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Breaking the Wall #2
Nine Gates
As evocative and moving as Charles de Lint’s Newford books, with the three-dimensional protagonists and enthralling action of Mercedes Lackey’s fantasies, Nine Gates makes our world today as excitingly strange and unfamiliar as any fantasy realm . . .and transports readers to a wondrous magical world drawn from Chinese lore and legend. Brenda Morris has barely had time to become accustomed to the idea that she has some of the powers of the Rat, a member of the Chinese Zodiac; that her elderly, former child-star “aunt,” Pearl, is the Dragon; and that the young African-American former soldier she trains beside is the Dog. Brenda has learned that our world is not the only world and that her not-quite-Chinese ancestors came from a magical place, the Lands of Smoke and Sacrifice, created thousands of years ago by the destruction of China’s books and scholars during the time of the first Emperor. Now, generations later, the Lands are once again at war, and the magics of the Thirteen Orphans are desperately needed. A mission to capture those powers went disastrously wrong and now the Lands’ Dragon, Tiger, Snake, and Monkey are trapped on Earth unless the Orphans can build the Nine Gates. To do that, they must first save the Four Guardians of the Land Between, who are under magical attack. Complicating things is the fact that Brenda has fallen hard for the handsome man who is the Tiger, much to the distress of the sensual young woman who is the Snake.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published August 18, 2009
About the author
Jane Lindskold
129 books653 followersJane Lindskold is the author of more than twenty published novels, including the eight volume Firekeeper Saga (beginning with Through Wolf’s Eyes), Child of a Rainless Year (a contemporary fantasy set in Las Vegas, New Mexico), and The Buried Pyramid (an archeological adventure fantasy set in 1880's Egypt).
Lindskold is also the author of the “Breaking the Wall” series, which begins with Thirteen Orphans, then continues in Nine Gates and Five Odd Honors. Her most recent series begins with Artemis Awakening, released in May of 2014. Lindskold has also had published over sixty short stories and numerous works of non-fiction, including a critical biography of Roger Zelazny, and articles on Yeats and Synge.
She has collaborated with several other SF/F writers, including Roger Zelazny, for whom, at his request, she posthumously finished his novels Donnerjack and Lord Demon. She has also collaborated with David Weber, writing several novellas and two YA novels set in his popular ”Honorverse.” She wrote the short story “Servant of Death” with Fred Saberhagen.
Charles de Lint, reviewing Changer, praised "Lindskold's ability to tell a fast-paced, contemporary story that still carries the weight and style of old mythological story cycles."[1] Terri Windling called Brother to Dragons, Companion to Owls "a complex, utterly original work of speculative fiction." DeLint has also stated that “Jane Lindskold is one of those hidden treasures of American letters; a true gem of a writer who simply gets better with each book.”
Lindskold was born in 1962 at the Columbia Hospital for Women, the first of four siblings and grew up in Washington, D.C. and Chesapeake Bay. Lindskold's father was head of the Land and Natural Resources Division, Western Division of the United States Justice Department and her mother was also an attorney. She studied at Fordham, where she received a Ph. D. in English, concentrating on Medieval, Renaissance, and Modern British Literature; she successfully defended her Ph.D. on her 26th birthday.
Lindskold lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico with her husband, archaeologist Jim Moore.
Lindskold is also the author of the “Breaking the Wall” series, which begins with Thirteen Orphans, then continues in Nine Gates and Five Odd Honors. Her most recent series begins with Artemis Awakening, released in May of 2014. Lindskold has also had published over sixty short stories and numerous works of non-fiction, including a critical biography of Roger Zelazny, and articles on Yeats and Synge.
She has collaborated with several other SF/F writers, including Roger Zelazny, for whom, at his request, she posthumously finished his novels Donnerjack and Lord Demon. She has also collaborated with David Weber, writing several novellas and two YA novels set in his popular ”Honorverse.” She wrote the short story “Servant of Death” with Fred Saberhagen.
Charles de Lint, reviewing Changer, praised "Lindskold's ability to tell a fast-paced, contemporary story that still carries the weight and style of old mythological story cycles."[1] Terri Windling called Brother to Dragons, Companion to Owls "a complex, utterly original work of speculative fiction." DeLint has also stated that “Jane Lindskold is one of those hidden treasures of American letters; a true gem of a writer who simply gets better with each book.”
Lindskold was born in 1962 at the Columbia Hospital for Women, the first of four siblings and grew up in Washington, D.C. and Chesapeake Bay. Lindskold's father was head of the Land and Natural Resources Division, Western Division of the United States Justice Department and her mother was also an attorney. She studied at Fordham, where she received a Ph. D. in English, concentrating on Medieval, Renaissance, and Modern British Literature; she successfully defended her Ph.D. on her 26th birthday.
Lindskold lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico with her husband, archaeologist Jim Moore.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
March 26, 2011
I think this book was better than the first. I still think it spends a lot of time meandering about collecting plot points and hinting at series arc stuff, but it did so in a way I found more engaging this time around. I was interested by Honey Dream's heel-face turn late in the novel as I had pretty much decided to write her off when all of a sudden I end up liking her and rooting for her to survive the battle with the novel's Big Bad.
The introduction of other magic systems was handled nicely, but I feel like Brenda's connection could have been handled better, somehow. I love the bird-watching clubs as fronts for magical organizations bit and I think that may be one of the better ways of handling shadowy councils of magic-users I've seen for a while.
My only solid complaint in this novel is the same I had last time: the lack of clear and dangerous enemies. When the enemy has a face, surmounting it doesn't seem like a big deal and the rest of the time the danger comes from Mysterious Forces of Doom (tm). That's fine, but we're now two books in with no Big Bad worth the title.
The introduction of other magic systems was handled nicely, but I feel like Brenda's connection could have been handled better, somehow. I love the bird-watching clubs as fronts for magical organizations bit and I think that may be one of the better ways of handling shadowy councils of magic-users I've seen for a while.
My only solid complaint in this novel is the same I had last time: the lack of clear and dangerous enemies. When the enemy has a face, surmounting it doesn't seem like a big deal and the rest of the time the danger comes from Mysterious Forces of Doom (tm). That's fine, but we're now two books in with no Big Bad worth the title.
July 30, 2014
It was ok. There were some intriguing twists, but still not quite as good as I'd like. So much potential, but somehow it felt plodding. I can't decide if it was the writing style, or the editing or what. But it felt like a computer was told a story, and the computer spit the same story back out with absolutely no inflection or voice whatsoever. The pacing felt slow, there were scenes I felt were just padding... like rediscussing everything again and going into super intricate detail about every little concept of the "magic" being created here. I understand that some things had to be explained in depth, but I feel like the lesson/lecture format for giving information to readers was just way too overused. Somehow the various ideas needed to be less lecture-y. How? I'm not sure. Somehow though. Or more credit should've been given to readers to make connections.
Anyway, concept was neat, but execution did not quiiiite live up to what I think the concept needed.
Anyway, concept was neat, but execution did not quiiiite live up to what I think the concept needed.
May 15, 2010
An excellent follow-up book from 'The Thirteen Orphans'. The reader gets to know more of the histories of both the characters and the worlds. I enjoyed seeing Honey Dream's perception of certain events throughout the book and hearing her thoughts of the other characters. I wonder if Honey Dream will remain a POV in the next book, or it will change to someone else; perhaps a new character.
Some people may not enjoy the histories of Lands among other narrative pieces, but I find most of it is neccessary to emerse yourself into the story. Without a thorough background, the plot for the series would feel flat (in my opinion-seen it happen to other series before). It is nice to learn about the histories and the skills through Brenda's eyes, as she (and the other apprentices) is comming from a complete naive background to the supernatural world.
That said, I do hope for some more action and learning through experience in the next book. Overall, a nice second novel for a series.
Some people may not enjoy the histories of Lands among other narrative pieces, but I find most of it is neccessary to emerse yourself into the story. Without a thorough background, the plot for the series would feel flat (in my opinion-seen it happen to other series before). It is nice to learn about the histories and the skills through Brenda's eyes, as she (and the other apprentices) is comming from a complete naive background to the supernatural world.
That said, I do hope for some more action and learning through experience in the next book. Overall, a nice second novel for a series.
July 9, 2016
I enjoyed this sequel to The thirteen orphans as well. I'm not sure if it was my lack of concentration, but I did get distracted relatively easily during the middle of the book. Still, at the end the pace picked up, and I especially enjoyed Brenda getting into action. And I was very glad that her ally-but-opponent Honey Dream finally came to her senses. She's been such a despicable person up until now, so immature and selfish and annoying, that it was getting irksome. As in the previous book, I appreciated the way the relationships, particularly between Brenda and her father, and the way Brenda's growing into her heritage are described. There is nothing flashy or unrealistic about it. Then there's the Chinese setting, which I find interesting, the good mixing of male and female characters (and an equal mixing of their abilities as well), and the good mix of old and young people, where each group is treated with respect and can be formidable in its own right.
January 7, 2010
the eagerly-awaited second book of the Breaking the Wall series. Jane continues to do her homework, creating a still-believable intersection of worlds both modern and ancient, east and west. her cast of interesting characters gets fleshed out and expanded considerably, and the changes in each of them are satisfying and plausible. while some may feel bogged down in the minutiae of Chinese mythology, both actual and conceived by the author, it’s worth the exposition to truly appreciate the various intersecting plot lines. mainly, it’s still a good bit of fun to read, and a page-turner at that. looking forward to her spinning this story, and the worlds, out for some time to come. hopefully they’ll all be so richly imagined and not get mired in an unwieldy cast/sloppy settings (see Jordan, Robert) – i think she can pull it off.
May 23, 2011
In this sequel to "Thirteen Orphans" the thirteen orphans have their memories back, but the problems are just beginning. Those who were their enemies in the previous book are now allies because they are now also being hunted by another faction in that other world. They decide that they will need to return to The Land Born of Smoke and Sacrifice in order to stop them from coming to kill them and to protect their loved ones. The problem is how to do it. They have been exiled and the ways are closed. They determine that they can make a new way by appealing to Tiger who seems to be a sort of god associated with one of the four compass directions. They still don't know how they are going to solve their problems, but they are taking another step in that direction. I am looking forward to reading the third book.
March 28, 2010
I quickly ordered this from the library when I discovered it was out, because I vaguely remembered that the prequel had a really interesting plot, something about people representing the various zodiac animals and a big cliffhanger at the end. First thing to say though: However cool the plot, DEFINITELY don't read this book without reading the first one first. The plot is very interesting and different, but also a bit convoluted. Secondly: If you read it, read it for the plot, and not the storytelling. I found the writing style to be very conversational, and not very well done. I read this book in two days (even though it's pretty fat), so it's definitely a quick, easy read, with interesting characters and a pull-you-in plot.
February 4, 2010
A bit of a disappointment... I probably would have given it 2 stars except it redeemed itself in the last 60 pages with a tight section in the mythical Chinese underworld/afterlife. The problems of the earlier book are amplified here. The cast of characters is greatly increased, and it switches back and forth between the viewpoints of too many people. Character development is slowed as a consequence, and not nearly as interesting as the first volume. Subsequent books, I'll probably wait for the paperback to come out.
November 3, 2010
As with the previous book, fascinating concepts with solid writing. There is an awful lot of theory that is explained, and the characters sit around a lot talking and preparing for things, but once the action kicks in, the story flies, and the end comes too soon.
There can also be confusion with the names and the associated zodiac symbols-- for example, a character named "Waking Lizard" is a Monkey, not a Lizard, etc. So it is best to read the books in the series back to back, so that you don't forget details as you go book to book.
There can also be confusion with the names and the associated zodiac symbols-- for example, a character named "Waking Lizard" is a Monkey, not a Lizard, etc. So it is best to read the books in the series back to back, so that you don't forget details as you go book to book.
May 21, 2018
I am truly enjoying this series. After reading the first book, I immediately ordered books 2 and 3.
I'm disappointed in the romance but enjoy the rest of it. I sometimes wish the author would stick to one point of view but there's so much going on that I think the multiple points of view becomes a necessity.
There's a lot here to learn about, especially the finer points of Chinese culture. I'm wondering how much of it is true/real and how much of it is literary license. In the end, I'm just going to enjoy this book's rendition of the culture.
I'm disappointed in the romance but enjoy the rest of it. I sometimes wish the author would stick to one point of view but there's so much going on that I think the multiple points of view becomes a necessity.
There's a lot here to learn about, especially the finer points of Chinese culture. I'm wondering how much of it is true/real and how much of it is literary license. In the end, I'm just going to enjoy this book's rendition of the culture.
May 11, 2010
I didn't realise this was second in a series at first, but the ideas were fresh enough to intrigue me into trying to read it anyway. Unfortunately, awkward dialogue, juvenile characterisation and racial exotification oozing from the pages meant I didn't bother to finish it. Maybe the first book was better?
October 8, 2009
The Joy Luck Club meets The Never-Ending Story.
Surprisingly just as good as the first book in the series. The beginning is disorienting, but it picks up from there and never stops. I will be longing for the next one. Correction...I already am.
Surprisingly just as good as the first book in the series. The beginning is disorienting, but it picks up from there and never stops. I will be longing for the next one. Correction...I already am.
December 24, 2023
This book, the second in the trilogy, was more fun and seemed to move faster than the first. I enjoyed reading about all the magic spells and charms. The adventures on the other side of their doorway were gripping. I remember that I was put off by Brenda's crush on "Flying Claw" and thought her thought dialogue sounded very juvenile. I think that the author wrote Brenda's part that way to illustrate the character's immaturity. In Nine Gates Brenda's dialogue is much more mature. This was a good book, and the descriptions of the magical land were vivid.
March 24, 2020
A good book, not my favorite of the author's but I would still recommend. It might have been better but I forgot what happened in book one. I read book one and then couldn't find the 2nd or 3rd books anywhere. It's like the publisher pulled all of them from everywhere. I love all of the fantastical things that the characters see and experience. It really stretches the imagination.
September 10, 2021
Still somewhat intriguing, but I didn't enjoy it as much as the first book in the series. This extended all the problems from the first: too many characters to keep track of, way too much talking, comings and going covered in exhausting detail. And the end doesn't resolve very much. They managed to solve one problem, but the question of who was behind it and why was never answered.
August 14, 2021
I liked it, although I'm not sure I liked it as much as the first. Interesting characters, and the plot keeps moving along well.
October 5, 2019
A great addition to the series.
January 4, 2010
The Orphans — at least in their current incarnation — had proven to be a chatty group. Hardly anything, from something as minor as what to have for dinner, to the planning of major expeditions did not get talked over — sometimes, she suspected, to the frustration of their allies from the Lands.
Sometimes to the frustration of the reader, too. The "talkiness" of this cast of characters was an issue in Thirteen Orphans, and it hasn't gone away in Nine Gates. The characters still expound to each other at every opportunity. Sometimes they're imparting useful information, albeit more pedantically than necessary. It's less justified when the subject is, say, the definition of "homonym."
However, I found Nine Gates to be more enjoyable than its predecessor. The book starts with a bang: a combat scene that drops the reader right into the action. This excitement doesn't last, but Jane Lindskold intersperses talky scenes with more suspenseful sequences throughout the novel, so Nine Gates has a lot more forward momentum than Thirteen Orphans did.
Another aspect that fascinated me: the journey through several of the Chinese supernatural realms. I especially liked the hell dimension. Lindskold's research and imagination are used to great effect in these scenes, and the realms test the characters in interesting ways.
Speaking of characters, I'm pleased to report that Brenda is much less annoying in Nine Gates. The bad news is that the catty Honey Dream, who was introduced in Thirteen Orphans and becomes a point-of-view character in this installment, is twice as annoying as Brenda ever was. There's a point to it — she actually has a really interesting character arc — but she got on my last nerve along the way.
So, the downsides are Honey Dream's obnoxious 'tude, the ongoing problem of the didactic conversations, and an odd dialogue tic that just bugged me. Lindskold sometimes puts dialogue tags in places where they disrupt the flow of the sentence, as in:
* "I'm not wasting," Pearl said, "time to run upstairs."
* "I have recruited," Loyal Wind said, "horses to carry us swiftly to our destination."
This may seem like a silly gripe, but it happened enough that I started noticing and being thrown out of the story by it. The problem isn't that they're placed midsentence; it's where in the sentence they're placed.
But, Nine Gates is worth it for the sake of the hell scenes. I now have the urge to do some reading about Chinese mythology and learn more about the folklore behind Lindskold's creation.
Read this and other Jane Lindskold reviews at Fantasy Literature!
Sometimes to the frustration of the reader, too. The "talkiness" of this cast of characters was an issue in Thirteen Orphans, and it hasn't gone away in Nine Gates. The characters still expound to each other at every opportunity. Sometimes they're imparting useful information, albeit more pedantically than necessary. It's less justified when the subject is, say, the definition of "homonym."
However, I found Nine Gates to be more enjoyable than its predecessor. The book starts with a bang: a combat scene that drops the reader right into the action. This excitement doesn't last, but Jane Lindskold intersperses talky scenes with more suspenseful sequences throughout the novel, so Nine Gates has a lot more forward momentum than Thirteen Orphans did.
Another aspect that fascinated me: the journey through several of the Chinese supernatural realms. I especially liked the hell dimension. Lindskold's research and imagination are used to great effect in these scenes, and the realms test the characters in interesting ways.
Speaking of characters, I'm pleased to report that Brenda is much less annoying in Nine Gates. The bad news is that the catty Honey Dream, who was introduced in Thirteen Orphans and becomes a point-of-view character in this installment, is twice as annoying as Brenda ever was. There's a point to it — she actually has a really interesting character arc — but she got on my last nerve along the way.
So, the downsides are Honey Dream's obnoxious 'tude, the ongoing problem of the didactic conversations, and an odd dialogue tic that just bugged me. Lindskold sometimes puts dialogue tags in places where they disrupt the flow of the sentence, as in:
* "I'm not wasting," Pearl said, "time to run upstairs."
* "I have recruited," Loyal Wind said, "horses to carry us swiftly to our destination."
This may seem like a silly gripe, but it happened enough that I started noticing and being thrown out of the story by it. The problem isn't that they're placed midsentence; it's where in the sentence they're placed.
But, Nine Gates is worth it for the sake of the hell scenes. I now have the urge to do some reading about Chinese mythology and learn more about the folklore behind Lindskold's creation.
Read this and other Jane Lindskold reviews at Fantasy Literature!
February 7, 2016
Jane Lindskold's world of magic based on the Chinese zodiac and mahjong continues to fascinate even as it confuses. I can't quite get a handle on the supernatural world she has created, but as long as you suspend disbelief and don't try to make sense of it, it's an enjoyable ride. Brenda Morris and her friends who are descendants of the Thirteen Orphans, exiles from the Lands Born of Smoke and Fire, have come to an uneasy truce with their former enemies and now work together to try to get them back to their homeland, which they hope to be able to return to as well. To do this they have to open the Nine Gates that will allow them to travel between the two worlds. But they have been attacked by soldiers from the Lands who do not wish them to return, and later discover another more deadly supernatural threat. Meanwhile, the guardians of Earth's indigenous magics, suspicious of their motives and greedy for the Orphans' power, try to hinder their efforts and use blackmail to gain their lore. This story is full of intriguing magic and strong characters that make it an interesting read.
January 7, 2017
This trilogy promises to be quite interesting and intriguing if you can follow along with the incredibly detailed mythology long enough.
Here we have the second installment of the saga of the Thirteen Orphans. We travel to the spirit realm of the Orphans and we do battle with something that is slowly dissolving the realms into nothing. Looks like we have quite the mystery on our hands!
The Orphans discover that they have more enemies than friends back home in our world, but they're dealt with easily enough. And in quite the amusing way too.
The Orphans need nine gates, connecting all the spirit realms together with the Lands Born of Smoke and Sacrifice. They're all needed to eventually gain entrance to the Lands and defeat the darkness that lies at it's heart and is threatening the Lands, the spirit realms, and our world as well. Here we see the establishment of the first of the nine gates, and while setting up the other eight would extend the series quite a bit, the orphans are able to cheat a bit with the aid of the Guardians of the four spirit realms.
Little hard for me to follow at first, but I was able to keep up and enjoy the book through and through.
Here we have the second installment of the saga of the Thirteen Orphans. We travel to the spirit realm of the Orphans and we do battle with something that is slowly dissolving the realms into nothing. Looks like we have quite the mystery on our hands!
The Orphans discover that they have more enemies than friends back home in our world, but they're dealt with easily enough. And in quite the amusing way too.
The Orphans need nine gates, connecting all the spirit realms together with the Lands Born of Smoke and Sacrifice. They're all needed to eventually gain entrance to the Lands and defeat the darkness that lies at it's heart and is threatening the Lands, the spirit realms, and our world as well. Here we see the establishment of the first of the nine gates, and while setting up the other eight would extend the series quite a bit, the orphans are able to cheat a bit with the aid of the Guardians of the four spirit realms.
Little hard for me to follow at first, but I was able to keep up and enjoy the book through and through.
February 21, 2013
If this wasn't a Jane Lindskold book I would have put it down. I have been a huge fan of her since my teens and I would have dared you to say that she would write anything boring or nearly unreadable. Except, well, she did. I've wracked my brain to figure out what went wrong with this series. Was it that there were no clear stakes until the last 50-75 pages? Was it the heavily mannered complexity of the ancient Chinese based magic system? Was it the lack of character growth on the part of the main heroine? It was all of these things and none. Lindskold put a good enough hook in the end of the book that I will be finishing the trilogy. After that I'll be glad to return to her other series.
August 14, 2013
This one is second outing for this series, which I want so much to absolutely love...
The Chinese zodiac, the system of magic based upon mahjong tiles, all the occult-y, fantastic stuff: all right up my alley.
My problem with this series is, as I said in my review of the first book, is that it's just... It's a lot of talk and little action.
The aforementioned system of magic is a fresh and original idea, but the detail which the author delves into it is often exhausting to read and plot points take hundreds of pages to come to fruition.
Still, this is a great idea and maybe with a bit of a rest I can come back and enjoy the third and final book of this series.
The Chinese zodiac, the system of magic based upon mahjong tiles, all the occult-y, fantastic stuff: all right up my alley.
My problem with this series is, as I said in my review of the first book, is that it's just... It's a lot of talk and little action.
The aforementioned system of magic is a fresh and original idea, but the detail which the author delves into it is often exhausting to read and plot points take hundreds of pages to come to fruition.
Still, this is a great idea and maybe with a bit of a rest I can come back and enjoy the third and final book of this series.
July 30, 2010
FIVE ODD HONORS comes out May 11 and I have it pre-ordered. While I wait, I'll finish NINE GATES. So far, Jane has done a great job with luring the reader back into the story.
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This book was fantastic. The characters and the story went deeper into the complexity of why it's actually called _NINE GATES_.
Although it doesn't change much about the story this book (and _FIVE ODD HONORS_) traveled to China and I developed more of an understanding, especially since I've never played mahjong.
--------------------
This book was fantastic. The characters and the story went deeper into the complexity of why it's actually called _NINE GATES_.
Although it doesn't change much about the story this book (and _FIVE ODD HONORS_) traveled to China and I developed more of an understanding, especially since I've never played mahjong.
August 3, 2014
Update: I give up. I love the IDEA of this book, but it was horribly executed. Never finished the last few chapters, just couldn't stand it anymore.
Why am I still reading this?! The writing is painful (I think she thinks in order to paint a picture of a scene, she has to meticulously describe what every character in the room is doing - no matter how mundane or inconsequential it is), but I want to see what happens....I'm sure it will not be worth it, but I am sticking it out a little longer.
Why am I still reading this?! The writing is painful (I think she thinks in order to paint a picture of a scene, she has to meticulously describe what every character in the room is doing - no matter how mundane or inconsequential it is), but I want to see what happens....I'm sure it will not be worth it, but I am sticking it out a little longer.
December 20, 2011
Rating: 2.5
This book was very similar to the first in the series. I found it had more Chinese mythology ramblings than was really necessary, and otherwise I also found Honey Dream's drastic personality turnaround rather unbelievable (though relieving).
Ultimately, this book wasn't that much different that the first in the series- rather a continuance than many important plot developments. The imagery of the book is well-written and interesting, but don't expect something much better than the first novel.
This book was very similar to the first in the series. I found it had more Chinese mythology ramblings than was really necessary, and otherwise I also found Honey Dream's drastic personality turnaround rather unbelievable (though relieving).
Ultimately, this book wasn't that much different that the first in the series- rather a continuance than many important plot developments. The imagery of the book is well-written and interesting, but don't expect something much better than the first novel.
June 20, 2012
I liked the first one - or at least, the characters from Thirteen Orphans stuck with me and I genuinely wanted to know how things would turn out. I read a few reviews on LibraryThing before I picked it up and knew going in that not much would happen. Knowing ahead of time that it's mostly talk aided my experience. If you like the characters, are interested in the set-up, and want to know how things work out, I would definitely recommend continuing on in the series. Just keep in mind that this is a pretty traditional second-book-of-a-trilogy and you'll enjoy it.
November 26, 2012
This book starts in media res, and if you haven't read the first book, you will be very, very confused. (I have run the experiment.)
Having said that, it was a book that drew me in.
While checking boxes on book type, I debated on adding "urban fantasy", because it might technically be that, but since the main thrust is such a secretive, closed magical tradition it doesn't *feel* like it, if that makes sense.
Having said that, it was a book that drew me in.
While checking boxes on book type, I debated on adding "urban fantasy", because it might technically be that, but since the main thrust is such a secretive, closed magical tradition it doesn't *feel* like it, if that makes sense.
April 2, 2013
The author tends to "talk" too much which adds a challenge to reading the book (i almost gave up on it less than halfway through) but by the 2nd half of the story, the plot gets interesting and so does the Chinese magic and folklore which kept me fixated 'til the end. Now I'm looking for the prequel and sequel to this :D
January 29, 2010
Great concept but terribly written.
I really wanted to like this book but I just couldn't.
I started to get annoyed with the spelling mistakes and the mix up in characters names quiet early on.
The editor really didn't help this author. : /
I really wanted to like this book but I just couldn't.
I started to get annoyed with the spelling mistakes and the mix up in characters names quiet early on.
The editor really didn't help this author. : /
April 20, 2010
A big step up from the previous book and it would have been very good if it wasn't for the constant lecturing, theorizing and discussion. A little is fine, but it's just done is such a poor way that even characters in the book comment on how irritating it is.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews