Take a photo of a barcode or cover
sageandfern's review against another edition
4.0
In this second volume of the Long Price Quartet, Daniel Abraham deftly moves our protagonists to a completely different environment and story, this time to a northern city and the palace intrigue surrounding the successor of the dying Khai Machi, who happens to be Otah's father, so Otah may turn out to have some skin in the game. As in the previous book, the characters are interesting and the story fast-paced and well told. I appreciate that each book features a strong female character fighting to make her way in a hostile male world.
Spoiler
(maybe, a little) But I take issue with the idea that absolutely nobody even suspected Idaan of being involved in the succession fight, as if she really were invisible. In the historical courts that I know anything about, where the women have no formal power they are still very involved in power struggles and often manage to set in place mechanisms where they wield a lot of control informally. Anyway, setting Idaan up as the only female in the world (to speak of) and then as invisible seems like an uninteresting way to approach her formal powerlessness.magicalwoodlands's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent. Abraham has totally come into his own. I liked the first volume a whole darn lot. This one even richer. He's a classy writer and I'm thrilled to have stumbled upon his books (thanks, Goodreads!). It's a deceptively simple book, which is to say not simple at all, but his style is so elegant and grounded in the moment of each scene -- terrific detail without being overblown, and well paced enough to soak into without feeling bored -- I am just hugely impressed by the whole thing. Freaking graceful; refreshing world; appealing and complex characters -- really deeply human characters. This is a winner.
cherry_moss's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
bookaneer's review against another edition
4.0
Notable improvement from the first book. The plot is tighter, the characters are more intriguing, and court politics is always a fun read.
Highlights:
- The relationship between Chemai the poet and his andat.
- Tunnels beneath the city
- The grumpy librarian
Can't wait to see which characters I will meet in the next book.
Highlights:
- The relationship between Chemai the poet and his andat.
- Tunnels beneath the city
- The grumpy librarian
Can't wait to see which characters I will meet in the next book.
nicobella's review against another edition
5.0
Many folks say that the third and fourth books in the Long Price Quartet series are better than the first and second books, but I thought this sequel was superb. Everything was better this round for me, including the character development and character relationships, the pacing, and the political intrigue was 100%. I also really liked the depth of the villains and thought the women were way better written this round. Now I can’t wait to finish the last two books.
bobbybodenheimer's review against another edition
5.0
The quartet comes into its own in this, the second book, which is spectacular. About 15 years have passed since the first book, and this book picks up the threads in a different city of the Khaiem. The world building is full, the characters are rich and complex, and the plot intricate. An extremely interesting read, and a better book than the first. It is amazing to me that these books are not more highly rated on Goodreads than they seem to be. Highly recommended.
adj1920's review against another edition
5.0
This picks up several years after "A Shadow in Summer" and reveals the fates of the poet Maati, the self-exiled Otah, and his abandoned family the khaiem. Events unfold at a fast pace and keep you involved until the last word.
yarrowkat's review against another edition
3.0
Idaan reminded me far too much of Lady MacBeth through about 90% of the book - i'm relieved the narrative rescued itself before the end, but overall much less impressed with Abraham's handling of female characters in this volume.
felincias's review against another edition
4.0
I actually liked this one a little less than the first book but it was still a fun read. Shakespeare vibes