Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion

Feb 1st.

Link to previous BR: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Tomorrow Tomorrow I’ll read you Tomorrow...

#metoo

I'm in too though I'll be joining late. Need to finish my current buddy read.

I'm keen to watch this thread. I read the book recently - so no re-read here. But I love to people enjoy it.

Just started - Midkemian slaves? Interesting.

I wanted more romance and here it is: only a couple of chapters in and we seem to have a triangle. (view spoiler)[I really hope this is not going to be a Japanese version of Lady Chatterley's Lover (hide spoiler)]

Oh no! Please not a love triangle.

Well, she has been suppressing her libido for years so what did you expect? :D

And large ginger is so exotic.

I dunno if it's a love triangle or not... she seems more intrigued by the Midkemian than the nobleman... and is around the Midkemian more, since he's a slave... seems obvious how it will turn out... should be interesting reaching that point, tho...

She has a soft spot for the noble, there is no doubt about it. For such a reserved creature, she is as good as in throes of passion. I think I liked it more if she fell in love with the enemy. Now, that would be interesting especially in the constraints of the culture. But alas, the Minwanabi lords are depicted in a rather unappealing way so one can only hate them. Pity that (one of the reasons for 4 stars on the previous book).

You all are killing me. I've been swamped at work so haven't had a chance to even listen to anything today. I prob won't get a chance to start this one till Monday since I'm prob working all weekend :'-(

I'll be working over the weekend too! So do not worry, you are not alone in your misery.

I am somewhere in chapter 6.

(view spoiler)[The human sacrifice description was awful. I hope the current Lord Desio will be disposed of by his more deadly cousin because having him pitched against Mara is no sport whatsoever. Also, Kevin needs to bed her soon. (hide spoiler)]

Here I am, powering through... the book is really long, but I love everything about it... can't believe I managed to wait a month to continue, after the last book... around chapter 18 already... some great crossover with the initial trilogy... (view spoiler)[ever since I realized the timelines overlap, I've been looking forward to reading about the events at the Colosseum from another perspective... (hide spoiler)]

I still have no idea how Kevin (view spoiler)[will reconcile his problems with loving Mara & his duty to the other slaves, tho... things seem to be at a breaking point there, and so many other things are going on, that there's barely time to think about the plight of his kinsmen... (hide spoiler)]

I started yesterday and am about 20% in. (view spoiler)[ I like that she continues to try to think outside of the expected way things are done. I was a little surprised that it takes her so long to see the midkemian slaves as people since she was so quick to see value in the grey warriors in book one. (hide spoiler)]

Just finished Chapter 5
(view spoiler)[It’s great to see Pug again, but so different. That was the hardest time in his life. (hide spoiler)]

And now I am sad that I don't get these Riftwar proper references!

18 % in! 😍
(view spoiler)[“Abandon to pleasure amid the scent of blooming kekali, swept away by the passion of a redheaded barbarian, Mara discovered what it was to be a woman.”

Oooooh... (hide spoiler)]

Mayim wrote: "And now I am sad that I don't get these Riftwar proper references!"

They're pretty minor in the grand scheme of things... Kevin meets Pug & Laurie for all of a page early on... then a scene from Magician: Master is the impetus for a chapter in the middle of the book... but Kevin just has a sense of deja vu from across a building...

(Almost) finished it... loved it... almost want to finish the trilogy immediately... but then, I don't want it to be over, either...

SO MUCH happened, in this one... I mean, it's 50% longer than the first book...

(view spoiler)[The Mara/Kevin storyline didn't play out like I expected... i guess I was expecting too much change of Kelawan culture for a single book... altho the ending is promising, in that regard... I guess the next book will take place after the first Riftwar series, now... (hide spoiler)]

Timelord Iain (Eeyawn) wrote: "(Almost) finished it... loved it... almost want to finish the trilogy immediately... but then, I don't want it to be over, either...

SO MUCH happened, in this one... I mean, it's 50% longer than t..."

Oh good to hear, because around chapter 11 I am mightily BORED. Especially that the overture was:
- intrigue planned
- executed (no suspense here)

Reading about things that were heralded already takes a lot of fun away.

Mayim wrote: "Timelord Iain (Eeyawn) wrote: "(Almost) finished it... loved it... almost want to finish the trilogy immediately... but then, I don't want it to be over, either...

SO MUCH happened, in this one......"

I dunno... I just love this world / trilogy... it does kinda beat you over the head a bit... not very subtle foreshadowing (view spoiler)[that the spy network is going to be subverted at some point (hide spoiler)] but the endgame for the book is nice, and unexpected...

This book spans years... that was one of the surprising things, really... is how much time passes in a few short chapter during the desert segment...

I'm just starting the desert segment. Long span is OK, I do not mind.

But you are right - foreshadowing is crude (view spoiler)[like I am sure she is going to be buying other cho ja, if not now, then next book (hide spoiler)]. Some things are heralded early.

I think it would be a bigger surprise if the crude foreshadowing bore no fruit... then people would be clamoring about dropped plot threads, tho...

TBH this book isn’t captivating me like book 1 did. Seems like this is a really long romance novel so far. I’m still liking it bet definitely not as much as book 1.

Brian wrote: "TBH this book isn’t captivating me like book 1 did. Seems like this is a really long romance novel so far. I’m still liking it bet definitely not as much as book 1."

I'd say, this book is about Kevin's Midkemian ideas rubbing off on Mara... without the romance, he wouldn't be around to do the rubbing... (little bold font for the dirty-minded around here :)

Lots of rubbing going on there

Timelord Iain (Eeyawn) wrote: "I think it would be a bigger surprise if the crude foreshadowing bore no fruit... then people would be clamoring about dropped plot threads, tho..."

The whole thing was a huge letdown for me. I am mightily disappointed with everything, romance included.

50% through now and losing interest quick!

I'm finally going to start tonight. Will start going through comments tomorrow.

Finished. First half 2 Stars, Last half 4 stars. Mara was her badass self as usual.

I finished last week and really liked it. A bit heavy on the romance but I enjoyed getting some different perspectives.

I'm behind. I'm about 20% in and I'm happy that (view spoiler)[she sent her lover slave away cuz it was getting to be too romancy, and I'm usually a big fan of romance. And I'm ok with romance in this book, I just don't want the whole book to be about it. (hide spoiler)]

I really enjoyed this book, and in my experience, the third book lifts it up a notch or two and caps of the series.

I’m about halfway, it’s so awesome to see that Milamber Moment again!

Yeah - but from another POV... It's great.

I’m at 70% of heart pounding excitement and I’ve just about decided to forgive Kevin for bugging me. He’s rubbed me wrong from day one.

Ohhh, big moments coming your way.

I have about four hours left and I’m really disappointed
(view spoiler)[that Kevin didn’t die honorably in that last battle. And now she’s trying to get knocked up before getting married to a great guy.

Beaten like a redheaded step-child.

Always wondered where that saying came from.

I’m respecting her less for this soap opera bs. (hide spoiler)]

90% in.
(view spoiler)[
“Someday, she hoped the child within her womb would be counted Hokanu’s son and rise to be Lord of the Shinzawai.” (hide spoiler)]
And that has crossed my You F*cking B*tch line.
There is over an hour left and I have no desire to continue.
I’ll skip the next book and rejoin the series read in April.

Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I liked this review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
He makes a good point, what was the point of creating Tsurani culture if every five minutes Kevin pops his head up saying Midkemia is better.

Lena wrote: "He makes a good point, what was the point of creating Tsurani culture if every five minutes Kevin pops his head up saying Midkemia is better...."

That made me laugh.