Wayward
You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain. This series, in many ways, embodies that quote, this book in particular, expressing that last part as we get to see Sasha BECOME everything she feared and hated the most.
To me, book one of this series feels like it can be read as a standalone, especially if you dwell on the ending or figure out what was intended with it. That whole book has all the mystery and edge-of-your-seat suspense you could want. If you read the sequels, then you should read both of them, as they're a complete journey as book one was its own journey. They are continuations of Sasha's story, but set in future/different timelines and far removed from book one. No more secrets or mind-bending revelations or metamorphoses. Just swimming through this world that Sasha has landed in/created and figuring out how to make it all work. It's still a weird and confusing and fascinating setting and world system but not nearly as haunting or evocative as the original Vita Nostra.
What I really liked about this book is that it diverted from the single point of view of Sasha and followed several relevant characters. The POV was switching so often as to be discombobulating at times, but it also kept it nicely fresh. We got to see some of that youthful horror at the unknown again while still following Sasha's journey at the same time. It was a change I appreciated and enjoyed.
At the end of the day, I had a good time with this story and series as a whole and the way it made my brain chemistry shift, and I'm not sorry I read the whole thing. That being said, I think I would recommend only the first book as a standalone. The sequels had such different feelings to them, such different vibes and themes, and I didn't enjoy them nearly as much as I did the first. They were good, but there was just something lacking for me. The authors, however, I'm definitely going to read more books by. The unique and mind-bending ways they seem to create their stories is something I find so rarely and desperately want more of.
You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain. This series, in many ways, embodies that quote, this book in particular, expressing that last part as we get to see Sasha BECOME everything she feared and hated the most.
To me, book one of this series feels like it can be read as a standalone, especially if you dwell on the ending or figure out what was intended with it. That whole book has all the mystery and edge-of-your-seat suspense you could want. If you read the sequels, then you should read both of them, as they're a complete journey as book one was its own journey. They are continuations of Sasha's story, but set in future/different timelines and far removed from book one. No more secrets or mind-bending revelations or metamorphoses. Just swimming through this world that Sasha has landed in/created and figuring out how to make it all work. It's still a weird and confusing and fascinating setting and world system but not nearly as haunting or evocative as the original Vita Nostra.
What I really liked about this book is that it diverted from the single point of view of Sasha and followed several relevant characters. The POV was switching so often as to be discombobulating at times, but it also kept it nicely fresh. We got to see some of that youthful horror at the unknown again while still following Sasha's journey at the same time. It was a change I appreciated and enjoyed.
At the end of the day, I had a good time with this story and series as a whole and the way it made my brain chemistry shift, and I'm not sorry I read the whole thing. That being said, I think I would recommend only the first book as a standalone. The sequels had such different feelings to them, such different vibes and themes, and I didn't enjoy them nearly as much as I did the first. They were good, but there was just something lacking for me. The authors, however, I'm definitely going to read more books by. The unique and mind-bending ways they seem to create their stories is something I find so rarely and desperately want more of.