I give this book three out of five stars for its beautiful language, the lovely imagery of this twisting tale, and learning more about what happens to Fitz Chivalry, his young daughter Bee, and old friend Fool. I’m a fan of Hobb’s work, but some of the annoying repetition common to the Rain Wild’s Chronicles, surfaced in this series as well. This books redeeming qualities revolve around fleeting moments of action, a few fun surprises, and a trip that involved dragons. Other than that, be prepared for a lot of crying and gnashing of teeth, especially from Fitz. A good sixty percent of the book is Fitz giving monologues about how guilty and depressed he is. Normally I would not call this out in my into paragraph, but I think it’s important for readers sensitive to graphic rape or violence against women to be warned about the high amount of sexual violence in this book. There is actually a character Bee refers to as, “the handsome rapist.” There are multiple scenes where it is depicted, later discussed, and also scenes where more victims are interviewed or made to remember.
What I liked about the book:
1) Seeing Killisengre from other character point of views. I liked seeing little bits about the dragon keepers who were followed in Rain Wild Chronicles, presented in this book. I also liked the bits about King Verity and the stone dragons.
2) It was good to see Chine’s character evolving. I liked learning more about her history. It was good to see her and Bee working as team.
What I didn’t like about the book:
1) There are too many characters sitting around making poor decisions or just being stupid. Could one of the protagonists, besides little girl Bee, have their wits about them? Why do they ALL need to be making such poor decisions?
2) There’s so much talking, rehashing, and endless monologues about events from prior books. Then something new would happen, but within the same chapter or the next, characters are rehashing that action as well. It just bogs down the books pacing, and for me it was everything I hated in the Rain Wild Chronicles all over again. There really must be a high expectation for stupid fans when constructing this book. As if the majority of us readers don’t retain anything read prior.
3) Fitz is such a whiner in this book. He’s a grown man but he will not shut up, and when he does shut up, we then have to read all about his emotions, so it just never ends. Add the misery in Fitz’s scenes, to the sexual assaults in Bee’s scenes, to the graphic torture and recovery of the Fool and you have one huge mess of depression.
Book Review: Time’s Divide (The Chronos Files, # 3), By: Rysa Walker
What a terrific end to Kate’s fantastic adventure through time. I give this book five out of five star for its breakneck pace, jumping me back to interesting moments in American history and forward to a fascinating future. My mind bent with ideas of alternate timelines, and things capable of remaining constant when a change rocks the course of events in the past. Really this book earns every star just for tying up what felt like a million loose ends.
What I liked:
1) The stakes are high in this final book and it’s a nail biter. The lives of most of the world’s population are on the line as Cyrist’s seek world domination via a bio terrorist event. This event jeopardizes Kate’s life, and the lives of everyone she cares for. The danger only increases as people are murdered, lost in parallel timelines, and kidnapped. Will Kate gain true love in the end? Which Kate is she, Kiernan’s or Trey’s? I was happy to see the final book answers these question, as well as the biggest one of all, will Kate get her original life back?
2) The historical events covered in the book, each was picked well and added nicely to the underlying social ideas explored. One of my favorite moments in the book was young Pru’s rant to Kate about Victoria Woodhull, and why she was never taught in grade school. I enjoyed the mission to discover if Houdini possessed a Chronos key. Kate’s parallel moments of gender disparity from the Cyrist future, and the Beecher-Tilton trial past were well done.
3) The character’s, each demonstrated motives of their own, which I considered well developed, and unique. The suspense was terrific, with break neck action from line one. Those trusted in previous books are now suspect, and some considered adversaries become unexpected allies.
I recommend the other book in Kate’s series be read before reading this book. While I do think its possible to enjoy this book as a stand alone, some of the interesting details connecting the stories in this series will be lost. I purchased all of these prior books and loved them, which made the ARC of this book a real blessing. I received the ARC through Netgallery, in exchange for an honest review.
To learn more about the author Rysa Walker you can find her webpage HERE, and her titles on Amazon HERE.
Book Review: The Immortality Chronicles by: Samuel Peralta , Will Swardstrom, Thomas Robins, D. Robert Pease, Paul B. Kohler, D.K. Cassidy, John Gregory Hancock, Harlow C. Fallon , Patricia Gilliam, E.E. Giorgi, Drew Avera, David Bruns, Gareth Foy
Edited by: Carol Davis
I give this book five out of five stars. This is a wonderful collection of shorts, with each one posing a few new and some old questions on immortality. Is living eternal a goal or a debasement of the meaning of life? Will the change make human life better or render its beauty a perversion. I especially liked The Control, by: Will Swardstrom, The Backup, by: Patricia Gilliam, and A Severance of Souls, by: Drew Avera.
In The Control, I liked the action through historical events, and how the ancient alien concept was incorporated into the story. It was a great character arch to see the young mind of the protagonist fooled in the beginning, but growing over time to develop and find his free will. It was well paced and I was satisfied with the ending.
Patricia Gilliam’s The Backup, was a page turner. There were many interesting twists within just a few short pages, and I was quickly drawn into the story. I felt emotionally tied to unexpected deaths, and even the injury of the family pet. I want to know more about the assassins, pre programed weapons, and the motivation behind it all.
Drew Avera’s A Severance of Souls, I think hit on one of the key aspects of immortality: Is it worth having if we are alone? Is it better to face an end with people you love, than run after the laurels and achievements of work pursuits?
Rememorations, by: Paul B. Kohler, was another story that stood out. Memory and the human brain is still something scientists are working to understand. How would massive memory loss affect our present life? I liked this exploration of what would happen if part of our history were taken away? Would reoccurring memory loss be a worthy cost to becoming immortal? I’m not a fan of multiple flashbacks as a narrative, but I enjoyed how they were used in this story. It was appropriate for the decision making process presented to the protagonist.
Overall they were all well done, with a variety of voices and styles providing lots of ideas and questions to ponder.
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