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The Black Magician Trilogy #3
The High Lord
The High Lord concludes Trudi Canavan's epic trilogy of action, magic and high adventure.
656 pages, Hardcover
First published December 18, 2002
821 people are currently reading
14493 people want to read
About the author
Trudi Canavan
93 books6,660 followersTrudi Canavan was born in Kew, Melbourne, and grew up in Ferntree Gully, a suburb at the foothills of the Dandenongs.
In 1999 she won the Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Short Story with “Whispers of the Mist Children”. In the same year she was granted a writers residency at Varuna Writers’ Centre in Katoomba, New South Wales.
In November 2001, The Magicians’ Guild was first published in Australia. The second book of the trilogy, The Novice, was published in June 2002 and was nominated for the Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novel. The third book The High Lord was released in January 2003 and was nominated for the Best Novel Ditmar category. All three books entered Australian top ten SF bestseller lists.
The Black Magician Trilogy reached the international market in 2004, published by HarperCollins’ EOS imprint in North America and Orbit Books in the UK. The trilogy is now rated by Nielsen BookScan as the most successful debut fantasy series of the last 10 years.
Trudi’s second trilogy, Age of the Five, has also enjoyed bestselling success. Priestess of the White reached No.3 in the Sunday Times hardback fiction bestseller list, staying in the top ten for six weeks.
In early 2006 Trudi signed a seven-figure contract with Orbit to write the prequel and sequel to the Black Magician Trilogy. The prequel, The Magician’s Apprentice was released in 2009 and won the Best Fantasy Novel category of the Aurealis Awards.
In 1999 she won the Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Short Story with “Whispers of the Mist Children”. In the same year she was granted a writers residency at Varuna Writers’ Centre in Katoomba, New South Wales.
In November 2001, The Magicians’ Guild was first published in Australia. The second book of the trilogy, The Novice, was published in June 2002 and was nominated for the Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novel. The third book The High Lord was released in January 2003 and was nominated for the Best Novel Ditmar category. All three books entered Australian top ten SF bestseller lists.
The Black Magician Trilogy reached the international market in 2004, published by HarperCollins’ EOS imprint in North America and Orbit Books in the UK. The trilogy is now rated by Nielsen BookScan as the most successful debut fantasy series of the last 10 years.
Trudi’s second trilogy, Age of the Five, has also enjoyed bestselling success. Priestess of the White reached No.3 in the Sunday Times hardback fiction bestseller list, staying in the top ten for six weeks.
In early 2006 Trudi signed a seven-figure contract with Orbit to write the prequel and sequel to the Black Magician Trilogy. The prequel, The Magician’s Apprentice was released in 2009 and won the Best Fantasy Novel category of the Aurealis Awards.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,233 reviews
April 7, 2012
I was so very, very disapointed with this ending, it was geniunely abismal, and I loved the second book, I though it was down to earth and just about right. This, this piece of poorly plotted abomination ruined it, it's almost as if when she was writing it Canavan just thought; "Actually, do you know what? Screw all the plot and tension. I've decided to write the ending to a very bad piece fan fiction and then stick it on the end of the book!"
Not to mention that she kills of a character she forces too much attention on anyway and then her protagonist, who's names escapes me, is distraught for all of 5 pages and then she is magically fine again and I'm just sat here like where the hell did your sanity go Canavan, it was a massive let down and it wasn't even the whole book, it wasn't that bad, but the last 5 chapter just held with rapid decline, I'm pretty sure there were good bits too but I don't remember them because I was/am more freaked out by the ending xD
Not to mention that she kills of a character she forces too much attention on anyway and then her protagonist, who's names escapes me, is distraught for all of 5 pages and then she is magically fine again and I'm just sat here like where the hell did your sanity go Canavan, it was a massive let down and it wasn't even the whole book, it wasn't that bad, but the last 5 chapter just held with rapid decline, I'm pretty sure there were good bits too but I don't remember them because I was/am more freaked out by the ending xD
July 26, 2020
This is going to be a looooooooong review.
First, I must say that had I read this trilogy as a teenager, I’d probably have loved it.
However, being a literature scholar and well, slightly older, I can’t overlook its flaws, and I am infuriated by the fact that most of them to me, are due to a poor editing job.
For example:
- two many pages are devoted to summarizing the previous books. WHO buys the 3rd installment in a series without having read the previous ones? An editor should have cut those passages
- the book is sometimes VERY repetitive, mainly when characters have to explain to one another something we, as readers, already know. For example, Akkarin’s hearing is the exact same story than the one he told Sonea at the beginning of the book.
- too many subplots lead NOWHERE. You can simply skip them. For example, all of Dannyl’s passages. ALL - OF - THEM. Don’t get me wrong, I loved this character, but I kept on hoping that something would come out of his travels, or his acknowledging he’s gay. Well, no. And it would have been easy to tie to the main plot, for example in book 3, he could have suggested continuing looking for rogue guilds and convince them to fight alongside the Guild, maybe in exchange for more tolerance from the Guild (and then the gay rights subplot would also have been tied to the main frame). His passages are a HUGE waste of space in books 2 and 3, that could have focused on useful things.
- Same for the “Rothen will learn to be a spy” subplot. It doesn’t tell us anything more about Rothen, nor does it move the plot forward.
- Ceryni’s girlfriend is ENTIRELY USELESS. She serves no purpose, had no influence on either the story or the characters, and has no reason to be in this story. And yes, sometimes a character can’t tell their motives or backstory right away (Akkarin for example) but at some point, THEY MUST, to have an interest in the story. Keeping a character tagging along for the sake of it should have been pointed as a mistake by a publishing team.
- Pacing problems: large parts of the books just drag on and on and on, without adding anything further to either plot or characterization. For example, Sonea’s hide and seek game in book 1, takes HALF THE BOOK. Seriously, scratch off 100 pages. We need some of those chapters, to understand the Thieves, how they operate, the Thieve’s Road, and some characterization, but it really becomes repetitive at some point.
Same thing with the bullying in book 2. Yes we get it, she’s being bullied and is too afraid to hurt them to unleash her magic. We don’t need then again 200 pages of her playing hide and seek with her classmates.
Why does it matter?
True, it is still pleasant to read.
So why should an editor have said “these passages should be cut”?
Simply because the story has to fit in 3 tomes and sadly those poor choices meant that some things that should have been better developed were rushed in this book.
Mainly, Akkarin, and the Akkarin/Sonea relationship.
- Akkarin remains purely unidimensional for more than 2 books.
* SPOILERS FROM NOW ON *
* YE BE WARNED ! *
* LAST WARNING !*
* STILL THERE?*
Ok then ....
It IS problematic because it makes the love story highly unbelievable.
Sonea spends two years fearing and hating that man, granted, because she didn’t know his motives, but then suddenly falls in love within a fortnight. And this comes out of nowhere, as before she questions her feelings for him (book 3 part 2 literally HALFWAY throughout the LAST book!), we have no indication nowhere else that she feels anything for him.
To me, book 2 here wasted a LOT of opportunities to develop their relationship. Akkarin imposés her to dine with him once a week. We SHOULD HAVE SEEN some interaction between them, maybe some conflicting feelings emerge in Sonea. Not necessarily love per say, but something that would have made her doubt he was truly evil, something that would have paved the way for her love for him. Instead it felt like she suddenly realizes he's not a reptilian and "a girl got needs", and whenever he touches her it's suddenly hellfire in her panties and lots of blushing and sighing and swooning ... jeez..
It was also important to flesh out the character of Akkarin a bit better, as before we learn that he loves / desires Sonea, we had no indication that he considered her as anything more than a hostage, or a pupil. Before she kills the spy and for the first time he touches her, there is no intimacy between them, there is nothing but a purely teacher / student relationship. Which makes their love story slightly yiiirk.
Not only is he older, but he is an authority figure. The part when they’re in exile serves no other purpose than putting those 2 together, so more chapters should have been devoted to establishing a new ground for their relationship, to show that they’re on a more equal footing.
It DOES always help a story to have more fully fleshed characters. It is not a waste of time to focus on their development. Focusing on useless characters and subplots is.
- The end is problematic too. Ok the writer wanted to have Akkarin die, that’s HER story. However this death was EGREGIOUS. You just CANT say there’s a solution, and then 3 pages later have your character die because they simply didn’t use it. It is BAD WRITING. Moreover, WTF are all the other characters doing? Why is nobody fucking helping?
And I usually don’t mind not having the happy ending (even if I’m a sucker for it), but I hate when the death of a character makes no sense within the frame of the story.
Not to mention it is highly incoherent with the character of Sonea. That she would rather take energy from her dying significant other rather than a building makes no sense whatsoever. I mean, WHO in their right mind would choose a BUILDING OVER THEIR LOVED ONE? Any reading team in a publishing house should have pointed this out.
And that is what infuriates me.
Because this story could have been much better than what it is, if some different choices had been made.
I would therefore have cut the trilogy differently, as, when you think of it, nothing much happens in books 1 and 2, and too much is rushed in book 3.
I’m not sure of course whether the publishing house suggested some of those changes to Trudi Canavan and she disregarded them, or if the editor simply did a poor job, but as a result I feel like I read the 1st draft of the trilogy, not the finished product.
First, I must say that had I read this trilogy as a teenager, I’d probably have loved it.
However, being a literature scholar and well, slightly older, I can’t overlook its flaws, and I am infuriated by the fact that most of them to me, are due to a poor editing job.
For example:
- two many pages are devoted to summarizing the previous books. WHO buys the 3rd installment in a series without having read the previous ones? An editor should have cut those passages
- the book is sometimes VERY repetitive, mainly when characters have to explain to one another something we, as readers, already know. For example, Akkarin’s hearing is the exact same story than the one he told Sonea at the beginning of the book.
- too many subplots lead NOWHERE. You can simply skip them. For example, all of Dannyl’s passages. ALL - OF - THEM. Don’t get me wrong, I loved this character, but I kept on hoping that something would come out of his travels, or his acknowledging he’s gay. Well, no. And it would have been easy to tie to the main plot, for example in book 3, he could have suggested continuing looking for rogue guilds and convince them to fight alongside the Guild, maybe in exchange for more tolerance from the Guild (and then the gay rights subplot would also have been tied to the main frame). His passages are a HUGE waste of space in books 2 and 3, that could have focused on useful things.
- Same for the “Rothen will learn to be a spy” subplot. It doesn’t tell us anything more about Rothen, nor does it move the plot forward.
- Ceryni’s girlfriend is ENTIRELY USELESS. She serves no purpose, had no influence on either the story or the characters, and has no reason to be in this story. And yes, sometimes a character can’t tell their motives or backstory right away (Akkarin for example) but at some point, THEY MUST, to have an interest in the story. Keeping a character tagging along for the sake of it should have been pointed as a mistake by a publishing team.
- Pacing problems: large parts of the books just drag on and on and on, without adding anything further to either plot or characterization. For example, Sonea’s hide and seek game in book 1, takes HALF THE BOOK. Seriously, scratch off 100 pages. We need some of those chapters, to understand the Thieves, how they operate, the Thieve’s Road, and some characterization, but it really becomes repetitive at some point.
Same thing with the bullying in book 2. Yes we get it, she’s being bullied and is too afraid to hurt them to unleash her magic. We don’t need then again 200 pages of her playing hide and seek with her classmates.
Why does it matter?
True, it is still pleasant to read.
So why should an editor have said “these passages should be cut”?
Simply because the story has to fit in 3 tomes and sadly those poor choices meant that some things that should have been better developed were rushed in this book.
Mainly, Akkarin, and the Akkarin/Sonea relationship.
- Akkarin remains purely unidimensional for more than 2 books.
* SPOILERS FROM NOW ON *
* YE BE WARNED ! *
* LAST WARNING !*
* STILL THERE?*
Ok then ....
It IS problematic because it makes the love story highly unbelievable.
Sonea spends two years fearing and hating that man, granted, because she didn’t know his motives, but then suddenly falls in love within a fortnight. And this comes out of nowhere, as before she questions her feelings for him (book 3 part 2 literally HALFWAY throughout the LAST book!), we have no indication nowhere else that she feels anything for him.
To me, book 2 here wasted a LOT of opportunities to develop their relationship. Akkarin imposés her to dine with him once a week. We SHOULD HAVE SEEN some interaction between them, maybe some conflicting feelings emerge in Sonea. Not necessarily love per say, but something that would have made her doubt he was truly evil, something that would have paved the way for her love for him. Instead it felt like she suddenly realizes he's not a reptilian and "a girl got needs", and whenever he touches her it's suddenly hellfire in her panties and lots of blushing and sighing and swooning ... jeez..
It was also important to flesh out the character of Akkarin a bit better, as before we learn that he loves / desires Sonea, we had no indication that he considered her as anything more than a hostage, or a pupil. Before she kills the spy and for the first time he touches her, there is no intimacy between them, there is nothing but a purely teacher / student relationship. Which makes their love story slightly yiiirk.
Not only is he older, but he is an authority figure. The part when they’re in exile serves no other purpose than putting those 2 together, so more chapters should have been devoted to establishing a new ground for their relationship, to show that they’re on a more equal footing.
It DOES always help a story to have more fully fleshed characters. It is not a waste of time to focus on their development. Focusing on useless characters and subplots is.
- The end is problematic too. Ok the writer wanted to have Akkarin die, that’s HER story. However this death was EGREGIOUS. You just CANT say there’s a solution, and then 3 pages later have your character die because they simply didn’t use it. It is BAD WRITING. Moreover, WTF are all the other characters doing? Why is nobody fucking helping?
And I usually don’t mind not having the happy ending (even if I’m a sucker for it), but I hate when the death of a character makes no sense within the frame of the story.
Not to mention it is highly incoherent with the character of Sonea. That she would rather take energy from her dying significant other rather than a building makes no sense whatsoever. I mean, WHO in their right mind would choose a BUILDING OVER THEIR LOVED ONE? Any reading team in a publishing house should have pointed this out.
And that is what infuriates me.
Because this story could have been much better than what it is, if some different choices had been made.
I would therefore have cut the trilogy differently, as, when you think of it, nothing much happens in books 1 and 2, and too much is rushed in book 3.
I’m not sure of course whether the publishing house suggested some of those changes to Trudi Canavan and she disregarded them, or if the editor simply did a poor job, but as a result I feel like I read the 1st draft of the trilogy, not the finished product.
July 16, 2007
This last book in the trilogy is the best by far. I really enjoyed it. I'd recommend reading the trilogy together and in order, which is probably something normal people would do anyway. I think while each one has a complete story arc, they form a much more complex and satisfying whole all together. Normally I advocate reading books haphazardly and maniaclly, but really, these could be just one big long novel if people were willing to carry around a 1000 page book.
The character development across all three books is compelling and I found myself more invested in the characters and the outcome than I thought I would be. There are a lot of unexpected plot twists but enough that's archetypal and familiar so that the books don't leave you feeling lost or out of context. The good guys win in the end, though neither the good guys nor the bad guys are who you thought they would be.
I approve of the romantic storylines, too, which weren't superfluous or ham-handed or smutty. Though I'm not turning up my nose at ham-handed smut.
I'd recommend Trudi Canavan to virtually anybody, and I'm going to go hunt down other things she's written.
The character development across all three books is compelling and I found myself more invested in the characters and the outcome than I thought I would be. There are a lot of unexpected plot twists but enough that's archetypal and familiar so that the books don't leave you feeling lost or out of context. The good guys win in the end, though neither the good guys nor the bad guys are who you thought they would be.
I approve of the romantic storylines, too, which weren't superfluous or ham-handed or smutty. Though I'm not turning up my nose at ham-handed smut.
I'd recommend Trudi Canavan to virtually anybody, and I'm going to go hunt down other things she's written.
January 22, 2014
I enjoyed these books up until the end which ruined the whole thing for me.
July 7, 2021
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“He had given her too much. He had given her everything.”
The High Lord starts one year after the ending of the previous book in the series, so the immediate results of those events have already unfolded.
I would say that The High Lord was the best of the series as I felt more attachments to the characters and experienced a number of emotions which were induced through reading. There were emotional moments and also those that had me grinning.
Little of the main plot is revealed in the first two books in the series and as a result they are overall quite slow, but The High Lord counters this by unfolding a convoluted plot which all clicked into place very well.
I have continued to enjoy the style of Trudi Canavan which is descriptive but not extremely complex, so you gain a grasp of the setting and context of the world while always advancing forward in the story.
The magic system was developed further as I wanted it to be, but while a number of aspects were expanded, there were still others which fell short in my opinion. Hopefully that will be rectified with the next series which is set in this world as well.
The High Lord was an enjoyable read which was consistent with the rest of the series and provided a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy with its fair share of emotional moments and plot development.
4.5/5
Find my review on BookNest.Eu which is an expanded version of this review. Hope you enjoy https://booknest.eu/component/k2/william/1538-the-high-lord-black-magician-trilogy-3-by-trudi-canavan
“He had given her too much. He had given her everything.”
The High Lord starts one year after the ending of the previous book in the series, so the immediate results of those events have already unfolded.
I would say that The High Lord was the best of the series as I felt more attachments to the characters and experienced a number of emotions which were induced through reading. There were emotional moments and also those that had me grinning.
Little of the main plot is revealed in the first two books in the series and as a result they are overall quite slow, but The High Lord counters this by unfolding a convoluted plot which all clicked into place very well.
I have continued to enjoy the style of Trudi Canavan which is descriptive but not extremely complex, so you gain a grasp of the setting and context of the world while always advancing forward in the story.
The magic system was developed further as I wanted it to be, but while a number of aspects were expanded, there were still others which fell short in my opinion. Hopefully that will be rectified with the next series which is set in this world as well.
The High Lord was an enjoyable read which was consistent with the rest of the series and provided a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy with its fair share of emotional moments and plot development.
4.5/5
Find my review on BookNest.Eu which is an expanded version of this review. Hope you enjoy https://booknest.eu/component/k2/william/1538-the-high-lord-black-magician-trilogy-3-by-trudi-canavan
June 12, 2016
Actual Rating 4.5
I just could not stop read this one until it was finished. I was like this from start to finish:
So much has happen and I can't even write anything remotely coherent. I ned time to process this then I'll come back and try to give a proper review.
I just could not stop read this one until it was finished. I was like this from start to finish:
So much has happen and I can't even write anything remotely coherent. I ned time to process this then I'll come back and try to give a proper review.
June 4, 2008
It wasn't that complicated a plot, or that original a premise -- to be honest, much of the setting reminded me of Raymond E. Feist's Krondor mixed with his magicians on Kelewan. Regardless, I enjoyed reading the books and read them very quickly: one a day, just about. They're light, easy reads, in my opinion. If you're looking for something long and epic, look somewhere else, but if you want something to take up a boring weekend or something, I think these books would do it nicely.
The action itself definitely had me on edge. About one hundred and fifty pages from the end, I was literally on the edge of my seat bouncing up and down! The parts about the slums, wherever they came in, were perhaps a little too long. In the last part, that drew out the tension almost more than I could stand.
I liked the characters a lot. They were quite simply drawn, when I think about it -- Akkarin, for example, despite being a major character, got barely any characterisation at all until partway through the last book of the trilogy. Rothen was, purely and simply, a good father figure. Simple doesn't mean bad, though -- they were easy to like (or dislike, in Regin's case), and I got very fond of Sonea, Cery, Dannyl and Rothen in particular.
The relationships were... okay. Characters seemed to form relationships in the blink of an eye, and loathing turned to love very, very fast. The only relationship that I felt was really built up carefully was the one between Dannyl (a male magician) and Tayend (a male scholar). I enjoyed that aspect of the books quite a lot, actually, and while the relationship doesn't serve any particular plot purpose, I think it justifies its own existence as much as a het couple would. I read bits of Trudi Canavan's site and she said that she knew from the start that Dannyl was gay. When it came time for him to go on a quest and discover things, she wanted to spice up his subplot, and that came with a romance. And Tayend. I thought that relationship was really sweet, and it didn't fill me with rage as homosexuality as portrayed in fantasy has in the past -- I remember a series of books I read years ago where you could tell who the bad guys were because they were all gay sadists who tended to rape guys who fell into their hands!
Like I said: I think the trilogy's really quite an easy read. It doesn't have that much depth -- but as a casual read, I loved it.
The action itself definitely had me on edge. About one hundred and fifty pages from the end, I was literally on the edge of my seat bouncing up and down! The parts about the slums, wherever they came in, were perhaps a little too long. In the last part, that drew out the tension almost more than I could stand.
I liked the characters a lot. They were quite simply drawn, when I think about it -- Akkarin, for example, despite being a major character, got barely any characterisation at all until partway through the last book of the trilogy. Rothen was, purely and simply, a good father figure. Simple doesn't mean bad, though -- they were easy to like (or dislike, in Regin's case), and I got very fond of Sonea, Cery, Dannyl and Rothen in particular.
The relationships were... okay. Characters seemed to form relationships in the blink of an eye, and loathing turned to love very, very fast. The only relationship that I felt was really built up carefully was the one between Dannyl (a male magician) and Tayend (a male scholar). I enjoyed that aspect of the books quite a lot, actually, and while the relationship doesn't serve any particular plot purpose, I think it justifies its own existence as much as a het couple would. I read bits of Trudi Canavan's site and she said that she knew from the start that Dannyl was gay. When it came time for him to go on a quest and discover things, she wanted to spice up his subplot, and that came with a romance. And Tayend. I thought that relationship was really sweet, and it didn't fill me with rage as homosexuality as portrayed in fantasy has in the past -- I remember a series of books I read years ago where you could tell who the bad guys were because they were all gay sadists who tended to rape guys who fell into their hands!
Like I said: I think the trilogy's really quite an easy read. It doesn't have that much depth -- but as a casual read, I loved it.
November 27, 2014
I cannot even with the horrid heap of crap that this was.
First of all, a bunch of people died for no reason. Then, a bunch of storylines were left untied.
And the absolute worst of all, for which Trudi Canavan should get repeatedly hit in the back of the neck with a book by Professor Snape, is that of all the couples she wrote that were constantly having sex and making out and talking about how much they loved each other, the gay one was the only one who didn't.
Yes, you heard me right. Gay men do not kiss, nor have sex, and neither do they refer to each other as partners or boyfriends or lovers or whatever term of endearment might be applicable. No. Even in the safety of their own heads, they still refer to each other as "friends".
Fuck you, Trudi Canavan. If you can't properly handle a subject, then don't write about it at all.
And goodbye.
First of all, a bunch of people died for no reason. Then, a bunch of storylines were left untied.
And the absolute worst of all, for which Trudi Canavan should get repeatedly hit in the back of the neck with a book by Professor Snape, is that of all the couples she wrote that were constantly having sex and making out and talking about how much they loved each other, the gay one was the only one who didn't.
Yes, you heard me right. Gay men do not kiss, nor have sex, and neither do they refer to each other as partners or boyfriends or lovers or whatever term of endearment might be applicable. No. Even in the safety of their own heads, they still refer to each other as "friends".
Fuck you, Trudi Canavan. If you can't properly handle a subject, then don't write about it at all.
And goodbye.
Read
April 25, 2021I started this series years and years ago. About two years ago I bought the whole series so I could finally finish it. I fell in love with this world again. But, to be honest, my biggest motivation was the gay couple that I shipped without end.
However, when I picked this book up back then it didn't really grip me and I lost interest in it around the 150 page mark. I'm not really sure what made me decide to pick this up again last week but I just really wanted to finish this series. It was about time.
All in all this book was fine, but I don't have much to say about it. Firstly because I grew way too detached from the characters after all the years that went by since I first read The Magician's Guild. Neither plot nor characters really intruiged me much to be honest, and the big epic finale fell flat. Secondly Dannyl and Tayend, the gay couple that I adored so much in book 2, disappointed me. Or rather, Trudi did, by portraying a poor lgbt relationship, which lacks relatabilty because they never kiss nor get the chance to properly lead a relationship like every other straight couple in this series.
I liked book 1 and loved book 2, but book 3 was nothing but mediocre. I doubt I'll pick up the trilogy that follows the events of this one, as I'm not really interested in what happens next.
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However, when I picked this book up back then it didn't really grip me and I lost interest in it around the 150 page mark. I'm not really sure what made me decide to pick this up again last week but I just really wanted to finish this series. It was about time.
All in all this book was fine, but I don't have much to say about it. Firstly because I grew way too detached from the characters after all the years that went by since I first read The Magician's Guild. Neither plot nor characters really intruiged me much to be honest, and the big epic finale fell flat. Secondly Dannyl and Tayend, the gay couple that I adored so much in book 2, disappointed me. Or rather, Trudi did, by portraying a poor lgbt relationship, which lacks relatabilty because they never kiss nor get the chance to properly lead a relationship like every other straight couple in this series.
I liked book 1 and loved book 2, but book 3 was nothing but mediocre. I doubt I'll pick up the trilogy that follows the events of this one, as I'm not really interested in what happens next.
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February 24, 2011
*MAJOR SPOILERS!!*
I'm writing this review without reading the ones below. I just finished reading the book, so you might realize I'm still affected by a lot of what just happened. It took a day to read each book, and every day I was more and more interested on the fates of Sonea, Rothen, Dannyl, Cery, and eventually, even perhaps more than the rest, Akkarin.
Because of that, let me just inhale and exhale and perhaps say Holy Shit. Excuse my language, but really. That is how I feel, bewildered, excited, sad, amazed... all at the same time. However, perhaps the most prevalent emotion is regret at having finished the book. Not even when I read the Count of Monte Cristo (which made me cry) did I feel so sad at "closing" the book and at accepting the fate of the characters.
This last book was more exhilarating than the previous books where, although not as satisfying as the second one. The climax battle had me saying "YEAH! YEAH!" as Sonea, the Thieves, the Guild, and Akkarin faced their foes with more than just raw magic. Their trickery made me giddy, but as it neared the last confrontation, I felt certain that Akkarin would not survive. "Trudi," I said to my Kindle, "don't kill Akkarin or Sonea. I know you will, but don't do it." Alas, it seems my prayers were not answered, the ink apparently already dry on the pages of fate and Akkarin died. It is always strange to admit it, but I felt affected by the death of this magician that just a bunch of pages ago seemed so forbodding and evil.
That was the major strength in the book: I cared. I cared about Akkarin and Sonea, Rothen, Dannyl, Tayend, Dorrien, Cery, Takkan, and even Loreln. One of the things I respect most about an author is making me genuinely care for the characters, as I can imagine that is one of the most difficult things to do. You must write characters that have their own voice, that have flaws but don't make you dislike them, and that make you want to be there for them. By the end, I was even liking Regin!
After the characters, the books have excelled on their setting. I found the Theif assosiation incredibly interesting, and the hirarchy of the Guild and the slums really made the whole world a real place. The magic and the magicians surprised me with their courage, even if before they had disgusted me with their short-sightedness and bigotry. The people on the slums had me cheering for them, as they faced the battle like a game. They risked their lives, but they did it out of defiance, and even managed to take one of the magicians down. I almost wish to see more on the Underworld, and the powerstruggles that will most likely follow after the town is rid of the Purges. Maybe Ms. Canavan can make another novel just on that...
I'm really glad I kept reading past the lack-luster impresion I got from the first book, because this experience has been most fulfilling and interesting. I cannot wait to read more books by Trudi Canavan, because I'm sure that I'll meet sympathetic characters and interesting settings that will enthrall me beyond the scope of the plot, and that will probably make me sad to abandon again. But like they say, it is better to have loved and lost... Like Sonea, I know I don't regret loving this series and its characters, even if their departure has saddened me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 5, 2024
Supongo que asumir cómo termina esta trilogía es algo que no podré hacer nunca. Me encantó.
Por completo. Es cierto que es una historia narrada de forma lenta y pausada. Y que muchas escenas se hacen a veces tediosas.
También opino que si el narrador hubiera sido llevado de otra forma habría sido más entretenido. Pero bua, 100% recomendada. Es que hay un lore (conjunto de ambientación y trama) que asombra. Un reino medieval con magos. Una fantasía clásica que seguro que ha inspirado la mayoría de las fantasías actuales.
Muy necesaria.
Nuevo book boyfriend desbloqueado: Akkarin.
Me ha dado MUCHAS BUENAS HORAS esta historia. Me alegra haberla leído por fin, ha sido una experiencia muy bonita😍
Por cierto, se trata la inclusión LGTB de forma tan pero taaan acertada, que me sorprende nunca ver estos libros recomendados como referentes.
Por completo. Es cierto que es una historia narrada de forma lenta y pausada. Y que muchas escenas se hacen a veces tediosas.
También opino que si el narrador hubiera sido llevado de otra forma habría sido más entretenido. Pero bua, 100% recomendada. Es que hay un lore (conjunto de ambientación y trama) que asombra. Un reino medieval con magos. Una fantasía clásica que seguro que ha inspirado la mayoría de las fantasías actuales.
Muy necesaria.
Nuevo book boyfriend desbloqueado: Akkarin.
Me ha dado MUCHAS BUENAS HORAS esta historia. Me alegra haberla leído por fin, ha sido una experiencia muy bonita😍
Por cierto, se trata la inclusión LGTB de forma tan pero taaan acertada, que me sorprende nunca ver estos libros recomendados como referentes.
February 23, 2013
I was disappointed at the end of the book. I can't say I was fond of High Lord but it ended in the worst possible way. My heart was shattered to pieces as well. It's because there were so many things that shouldn't have happened and so many that should. Authors will strickes again. When I read the story it should have a life on it's own. This one didn't. I enjoyed the whole trilogy greatly, I read the whole thing in three days and at the end I just couldn't believe... It didn't make any sense to me. The whole romance was pretty much strange and very forced. I was aware of it before I started reading books and for first two I could not find any explanation for what was supposed to happen. She could have eneded with Regin, it would be the same. I don't like when authors overuse Stockholm syndrome. Some questions remained unanswered... the third ring, the whole story about Sevara, WHY they didn't take magic from Arena for heaven's sake?! Akkarin was so hesitant to use people, he preffered to use any other means to win the fight but no, he didn't want to drain Arena. Seemed to me like the stupidest mistake he ever made. Argh, I'm angry now. And here I thought after Age of the five that this one will leave me in a similar state of mind. Very unlikely. Sniff, gotta go pick something else cause at this rate I'm really going to mope around for a day or two.
February 10, 2021
Çok kızgınım resmen seri heba oldu 😓
September 10, 2014
I really disliked the dramatic shift in Akkarin's character that took place in this book. It seemed inconsistent with the previous book. Granted, a lot of the shift in character stems from previously unknown information being revealed, but it still felt illogical. Maybe I would have accepted it more easily if there had been a little more foreshadowing and ambiguity in previous novels or if there was a bit more ambiguity in this one, but Sonea and Loreln especially seemed too willing to forgive and forget.
One thing that truly disturbed me was Sonea's . The way it was presented, however, made me shudder, and was exceedingly creepy. I actually put the book away for several months due to this and I never do that with an audio book.
I found Dannyl's relationship with Tayend very sweet, however, and am glad that thread carried over from the second book.
I did like the series, and the world was very interesting but it seems like Canavan took the easy way out of situations too often - both when dealing with conflicts and when dealing with inter-personal relationships.
One thing that truly disturbed me was Sonea's . The way it was presented, however, made me shudder, and was exceedingly creepy. I actually put the book away for several months due to this and I never do that with an audio book.
I found Dannyl's relationship with Tayend very sweet, however, and am glad that thread carried over from the second book.
I did like the series, and the world was very interesting but it seems like Canavan took the easy way out of situations too often - both when dealing with conflicts and when dealing with inter-personal relationships.
February 24, 2016
Well... I finished this book a few hours ago and I still have no words. This book was a ride. I LOVED the beginning, I was so immersed in the story. I loved it to pieces. But the ending. WHY?! I hate those endings, I mean, there was no need. Everything was so great already. Why!!!??? But, well, it was a great book. I have to say, although, that I am now a little bit hesitant to pick Trudi Canavan's other trilogy.
August 12, 2008
It's been quite some time since I read this one. To be honest, the ending simply ruined it for me. Otherwise, it would have gotten 2 stars at least, but I never really connected even with the "good" parts, and then it whammed me with a mega-depressing finale. Because the rest of it was so blah, I was counting on a grand finish to pull it through and make it worthwhile, so that ending really, really let me down. I also was just not interested in the plots going on parallel to Sonea's, in particular, her childhood friend. Mediocre series.
August 10, 2023
La batalla final (casi el 50% del libro) se me hizo algo larga. Mucho más interesante, clara y bien narrada que otras peleas anteriores, con todos esos frentes... pero algo larga.
Ese final no lo perdono. Me resultó totalmente anticlimático. Una pena, en una novela que me había resultado tan interesante. Goodreads lectores (Autor)
Ese final no lo perdono. Me resultó totalmente anticlimático. Una pena, en una novela que me había resultado tan interesante. Goodreads lectores (Autor)
February 23, 2018
That ending was so unsatisfying for me 😭
November 4, 2025
3,5
Był to mój reread całej serii. Całkiem przyjemne, ale wątpię że do historii jeszcze raz wrócę.
Był to mój reread całej serii. Całkiem przyjemne, ale wątpię że do historii jeszcze raz wrócę.
February 5, 2015
WHO THOUGHT THIS BOOK WAS OKAY?
All right,fine...review coming.
The High Lord is the last book of The Black Magician series. It's also,notably,the best book of the series.
The first and second books of The Black Magician series had some problems,and they pretty much didn't exist in this last book. The characters where engaging. The plotline was full of darkness and action-packed. The plot was well defined.
Sonea was undergoing some seriously confidence problems in The Novice. But in this book,she's extremely eager to take hard decisions for what is right.
And she was like...
And I was like...
I simply wish we had more of Rothen's narration. Sonea grew on me on this book,but Rothen is still my favorite character. Dannyl did a great job at his narration. The characters where well defined as well,you didn't really need names to know who's speaking.
The romances in this book were more believable than the romances in "romantic" books. We escaped the insta-love,thank god. I really enjoyed how .
Dannyl and Tayend were so adorable together i might start to throw up rainbows.
CUTIES!
There many,many characters death,but there was a war,and a war has casualties. Like Trudi said herself,I'm never going to forget the ending of this book since
The ending left a few questions,but i intend to read the sequel series by Trudi Canavan. I recommend this book as one of my favorite fantasy books ever written.
March 19, 2019
This and my other reviews can be found at http://amethystbookwyrm.blogspot.co.uk/
It has been a year since the challenge and Sonea has earned the respect of her fellow novices, but is still being held captive by the High Lord, but as she learns more about Akkarin, she has to figure out if he is telling the truth or manipulating her. Meanwhile Dannyl and Tayend are happy together and have a mission to stop a group of rogue magicians, and Cery is now a Thief and is tracking down some serial killers.
Trudi Canavan is a fantastic author and this is my favourite series because of the story, how she writes the characters, but mostly it has a certain spark. This book has action, romance and suspense.
I love how you get so involved in the character’s lives and get worried when they are in danger. I also like how much Sonea has grown as a character throughout the series and how she puts others before herself even those she does not like.
I really like how action packed the book gets at the end and how involved I got and how understandable the motives of the baddies are (even though I don’t agree with them).
I would recommend this trilogy to everyone especially whose who likes fantasy whether YA or not similar to Maria V Snyder or Kristin Cashore.
It has been a year since the challenge and Sonea has earned the respect of her fellow novices, but is still being held captive by the High Lord, but as she learns more about Akkarin, she has to figure out if he is telling the truth or manipulating her. Meanwhile Dannyl and Tayend are happy together and have a mission to stop a group of rogue magicians, and Cery is now a Thief and is tracking down some serial killers.
Trudi Canavan is a fantastic author and this is my favourite series because of the story, how she writes the characters, but mostly it has a certain spark. This book has action, romance and suspense.
I love how you get so involved in the character’s lives and get worried when they are in danger. I also like how much Sonea has grown as a character throughout the series and how she puts others before herself even those she does not like.
I really like how action packed the book gets at the end and how involved I got and how understandable the motives of the baddies are (even though I don’t agree with them).
I would recommend this trilogy to everyone especially whose who likes fantasy whether YA or not similar to Maria V Snyder or Kristin Cashore.
October 5, 2013
5.5/10
This was no worse than the previous two books and did actually have some things going on it as apposed to the previous two novels in this series but I still didn't care for it overall. I resorted to skimming to finish the book as I wasn't invested in the characters at all and whilst there were a few things to be cleared up I didn't care how they would be resolved.
If the series had cut out large portions of the first book, the whole of the second book and just used some of the plot devices from the third, it could have been a relatively enjoyable read as a standalone novel but as it stood I've read 1500+ pages split over three books where barely anything happens.
One thing I found in this book is that with me skimming a lot of the text it was quite noticeable that the author doesn't have a sense of urgency and spends a lot of time describing possible outcomes for various characters actions as supposed to letting them get on with something and describe events. It really slowed and bogged things down for me.
So whilst this third book was slightly better than the previous two I won't read anymore by this author, she's just not my cup of tea. I won't be recommending the books to anyone either.
If you enjoyed this try: "The Spooks Apprentice" by Joseph Delaney
This was no worse than the previous two books and did actually have some things going on it as apposed to the previous two novels in this series but I still didn't care for it overall. I resorted to skimming to finish the book as I wasn't invested in the characters at all and whilst there were a few things to be cleared up I didn't care how they would be resolved.
If the series had cut out large portions of the first book, the whole of the second book and just used some of the plot devices from the third, it could have been a relatively enjoyable read as a standalone novel but as it stood I've read 1500+ pages split over three books where barely anything happens.
One thing I found in this book is that with me skimming a lot of the text it was quite noticeable that the author doesn't have a sense of urgency and spends a lot of time describing possible outcomes for various characters actions as supposed to letting them get on with something and describe events. It really slowed and bogged things down for me.
So whilst this third book was slightly better than the previous two I won't read anymore by this author, she's just not my cup of tea. I won't be recommending the books to anyone either.
If you enjoyed this try: "The Spooks Apprentice" by Joseph Delaney
December 5, 2022
An exccellent finish to this trilogy, this was the best book of the three by far, with Sonea finally coming into her own and becoming who she was meant to be. An admirable cast of supporting characters, not all who survive the final battles. This book did not drag as much as the previous two, but still went on for too long, a problem with many fantasy writers of trilogies and more.
Well worth the journey, Sonea rules.
Well worth the journey, Sonea rules.
June 6, 2021
Jeder der der nach dem ersten Band nicht weiter liest, hat ja keine Ahnung was für eine spannende Geschichte er/sie da verpasst. Ich war zuletzt vom Ausgang des letzten Harry Potter Bandes so gefesselt, wie von diesen knappen 700 Seiten.
Obwohl ich auch die Kritiken die der erste Band mit sich bringen durchaus verstehen kann, war dies doch nur ein minimaler Bruchteil der gesamten Story, dessen Ausmaß sich so am Anfang wohl keiner erträumen kann.
Die Autorin hat es geschafft eine anfangs vermeintlich vorhersehbare Story mit einigen unerwarteten Wendungen am Ende sogar noch so aussehen lassen, dass alles rückwirkend betrachtet noch einen Sinn ergibt.
Inhaltlich wird nicht nur die Handlung insgesamt spannender, sondern auch den Beschreibungen der Magie und der anderen Ländereien und Völker werden in den kommenden Bänden viel mehr Beachtung geschenkt.
Rückblickend kann ich nur sagen der erste Band war eher eine Art Preview auf die grandiose Geschichte die danach erst noch folgt. Ich kann nur jedem der sich nach dem ersten Band gefragt hat, wohin denn bitte diese vermeintlich vorhersehbare und teilweise flache Geschichte gehen soll, definitiv das weiterlesen empfehlen, weil es sich meiner Meinung nach total lohnt.
Obwohl ich auch die Kritiken die der erste Band mit sich bringen durchaus verstehen kann, war dies doch nur ein minimaler Bruchteil der gesamten Story, dessen Ausmaß sich so am Anfang wohl keiner erträumen kann.
Die Autorin hat es geschafft eine anfangs vermeintlich vorhersehbare Story mit einigen unerwarteten Wendungen am Ende sogar noch so aussehen lassen, dass alles rückwirkend betrachtet noch einen Sinn ergibt.
Inhaltlich wird nicht nur die Handlung insgesamt spannender, sondern auch den Beschreibungen der Magie und der anderen Ländereien und Völker werden in den kommenden Bänden viel mehr Beachtung geschenkt.
Rückblickend kann ich nur sagen der erste Band war eher eine Art Preview auf die grandiose Geschichte die danach erst noch folgt. Ich kann nur jedem der sich nach dem ersten Band gefragt hat, wohin denn bitte diese vermeintlich vorhersehbare und teilweise flache Geschichte gehen soll, definitiv das weiterlesen empfehlen, weil es sich meiner Meinung nach total lohnt.
February 1, 2025
2.5 ⭐️ Definitywnie jestem za stara na te książki 🥹
March 18, 2015
Un final épico para una saga fantástica. El mejor libro de la saga, lejos. No podía dejar de leerlo, era demasiado apasionante. A diferencia de los dos primeros, éste no tuvo ni un solo momento de estancamiento, la historia era ágil y llena de misterio, la acción no se detiene nunca.
Nuevamente la historia está dividida en dos.
La primera parte nos adentra en el gran misterio que Akkarin ha mantenido durante toda la saga. Sonea de a poco va adentrándose en el oscuro mundo de la magia superior gracias a su tutor. Al mismo tiempo nos reencontramos con Cery (¡Lo había extrañado mucho en el libro anterior!) ahora convertido en un jefe ladrón que ayuda al Gran Lord y traba relación con una misteriosa Sachakana, Savara. Dannyl es quién lleva ésta vez la parte más aburrida de la trama, mientras caza a unos rebeldes que desean aprender magia sin el consentimiento del gremio.
Hay un gran giro en la trama que me dejo con la boca abierta.
La segunda parte es la más interesante. Mientras Sonea y Akkarin se encuentran en el exilio, los ichanis se preparan para invadir Kyralia y el gremio comienza a darse cuenta de su error al expulsar a los dos únicos magos negros.
Cuando comienza finalmente la invasión el ritmo de la historia se vuelve vertiginoso, todos y cada uno de los personajes que han aparecido hasta ahora tienen un papel crucial en el final, que decidirá la supervivencia o no del Gremio de los magos.
No se puede decir que esta saga haya tenido romance, de hecho, en los libros anteriores es un tema mostrado a cuenta gotas (El amor infantil de Cery por Sonea y el interés de Dorrien por la aprendiz de su padre), así que me sorprendió bastante que en éste libro esto sea tocado casi con naturalidad. Por una lado tenemos la prohibida relación entre Dannyl y Tayend, que se me hizo completamente tierna, aunque cuando el elyneo se aparece en Imardin en medio de la invasión tenía ganas de gritarle: "¡Idiota!". Cery también comienza una relación secreta con la misteriosa sachakana, aunque parece que este chico tiene mala suerte con el amor. Yo no terminaba de confiar en Savara, pero tampoco me caía mal, me dolió que se separaran de esa manera.
Y finalmente el romance entre los protagonistas. La relación de Akkarin y Sonea se da de un modo tan lento que cuando ella comienza a darse cuenta de sus sentimientos, parece algo completamente natural. En este libro su relación evoluciona lentamente del miedo a la confianza y el mutuo apoyo. Cuando Sonea lo sigue al destierro ya es obvio que le ama, pero tarda un poco más en aceptar lo que siente. Akkarin también tarda en vencer sus reticencias, pero cuando finalmente están juntos es obvio que son el uno para el otro, se complementan de un modo único y se entienden de una manera que nadie más podría hacerlo.
Y he ahí la razón por la que el final es tan desgarrador.
La muerte de Akkarin me dejó en shock, no podía creer lo que había ocurrido, pero cuando caí en la cuenta de lo que pasaba, las lágrimas inundaron mis ojos y pude sentir el dolor de Sonea como mío.
"—No —susurró—. Akkarin. —Lo tomó de las manos y proyectó su mente hacia su interior. Nada. Ni siquiera el menor atisbo de vida.
Akkarin le había dado demasiada energía.
Se lo había dado todo. "
La muerte del Gran Lord va a dolerme durante mucho tiempo, sé que no podre superarlo rápidamente. La pena va a atormentarme... mi corazón sangra por mi querido Akkarin, que desde el comienzo me había conquistado y resulta ser un héroe silencioso que termina salvando a toda Kyralia aun cuando todos le dieron la espalda. Él había sufrido tanto... no se merecía una cosa así. Y Sonea tampoco.
El epílogo terminó de matarme. Sonea con un pequeño hijo, una parte de Akkarin... Ella se levantó por eso. No creo que ella quisiera vivir después de la muerte del Gran Lord, pero el saber que estaba embaraza es lo que la sacó de la depresión, aunque se nota que está aterrorizada. Aunque mi corazón seguía sangrando, pude sonreír con ese final.
Una saga fantástica, y que logró despertar gran variedad de sentimientos en mí. Estos libros permanecerán en un lugar muy importante de mi corazón, se ha convertido en una de mis trilogías favoritas.
Voy a leer la siguiente saga (La espía traidora), pero no por ahora. No creo que pueda leer algo sobre Sonea y su hijo sin recordar dolorosamente al gran Lord... estaré de duelo por Akkarin un tiempo.
Nuevamente la historia está dividida en dos.
La primera parte nos adentra en el gran misterio que Akkarin ha mantenido durante toda la saga. Sonea de a poco va adentrándose en el oscuro mundo de la magia superior gracias a su tutor. Al mismo tiempo nos reencontramos con Cery (¡Lo había extrañado mucho en el libro anterior!) ahora convertido en un jefe ladrón que ayuda al Gran Lord y traba relación con una misteriosa Sachakana, Savara. Dannyl es quién lleva ésta vez la parte más aburrida de la trama, mientras caza a unos rebeldes que desean aprender magia sin el consentimiento del gremio.
Hay un gran giro en la trama que me dejo con la boca abierta.
La segunda parte es la más interesante. Mientras Sonea y Akkarin se encuentran en el exilio, los ichanis se preparan para invadir Kyralia y el gremio comienza a darse cuenta de su error al expulsar a los dos únicos magos negros.
Cuando comienza finalmente la invasión el ritmo de la historia se vuelve vertiginoso, todos y cada uno de los personajes que han aparecido hasta ahora tienen un papel crucial en el final, que decidirá la supervivencia o no del Gremio de los magos.
No se puede decir que esta saga haya tenido romance, de hecho, en los libros anteriores es un tema mostrado a cuenta gotas (El amor infantil de Cery por Sonea y el interés de Dorrien por la aprendiz de su padre), así que me sorprendió bastante que en éste libro esto sea tocado casi con naturalidad. Por una lado tenemos la prohibida relación entre Dannyl y Tayend, que se me hizo completamente tierna, aunque cuando el elyneo se aparece en Imardin en medio de la invasión tenía ganas de gritarle: "¡Idiota!". Cery también comienza una relación secreta con la misteriosa sachakana, aunque parece que este chico tiene mala suerte con el amor. Yo no terminaba de confiar en Savara, pero tampoco me caía mal, me dolió que se separaran de esa manera.
Y finalmente el romance entre los protagonistas. La relación de Akkarin y Sonea se da de un modo tan lento que cuando ella comienza a darse cuenta de sus sentimientos, parece algo completamente natural. En este libro su relación evoluciona lentamente del miedo a la confianza y el mutuo apoyo. Cuando Sonea lo sigue al destierro ya es obvio que le ama, pero tarda un poco más en aceptar lo que siente. Akkarin también tarda en vencer sus reticencias, pero cuando finalmente están juntos es obvio que son el uno para el otro, se complementan de un modo único y se entienden de una manera que nadie más podría hacerlo.
Y he ahí la razón por la que el final es tan desgarrador.
La muerte de Akkarin me dejó en shock, no podía creer lo que había ocurrido, pero cuando caí en la cuenta de lo que pasaba, las lágrimas inundaron mis ojos y pude sentir el dolor de Sonea como mío.
"—No —susurró—. Akkarin. —Lo tomó de las manos y proyectó su mente hacia su interior. Nada. Ni siquiera el menor atisbo de vida.
Akkarin le había dado demasiada energía.
Se lo había dado todo. "
La muerte del Gran Lord va a dolerme durante mucho tiempo, sé que no podre superarlo rápidamente. La pena va a atormentarme... mi corazón sangra por mi querido Akkarin, que desde el comienzo me había conquistado y resulta ser un héroe silencioso que termina salvando a toda Kyralia aun cuando todos le dieron la espalda. Él había sufrido tanto... no se merecía una cosa así. Y Sonea tampoco.
El epílogo terminó de matarme. Sonea con un pequeño hijo, una parte de Akkarin... Ella se levantó por eso. No creo que ella quisiera vivir después de la muerte del Gran Lord, pero el saber que estaba embaraza es lo que la sacó de la depresión, aunque se nota que está aterrorizada. Aunque mi corazón seguía sangrando, pude sonreír con ese final.
Una saga fantástica, y que logró despertar gran variedad de sentimientos en mí. Estos libros permanecerán en un lugar muy importante de mi corazón, se ha convertido en una de mis trilogías favoritas.
Voy a leer la siguiente saga (La espía traidora), pero no por ahora. No creo que pueda leer algo sobre Sonea y su hijo sin recordar dolorosamente al gran Lord... estaré de duelo por Akkarin un tiempo.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 17, 2024
*** 3.33 ***
May 8, 2010
Yay for dragging the plot like molasses in retarded directions before introducing the Great Danger in the last 1/6 of the allotted space! We learn about the impending doom only in this book and it takes half of it to actually get to the point. The climax, admittedly, consists of more than three pages, but it's very... small? The scale of the event is striking; if you count the persons fighting, it would look live a tavern brawl.
There are some plot devices here that made me consider giving this book 2 stars, but the immense flatness of the characters did it for me. None of them behave like real people. One scheme in particular is prevalent: a dude, previously thought evil, exclaims that in fact he's a good guy and everybody cheers and forgets that he's a jerk. (I'm not counting the dumb clones and canon fodder.)
The ending wasn't worse than the entire book: it fit, at least. There were tons of loose ends and unexplained things left though, so I wouldn't be surprised if Canavan writes a continuation.
There are some plot devices here that made me consider giving this book 2 stars, but the immense flatness of the characters did it for me. None of them behave like real people. One scheme in particular is prevalent: a dude, previously thought evil, exclaims that in fact he's a good guy and everybody cheers and forgets that he's a jerk. (I'm not counting the dumb clones and canon fodder.)
The ending wasn't worse than the entire book: it fit, at least. There were tons of loose ends and unexplained things left though, so I wouldn't be surprised if Canavan writes a continuation.
June 6, 2021
Nienawidzę tego zakończenia ;-;
To była naprawdę fajna przygoda i dobrze wykreowany bohaterowie. Co prawda uważam, że drugi tom był najlepszy z całej trylogii, jednak ten też mi się podobał.
Uwielbiam Akkarina, Rothena, Lorlena, Dannyla. W końcu polubiłam Soneę.
Za to z tym zakończeniem... No nie podoba mi się. Nie tylko złamało mi serduszko, ale też mam wrażenie że autorka od pewnego momentu nie wiedziała, jak skończyć tę serię.
To była naprawdę fajna przygoda i dobrze wykreowany bohaterowie. Co prawda uważam, że drugi tom był najlepszy z całej trylogii, jednak ten też mi się podobał.
Uwielbiam Akkarina, Rothena, Lorlena, Dannyla. W końcu polubiłam Soneę.
Za to z tym zakończeniem... No nie podoba mi się. Nie tylko złamało mi serduszko, ale też mam wrażenie że autorka od pewnego momentu nie wiedziała, jak skończyć tę serię.
January 25, 2024
Very unnecessary love story/relationship and and even more unnecessary ending.
If any, I would have shipped , but what do I know?!
If any, I would have shipped , but what do I know?!
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