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A review by latad_books
The Origin of Storms by Elizabeth Bear
3.0
The conclusion of this intricate trilogy has all the elements I loved from books one and two: political intrigue, plotting and scheming, and a hugely diverse set of characters.
The poetess Ummuhan returns, though in a smaller role, while Dead Man and Gage are doing their best to stave off threats. The two rajnis, Sayeh and Mrithuri, work hard to deal with the outcomes of war and stabilize the Lotus Kingdom. And there's an ancient dragon who's got tons of knowledge, ability and charm who joins in to help everyone.
The pacing continues to be slow, which is fine, as it matches books one and two. And the things I liked in the previous books really come to the fore during all the action: all the fantastic women, whether poetess, rajni, bookworm, or dragon, dealing with problem after problem, decisively. The dragon Kyrlmyrandal, and the rajnis Mrithuri and Sayeh were standouts for me.
Then, at the three quarter mark, I kept wondering, did I just leave book three and enter something else? Because where did the Beast come from? I don't understand how its reveal was credibly set up, so I stayed confused as this new, terrifically bad threat was dealt with, before we returned to the story I expected, of Mrithuri and Sayeh continuing to figure out how to run the new empire.
The first three quarters of the story was a solid 4 stars, while the last quarter dropped precipitously for me to at best a 2-star rating. Because I really enjoyed the series till that weird plot twist, I'm going to give this book 3 stars for its final rating.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Macmillan-Tor/Forge Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.
The poetess Ummuhan returns, though in a smaller role, while Dead Man and Gage are doing their best to stave off threats. The two rajnis, Sayeh and Mrithuri, work hard to deal with the outcomes of war and stabilize the Lotus Kingdom. And there's an ancient dragon who's got tons of knowledge, ability and charm who joins in to help everyone.
The pacing continues to be slow, which is fine, as it matches books one and two. And the things I liked in the previous books really come to the fore during all the action: all the fantastic women, whether poetess, rajni, bookworm, or dragon, dealing with problem after problem, decisively. The dragon Kyrlmyrandal, and the rajnis Mrithuri and Sayeh were standouts for me.
Then, at the three quarter mark, I kept wondering, did I just leave book three and enter something else? Because where did the Beast come from? I don't understand how its reveal was credibly set up, so I stayed confused as this new, terrifically bad threat was dealt with, before we returned to the story I expected, of Mrithuri and Sayeh continuing to figure out how to run the new empire.
The first three quarters of the story was a solid 4 stars, while the last quarter dropped precipitously for me to at best a 2-star rating. Because I really enjoyed the series till that weird plot twist, I'm going to give this book 3 stars for its final rating.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Macmillan-Tor/Forge Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.