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veritaay's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I love the characters and really liked the pacing of the first two books so this one felt quite rushed, jumping from massive event to massive event with little of the world building/detail established in the first books. Big supernatural ideas introduced which don’t necessarily make sense with the previous plot. I’ll still read the fourth book and did enjoy this as part of the saga.
rik_sixx's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
alittle_bookish's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to like it!
While the initial glimpse of the fantasy realm showed promise, Feist failed to really flesh out the intricacies in the story and left many unanswered questions.
The plot had potential, with intriguing elements and a promising premise, but it failed to capitalize on them. The first two books focus on multiple storylines with the main and supporting characters and so many seem pointless now. This third book feels like a shrug. A bit of a "meh, it's finished" by Feist. Even the "battles" felt washed out.
Overall pretty disappointing end.
While the initial glimpse of the fantasy realm showed promise, Feist failed to really flesh out the intricacies in the story and left many unanswered questions.
The plot had potential, with intriguing elements and a promising premise, but it failed to capitalize on them. The first two books focus on multiple storylines with the main and supporting characters and so many seem pointless now. This third book feels like a shrug. A bit of a "meh, it's finished" by Feist. Even the "battles" felt washed out.
Overall pretty disappointing end.
j2trappy007's review
I fear that the memory of the first book coupled with my inexperience with the adult fantasy genre in 2018 is the only reason why I ever looked upon the first book in this series kindly. Or perhaps my memory is right and the first book was super entertaining with engaging writing and stakes and characters and world building - either way this book sucks ASS.
I have never experienced such an EGREGIOUS example of telling and not showing. This Raymond E Feist thinks the readers are idiots and spells everything out in the most dull - yet somehow, in the LEAST informative- way. There was a six page stretch where “Declan understood” smth that was very obvious to everyone yet had to be spelt out to us, yet the whole Firemane magic system is a bunch of “nobody knows and we don’t understand” rubbish until LUCKILY some stranger magics his way onto a SECRET ISLAND AND SAYS “hey, I’ll teach you how to teach Hatu” AND THIS IS JUST ACCEPTED. HE WASNT THROWN INTO PRISON OR HOLDING OR NUN LIKE OMD NO INTERNAL LOGIC
And let me not even start on the characterisation. This is so BORING. Declan is this tsundere type stoic guy - a very interesting character if we got any insight into his actual emotional turmoil after his journey to got some bloody sand so he could become a SMITH gets totally derailed and his wife is murdered…. But we get nothing 🙂
Ok what about Hava, a spy who was told to always be aware that one day she might have to kill Hatu, her oldest friend turned husband, even if she loves him, even if he fathers her children, and now she has to live on a secret island because her husband is magic or something and heir to a dead kingdom - but we get nothing 😀
Hatu - who has literally been told he has magic and is the heir to a dead kingdom. NOTHING😐
What’s the point of having good elements of character driven stories, only to DRAGGGGGGGGGG the reader through the plot with absolutely no regard or interest in CHARACTER IM ACTUALLY IRRITATED
I have never experienced such an EGREGIOUS example of telling and not showing. This Raymond E Feist thinks the readers are idiots and spells everything out in the most dull - yet somehow, in the LEAST informative- way. There was a six page stretch where “Declan understood” smth that was very obvious to everyone yet had to be spelt out to us, yet the whole Firemane magic system is a bunch of “nobody knows and we don’t understand” rubbish until LUCKILY some stranger magics his way onto a SECRET ISLAND AND SAYS “hey, I’ll teach you how to teach Hatu” AND THIS IS JUST ACCEPTED. HE WASNT THROWN INTO PRISON OR HOLDING OR NUN LIKE OMD NO INTERNAL LOGIC
And let me not even start on the characterisation. This is so BORING. Declan is this tsundere type stoic guy - a very interesting character if we got any insight into his actual emotional turmoil after his journey to got some bloody sand so he could become a SMITH gets totally derailed and his wife is murdered…. But we get nothing 🙂
Ok what about Hava, a spy who was told to always be aware that one day she might have to kill Hatu, her oldest friend turned husband, even if she loves him, even if he fathers her children, and now she has to live on a secret island because her husband is magic or something and heir to a dead kingdom - but we get nothing 😀
Hatu - who has literally been told he has magic and is the heir to a dead kingdom. NOTHING😐
What’s the point of having good elements of character driven stories, only to DRAGGGGGGGGGG the reader through the plot with absolutely no regard or interest in CHARACTER IM ACTUALLY IRRITATED
hattiesbooks21's review against another edition
4.0
This was very intriguing read especially as it was the last book in the trilogy. There was something about it which kept me wanting to read it. With the way the characters had developed throughout the previous books, that didn’t stop the author from developing them even further. The trails in which they have to go through is challenging there is something in which they had to get through, they all had their challenges in which they have to go through. With the storyline and plotline developing throughout this book was well paced and written there was something about it in which made you want to fine out more, and what happened next. With the way that it had ended gave the story a very clear and clever ending.
lewis_fishman's review against another edition
5.0
so ive been putting this off for a while, not for want of trying, but just i wasn't in the place to be back into feist. given he has a new one coming out, i was glad i came back. i knew the next book was going to crossover with the riftwar saga, but then nathan appeared, then ruffio, and it was everything i loved about feist. yes, it's not the world greatest fantasy, and this one was a little skip over the action, but it was a simple happiness and im glad im back in feist world.
beardybot's review
adventurous
medium-paced
3.0
This was good. Declan and Hava are getting revenge for the attack that destroyed their home and Hatu is learning magic from a mysterious stranger who eats oranges and starts with N but isn't Nakor.
I was very excited about the next book returning to Midkemia. With that said, I think the elements in this book that bring them closer together were clunky. The sword and sorcery stylings of that particular big bad was very cool, but it didn't feel nearly fleshed out enough. Similarly, the big fight with the already established big bad was a bit of a damp squib. Feist is usually great at endings and epilogues, but this one just felt a little rushed.
Still, an enjoyable and engaging read from one of the masters of fantasy.
I was very excited about the next book returning to Midkemia. With that said, I think the elements in this book that bring them closer together were clunky. The sword and sorcery stylings of that particular big bad was very cool, but it didn't feel nearly fleshed out enough. Similarly, the big fight with the already established big bad was a bit of a damp squib. Feist is usually great at endings and epilogues, but this one just felt a little rushed.
Still, an enjoyable and engaging read from one of the masters of fantasy.
davidd8663's review against another edition
4.0
Yes, Hatu learned to master his furies, but so much of the story focused on everyone else. And while Marqeunsas is now safe, there's enough loose ends that we probably need another book
therealtiuri's review
2.0
What a shame, the first two books were ok, not great but ok, but this third one was very bad. Hava at least did something, Hatu only sat around, Donte did some things but nothing of consequence. The only one of the main characters actually progressing was Declan. The ending was just awful.