I just devoured this whole series about a month ago and loved it. I loved the first two a little more than the second two, for reasons we can get into once you have read all four :) I was also just a trifle annoyed by the use of women in Winter, but Abraham is in fact aware of this and it's part of his plan, I think: he more than makes up for it in Spring (though IMO at the expense of a somewhat stilted and unfortunate subplot).
Anyway, I have more to say once you've read them all :)
Some of the names are too similar for comfort, aren't they? Maati, Machi… ;) I kept getting Liat and Idani confused in the first book, thinking the first was Otah and the second was the woman.
I was also pretty disappointed women have turned into either evil villains or cheaters. Or whores. But as cheaters, they become evil villains so really they're either evil villains or whores. That's not to flattering. But Idaan was very interesting… At first I wasn't sure whether I loved to hate her, or hated the culture that influenced her fall. Ultimately, it was her choice to murder, to plot and scheme, but the Khaiem wasn't exactly fair to her. In the end, I still see her as loathsome, even if she's been driven out of options with the scale of her ambition.
My disappointment with women in this book made the first seem so much better to me. Although, now that I'm well into An Autumn War, have to admit: the series does keep getting far more interesting as each book progresses. I like that A Betrayal in Winter went where it did, even
( ... )
I'll talk about my OMGWTF moment when I post my AUTUMN WAR review, but did you recognize the part that made me flip out? :)
I'm really dwelling on the treatment of women in this series and their role in society. I suspect it's something I'm not going to be able to full commentate on until I finish the series (PRINCE OF SPRING just arrived today!), but I think that my verdict on Idaan is that she's quite human, and since I understand where she's coming from on a cultural and emotional level, I sympathize a bit. Liat in book one was another story in terms of her being a cheater, but then again, that book is SO FOGGY in my brain that it's hard to talk about it with anything resembling intellect and solid opinion. :)
I mentioned it in a reply to your comment in JRT, but I'll repeat here: was it the brief revelation about Kiyan? If so, I was surprised and pretty disappointed. I made note of that anyway to remember to discuss in the review.
Idaan's anger and frustration is definitely understandable. She is, after all, a product of her culture and takes it upon herself to act (icky choice, but it also makes for good, dramatic fiction) instead of feeling helpless. I can't say she isn't strong. I do sympathize with her on some level, but at this point she's still a strange sort to sympathize with since I disagree with what's being done in other aspects of her life. She's interesting and I do like that Abraham's gotten me talking about her at least. :)
Oops, do you mean Price of Spring? I should be reading that next week!
Yes, it was, but by the end of the book, I don't think it's as bad as we're led to believe, though it's never FULLY explained. When you finish, I definitely want to hash out what I think happened. :)
Yes, that's what I meant! MY GOD. No wonder I could NEVER FIND THIS BOOK when I looked it up! I kept typing PRINCE. Sheesh....
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Anyway, I have more to say once you've read them all :)
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I was also pretty disappointed women have turned into either evil villains or cheaters. Or whores. But as cheaters, they become evil villains so really they're either evil villains or whores. That's not to flattering. But Idaan was very interesting… At first I wasn't sure whether I loved to hate her, or hated the culture that influenced her fall. Ultimately, it was her choice to murder, to plot and scheme, but the Khaiem wasn't exactly fair to her. In the end, I still see her as loathsome, even if she's been driven out of options with the scale of her ambition.
My disappointment with women in this book made the first seem so much better to me. Although, now that I'm well into An Autumn War, have to admit: the series does keep getting far more interesting as each book progresses. I like that A Betrayal in Winter went where it did, even ( ... )
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I'm really dwelling on the treatment of women in this series and their role in society. I suspect it's something I'm not going to be able to full commentate on until I finish the series (PRINCE OF SPRING just arrived today!), but I think that my verdict on Idaan is that she's quite human, and since I understand where she's coming from on a cultural and emotional level, I sympathize a bit. Liat in book one was another story in terms of her being a cheater, but then again, that book is SO FOGGY in my brain that it's hard to talk about it with anything resembling intellect and solid opinion. :)
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Idaan's anger and frustration is definitely understandable. She is, after all, a product of her culture and takes it upon herself to act (icky choice, but it also makes for good, dramatic fiction) instead of feeling helpless. I can't say she isn't strong. I do sympathize with her on some level, but at this point she's still a strange sort to sympathize with since I disagree with what's being done in other aspects of her life. She's interesting and I do like that Abraham's gotten me talking about her at least. :)
Oops, do you mean Price of Spring? I should be reading that next week!
Reply
Yes, that's what I meant! MY GOD. No wonder I could NEVER FIND THIS BOOK when I looked it up! I kept typing PRINCE. Sheesh....
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