I still really enjoyed the characters, and character interactions, the worldbuilding and lore is still fantastic, and Tad's writing is still very good, I don't love it as much as some do, but it is still very good. (even if I sometimes get annoyed by the sheer quantity of adverbs). This book also just feels like the poster child for middle book syndrome. The main plot of this book feels like it is just to get people in a situation where they can start the final book, and most of the conflict of

This book is amazing. Full of magic and intrigue, characters were awesome. Plot was engaging, but it is still bit too long. Picking this book would be great way to loose couple of hours or, in my case, weeks. I'm slow reader, but it was worth reading this book.

My review of The Dragonbone Chair did not do the novel justice. It was written in haste, a few quickly typed lines before I launched into The Stone of Farewell. See, The Dragonbone Chair ended on such a note that I just did.not.have.the.time to think about a decent review. I simply had to know what happened next.The first novel went to great pains to establish the world, so there wasn’t such a lot of exposition required for The Stone of Farewell. This freed the author up to do what he apparently...

A bit too long even for my taste, although, if you ask me, I don’t know what could have been cut from it. We follow our heroes’ quest throughout Osten Ard, but now we have more threads. The remaining ‘good guys’ are scattered throughout the land, each trying to reach the Stone of Farewell, the last safe bastion from the Storm King.There is a single wow moment, for me at least, and it was at 96%. However, there isn’t a single dull moment in the whole book. It’s just that their journeys are taking...

This is book #2 in the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series and it's a pretty classic fantasy series. I find that classic fantasy often tends to fall into some of the tropes I don't love very much (sloooooow pacing and not so developed characters were the two major complaints with this book) but when I am in the mood to read a classic fantasy series I do enjoy a good one and I think this one is that :)Simon is the main character for a lot of the first book but I feel like in book two we start to bran...

It has been about 7 years since I read the first book - and it took me quite a while to get back into the story. Once I remembered the multitude of characters, I was quickly sucked in again.On the one hand I really enjoyed the story - on the other hand it was veeeery long in places. A lot of description, that didn't feel entirely necessary in some scenes - while at other places it felt perfectly balanced, even though it had some minute details.What bugged me (as everyone knowing me will expect)

#ReturnToOstenArd: Re-read this as part of a bookstagram group-read with Tange, Jacob & Nadine in anticipation of the Witchwood Crown coming out in June 2017!23/5/17: Annnnd I'm done! Not going to stop to write anything atm as it will be mostly fangirling as per the review for Dragonbone Chair. Used mostly my ebook version to get through this one as well - I will stick a review on the ebook version later on too (urgh - so many mistakes Hachette UK!) - I also need to add a new edition for the Goo...

As I look back on the reading experience for Stone of Farewell, I wonder exactly why I enjoyed it so much? I mean, not an awful lot happens. Simon returns to being a pouty, immature boy more often than not. There’s an awful lot of walking, while keeping a look-out for the bad guys. In fact, you could probably sum up the whole book in one sentence: Most of the good guys get to the Stone of Farewell.I guess what made it worthwhile for me was learning quite a bit more about the Sithi (Williams’ ver...

I listened to this entirely on audio while doing things around the house, and it was the perfect companion. I'm still holding out hope for certain characters to come back, but I feel like I'm setting myself up for failure LOL

Such a great second book in a series. Plenty of characters, great characters, challenges which showed more of the main characters reactions and humanity. Amazing plot, properly written and developed. Just the right amount of cliffhangers. Also, great female characters, stronger than average and annoyed by being contained in a stereotype. I felt completely immersed in the story and invested in the characters.

Ok first review of 2018 and what do you know its 5 stars out of 5 Anyway this book is a huge improvement on the previous book which was already fantastic, I think what stood out for me in this book was the pace and tension kept building as it wasn't like in the great hunt where it starts all over again for each book. I felt the story moved much more here than in Dragonbone chair and I was invested into what the characters were up to as they got on with there tasks set for them in Osten Ard. That...

++SPOILERS++Whereas the first book was a nice comfort read, this one gave me anxiety through much of it.Lots of stuff going on, a bit more conflict but few resolutions, which I expect will come in the last book.There is alot of back and fourth with different characters POV's as they all strive to their own purposes.I have grown to dislike Mirabele, who in the first book seemed strong but has now turned to a stupid shallow child. I hate that she gave herself to the earl..little whore.. I also hat...

When I first read this book twenty years ago I was frustrated with the side characters/stories because I had no patience and thought this story should be about Seoman alone. Now I can laugh at how foolish and shallow I was and marvel at how beautiful the story truly is. Tiamak's inner struggles alone would be worth a story about. This is an excellently crafted tale that adds depth and life to this trilogy.

While I loved the world-building and moderate pace of The Dragonbone Chair , I found myself missing the compulsive readability of a lot of modern fantasy. All the same, there were nuggets of classic fantasy I read as a fledgling that stoked the fires of nostalgia, while the signs of fantasy pivoting from its roots gave me a bit of historical satisfaction. You can imagine my pleasure when I discovered that Stone of Farewell picks up the pace and deepens the richness of Osten Ard.I found myself...

I hate this book. Here, let me sum it up for you so you don't waste all the time I did hoping this monstrosity would get better.Some people walk through a forest. A fight happens. Someone falls down and has a prophetic dream that they never tell anyone about. More walking through the forest. Repeat ad nauseum.Yes, that was the entire book. People 'falling senseless' or whatever the heck every ten pages, a lot of whining, and the occasional anticlimactic pointless battle followed by more passing

  The apocalypse that has befallen the world of Osten Ard is fully unveiled. It might be a slow unravelling but it is a very satisfying one. The worldbuilding is tremendous. Our view of the world expands and its full of magnificent places, people and their stories. Especially the various subraces of the elvenkind are awesome. Apart from the Middle Earth this is the only place that I can say that I love the Elves. They share the grandeur and the drama of their Tolkien counterparts but they are at...

4.5 stars "It is a beginning," he said at last. "Against all despair, it is a small flame of hope." This second book in the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy picks up largely where the first book ended. Our main heroes are fractured, forced by circumstance to pursue separate missions, and all the while the forces that threaten to forever destroy the land of Osten Ard grow stronger. I found this second book more evenly paced than the first book. There was no slow start this time around and the s...

On my third (possibly fourth) reading of this book, I realized something: it was just as good as the first time I read it.The splendid cast of characters, all real individuals, are just as engrossing. The layers of plot (and plotting) are just as tight and as fascinating.Thus I maintain my stance that this is one of the best fantasy series of all time.

Not as good as the first book. It doesn't have much going for it, and felt too long for what happened in it. Could easily been a tad bit shorter. Blaming this on middle book syndrome. I struggled a little getting into it in the beginning and at the end I grew a little tired and just wanted it to be done. Hopefully next one(s, bc my edition are split in two parts) will be better.I'm also not sure how I feel about Simon. He's still such a mooncalf at times. And for some reason the voice I hear in

A.k.a. The One Where Everything Goes Pearshaped.Which is pretty awesome, let's be honest. I think my favourite thing here is how the story opens up into this phenomenally epic thing - not that the first book wasn't epic, but we still mostly stayed close to Simon and his journey. This book is where we truly get to know some of the other characters on a deeper level, while also exploring more parts of the world itself. I mean, hello, Isgrimnur playing at being a monk? Guthwulf discovering he may n...