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pharris95's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
gveltaine's review
dark
lighthearted
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
ekfmef's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
5.0
Wow. After two books full of wars and atrocities I was totally ready for something different and book three certainly delivers. It's really cool how Lou crafted an epic story that keeps grabbing your attention. Can't wait to read book four!
faymus1985's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jelenar620's review
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Incredible book - so many layers. Author takes the slice of life recountings and turns them into edge of your seat thrilling adventures, while peppering them throughout an overriding war and conquest tale. The focus on the actions of heroes and ordinary but brave citizens is intermingled in an irresistible tale. Finally, the beauty of the writing in this series is exquisite and refined. This series is already my top read of the year so far and will be extremely hard to beat.
mobysbooks's review
4.0
The Dandelion Dynasty continues just as unique and thrilling as we have left it with The Wall of Storms - or almost, at least. The Veiled Throne and Speaking Bones (book 4) are to be understood as one contiuous story in the Dandelion saga, whereas this one serves as the foundation for the resolution we are to expect in book 4. Most story threads stay unresolved, some even only just unveil towards the end of The Veiled Throne.
Ken Liu drastically lowers the narrative pace of his story in this book. He cautiously sets plots in motion and characters in position for his grande finale. He does it very well for the most part, keeping me on the edge and wondering what the next move of the major players will be.
Then he does something weird. Around the 80% mark of the book he hits the brakes and decides to move the story into a direction that likely nobody expected the book to take at this late stage. If you’ve read it you’ll know what I’m talking about. If you don’t know, let me stay vague because it is very difficult to explain without entering spoiler territory. I’ll say this much: While I enjoyed reading the chapters in question and found them curiously interesting, it does take a lot of wind out of the sails. If you ask me, this excourse was probably planned for the beginning of book 4 but for publishing reasons he had to snip it off and add it at the end of book 3. This is pure speculation on my part, though it does very much feel like it.
At the end of the day, this abrupt change of pace and the book being devoid of a coherent climax is what makes this "only“ a 4* read for me. Still, I am more than willing to wait for the promised convergence of his saga in Speaking Bones.
Ken Liu drastically lowers the narrative pace of his story in this book. He cautiously sets plots in motion and characters in position for his grande finale. He does it very well for the most part, keeping me on the edge and wondering what the next move of the major players will be.
Then he does something weird. Around the 80% mark of the book he hits the brakes and decides to move the story into a direction that likely nobody expected the book to take at this late stage. If you’ve read it you’ll know what I’m talking about. If you don’t know, let me stay vague because it is very difficult to explain without entering spoiler territory. I’ll say this much: While I enjoyed reading the chapters in question and found them curiously interesting, it does take a lot of wind out of the sails. If you ask me, this excourse was probably planned for the beginning of book 4 but for publishing reasons he had to snip it off and add it at the end of book 3. This is pure speculation on my part, though it does very much feel like it.
At the end of the day, this abrupt change of pace and the book being devoid of a coherent climax is what makes this "only“ a 4* read for me. Still, I am more than willing to wait for the promised convergence of his saga in Speaking Bones.
npliego's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
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? Yes
4.5
kkelley18's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
wushu's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
bigt's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
medium-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
I felt this was a bridging book, building the worlds and setting the scene for the final act. As such, it was not easy to keep in mind all of the various plot threads across such a vast arena. However the writing is very engaging and inventive.