Note: These reviews contain NO spoilers, and I didn’t include the blurbs because they were spoiler-y for previous books. Also if you’re curious about the first book, here’s my review.
Title: Red Seas Under Red Skies
Author: Scott Lynch
Series: Gentleman Bastard #2
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: ★★★★¼
Review
This is probably my least favorite book of the series, but I STILL ADORED IT. My main problem was the pacing. The first half draaaaagged with the heist that couldn’t be resolved that early on the book because it’s still the first half of the book and it’s a big heist. The flashbacks, aside from the more character-based ones, also only made it even more interminable. I was super sad by this because I adored how Lynch used flashbacks in the first book and they added a lot. That said, the writing was still super fun and the main dynamic still kept me hooked.
Then I reached the second part of the book and everything was so much better. Lynch managed to make me care about the new characters (okay, mainly Ezri and Zamira both of whom are just super badass female characters with depth) in really short span of time. I liked that Lynch also ventured a bit more into other perspectives because I adore all the characters. Also that romance was… it brought the shipper in me for the first time in months (or years?). I was just squeeing every time they were together and then crying. Yeah, it still is that kind of book. There’s also this scene where a few characters start talking about literature in snobbish-est way and it has since stuck with me because it was both adorable and such great way to convey this world to the reader. All the threads come together in such a way that it’s all worth it at the end.
Title: The Republic Thieves
Author: Scott Lynch
Series: Gentleman Bastard #3
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: ★★★★½
Review
This book brought back a lot of what I loved of the first book. The flashback were probably my favorite part of the whole thing as someone who loves theater. They were always offering something new. Even though they were less connected than in the first book, telling their own overarching story rather than having a more expositive role, I was super invested.
Maybe because the stakes were lower than in previous books, I didn’t quite enjoy the main narrative as much. Or maybe it’s just that elections bore me. I’m still amazed at how Lynch has managed to delve into so many different subgenres across only three books, and he writes them well. By now, we’ve gotten cons, heists, revenge, pirates, theatre troupes and political intrigue. Also, I was very much interested on all the character stuff that sprung up from the plot, especially regarding a certain female character whom (surprise!) I loved. And as always, reading about the schemes and pranks that Locke conjures is always fun. It’s just that it didn’t captivate me in the same way as the previous two books.
I’m unsure about the reveals. I get that the whole point is that they’re ambiguous, but still I have no idea how Lynch will tackle them in the coming books. That cliffhanger though!!! ahhh I cannot wait for the next book to come out and it doesn’t have a release date yet…
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