Customer Reviews

Voice of the Gods

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I really loved this world: the places, the diversity of people and most of the characters were all really well developed and seemed to really come to life for me. In this last book, though, I found a few things really irritating and disappointing. First of all, what seems to have been set up as a big revelation was fairly obvious to me from earlier in the series. There were still twists and things that I did not expect, but this seems like it should have been the biggest unexpected twist and it was not. Secondly, the characters introduced later in the series could have been better developed, namely Nekaun and Ella. It felt like there was so much more there that should have been addressed and expanded to really make the characters believable and their motives understandable. Finally, the ending seemed abrupt and lacking. I can see how in some ways she may have done this as a way to leave herself open for a sequel, which is understandable, but it just didn't work for me. As I said, I really enjoyed the world and most of the characters, especially Auraya, Mirar and Emerhal, so I do not think I wasted my time in reading this series, but it did leave me feeling irritated at the end.

I really liked Canavan's first trilogy (The Magician's Guild) and so I thought I would give this one a try. The first two books weren't that great, so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised by the poor quality of this book as well.

Plot Development:
Canavan does a poor job developing the plot. Occurrences seem contrived and hurried. For example, **SPOILER COMING** in the end everyone just says, "Oh well, our God's are dead" and that's it. She goes through the characters one by one, and we get to see each one just sigh and say, "gosh, that sucks". I also thought Auraya being in jail was odd. It was almost as if Canavan didn't know what to do with her and needed some place to keep her until she was needed again at which point she conveniently breaks out.

Character Development:
The character development is weak. Auraya is two-dimensional which made her extremely annoying. Often Canavan just tells you what her characters are thinking or feeling and then adds a cliched action to illustrate it. I don't know how many times I had to read "Auraya was hurt (or some other sad emotion) because (fill in something related to Wilar). She tried to force it from her mind (or some other action to indicate her strength and resolve) and continued on with whatever she was doing". Another classic example is Nekaun. He just all of a sudden becomes this unrecognizably evil and crazy guy.

Depth:
And lastly, everything ends up okay. There is no real suffering. The good guys are good guys, and the bad guys are bad guys. And good things happen to the good guys and bad things happen to the bad guys.

I would say if you don't have anything else to read, and you need something to pass the time, this would be a good book to pick. But don't expect too much.

If you have read the other two books then of course you must read this but I was just a little bit disappointed. A lot of the characters from the other books were not in this one, e.g. The Elai princess - did the boy become a warrior and did they marry? Also the Siyee couple from the first book - did they have their child? This book mainly centers on the Pentandrians and the new White, Ellareen, who is not a particularly pleasant or interesting character. It also centers on the Wilds and their quest for the scroll. It's still a compelling read hence the 4 stars and the epilogue suggests more books but doesn't mention what happens to Auraya and Mirar, it ends quite abruptly.

I bought the Black Magician Trilogy and really enjoyed it, despite the ending not turning out the way I wanted (but life is like that). I really looked forward to this trilogy and I was equally pleased. Ms Canavan does not write books where you see the ending coming from about the middle of the second book of a trilogy. Neither does she pad a series out. This book was an excellent conclusion, and the ending left me wanting a sequel. Hopefully, she won't listen to voices like mine and she'll write about something new. 6 books and I liked them all. Best start for a female writer since Julian May in the 1980's. I recommend both trilogies. You won't be disappointed.

This author is very good. I enjoy reading all of her books.

She ties everything up very nicely. Very original concept and keeps you emotionally connected to all of the characters.

I just started that book. But if it is as good as the two previous ones, it has to be amazing.
I bought these after I read the Black Magician trilogy, from the same author. It's rare I buy books from an author I already read (I like to change), unless they are truly good. These are.
It's not the usual fantasy, lots of surprises compared to what we would expect if it were common fantasy. I really love this trilogy ! And would strongly recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy, or who wants to start reading some!

I enjoyed this trilogy, yet it took me a while to figure out what bothered me from the beginning. The books are very different- some major characters feature in one and then are dropped in others (Imi, Tryss and Drilli, etc.) I would love to know what happened to them.
Canavan does over-explain some things and glosses over so much more. For example, the lives and personalities of the White are well explained, but we only see the Voices from one almost minor character's view. We are introduced to the Twins and the Gull but never know their histories (and everyone else's histories are explained in detail). The worst part is the ending-- it's so hurried and leaves SO many questions unanswered! Why exactly were the gods so terrible?? We get one story of Chaia and obviously Huan or whatever her name is is a terrible bitch, but that's it! and why does Chaia do what he does in the end?? (I don't want to spoil it for those of you who haven't read the books). I thought he was going to be as bad as the rest, but after a few sentences of "life as a god is boring, I'm over it" we're supposed to believe that?! clearly I am so frusterated by the ending of this series.
Bottom Line: these books are worth reading and I appreciate the characters (clearly I care about them) but the ending leaves a lot to be desired. Canavan is not the greatest writer and jumps around to too many different characters but she creates an interesting, believable world.

After reading the first two books in the trilogy, I couldn't put this one down. I thought everything was tied up very well in the end, and I just thoroughly enjoyed the book.

If you're a fan of fantasy/sci-fi novel, then you must have this trilogy. ITS WONDERFUL. You should also read The Black Magician Trilogy. Trudi Canavan is truly a GENIUS STORYTELLER!

I have really enjoyed this whole series by Trudi Canavan. It is such a shame that the story has come to an end. There were many twists & turns in the store from the start that built up to a great climax. This book kept me reading till late into the night, as I was desperate to find out what was going to happen to Auraya. Well worth a read.