Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion

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Did the date change I saw 2/11/20?

Already into it.

There's another thread for it going on now. on app so can't link.

Thanks, I found it.

Not sure why it's not in Sullivan?

Starting this one tonight. Here's hoping it picks up right after book 4's ending.

Let me know how it goes. I'll start in a day or two. =)

The story picks up immediately with Brin as she's in the pond. I was highly impressed with that. Looks like we're following 3 story threads though, which is annoying lol Only through Ch 3 and I really just want to follow Brin and that group.

I will be here in the next several days...

Starting today. =)

Almost done with the book and I don't have much to say. In some ways, the book was better than the last one but only because I think I'm at the point where I'm not going to get emotional about the story anymore.

There's a bunch of recaps. Some are better than others.

I had a rough work week so did not get as much reading in as I'd hoped.

Through Ch 6. Not a huge spoiler but tagging in case. (view spoiler)[I'm getting impatient. I really just want to see things start to happen.
The meeting between Suri and Arion's mother was interesting, and it was nice to see everyone in Hades reunite with loved ones that had died, but I really want the story to just get on with it.

I feel like Persephone's story is basically done so glad we aren't spending as much time with her. And because I'm good with less of her chapters I bet there's a bunch of her coming up :) (hide spoiler)]

I finished. Not bad. I'm genuinely curious to see how it all ends.

About the story (view spoiler)[They kept making the abyss a big deal and how Trilos fell down it but we know Trilos is in the garden so obviously the abyss is not the end.

I'm quite curious who Lothian sacrificed to make his dragon. Mawyn's mom? Unless someone else made it. Not sure Lothian would like that. (hide spoiler)]

I think the last one was so disappointing as a transition piece with a cliffhanger, that this one comes across as palatable in comparison. Writing was better but I still felt like this was more filler than substance. I do want to see how it all ends.

I think part of the problem is that he literally chopped one large story in thirds and didn't go back to give each a structural tweak so they could stand better on their own while contributing to the whole. The first three books manage that much better.

On my Kindle the reading pages of this one was 280 pages. He could probably have left this as one larger book had he wanted with some extra editing so a print format wouldn't have been too large. Or not. Epic door stoppers are a thing in this genre.

Eh, I dunno. Sullivan has a good process between his wife and proofreaders to get things into shape. I think the problem may be that the proofreaders like Sullivan so much that they're not unbiased enough in the reading and critique.

As people and the things that the Sullivans do in the writing field, I think they're amazing. So, my grumbling isn't about them as people. I'm disgruntled with the quality of the writing and plot. This is below the standards I expect. I buy Sullivan's books without reading samples and stuff. After reading these books, I can't keep his books on the auto-buy list. That makes me sad.

Yeah, that is sad when a favorite author disappoints.

I'll be back in a few days to start Age of Empyre.

Well.........I have to start by saying Sullivan is without a doubt my favorite fantasy author. The Riyria Revelations series stand up there with me as some of my favorite books. So I was nervous to start this series because I felt the characters and story wouldn't measure up. When I started this series I was pleasantly surprised and have really connected with the characters and story.

That being said I am not usually a fan of cliffhangers but this one had me pretty excited at the end. The end saved this one for me as I felt this one was a content filler mostly and maybe could have been rolled into book 4 and 6. It felt a little long winded at times.

I really liked the "underworld" storyline and those scenes got me to connect with the characters a bit more but overall this was my least favorite of the series so far.

I am up to Ch. 4... Wow! Ch. 1 and the experience of dying was very intense!

I finished and loved it... I know I am the odd one out, but it was intense and had me on the edge of my seat. I will be reading the next one as soon as I am done with this series, that has me captivated...

The fact that you can throw yourself into the stories and gloss over the flaws is a blessing. At least you can have a ton of fun with it.

I adore Sullivan but the writing is not as good as it should be and the lack of cohesive reasoning makes me upset. lol

I like where Sullivan gathered his ideas and tried to re-create his vision in this series but most of it comes across bland copies. I love Greek & Roman myths! It's cool that the series is based on parts of that but plot flow is uneven and a lot of the books have been filler vs necessary pieces.

You are totally right! I can get lost in the story and ignoring the flaws is easy. I think it's a blessing and a curse. The second read, when I slow down for the details, that is when I notice the things that are not quite right. I love these characters though, so I am not going to be objective, I know myself. Thank you for sticking with me through those reads(✷‿✷)