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meganjeg's review against another edition
adventurous
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? No
3.75
baddums's review against another edition
5.0
This book was full of action and events and was very well done! I spent all day tearing through it, to be honest. I was worried, elated, angry... Full of emotion as the characters went on their respective journeys. For a book to suck me in like that is a testament to Marillier's depth of storytelling. I am saddened only in that I must wait until September for the conclusion, unless I manage to acquire an ARC from somewhere (please, Random House??).
stephxsu's review
3.0
RAVEN FLIGHT was not as engaging for me as [b:Shadowfell|8452340|Shadowfell (Shadowfell, #1)|Juliet Marillier|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1349524062s/8452340.jpg|13316351]—but the thing is, they’re not all that different from one another. Neryn is still this can-do-no-wrong protagonist who, if not liked instantly by all she meets, at least can quickly win them over with her earnest naivete. The plot is straightforward quest involving long distances traveled and new characters met.
In RAVEN FLIGHT, we learn more about what exactly makes Keldec so evil. And boy is the man frightening! In one of the most riveting scenes in the story, Neryn is forced to witness Keldec’s cruelties to his subjects from front-row seats. This insight into Keldec’s rule is horrifying, yet really upped the stakes for me as a reader in cheering the painfully perfect Neryn on to success.
Unfortunately, perfection gets old, and Neryn’s personality grated on me a lot more in this installment than previously. I think I’m past the age when I can immerse myself in a protagonist who’s flawless—not in that put-together way, but in the one-girl-can-defeat-the-whole-world way. This is a straightforward fantasy geared, I think, more towards readers new to fantasy than to any others.
In RAVEN FLIGHT, we learn more about what exactly makes Keldec so evil. And boy is the man frightening! In one of the most riveting scenes in the story, Neryn is forced to witness Keldec’s cruelties to his subjects from front-row seats. This insight into Keldec’s rule is horrifying, yet really upped the stakes for me as a reader in cheering the painfully perfect Neryn on to success.
Unfortunately, perfection gets old, and Neryn’s personality grated on me a lot more in this installment than previously. I think I’m past the age when I can immerse myself in a protagonist who’s flawless—not in that put-together way, but in the one-girl-can-defeat-the-whole-world way. This is a straightforward fantasy geared, I think, more towards readers new to fantasy than to any others.
steph01924's review
4.0
I was eagerly waiting for this next book as soon as I finished Shadowfell. Aaaand now I’m waiting on the conclusion. Juliet Marillier, stop making your books so easy to devour!
Some thoughts on this second installment:
- It was so short! When I opened the ebook on my Nook, it was only 282 Nook pages (the Goodreads hardcover edition says it’s like 415 pages but…really? It did not feel like it.). Most ‘normal’ sized books are at least over 300 Nook pages. In another perspective, it was 4 whole chapters shorter than the first book. I went through this book waaaay too quickly.
- It was as maddening as a second book in a trilogy normally is – not a lot of meat, very much set-up. I mean, there were some good scenes, but you can tell that Marillier is used to writing more ‘standalone’ plots like her Sevenwaters series. Everything happens to the same cast of characters over a lot of pages in the same book. This just felt too short, like it could’ve been broken up into the first and second books; no need to have a middle. I feel like this caused her to repeat herself quite a bit. I feel like there was more than one occasion where Neryn had to recap her worries about killing Good Folk for the rebellion, recap that what Keldec was doing to Alban was so horrible it needed to be stopped, recap that Tali was extremely anxious to get back to Shadowfell, all in long-winded paragraphs.
- There was not enough Flint! I was expecting a bit more of his own adventures, honestly. I guess there was no cause for that, historically, as the books are written from Neryn’s point of view for the most part, but I was worried that her task of finding the four Guardians was going to cause a lot of traveling filler and that flashing over to Flint’s constant spying danger would alleviate some of that. We only saw his situation in brief, one page snippets, at least until And, as much as I enjoyed my time traveling with Tali and Neryn, there was a bit of the monotony of the road that creeped in (which was a complaint people had with the first book).
- As far as Flint and Neryn’s slow-budding romance,
- Despite the long days of travel, I enjoyed Tali and Neryn’s growing friendship and the reveals (which weren’t very shocking) into Tali’s character. When there was action, it was engaging. Let’s be honest, Marillier could write about making her grocery list and it would be an interesting read. She has a way with words that keeps everything languid and flowing.
- I really enjoyed the whole Summerside chapter. This is what I was hoping for when I wanted to flash over to Flint: seeing more about King Keldec and the inner workings of the court. The games were brutal and vicious and really lent more urgency to the Rebels’ rebellion. It also seems like Queen Varda is pulling many of the strings, and I feel like this is going to come into larger focus in the third book. As for Tali’s
All in all, it’s not going to go down as my favorite book of Marillier’s by itself, but it was a solid continuation of the Shadowfell series. I can’t wait to read the conclusion.
Some thoughts on this second installment:
- It was so short! When I opened the ebook on my Nook, it was only 282 Nook pages (the Goodreads hardcover edition says it’s like 415 pages but…really? It did not feel like it.). Most ‘normal’ sized books are at least over 300 Nook pages. In another perspective, it was 4 whole chapters shorter than the first book. I went through this book waaaay too quickly.
- It was as maddening as a second book in a trilogy normally is – not a lot of meat, very much set-up. I mean, there were some good scenes, but you can tell that Marillier is used to writing more ‘standalone’ plots like her Sevenwaters series. Everything happens to the same cast of characters over a lot of pages in the same book. This just felt too short, like it could’ve been broken up into the first and second books; no need to have a middle. I feel like this caused her to repeat herself quite a bit. I feel like there was more than one occasion where Neryn had to recap her worries about killing Good Folk for the rebellion, recap that what Keldec was doing to Alban was so horrible it needed to be stopped, recap that Tali was extremely anxious to get back to Shadowfell, all in long-winded paragraphs.
- There was not enough Flint! I was expecting a bit more of his own adventures, honestly. I guess there was no cause for that, historically, as the books are written from Neryn’s point of view for the most part, but I was worried that her task of finding the four Guardians was going to cause a lot of traveling filler and that flashing over to Flint’s constant spying danger would alleviate some of that. We only saw his situation in brief, one page snippets, at least until
Spoiler
Neryn showed up at Summerside.- As far as Flint and Neryn’s slow-budding romance,
Spoiler
I thought it was sweet, though some of the exciting tension was gone (now it’s just the worry of, will they ever even have a chance to live their lives together?). We better get some good pay-off in the third book! I want some major swoon.- Despite the long days of travel, I enjoyed Tali and Neryn’s growing friendship and the reveals (which weren’t very shocking) into Tali’s character. When there was action, it was engaging. Let’s be honest, Marillier could write about making her grocery list and it would be an interesting read. She has a way with words that keeps everything languid and flowing.
- I really enjoyed the whole Summerside chapter. This is what I was hoping for when I wanted to flash over to Flint: seeing more about King Keldec and the inner workings of the court. The games were brutal and vicious and really lent more urgency to the Rebels’ rebellion. It also seems like Queen Varda is pulling many of the strings, and I feel like this is going to come into larger focus in the third book. As for Tali’s
Spoiler
capture and subsequent mind-melding, I was as worried as Neryn for a bit there. I figured Flint would be able to fake it and that she would go along with it (in fact, I was thinking it would’ve been very smart for everyone to practice their acting abilities with Flint back in Shadowfell, just in case they were ever in court together for this very possibility), but until Tali said it was safe to talk and Neryn nearly peed herself in relief, I was on edge too. I had wondered if Marillier would sacrifice some Regan’s Rebel we knew well for the dramatic purposes she loves (much like Sorcha’s guard friend whose name is escaping me, in the rock slide) and figured Tali could be a target. But in the end, she went straight to the top to kill off Regan! Better him than Tali, from this reader’s standpoint.)All in all, it’s not going to go down as my favorite book of Marillier’s by itself, but it was a solid continuation of the Shadowfell series. I can’t wait to read the conclusion.
nheister95's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? No
5.0
jazzinbuns's review against another edition
5.0
This was an great sequel. I was able to put myself in Neryn's shoes as she learned the ways of water from the Hag, the struggles she faced in her first test and being able to spend only one night with Flint. The entire journey and the methods she used to wake the Lord of the North were incredibly humbling. Her travels were trying but she made it back to Shadowfell to grim news, then helped her friends grieve. I am anxious to see what happens once she meets with the Master of Shadows again.
pizzamyheart's review against another edition
3.0
Despite the slow pace of Book 1, I decided to continue. Mostly due to convenience of the audiobook and needing background noise for some mindless work.
Overall this was slightly better than Book 1, but still unfortunately slow. I grew bored and started to zone out during certain segments. I'd rewind the book and find I really didn't miss anything crucial. Towards the end we get a little built of drama but overall this series is pretty lackluster and forgettable.
Overall this was slightly better than Book 1, but still unfortunately slow. I grew bored and started to zone out during certain segments. I'd rewind the book and find I really didn't miss anything crucial. Towards the end we get a little built of drama but overall this series is pretty lackluster and forgettable.
cari1268's review against another edition
4.0
To be honest, I thought that I would read this book just waiting for the Flint parts. His storyline was infinitely more interesting to me. And while that was true for the first 1/3 of the book, I did find Nerwyn's storyline became more engaging. That's not to say that I wasn't itching for more information about what Flint was up to. But I started developing an active interest in what was happening to Nerwyn. Considering the majority of the story focused on her, that was a good thing!
Overall, I found this to be a solid read. True, there were some plot points that bugged me. Despite the flaws, I still found enough to keep me interested and (eventually) get lost in this book.
3.5 Stars.
Overall, I found this to be a solid read. True, there were some plot points that bugged me.
Spoiler
Would Nerwyn actually go back to save Tally? Why on earth did it take her so long to reason that there was nothing she could do to save Tally? Also, after witnessing the King's brutality, I found it hard to believe that all Flint had to do to prove his loyalty was a public enthrallment. The author needed to explain why that was such a bad thing.3.5 Stars.