Sign in with Facebook
Cookie's Reviews > Starburner
Starburner (Moonburner Cycle #3)
by
by
** spoiler alert **
I like how the scale has been progressively stepped up in each book of this trilogy. The first was grounded in the human world of the burners. The second shattered the realm barriers, bringing us spirits and demons alongside the humans. This one presents new worlds and realities entirely...
The previous two books took me a while to get into before enjoying them, however this one was the opposite: I was hooked from the beginning, so much was going on, but then it fizzled towards the middle and lost me by the end.
The events at the beginning were intense and shocking. There was new magic, new characters, new foes, a new adventure, and I was instantly intrigued and engrossed.
However, around the time the characters reached the caves, things really slowed down to a halt. There was lot of focus on mythology and fate and plans of attack but there wasnt anything exciting or keeping things tense. The story as a whole felt tame and straightforward compared to the previous two books, which were rife with intrigue, mystery, action and the unexpected.
The romance seemed to hinge on 'fate' rather than genuine feelings. There's a lot of pining for each other and feeling attraction towards each other, instead of actually growing closer naturally. I get that it's part of the plot, but the romantic aspect suffered for it.
The main characters Rika and Vikal annoyed me with how they kept blaming themselves for things that happened to each other and to their people. In particular, Rika annoyed me when she kept blaming Vikal for 'helping' with a certain character's demise when it wasn't his fault in the slightest — he literally just stood there while the soul-eater did everything! He was also under compulsion and was unable to do anything! She should be more angry at the soul-eater who was actually responsible!
Other than the occasional excessive blaming, the main characters were fine. I liked how they handled Vikal struggling with letting go of his former love (regardless of how illogical the reason for her death was). And I also could feel Rika's struggle between the home she loves and the destiny she is fated for, each pulling her in separate directions.
The climax culminated in a few things that didn't make sense and risky decisions that of course were gonna go wrong. Where the plots of the previous books were woven neatly, this one has a few holes (more in spoiler section). The ending battle was not of the standard of the last two books, which were both epic, spectacular and thrilling — the action here was simple and uninteresting. Star powers and dodging. All-powerful monsters using fists and sticks. More dodging. No excitement or twists and turns.
SPOILERS BELOW-------------------------------------------------
Some questions I had about the plot:
• Why does Sarya's death ensure that Vikal would be made a thrall? If he was made a thrall in the first place, surely he is of use to the soul-eaters, so wouldn't they have made him a thrall anyway? Regardless of whether Sarya died?
• Why could Vikal summon a star when fighting in the caves? How? The power of love~?
• Why would the gods go back to Kitina if they are ineffective against the soul-eaters? Would they leave their people behind, potentially with no means of return, and jeopardise themselves just to give Rika some moral support?
• Why would they bring an unconscious soul-eater with them and NOT expect it to regain consciousness at some point?
• How did Rika send Cygna to the others in Nua without realising it? Did Cygna go by itself? But it's supposed to only follow Rika's orders so why? The power of love~ again?
END OF SPOILERS-------------------------------------------------
'Starburner' had some better, grander ideas that were executed ok for the most part, however some elements of the plot and characters bothered me. For me, this book was a step up, yet also a step back. I prefer the previous two over this one.
The previous two books took me a while to get into before enjoying them, however this one was the opposite: I was hooked from the beginning, so much was going on, but then it fizzled towards the middle and lost me by the end.
The events at the beginning were intense and shocking. There was new magic, new characters, new foes, a new adventure, and I was instantly intrigued and engrossed.
However, around the time the characters reached the caves, things really slowed down to a halt. There was lot of focus on mythology and fate and plans of attack but there wasnt anything exciting or keeping things tense. The story as a whole felt tame and straightforward compared to the previous two books, which were rife with intrigue, mystery, action and the unexpected.
The romance seemed to hinge on 'fate' rather than genuine feelings. There's a lot of pining for each other and feeling attraction towards each other, instead of actually growing closer naturally. I get that it's part of the plot, but the romantic aspect suffered for it.
The main characters Rika and Vikal annoyed me with how they kept blaming themselves for things that happened to each other and to their people. In particular, Rika annoyed me when she kept blaming Vikal for 'helping' with a certain character's demise when it wasn't his fault in the slightest — he literally just stood there while the soul-eater did everything! He was also under compulsion and was unable to do anything! She should be more angry at the soul-eater who was actually responsible!
Other than the occasional excessive blaming, the main characters were fine. I liked how they handled Vikal struggling with letting go of his former love (regardless of how illogical the reason for her death was). And I also could feel Rika's struggle between the home she loves and the destiny she is fated for, each pulling her in separate directions.
The climax culminated in a few things that didn't make sense and risky decisions that of course were gonna go wrong. Where the plots of the previous books were woven neatly, this one has a few holes (more in spoiler section). The ending battle was not of the standard of the last two books, which were both epic, spectacular and thrilling — the action here was simple and uninteresting. Star powers and dodging. All-powerful monsters using fists and sticks. More dodging. No excitement or twists and turns.
SPOILERS BELOW-------------------------------------------------
Some questions I had about the plot:
• Why does Sarya's death ensure that Vikal would be made a thrall? If he was made a thrall in the first place, surely he is of use to the soul-eaters, so wouldn't they have made him a thrall anyway? Regardless of whether Sarya died?
• Why could Vikal summon a star when fighting in the caves? How? The power of love~?
• Why would the gods go back to Kitina if they are ineffective against the soul-eaters? Would they leave their people behind, potentially with no means of return, and jeopardise themselves just to give Rika some moral support?
• Why would they bring an unconscious soul-eater with them and NOT expect it to regain consciousness at some point?
• How did Rika send Cygna to the others in Nua without realising it? Did Cygna go by itself? But it's supposed to only follow Rika's orders so why? The power of love~ again?
END OF SPOILERS-------------------------------------------------
'Starburner' had some better, grander ideas that were executed ok for the most part, however some elements of the plot and characters bothered me. For me, this book was a step up, yet also a step back. I prefer the previous two over this one.
Sign into Goodreads to see if any of your friends have read
Starburner.
Sign In »
Reading Progress
June 19, 2019
–
Started Reading
June 19, 2019
– Shelved
July 2, 2019
–
Finished Reading
