What do You think about The Tenth Power (2006)?
I really don't know how to write this review. I was ready for this book, in some ways; I anticipated much of the ending and saw the logical end (or beginning!) of each character's arc and how it "should" go. On paper, this book was nothing truly special... yet somehow I was blown away. The best metaphor I can think of is that it comes close to the Platonic form of "young adult coming of age fantasy story." There's nothing new here, it's all been done before, and yet Kate Constable makes the familiar tropes and characters and idealism feel new instead of trite. Predictability is not a curse for this story and I loved Calwyn and her friends from the first to the last page of the trilogy. The last paragraph made me cry, no matter how far away I saw it coming. It is just that kind of book. I'm so glad I read it.
—Magali
Setting/World Building: 5/5Main Character: 4/5Other Characters: 4/5Plot: 4/5Writing: 5/5Triggering/Issues: 4/5 (Random adultery-esque love triangle out of nowhere) AVERAGED TOTAL: 4.3 out of 5, rounded to 4. There's something about either these books, or the author, that manages to somehow wrap me up in the awesome plot, but also interject random things that just irritate the heck out of me and have no reason for being there. This book definitely did that. A good 85% of it or so was just a great, fun read. I loved the plot, I loved the world still, and the magic, and I loved the magical solution to the overall plot of the world, that was all amazing. (Okay, it was a LITTLE weird that none of them apparently knew how to read, but whatever.)What I didn't love basically boiled down to the romance, yet again. Firstly, each book seems to end with the characters making up, and then the next starts with them separated/fighting/whatever again, rather annoyingly. Most of this would be solved if they just talked to one another, but of course that never happens. Calwyn is cranky, but Darrow is a complete ass for much of this book... yet someone, Calwyn always manages to believe it's her fault that he's upset? Which is ridiculous because 90% of the time he's "upset" because he's just being an asshole.And don't get me started on the other thing that happened. (view spoiler)[You know, that random forced love triangle moment that came out of nowhere? Like, Calwyn thinks Samis is evil for both the first two books and then, for literally no explained reason, she sorta starts to fall for him in this book and kisses him, and then even after she sends him off to space, she THINKS OF HIM MULTIPLE TIMES WHILE KISSING DARROW??? It literally makes no sense, it's like someone told the author that love triangles sell, so she stuck it in there for some unknown reason, but never explained it. I just don't get it. And like, I maybe would have been more okay with it if Calwyn had explained it, like if she'd just used it to distract Samis before sending him off/killing him, but nope. She has feelings for him. Why? We don't know and we never will. (hide spoiler)]
—Amy
I liked loved this book. Seriously. (view spoiler)[ I think that everything was well pulled together, despite a few questions that were left unanswered. (Will Samis come back? What will happen to Darrow? What about Antaris?! GUAAHHH.)I loved the fact that it wasn't the usual 'DARROW I LOVE YOU.' 'I LOVE YOU TOO, CALWYN.' It had a few love scenes, but they were pretty short and simple. xD The one thing that made me mad was the fact that Samis just disappears. What, did he vanish into the imaginary sunset? Gueh. (hide spoiler)]
—Audrey
