Rachel B

The writing is amazing, the plot is amazing, the ending amazing, everything was so freaking perfect about this book!

The entire beginning I was extremely confused and in like the last 20-30 % it was all clicking and I love when books are written like this because I makes me want to reread everything instantly ><

Low key need fanfic of some character 🫣

The first book Gideon the Ninth was amazing as was this so these are must reads in my opinion!!

I can’t say I really liked this book but I also didn’t hate it. I think this is extremely character driven which is nice and all but I think for me as a reader I enjoy more imagery in stories like these. I am definitely more into a first person account experiencing the fantasy world, getting it from like third person feels less interesting.

Another big factor was I didn’t care at all about what was happening until like 30% and even then I felt uninterested in reading more the entire time. I thought the plot was good and the characters good but that’s kinda it. Like this book just didn’t hit.

I can definitely see why people like it though. I won’t be continuing with the series nor will I buy another Sanderson book~ he is not an author I wish to support. If it weren’t for this being my book club book I wouldn’t have read it.

A friend recommended this to me and oh man this was a fun read! It is definitely dated with the representation the characters have, one lady in all of the code breakers feels inaccurate since women have had a pretty good standing as code breakers since wwii.

Aside from that though it read like a movie and was pretty comical throughout. I would recommend this definitely for people who are interested in coding/ cyber related dramas.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and appreciated the unique perspectives from all the characters. While the beginning felt a bit too slow for my taste, the pace improved as the story progressed. My favorite character was Reese—his character offered excellent trans representation and I really enjoyed what he brought to the story. On the other hand, I found Stella to be my least favorite and wish her character had been explored more deeply.

I didn’t rate it higher because I felt certain aspects needed more depth, and the slow start made it hard to connect with the story early on. It wasn’t until the halfway point that I really became invested.

That said, I do think this is a book worth reading, and it’s one I’ll likely reflect on for a while.