Magic Triumphs by Ilona Andrews
Jan. 22nd, 2019 10:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iariaI really enjoyed it. It was a really good read and overall a satisfying conclusion to the series.
+ I loved the way Kate dealt with her father. Trapping him as the anchor of Neig's pocket dimension was brilliant. I love her stopping in to visit at the end with the implication that she and the others of the blood will continue to visit him. Also that amazing library not being destroyed was a big plus.
+ I continued to enjoy Kate's interactions with her dad. Their fight in a blood ward after her trip to Neig's world was fun.
+ Kate losing her claim to Atlanta and thus her status as In-Shinar and Curran losing his godhood both felt too convenient. It was quickly wrapped up in two pages and it left me going 'but really?'
Kate may not have a claim on Atlanta, may no longer be Sharratum no Shar but that doesn't actually change who she is and she's still In-Shinar by blood and power, and neither of those things have changed.
Meanwhile, Curran using up his godhood in a miracle to bring Kate (and Erra) back to life worked better for me (that is as something that makes sense) but also left me wondering about the fact that everyone has now seen Curran as a god and in this world all that is needed is belief. How many people think he's a god? How long until the legend of him grows enough that more people begin to believe? I really don't think quitting godhood is that easy.
+ I really love when Kate's in full on In-Shinar mode and drops her cloak and allows her magic to (literally) shine. This book had a bunch of those moments and I loved it.
+ I didn't see Curran consuming gods to become a god coming so that was a great little twist.
+ Conlan was adorable. I loved everything about him.
+ I loved all of Kate's interactions with the People. Her scene at the Casino was great and I loved her saving Rowena.
+ I really liked the end with Erra and Julie leaving together. I liked: that Julie wasn't leaving out of anger at her mother but out of a desire for her own life; that Julie and Erra consider each other granddaughter/grandmother; and that Erra has decided to mentor Julie. It was a good end for both of them.
+ I was surprised that there was no mention of Derek at the end. Was I wrong and he and Julie weren't a thing?
+ I was super irritated by the way Julie as Kate’s daughter kept being disregarded. Others (like Roman) ignoring her existence to only bring up Kate’s “husband and son” is annoying but whatever I can deal, but Kate thinking about her life now and doing the same thing? No fucking way! When she listed out the aspects of her current life and Julie wasn't even on it -- it honestly made me so mad. One of my favourite parts of this series is Kate’s relationship with Julie, and the way that Julie is unequivocally her daughter. So Julie being actively disregarded as an integral part of Kate’s life (always ‘her son’ never ‘her children’) on top of being shoved off-screen for most of the book was my biggest issue.
+ Hugh kind of came out of nowhere for me. As this was the last book and the big confrontation with Roland was being set up it was obvious that Hugh would have to be addressed in some way but the way it was done – idk. I ended up feeling like I missed a novel with all of the back story re: Julie and Andrea/Raphael and Elara. In fact I wouldn’t be surprised at all if there was a novella out or novel planned. Because of that though Hugh’s arrival didn’t entirely work for me.
That said I actually really liked the Kate/Hugh porch conversation. I bought Kate forgiving him and I liked how it played out. While Hugh claiming her as his sister only pages early irritated me Kate claiming him as brother and them bonding over their messed up father was great.
+ When Kate kept being unable to get a hold of her father I was sure something had happened to him. Him simply sulking should have been a let down but instead it left me amused.
+ I wasn’t a big fan of Dali’s overwhelming desire for a child of her and Jim’s.
+ I loved the way Kate dealt with her father. Trapping him as the anchor of Neig's pocket dimension was brilliant. I love her stopping in to visit at the end with the implication that she and the others of the blood will continue to visit him. Also that amazing library not being destroyed was a big plus.
+ I continued to enjoy Kate's interactions with her dad. Their fight in a blood ward after her trip to Neig's world was fun.
+ Kate losing her claim to Atlanta and thus her status as In-Shinar and Curran losing his godhood both felt too convenient. It was quickly wrapped up in two pages and it left me going 'but really?'
Kate may not have a claim on Atlanta, may no longer be Sharratum no Shar but that doesn't actually change who she is and she's still In-Shinar by blood and power, and neither of those things have changed.
Meanwhile, Curran using up his godhood in a miracle to bring Kate (and Erra) back to life worked better for me (that is as something that makes sense) but also left me wondering about the fact that everyone has now seen Curran as a god and in this world all that is needed is belief. How many people think he's a god? How long until the legend of him grows enough that more people begin to believe? I really don't think quitting godhood is that easy.
+ I really love when Kate's in full on In-Shinar mode and drops her cloak and allows her magic to (literally) shine. This book had a bunch of those moments and I loved it.
+ I didn't see Curran consuming gods to become a god coming so that was a great little twist.
+ Conlan was adorable. I loved everything about him.
+ I loved all of Kate's interactions with the People. Her scene at the Casino was great and I loved her saving Rowena.
+ I really liked the end with Erra and Julie leaving together. I liked: that Julie wasn't leaving out of anger at her mother but out of a desire for her own life; that Julie and Erra consider each other granddaughter/grandmother; and that Erra has decided to mentor Julie. It was a good end for both of them.
+ I was surprised that there was no mention of Derek at the end. Was I wrong and he and Julie weren't a thing?
+ I was super irritated by the way Julie as Kate’s daughter kept being disregarded. Others (like Roman) ignoring her existence to only bring up Kate’s “husband and son” is annoying but whatever I can deal, but Kate thinking about her life now and doing the same thing? No fucking way! When she listed out the aspects of her current life and Julie wasn't even on it -- it honestly made me so mad. One of my favourite parts of this series is Kate’s relationship with Julie, and the way that Julie is unequivocally her daughter. So Julie being actively disregarded as an integral part of Kate’s life (always ‘her son’ never ‘her children’) on top of being shoved off-screen for most of the book was my biggest issue.
+ Hugh kind of came out of nowhere for me. As this was the last book and the big confrontation with Roland was being set up it was obvious that Hugh would have to be addressed in some way but the way it was done – idk. I ended up feeling like I missed a novel with all of the back story re: Julie and Andrea/Raphael and Elara. In fact I wouldn’t be surprised at all if there was a novella out or novel planned. Because of that though Hugh’s arrival didn’t entirely work for me.
That said I actually really liked the Kate/Hugh porch conversation. I bought Kate forgiving him and I liked how it played out. While Hugh claiming her as his sister only pages early irritated me Kate claiming him as brother and them bonding over their messed up father was great.
+ When Kate kept being unable to get a hold of her father I was sure something had happened to him. Him simply sulking should have been a let down but instead it left me amused.
+ I wasn’t a big fan of Dali’s overwhelming desire for a child of her and Jim’s.
