nightshade_novels's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. It feels like quite a few things that we have been waiting for were finally resolved in this one, while it nicely sets up various plot points for the series to continue. I was happy to see that after the last book the Spook seems much more like himself again. It was fun to see him and Tom doing a bit more traditional Spook work at the start of the book as they help get rid of some jibbers.
Grimalkin is back; I'd forgotten just how much I love her character! I enjoyed her fight scenes and her training session with Tom.
I am looking forward to seeing where this series goes next.
Grimalkin is back; I'd forgotten just how much I love her character! I enjoyed her fight scenes and her training session with Tom.
Spoiler
Alice is taken by the Fiend, while Tom has to deal with the Mages, Scarabek, the Morrigan, and finally the Fiend himself. After a lot of effort to get to this point, the Spook, Tom and Grimalkin manage to bind the Fiend. Then with him gone, Pan manages to return Alice. Although Alice's time in the Dark has changed her, she now seems to have embraced/been embraced by the Dark inside of her. It will be very interesting to see how she develops through the next few books.I am looking forward to seeing where this series goes next.
duffypratt's review against another edition
3.0
Given what happens in the major story here, this book should have been fantastic, and yet for me it fell a bit flat. On the good side, the stuff with Alice was really great, and she continues to develop into a very interesting character. And the overarching plot in the series advances quite well.
But its that advance that I think also causes the big problem for the book. Basically, for the overall story arch, the attempt to bind the Fiend is a really big deal. But, as a part of this book, it is a sideshow. The main plot concerns yet another witch trying to get revenge on Tom. And that story just is not as interesting. So the main story of the book seems like a repetition of what we've seen before, and it is not as interesting as the side adventure involving Tom, Grimalkin, the Spook, and the Fiend. And this imbalance, for me, distorts the entire book.
The other thing that I had some trouble with was the introduction of yet another mythology. The series has some Christian mythology, with the Church and the Fiend being the incarnation of the Devil on earth. It also has dabbled with Greek mythology, with the idea of Lamia, and in this book, with the use of Pan. And already, I've found the juxtaposition of those two a bit hard to swallow, at least with no explanations. Here, we also get introduced to the Morrigan, a Celtic crow god. And this made me wonder a bit two hard about how this world works. Thinking too hard about how the magic works in these sorts of books always risks tearing the veil. Here, I felt the different mythologies were bumping into each other, and the effect was a bit clumsier than what I'm accustomed to from Delaney.
Every series has its stronger and weaker entries, and I can imagine other people disagreeing with me on this, but for me this was probably the weakest of the books so far. And it was still pretty good, but the characters keep saying how they wish they could get home to the County, and I'm hoping for that as well. I think Delaney may be on firmer ground when he stays closer to home.
But its that advance that I think also causes the big problem for the book. Basically, for the overall story arch, the attempt to bind the Fiend is a really big deal. But, as a part of this book, it is a sideshow. The main plot concerns yet another witch trying to get revenge on Tom. And that story just is not as interesting. So the main story of the book seems like a repetition of what we've seen before, and it is not as interesting as the side adventure involving Tom, Grimalkin, the Spook, and the Fiend. And this imbalance, for me, distorts the entire book.
The other thing that I had some trouble with was the introduction of yet another mythology. The series has some Christian mythology, with the Church and the Fiend being the incarnation of the Devil on earth. It also has dabbled with Greek mythology, with the idea of Lamia, and in this book, with the use of Pan. And already, I've found the juxtaposition of those two a bit hard to swallow, at least with no explanations. Here, we also get introduced to the Morrigan, a Celtic crow god. And this made me wonder a bit two hard about how this world works. Thinking too hard about how the magic works in these sorts of books always risks tearing the veil. Here, I felt the different mythologies were bumping into each other, and the effect was a bit clumsier than what I'm accustomed to from Delaney.
Every series has its stronger and weaker entries, and I can imagine other people disagreeing with me on this, but for me this was probably the weakest of the books so far. And it was still pretty good, but the characters keep saying how they wish they could get home to the County, and I'm hoping for that as well. I think Delaney may be on firmer ground when he stays closer to home.
gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Listened via Audible.
<b> The Details: </b>
<i> Narrated by Thomas Judd
Unabridged </i>
I listened in one sitting!
Oh my gosh, this was non-stop action from start to finish. I really enjoyed that, but I did feel like I couldn't catch a breath!
I felt like this was quite a pivotal turn in the series because quite a lot of what the prior books had been building up to, finally came to a head, which was very satisfying... But of course, it's far from over yet...
<b> The Details: </b>
<i> Narrated by Thomas Judd
Unabridged </i>
I listened in one sitting!
Oh my gosh, this was non-stop action from start to finish. I really enjoyed that, but I did feel like I couldn't catch a breath!
I felt like this was quite a pivotal turn in the series because quite a lot of what the prior books had been building up to, finally came to a head, which was very satisfying... But of course, it's far from over yet...
Content Warnings
Minor: Death
lynn_k's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this one! Learning more about the Dark and that there are different sections where different beings preside was super interesting. Honestly, the last book felt dialed in and I'm glad that it was just that one that didn't click with me. I was worried that the whole series was going downhill.
nyllia's review against another edition
4.0
Après bien des aventures, Tom, son maître et Alice arrivent en Irlande. L'occasion de découvrir de nouveaux ennemis, la plupart appartenant à la mythologie celtique. Malgré un début un peu précipité parfois, j'ai beaucoup aimé ce tome. On sens enfin une avancée sur certains points, surtout dans la relation entre Alice et Tom, de nouveaux alliés apparaissent et certains problèmes sont résolus. J'ai juste trouvé le combat final un peu précipité et sans accroc, mais je chipote. La fin de ce tome est plus sombre que les autres sur un point et j'aime beaucoup ce que cela annonce pour la suite! L'ambiance générale est d'ailleurs plus sombre, et plus violente, on peux sentir le danger grandir pour Tom!
voorbijdekim's review against another edition
3.0
These books keep the same quality. Not much new in this one. Getting a bit tired of Tom constantly being clueless. I need a break before I read the next books (if I am even going to do that).
meganandsally's review against another edition
3.0
J’ai mis très longtemps à lire ce livre et à m’immerger pleinement dans cet univers. Je ne comprenais pas pourquoi on allait en Irlande affronter d’autres problèmes que ceux que les personnages avaient déjà.
Mais je commence à voir dans quelle direction cette série va. Même si je ne suis pas convaincue que ce soit la fin du malin.
Mais je commence à voir dans quelle direction cette série va. Même si je ne suis pas convaincue que ce soit la fin du malin.
whyttyger2001's review against another edition
5.0
Ive read all of the books in this series so far, but up to this point, I have never written a review until now.
I enjoy reading a book that is descriptive enough that I can imagine what is being written, but not so much that it just becomes filler words on a page. This book, as with all of the previous books, is written in a way that pulls you in and gives you the feeling that you are there with Tom Ward and Mr. Gregory. I often find myself smiling when things go right, and I also get nervous and tend to read a bit faster when the action picks up and things get tense for the characters. With this book especially, I felt my heart racing during the entirety of chapter 22. For a minute, I thought I would have to put the book down just to calm myself a bit. (Haha)
I can’t wait to start the next book in the series, and I look forward to reading more from Joseph Delaney.
I enjoy reading a book that is descriptive enough that I can imagine what is being written, but not so much that it just becomes filler words on a page. This book, as with all of the previous books, is written in a way that pulls you in and gives you the feeling that you are there with Tom Ward and Mr. Gregory. I often find myself smiling when things go right, and I also get nervous and tend to read a bit faster when the action picks up and things get tense for the characters. With this book especially, I felt my heart racing during the entirety of chapter 22. For a minute, I thought I would have to put the book down just to calm myself a bit. (Haha)
I can’t wait to start the next book in the series, and I look forward to reading more from Joseph Delaney.
polly_lilith's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0