The Book Depository Shadows Return by Lynn Flewelling
265 ratings
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Price: £9.09
Brand: The Book Depository
Description: Shadows Return : Paperback : Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group Inc : 9780553590081 : 0553590081 : 24 Jun 2008 : With their most treacherous mission yet behind them, heroes Seregil and Alec resume their double life as dissolute nobles and master spies, in this fourth Nightrunners book. But in a world of rivals and charmers, fate has a different plan. Original. The Book Depository Shadows Return by Lynn Flewelling - shop the best deal online on thebookbug.co.uk
Category: Books
Merchant: The Book Depository
Product ID: 9780553590081
MPN: 0553590081
GTIN: 9780553590081
Author: Plastic Mars
Rating: 5
Review: I loved this book, which is fourth in a series. Ever since book 2 I've been thoroughly addicted, and I gobbled this one up almost in one sitting. However, I think it would be a bit of a waste to read them out of sequence, since part of the pleasure is watching the slow build of Alec and Seregil's relationship. You might nip in at book 3, but books 1 and 2 are worth getting hold of first if you can. Flewelling's world has many of the stock elements of fantasy, but she manages to create societies that are convincingly fresh. The main focus is, as ever, on character development and the relationship between her two lead characters. In this book, fighting and political intrigue take a backseat to mysterious magical happenings. Seregil and Alec spend a lot of time forcibly separated, for reasons that the book's blurb gives away, but they're very much in each other's thoughts. There's a fair amount of angst, and I felt this made their relationship seem more real and more precious. Thero, though still a minor player, continues to become more likeable and human. The set up by the end is looking very intriguing for the next book in the series. If you like Flewelling's books, Sarah Monette's series beginning with Melusine will probably appeal too.
Author: Christine
Rating: 2
Review: I am an enormous fan of the Nightrunner series and I have the utmost respect for Ms. Flewelling, but I am afraid I found this book a big disappointment. I felt this on the day I recieved it, eager to read, but after my initial reaction, gave it some time and reread to make sure it wasn't just overexpectation. Unfortunately, it was not. Shadows Return lacks the deep characterisation and detailed descriptions of the first three books, and is filled with repetition of, 'Can I escape now? No, not yet,' rather than the action we are used to. I was also dissapointed that Alec and Seregil spend such a huge part of the book apart. Part of the magic is seeing their reactions to each other and how they work together, and this was impossible when all they could do was think about each other. The lack of knowledge about the country (trying to avoid spoilers here), while understandable in their situation, also detracted from the believability that came from Skala's, Mycena's and Aurenen's more elaborate structures. Finally, there were several errors that were big enough to break me out of the world they were inhabiting. Certain details about Amasa and the Aurenfaie language, in particular. They still irk me, in fact, because it makes me feel that I don't really know this world anymore. Apologies to Ms. Flewelling if she reads this. I truly mean no disrespect and I know the effort that goes into writing and continuity between texts, but I truly hope that The White Road is back up to the standard of the first three books.
