4.5
Brillant beginning, Mindblowing ending, some lukewarm parts in the middle, sometimes far too stretched with unnecessary stuff going on. Still quality writing, quality insults (actually the best I ever read, Shakespeare can go pack his suitcases), quality schemes and plottwists. Patience ruled, and I'm sorry to see her go.
God I love this series. The guy who reads the audiobooks is AMAZING. All his characters are distinguishable and singular, which is really helpful when you're multitasking. I listen to these at work (I'm an artisan candle maker) so sometimes I have to focus my attention on something else, but when I come back, it's really easy to figure out what's going on because the voices are so unique. The series in itself is fantastic-- solid consistent character development, complicated plots that aren't too easy to figure out. These last two books have gotten a little weird, but even so, I'm interested and looking forward to what Scott has up his sleeves.
Finally we get the next installment in this fantastic series. This one, however, I felt was the weakest. It is split into two time lines. Current, from the protagonists point of view and a past history story of the protagonist as a young man. I was very engaged with the 'current' day storyline which unfortunately was somewhat butchered, I assume for space reasons, while the past history segment was given way too much airtime. The storyline revolving around election shenanigans in a fantasy city run by mages was an interesting premise and the author had obviously been reading his Dave Sim (Cerebus, High Society). I suppose that was more in my wheelhouse than the teen drama vibes I was getting off the past history segment. Still, it was a Locke Lamora story executed with flair and heart. When I say it was the weakest of three it is still getting …
Finally we get the next installment in this fantastic series. This one, however, I felt was the weakest. It is split into two time lines. Current, from the protagonists point of view and a past history story of the protagonist as a young man. I was very engaged with the 'current' day storyline which unfortunately was somewhat butchered, I assume for space reasons, while the past history segment was given way too much airtime. The storyline revolving around election shenanigans in a fantasy city run by mages was an interesting premise and the author had obviously been reading his Dave Sim (Cerebus, High Society). I suppose that was more in my wheelhouse than the teen drama vibes I was getting off the past history segment. Still, it was a Locke Lamora story executed with flair and heart. When I say it was the weakest of three it is still getting four stars!
