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Honestly, I really should have DNFed this book, but I was stubborn since I own it. I listened to the audiobook which might be part of the reason I didn't enjoy this one so much, but I've also seen reviews saying that they only way they enjoyed the book was with the audiobook, so who knows. I just really struggled to pay attention since there was so much description but very little actual plot, so all of the flowery language kept letting me get distracted. Also, I think one reason the audiobook probably wasn't the way to go was that the book jumps around in time which I didn't realize until about 3/4 of the way through. If I'd had the physical copy, maybe I would have paid more attention to the dates listed in the chapter titles. I can definitely see how some people would enjoy this book, but if you need something with a bit more substance, I don't think this book is for you.
ABC*E*GHI**LMNOP*RSTUVWXY*
Such an interesting novel, not to mention creative! I was so blown away by the author's ability to tell this story while removing an increasing number of letters from his availability. This novel got my thought secretions going about our language use, plus how much communication can collapse once enough letters have been given extraction. While absorbing this novel, the persistent thought that characters might want to resort to sign language when necessary gave me regular pause; I was so content once a comment on sign language was given mention. I also was really happy with the balance of character growth and plot evolution through all the letters between characters. Honestly, I believe not this writing might be any more consummate. I certainly plan to suggest it to everyone possible in the time to come.
(Original review before editing to remove certain "illegal" letters)
Such an interesting and creative book! I was so blown away by the author's ability to tell this story while removing an increasing number of letters from his availability. This book made me think about our use of language and how much communication would deteriorate once enough letters are removed. While reading this book, I kept thinking that the characters could resort to sign language when necessary, and I was so pleased once a comment on sign language was mentioned. I also really enjoyed the balance of character development and plot development through all of the letters between characters. Honestly, I don't think this writing could be any more perfect. I definitely plan to recommend it to everyone possible in the future.
Contains spoilers
I really enjoyed this short story. I think the progression of the story was really well done, and the psychological breakdown happened so smoothly despite how quickly it progressed. Especially as someone working in a healthcare profession, I really quite enjoyed the exchanges between the main character and her husband and comparing modern practices to the historical context. The only thing that is nagging at me is that the story is written as journal entries from the main character, and during the last entry, I really struggled to imagine her in this highly psychotic state where she is stuck pushing around the room and then shortly turn around and write about what happened. All in all, though, I thought this was a very memorable story and would recommend it to anyone.
Unfortunately, I really struggled to get through this book. I thought Maas couldn't do any worse than the last book (which I thought was just OK.), but I felt like this book on its own was pretty unnecessary. The biggest thing is that there is no plot. It's just all the characters celebrating the solstice, deciding what they're going to get everyone as gifts, painting, and a little bit of Feyre in conflict with Nesta. Secondly, I'm just not a fan of the character perspectives changing every couple chapters, especially when some perspectives are in the first person and some are in the third person. Because of this, I had a hard time keeping track of what was going on. I will say it was nice at times to see what happened beyond Feyre's perspective, and I understand why Maas chose to write the book this way, but I think there were several chapters that could have been written from Feyre's perspective as more of a rehashing to limit the confusion of going back and forth. The last negative that I have - and this is something that I've had a problem with throughout the series - is that the magic system seems to have fewer and fewer rules. In the first book, it seemed like there were very specific abilities that very specific individuals were able to possess, but as time has gone on, the magic has become too convenient with people able to make things appear and disappear, move, and turn on and turn off with only a simple thought. I wish Maas would have gone into more detail at this point to explain the boundaries of the magic system so that I could better suspend my disbelief.
Now, some pros, because there had to be some if I didn't DNF the book. Maas, as always, did a wonderful job of writing extremely vivid scenes with multi-dimentional characters. Also, while there wasn't much of a plot, there was still some conflict between characters that allowed for further character development which I think will set things up nicely for the next book. Granted, I did feel like there was lots of dialogue that was forced and just didn't feel natural, but the characters' personalities and values remained consistent throughout. Lastly, one of the reasons I absolutely loved ACOMAF was Maas' ability to show trauma in her characters, and she certainly carries that through in this book as well. I loved the developments on Nesta, and I'm looking forward to reading more of her story in the next book.
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