Grace

I think this book is perfection! I had read some reviews that said Rule of Wolves title wasn't accurate... I can see that but I also stand by the title given by Bardugo. It is because AND later thanks to Fjerda that we have a great story happening at all in this book.

Without spoiling anything my thoughts with spoilers are marked below I enjoyed the book, at the end of King of Scars I wasn't sure I'd like Rule of Wolves, to be honest I felt tricked into the same story of the S&B trilogy and just wished Bardugo had more creativity than that.

I can't say I give it to her, that she came with a brilliant plot in RoW, because I still think it could have been something greater than that... I don't enjoy echoes throughout the whole series and Leigh has done it 4 times already so it gets old and some might even call it lazy.

What I can say is that the main plot and its different POVs alongside some interesting retcons and plot twists make this book perfection to my eyes. If you are someone that has already read the other books, I think you'll like this one better, even if you didn't like S&B trilogy, or LOVE too much SoC and CK... also fills in some gaps left in past books of the series.

Now here come some spoilers that you can skip if you don't want to miss out on the surprise





REVIEW WITH SPOILERS





I still can't get over the fact that the Darkling was brought back...again... the retcon wasn't enough to justify it.
The Darkling's fate at the end of the book was grounded in the fact that he was strong and eternal enough to keep the tear closed, but still in the last two pages a completely different solution was on the table, so... that is my only no no

I loved Nina and Hanne's story ever since they met in KoS, and how they developed in RoW had me hinged, I am fully invested in their relationship. I was so upset when they made us believe she was unalived by Prince Rasmus but when “he” spoke at the assembly in Os Kervo I started suspecting what eventually was revealed and I cried so hard over that scene when Nina and Hanne finally speak alone (Hanne as Prince Rasmus)

I also felt thrilled when Alina and Mal came back, and that brief scenes with the Crow Club. I expected Kaz to rely on Zoya when they ended up in the Suli camp, but I wanted more Jesper and Wylan, although this was not their story so I can understand the chapters in which the crows were involved.

Zoya's character development was amazing, she grew to be the Queen Ravka needed, the soldier she aspired to be, and the woman her aunt expected to become. Some readers didn't get why Zoya and Nikolai's romance, but if you have spent most of your time with one individual, it is natural you grow to care for each other. Now Zoya didn't care for him that way at the beginning, but keep in mind it's been 3 years of Zoya's care (day and night) and chase of the demon, so that is more than enough time for them to get very close. Nikolai really valued having Zoya keeping him (and others) safe that long, and Zoya felt seen for who she really is, so I can see their romance happening with no problem to the story.

Also Zoya is a badass of a queen, who humbled herself to the point of working with people she didn't want to and ending up feeling nothing less than respect for them (Alina, David, Genya, General Pensky, Adrik...)

Speaking of David, I didn't expect him to die, not on his wedding night, I was torn and my heart ached for Genya, I was grieving the whole time

I loved this beautiful book! I also needed something cozy, and that didn't require a lot of thought on my part, and this was perfect! I finished it basically the same day I started.

Now I hear some people didn't get the chemistry between Ollie and Ethan and guys, let me explain the process: she spends 24/7 with the person she thought as Satan's child (because of a misunderstanding that I get through later on), but then she even states how she realizes he is not the daredevil she thought he was, and starts to find he's actually a nice dude playing tough after he was told to not try any moves on her (shitty but how many times have we ourselves listened to the wrong voice?) And I think his vulnerability the night of the mai tais was it for her, to see him under a different light altogether.

Also, the book is hilarious, I had so much fun reading it. I agree it may not be everybody's cup of tea, but to me it was just right. It reflects Latin families correctly (metiches, we love chisme, and also oversharing, comforting, and proud) and the dynamic between Ami and Ollie after the news is great, Ami got into a denial phase bc her life was falling apart and chose not to believe it at first. It is real!

The firing may or may not be as accurate, I worked at a beer company and if you were involved in any kind of incident/or car crash due to inebriation you were fired because you were not practicing responsible drinking... so a choice you made in your personal life does affect your professional life as well, it reflects your work ethic for sure so I can understand the situation with Mr. Hamilton, I would have liked a stronger argument, though.

Only thing I would say that didn't make sense to me was why Ollie took so personally and so deep how Ethan supposedly saw her with disgust that first day they met and then she decided to make him an enemy.... I get she tends to see everything pessimisticly, but that detail for me was over the top, like we don't know each other, I don't care tf you think of me... especially if I love my body as Ollie states a number of times. The rest I think, is cute and something I would watch in a romcom movie.

So try and don't take a romcom that seriously peeps, it is not meant for that, it is entertainment and this book was very entertaining to me, at least.

🌟🌟🌟🌟.5

I loved the story, the characters, the plot, the romance... pff I couldn't put it down!

I enjoyed this book way more than I expected, especially having a strong FMC. I loved the romance, not cheesy, it also had its evolution. And Oraya's development in terms of becoming as powerful was very inspiring, to not give up even when odds are against you or that the world taught you it is impossible.

I took half star out just because I needed more world-building, a map to understand where every kingdom was, the places, distances, politics, the reason the trial took place (it is stated as something that happens every century to honor Nyaxia, as a ritual, and you learn some of Nyaxia's trial-from which the Kejari is based on- along the way but there's just something vague about it).

I would only advice to beware of some trigger points:

• Blood (like a lot of it)
• Forced s*x
• M*rder
• Enslavement

Other than that to me it is an amazing read and totally recommend 👌🏻

I wanted to enjoy this one, especially because the first book was really good. Unfortunately it was lacking so much that was already built or set up in TSATWON:

1. First of all: I understand Oraya was in a difficult situation emotionally, like she saved her lover and lost her father, became an heir and a prisoner all the same day... so yes, it was too much to process (both father and lover lied to her...), but for how she was raised and how she'd fight against vampires to save humans I expected her to give a fight nonetheless... and instead she chose to play the prisoner role.
2. I agree Raihn also had a performance to maintain to keep Oraya alive, and I appreciated how he gave some tells so we can know it was part of the performance... but it really bothered me how easy he trusted everyone having lived with other vampires for 200 years... what was that experience worth for if he was being that naive? "Alliance" as an excuse is BS, so no plot there. And the worst: How many times did he need to say or think "There she is"?
3. Mische... I LOVED her in the first book, her bright personality is everything, but here she is completely off. I can't imagine facing your abuser. That must be traumatic. But there is something that just doesn't make sense to me in how she was written, I don't know if that's just me...
4. Lilith and Vale, I was eager to read more of them after Six Scorched Roses, but Lilith was just the excuse for setting the "big plot" (the wedding), and Vale was.... I couldn't even picture him as the "third best general, now turned the first best", it wasn't enough of him to see that...
5. Simon and Septimus weren't as challenging as we were led to believe, I was a bit disappointed, there was a really good idea but the execution was a bit lazy 😞

Overall I felt the book was way too long for the story, it had too many dialogues and they weren't even adding to anything... also I saw too much repetition, like "The she is", "Fear is a recollection of physical whatevers " and describing over and over the details of the Wings or the Heir marks.... also apparently Oraya's cheeks were the first thing the enemies were thinking on slashing because she got them every time she battled with someone... it was a bit discouraging for me to keep reading because it was tiring.

The part I enjoyed though is Vincent's past,trying to have is POV and understanding why he didn't kill Oraya when he found her... I swore he had made Oraya the god blood item evwryone was looking for, so it would have been SO meaningful and THAT would have been a very interesting plot to follow.

So yes, I liked the first book, LOVED the Six Scorched Roses (definitely getting that one in paperback) but this one felt lazy, unedited in many ways and too long.

The 5th book in the series, which leaves me so much to think about in terms of how to review this. I felt it a bit disconnected from the main trilogy because it switches FMC altogether, even if they are related and happens chronologically after the events in ACOWAR and ACOFAS, they change entirely the main characters, shifting focus to Nesta and Cassian. This by itself would have been better as a standalone with ACOFAS included, or even as bonus material, or dividing both making one longer and the other shorter from what they ended up being, to make a Nesta Duology. That to me makes more sense, but it was marketed and published as part of the ACOTAR series instead... if I were to rate it solely as the ending of the series (so far) to me it would've been a ⭐️⭐️⭐️ due to the disconnection and change of focus. But I believe there are series with better books than others so I choose to rate as standalone and taking some context of the past books. So here I go:

My complaint in past books, especially the so popular ACOMAF, is that they are unnecessarily long, full of info dump and very unrealistic scenes with the excuse of adding smut, prioritizing it over a good story or character development (which Feyre lacked, she still feels very plain, the same Feyre that went hunting in ACOTAR tbh), but I think in this book SJM got a great editor because I feel the history, context and explanations are well blended into the dialogues and inner monologues, without becoming something boring or overwhelming.

In terms of depth and story, I actually liked it, very much, because we know a very mean and nasty Nesta and get to see her growth and development throughout the 750 pages. SJM I think mirrored what she wanted to show in Feyre's training with Cass and Az in ACOMAF but in ACOSF she delivered it well for Nesta. It shows a self-awareness evolution, development of friendships through a common goal to overcome their pain, and their journey to change the rules in a male-dominant world. Nesta realizes what she does is wrong and she always has, but the thing in this book is that she allows herself to open up and change that, to allow herself to love and feel loved, to feel worthy of that love regardless of what happened in the past, and to forgive and be forgiven.

That to me is a very important message, no matter who you are, you can relate to some of that healing journey, which wasn't something I caught on the past books.

I still don't like Nesta, her story as to why she was mean and hated Feyre so bad when she should have been grateful doesn't add up, nor why is she so excessively OVERprotective of Elain (Feyre too, like I was confused as to which sister was the youngest right from the start of ACOTAR bc Elain seemed to be an 8yo in need of that protection), and it is just so unrealistic to me, Nesta making decisions on her own, or having attitudes like "wanting to stand up so Cassian doesn't humiliate himself in front of other males when having her training, but her body wouldn't respond" (complete BS tbh), how Feyre's problem resolves so quickly or how Briallyn is suddenly not a threat anymore... and those are also the elements I decided it wasn't a 5star for me, it doesn't feel as organic even though there are some emotional scenes that had me in big fat tears it doesn't outweight some nonsenses.

The fact that Cassian and Nesta are mates also ruined it for me, it was a bit forced and even when it explains why Cassian is overly understanding with Nesta's bs (similar as Lucien's pleading to Elain) it takes away Cassian's free will, like he tells Nesta about her BS but keeps coming back to her when it is a clearly toxic environment. At some parts he wants to let go of her but at others it's like he's obliged to stay so maybe the mate part was an afterthought, but I would have liked it to be natural, maybe the mating bond forming throughout the time and not as immediate as they said as a retcon (i.e. she was so cold not even a mating bond could go through her but after her development that ice started melting, allowing a bond to create)

To wrap up: it isn't a bad book, I would have enjoyed it more as a standalone, and with some depth in the resolutions of the threats, but I still enjoyed it more for the message it gives and the development it shows. Easily my favorite in the series tied with ACOWAR or ACOSAF (depending on the mood)

3.75 stars

This book is everything, it talks about life, youth, a relationship between a son and his mother, a husband and a wife that don't meet eye to eye in many things, friends, mom friends, and also how deeply rooted beliefs shape an entire community, how paradigms can be broken, and how every decision affects other people.

I think the book brought so many important topics, specially sexism and politics, and it touches a few fragile fibers in me... like I cried so hard around 45% in, because I too have a son and can connect with Misaki and Mamoru's relationship so it hurts deep inside me I still am not recovered.

The author also writes an exquisite world and even though she uses uncommon words so casually into the writting it didn't disrupt my understanding, actually it made it more inmersive and interesting. I saw the glossary and man it is huge, so at first I found it a bit overwhelming but decided to give it a go without fully understanding the concepts and it turned out amazing!

I also liked having both Mamoru and Misaki's POV, and some of Takeru as well, but specially Mamoru so you know what happens when he's with Kwang, and when he's in the front line, and Misaki is a badass mom. I liked the way she was written with careful details, you can truly understand how she feels when being a trained warrior and then becoming first a housewife and then a mother... how she constantly faces insults from her father in law, indifference from her husband even when she needs him the most, the hurt after she miscarried, natural feelings when you give birth (people tell you that it is love at first sight , but it isn't always the case and for women who don't feel that way they think there's something wrong with them when it's not), her motherly instinct to protect her children... she is the GOAT!

I think the book is amazing, I really enjoyed it to the point I feel devastated. My only note is the last chapter, I think after 50% it was natural to write the aftermath and I appreciate there was great character development after the climax, it was so worth it to keep reading up until the last chapter which to me didn't fit anywhere nor provided anything useful to the story. To me it was more about catching up and giving a bit of info dump on Misaki's classmates but I really didn't care that much about them to have about 30+ pages on them. It would have worked better to leave it out and the ending would have made sense. I just think about it as the "gossip chapter" which is sad for a book like this with so much depth in other matters.

Maybe an epilogue with the youngest Matsuda would have been amazing, I'd connect it with the next book (I know the author froze the Theonite series but it could be a nice closing, having it as self conclusive but leaving a small window in case she wanted to continue in the future)

I hope you find my review useful and remember to be mindful of people because we all have different abilities and ways of thinking.

Rating: 3.75 stars

The book is written with interlapping stories in the past and the MCs present, both written in chronological order but there's one chapter in the past followed by one chapter in the present and so on. The story follows Macy, a pediatric resident in the Bay Area with a past that is too painful to face, leaving some chapters still open that affect her present. She then sees Elliot, her best friend from her teenage years and the guy who broke her heart. Everything starts to change as old wounds are open, Macy starts to question her currently relationship, and advancing in parallel with her past you get to understand what happened that got her where she is.

Things I liked:

-Love is beautifully developed in the book, from the first interaction all the way through, some things may seem cringy but when one is a teenager you get to have that kind of conversation and find it natural because you are exploring your body. As an adult I didn't enjoy it as much but I understand how it plays in the story.

-I enjoyed pretty much the second half of the book, when Macy starts to take accountability in her current relationship and owns her part in her ghosting to Elliot

-I liked the healthy talks that were held: Macy's dad for one, how he managed being a widowed father and Macy's issues (I dropped my jaw when he managed THE talk every parent fears when their child reaches an age to appropriately address sexuality and safe sex). Also Macy and Sean's mature talk about their dynamics and how it would work when married, it was a nice chapter.

Things I didn't enjoy as much:

-Macy is the main character so both past and present are told exclusively from her point of view, in the end it works but it would have been so interesting to have at least some chapters from Elliot's POV as well, and the rest of the friends would be interesting as well, they are talked about throughout the book but some thoughts would be interesting to hear as they come and not filtered by Macy's POV.

-The first half made me think about DNF it, Macy felt very immature for her age, and like it was so annoying every time she expressed her confussion after seeing Elliot for a couple of seconds, and afterwards she felt like a teenager going to a Justin Bieber concert, and she was 28...... so I really disliked the start. Fortunately after the chapter where she talks with Sean about her final realization that they are not even compatible I think she suddenly matured.

-Linked to the last point, Elliot also seemed so cringy. Like why leave your girlfriend of (not sure if they lasted 1 or 5 years) just bc her saw Macy... huge red flag more than romance there. At least Macy's reason felt more reasonable because at first I thought she was being a dick but then it made sense with Sean being so not in sync with her so... it made sense for the breakup, but Elliot??? Nah...

-I would've liked a faster pacing in the first half, it took me almost 170 pages to stop considering DNF it

All in all I'm glad I didn't quit it, to me it got better past that half mark, and it all was worth it in the end. I got nice parenting advise, had a couple of good laughs, and cried so hard in the last 20 pages or so... which in the end made up for the bullets I didn't enjoy as much.

I am so heartbroken right now...

I liked how it felt like real life, with its nuances... it shows how people come in and out of our lives as we grow and there's even a quote stating that you don't need to have a fight with your childhood best friend to stop being best friends, sometimes you just grow apart. In this case that turning point in Finn and Autumn's frienship is talked about through both POVs so I really appreciated that, since the book is all narrated through Autumn's POV it is natural to take her side of the story as the fact of what happened and when Finny exposed his side of things it felt all the most relatable because that's real life: we remember things one way and others may do so way different, that's when misunderstandings happen.

It became apparent pretty early on that depression and toxic relationships was going to be the theme of the book, and man ... Jamie is a walking red flag, I just wanted Finn to step in for Autumn bc I thought she wasn't going to do it herself, I'm glad they didn't end up together.

I think depression was handled well, and then again, the person usually doesn't know they are depressed or deny it altogether as Autumn did throughout the book, even her thoughts and actions after Finny's passing make it evident for the reader that she is indeed depressed, and for her it isn't something to be concerned about, it's just a natural course to follow... to me that's what makes depression very scary for the family more than to the person who suffers it.

The ending just had me sobbing, at first I thought it was very hurried but thinking better about it I think it is not about giving a happy ending, the heartache is more intense just because we feel they didn't get to live their love as they were meant to, but there's a little piece of Finn left in this world as a sign of hope for Autumn and The Mothers, a reason to live and love again.

Solid 5 star for me, I don't know if I'll ever get over this book. 💔

Me gustó mucho, la historia, el mundo, la magia... no es lo más original pero yo lo disfruté.

Pienso que un mapa ayudaría para entender mejor la geografía del mundo, y el final me dejó un tanto insatisfecha ya que no cerró siquiera en un "cliff hanger", me quedó la sensación de que estaba incompleto más que otra cosa.

Por esos detalles es que lo evalúo en 4/5, pero en general no me pareció ni aburrido, ni plano, ni infantil como en otros comentarios mencionan.

Leí este libro en español, y la escritura me pareció adecuada pero puede ser que por eso mismo mi experiencia haya sido diferente a la del grueso de otros reviews, además leí mientras escuchaba la playlist en Spotify y de verdad que me encantó, nunca había hecho eso (suelo leer en pleno silencio o con el sonido de la tv con lo que estén viendo mis niños) pero me cambió la experiencia.

This storyline starts Round a year after the events in "The Final Empire", and as expected it turns more political and strategic, given the aftermath of the first book I was actually thinking it would be slower but I did not see this coming at all! Yes it carries "not so fun" topics such as politics, leadership and post-war hardships but it also explores other topics as deep as it can get, such as friendship (very important detail from Kelsier's last words to Vin in book 1), rightness, faith, love, and the character development was exquisite! I think every major character evolved one way or another and that was a nice touch to get to know them better, their true selves, their motivations and their fears.

This book is also full of foreshadowing and plot twists, the ending is mind blowing, so much so that I can totally relate with how Sazed ends up feeling regarding his faith. It does have sins, though, as the second book in most -if not all- trilogies but Brandon managed them so well that it didn't end up being neither boring nor heavy at any point, he does know how to keep a reader engaged through character development.

I can't wait to start the third book ASAP!

I am, unfortunately, the Hero of Ages.

My, oh my, this book is definitely THE end of all trilogies. It made justice to the story, in both writing and plot. The character development is amazing, and I am pleasantly surprised with how some of the themes were handled, such as depression, self-doubt, coming of age (and the mourning of who one once was), questioning your faith/religions in general (especially after a loss), sacrifice, love... it holds complex aspects of life in such a relatable manner that you can't help to care for all the characters for different reasons.

The masterpiece is the way it unfolds everything, bits and pieces, nuggets left in the past two books... it was just all beautifully executed. I haven't read a more fantastic way to end a trilogy (or any series, even duologies) than this.

I was debatimg whether I should read this book or not, I really didn't like the second one. I read a review stating that this book was deeper, and I am positively surprised.

It is still too long for the story itself, not that I need constant war (I do not, and that was one of my issues with the second book, it felt like anything could happen to the MCs, they just got out of a situation just to get into another), but the climax happens at about 70 pages to the end of the book, and the last 40 pages or so are like 3 chapters and an epilogue that I felt were a forced stretch to the story.

I understand it was the wrap up of a trilogy but to me it wasn't necessary.

Still, the story was more enjoyable, the writing style is beautiful, and some characters became more interesting. Caduan, for instance, I kind of knew where he was coming from with bringing Aefe back, but his final act of love was heartbreaking. Aefe was also well-developed, how she doesn't understand many things but in the end she gets to have what she'd craved for for 500 years out of pure character development. Even Nura was interestingly developed.

To my angst, I don't feel like Max nor Tisaanah were anywhere eveloped, and some things that happened with their magic were confusing, maybe too much going on.

And I thought Meajqa had been killed but suddenly he appears as if nothing ever happened, so that was also very mind consuming to try to understand.

I am happy I finished the trilogy, and the end was beautiful, so everything is ok. I just feel like I won't miss the MCs as much as I'll miss Aefe... I wish she had the chance to have lived a life she should have.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I really wanted to love this book, to me it had every element to be an amazing story starting from what was built in Book 1 and following with the quest/mission/goal with which this book started... but to me it was about 300 pages too long:

1. Similar to how I felt about Book 2 in Crowns of Nyaxia, it lacked depth and purpose on the first half, neither character had any development at all except for Resheye, and she was gone by past half of the book.
2. The magic system that I loved in the first book stopped making sense here, suddenly no rules applied anymore, no boundaries for neither character... The stakes were very high but the resolution was way too easy.
3. But what pained me the most was how repetitive it got: I find it more natural to have breaks between Wars, but these guys don't ever have a chance for a break, then the constant battle and sudden conflict makes me feel as if they are more an excuse for a story than a story itself...
4. Also some dialogues were very repetitive, I lost count on how many times I read "But he/she felt a magic so familiar they didn't need to see to know who it was", and every chapter Max's scent was described, the mismatched eyes and tan skin description several times when Max was thinking about Tisaanah, Nura's silver braid and cold gaze... I like a great world-building but filling pages with the same descriptions over and over isn't enjoyable.

So overall I kept reading because of Aefe's story, which was jaw-dropping and well developed, and the final plot twist was everything! But I feel like that story will be left Unfinished because the next book is 100 pages longer than this one and I really don't feel like diving in a small-paced end of trilogy.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Carissa's writing, I find it -in many ways- similar to Brandon Sanderson's style, perhaps in his starting point. I do see potential since one of my favorite books ever was written by her and she's gotten better in her prose. In my opinion she just needs to plan her storytelling a bit more and get creative with the dialogues, add breaks from wars and also get creative with what happens during that break, what do the characters learn so it doesn't become a boring break but it also doesn't become an endless battle, balance stakes and resolutions, and keep with the parallel POVs, I really enjoyed the point when you think Aefe, Max and Tisanaah will meet but it turns out they do not share the same timeframe. And then you find out it was Reshaye's backstory all along... it was so beautifully presented.

I know it is hard to get a great second book in a trilogy, and I don't have anything against long books (I am about to start the Stormlight Archives), I just think it's essential to not repeat mistakes (all of the above also happened with Crowns of Nyaxia book 2) or make it a novella or a standalone instead, that's fine too, some stories don't need to be as long, but all of them need to have an ending at some point.