Revolution (Chronicles of Charanthe, #2)

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Revolution (Chronicles of Charanthe #2)

by Rachel Cotterill (Goodreads Author)

3.43 of 5 stars 3.43 · rating details · 23 ratings · 5 reviews

Why is the Empress suddenly so interested in the drylands north of the Empire? Eleanor and Daniel don't agree on much, but when they're sent to investigate strange happenings near the border between two foreign states, neither of them is really sure why they're there. And things at home aren't making much more sense. The rebels are causing chaos in the streets, whilst the...more

Paperback, 402 pages

Published November 11th 2011 by CreateSpace

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Aug 15, 2012 Zoe rated it 2 of 5 stars

In Revolution, Eleanor's troubles become imperial-sized. The (Assassin) Association splits into two groups. The Shadows remain loyal to the Empress, and the Association becomes anathema. Eleanor leads a revolution against the Empress, while getting married and bearing two children.

The motivations/rationale of major plot threads were not well articulated. For example, it was never clear why the empress was perceived as a tyrant - the nation wasn't suffering and the citizens weren't oppressed. It'...more In Revolution, Eleanor's troubles become imperial-sized. The (Assassin) Association splits into two groups. The Shadows remain loyal to the Empress, and the Association becomes anathema. Eleanor leads a revolution against the Empress, while getting married and bearing two children.

The motivations/rationale of major plot threads were not well articulated. For example, it was never clear why the empress was perceived as a tyrant - the nation wasn't suffering and the citizens weren't oppressed. It's not clear either why she turned against the Association. Yes, the empress did kill off unacceptable heirs, but the Association was guilty of doing the same. When the Association split into two, the rapidity with which former-colleagues became sworn-enemies seemed too quick, too shallow, and too poorly explained. Some early plot threads seemed to lead nowhere, like Eleanor's visit to a neighboring kingdom. I read that part several times but couldn't figure out any strategic or tactical importance of what they learned from their visit.

Eleanor wasn't particularly likeable. There were funny scenes, mostly centered around learning how to raise a child, but as a whole, I couldn't get attached to any of the characters in the novel. Eleanor displays little common sense when it comes to friendships - she befriends and trusts people who actually TELL her that they're working for the enemy, while keeping those who care for her at arm's reach and completely disregarding their good advice. She's a brash, one-man show (at least until her daughter is kidnapped). Daniel, her husband, is sidelined in this novel, a shame because he could have been the perfect counterpart to her skills and character (being much more likeable than she is.) Her head-strong independence, which seemed to work well in the first book, becomes a major flaw in the second.

Writing-wise, Revolution felt choppy. The author is talented, but many scenes were short and lacked an anchor to tell you where you were in the story, time-wise and location-wise. The novel could have been better served by writing even a short sentence or two to join scenes instead of breaking them up. That would have allowed the reader to sink and stay in the story rather than getting jostled out of it. Also, the author tended to "tell" rather than "show." For example, lots of scenes that could have been great tension builders had dialogue been used became a He told her that...They decided that...She felt that...

Finally, the kindle book had a minor formatting issue. The first line of paragraphs are not indented, which makes for a harder time reading (though I didn't deduct stars for this issue.) (less)

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Jun 06, 2012 Thomas Cotterill rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, indie, reviewed

Rachel Cotterill’s second novel, Revolution, is another fast-paced adventure fantasy, and something of an accomplishment. A sequel to Rebellion, the book continues the exciting adventures of the interesting and remarkably independent hero Eleanor. The knife fights keep coming, the rousing action remains all pell-mell and helter-skelter, yet, astonishingly, Eleanor gives birth to two children in the course of the book. Even more surprising is the way Cotterill manages to keep Eleanor in the thick...more Rachel Cotterill’s second novel, Revolution, is another fast-paced adventure fantasy, and something of an accomplishment. A sequel to Rebellion, the book continues the exciting adventures of the interesting and remarkably independent hero Eleanor. The knife fights keep coming, the rousing action remains all pell-mell and helter-skelter, yet, astonishingly, Eleanor gives birth to two children in the course of the book. Even more surprising is the way Cotterill manages to keep Eleanor in the thick of things – and make it believable.

The political situation laid out in Rebellion is – as you might infer from the title - overturned in Revolution and the story heads off in a fresh direction. Martial arts share centre stage with the classic “ordinary people versus the oppressors” theme. As the book progresses, and Eleanor takes on a major leadership role, she comes across increasingly like a feminine Robin Hood. She even has her own Little John. A fellow revolutionary - by the name of Dash – upends her in a practice knife fight. As with good old Robin after Little John and his quarterstaff have knocked him into the drink, Eleanor takes it all in stride.

A weakness in the prior novel, Rebellion, was the relative lack of any emotional connection with the often sketchily outlined characters. In fact, Eleanor sometimes came across as an unsympathetic character. With Revolution, Cotterill improves her ability to engage the reader’s feelings. She is growing and developing as a novelist. We feel for Eleanor’s husband, Daniel, when Eleanor is unable to return his love. The terrible decisions Eleanor must make regarding the fate of her children are genuinely touching. By book’s end, we are not just curious; we care, about what happens next.

Younger readers may remain unaware, but for more mature readers the book sparkles with occasional glimpses into modern British and Western attitudes. We notice the anti-imperialism in remarks made by some characters. “These people have not asked to have our laws imposed upon them.” Then there is the cultural relativism seen when characters briefly debate the wisdom of one society imposing its values on another. These flashes of sophistication – social commentary - give the story depth.

The primary flaw in Cotterill’s fine second novel is her continued use of – I will get fancy here to make the point - inappropriate linguistic modernisms. People in societies – even imaginary ones - where beasts pull carts do not go “jogging.” They do not “recycle.” They do not talk about someone being “in denial” or a “drop-out.” They do not discuss warfare with First World War terms such as “front line.” These out-of-place terms needlessly jar the reader and risk spoiling the illusion of a society simpler than our own.

Revolution is such a strong novel it easily survives its minor blemishes. In Rebellion, the writing was sound. Here, it is also confident. The fast pace and sheer number of incidents ensures an engrossing and enjoyable read. I am looking forward to reading the next volume in this dynamic series.
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Nov 23, 2011 Louiz rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, e-book

I was very happy to get hold of Revolution, and read it straight away. It does answer some of the questions raised in the previous book (Rebellion) but leaves a few still unanswered, presumably to be answered in the next book.

I liked this book, although I did feel parts were rushed, and am looking forward to the next one already!

I am also thinking about a proper review but can't actually word one without spoilers. There's a lot of stuff going on in this book, both in Eleanor's life and the Empir...more

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Feb 27, 2012 Claire rated it 4 of 5 stars

During a random discussion with friends, books came up and I mentioned Brave New World. It has just occurred to me that there the world in which Revolution is set is a low tech version - children are completed raised in schools (I hadn't realised it was from just after birth) and everyone is assigned their "perfect" career based on tests and observations.

I should have re-read Rebellion first as I'd forgotten who some of the characters were. The story progresses very rapidly.

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Apr 04, 2012 SciYourFi Team rated it 3 of 5 stars

Read the full review at: http://sciyourfi.blogspot.com/2012/03...

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Apr 25, 2013 Thrawn rated it 2 of 5 stars

Jan 17, 2013 Amanda (Letters Inside Out) marked it as to-read

Shelves: tbr-physical-own

Dec 14, 2012 Emmanuel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Nov 04, 2012 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars

Nov 19, 2012 R.oloughlin rated it 2 of 5 stars

Aug 30, 2012 Beaniebop marked it as to-read

Aug 17, 2012 puneit marked it as to-read

Aug 05, 2012 alison marked it as to-read

Jun 22, 2012 Christa rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook-owned

Jun 24, 2012 Wendy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: jun-12

Dec 01, 2012 Dean is currently reading it

Shelves: high-fantasy

Jan 04, 2013 Stephani marked it as 2012-giveaways-not-won

Apr 27, 2012 Brianna Garcia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult

Apr 01, 2012 Claus marked it as to-read

Mar 30, 2012 Larry Cornett marked it as to-read

Mar 30, 2012 Lorraine marked it as to-read

Mar 30, 2012 Rose Cimarron marked it as to-read

Shelves: c-e-b

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Shelves: _gr-giveaways

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About Rachel Cotterill

Rachel lives with her husband in the Cotswolds. When she's not writing, she's studying for a PhD in computational linguistics.

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Revolution (Chronicles of Charanthe #2)

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