Bland....

Note- slight spoiler alert - in the last paragraph.

I really struggled with how to score this book. I just felt so neutral about it (hence the "Bland" headline for my review). Was it me being easily distracted? Was my listening interrupted too frequently that I never really got into it? Have I been overly spoiled by a previous Sanderson listen? To check I wasn’t being too harsh, I had a quick read of other reviews…. and relief, I’m not going insane or becoming overly picky.

Overall, I gave it 3/5, partly out of respect for the first book, which I really did enjoy. The second book lost it a little, but there was a promise of more to come. This third book has left me feeling flat.

I still like the idea of the story and the “magic”, but the execution felt muddled. Yes, the story continues, but there are so many new characters and so many more random threads, that it all just feels a little disjointed. It's completely lost the excitement and anticipation of book one. Unfortunately, the narration does nothing to help improve this sense. There is absolutely no character differentiation, and despite concentrating and re-listening to certain paragraphs, there was still doubt as to who actually said or did what. Also, either I've got wool in my ears, or some of the character names are so similar sounding as to seem the same person......adding to my confusion of who was where and who did what - maybe I wasn't concentrating properly? Unfortunately, the narration completely detracted from my overall enjoyment of the book. And, as an aside, I find it really annoying when characters (even armies) can be at opposite ends of the world, yet spin their horses around and apparently cross from the Arctic to the Sahara (or equivalent) in a couple of days....naturally turning up on time at the requisite location to help save the day. That's just too convenient.

Bottom line – try reading this one rather than listening to it. You may enjoy the written word more than the spoken one.

As for the ending? Again, I was left feeling completely flat about it; neither neatly tied up, nor with sufficient loose threads to keep me guessing or interested. It was almost a relief to have it end. My final thoughts of what should have been a great series were “so the boy doesn’t get the girl and the cat died”. Hardly a great sense of closure.

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14 people found this helpful

loved it.

great narrator- great story. Leaves you wanting more. I agree that the names can be difficult, but all it takes is concentration. Great world. How about an Alpirian conquest now?

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2 people found this helpful

Magnificent Saga

The great words of Anthony Ryan given life by Steven Brand's narration. Intricate in its complexity, the story keeps the listener gripped, always wanting to know what happens next. .

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Excellent ;0)

Totally gripping story, well written and well read, you can't help but get involved with the characters and stay hooked right up to the end. Bravo more please... ;0)

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1 person found this helpful

Poor ending to great series

the final book was a struggle to finish. the ending seems rushed and garbled. the plot could have been condensed to expand certain scenes without ruining the outcome

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loved it

an excellent story with a good ending , it's a shame there is no more

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Terrible narration

The story is a bit flat for a conclusion. The narration, as in the other books, is even flatter. No differentiation whatsoever. Sometimes not even a pause with change of scene. I would seriously pass a good book with this narrator again.

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1 person found this helpful

Superb!!

Finished this in just a few days, kept me engrossed the whole time.

If you liked the others in the series this is more of the same.

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Great series

Great series don’t know why people didn’t like the third book as much I thought it was a decent ending to a good series will definitely listen to this series again

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A bit of a disappointing end to the series but still worth reading

I listened to the preceding 2 audiobooks and really enjoyed both; they expanded the scope of the story and developed the characters well. Queen Of Fire concluded the story but I do not feel this as good as the previous novels. That said, the author has established a very rich fantasy setting with good pacing that keeps you interested.
There were too many characters in this book meaning that I had too look up a dramatis personae from the authors website to see who they all were. There was a delay between this and the previous book which made it difficult to remember them all and their back stories. A refresher or reintroduction would have been useful. Maybe if I read this straight after the previous book I would have been alright.
I do not want to give away the ending but I found it a little disappointing and felt it did not clear up all the plot points from the previous books. It felt like it was being rushed out to hit a deadline. This was not a bad story at all, just not as good as the previous Raven's Shadow novels.
The performance in this and all three books was good with the narrator, Steven Brand, delivering a clear recitation that draws you into the story.

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