. seems like it would be super important but is left as a weird loose end) Josslyn travels to Port Lorson via the Smallmen's magic travel pebble (did i forget to mention that?) and meets up with Brick and the slave girl and the rest of the scooby gang. She needs to find Tasia and cut her with the sword to release her from the possession of the Prince of Shadows. When she confronts the P of S in Tasia's body they have a bit of fight, but Josslyn manages to cut her. However, being the Prince of Shadows and not a normal shadow, he?/it? hangs on long enough to cut Tasia in the gut - as in a killing blow. OMG! What?! This time Tasia is dying at the end of the book. However, Josslyn to the rescue - she heals Tasia using the shadow arts she has been learning throughout the story.
Together again...
The citizens continue the riot because grain prices are to high. There is no mention of what happened to all the shadow-infected. Tasia makes a bunch of decisions that to me seem like band aids to grain price problem and annoy me. She and Josslyn have some sexy times. The end.