Anita
I almost wish it hadn't ended, but I'm happy with where it did.
While I started reading this series with absolute confusion thanks to the way it started, it wasn't until it was shown to be such a big thing to the story that I came to enjoy it.
The story itself is good and holds interest, there are some loopholes and questions raised that are never addressed but they don't need to be because of the theme of the plot.
Zorian himself grows on you, despite not being a perfect protagonist. In fact, it plays well with his initial teenage self, and the way he grows throughout.
The ending has an interesting setup, which I hope it explored in the future...though as I'm writing this, I have looked to see what else nobody103 has produced and alas, it might just be something we never see grow.
Overall, it was highly enjoyable and I can see why this has been so highly rated!
If you're a fan of "The Roots of Chaos" series, this book serves as an excellent transition between the two volumes. However, it is heavily reliant on knowing who the characters from the Priory are before diving in.
Perhaps if I hadn't read the Priory first, then I would have enjoyed it more. I can see how satisfying it would be to go from this book into the next, following through to their conclusions.
I look forward to more from this series.
Oh wow, how did we get here so quickly? It feels like yesterday when we were introduced to the quirky and amazing MCs, and now we're at the end of our adventures with them.
Yet again, this ventures more into the realms of cosy rather than cosy adventure, which I live for. The characters are great, the interactions between them are top-notch, and Rebecca Thorne really pushes the bar back up after the slight lull from Books Two and Three.
Thank you for this series, the journey, and Kianthe and Reyna.
I look forward to Rebecca's future works!
I want to preface this with: when I finished A Night Ends With Fire, I had to put my e-reader down and calm myself, because I needed to process the injustice Meilin faced at the end of Book One.
I completely understand the need and the sheer sudden way things ended because of the time and the misogyny towards women in this timeline, and yet...
The Dragon Wakes With Thunder explores the dark and gritty much more than the first book. It gave us more information and delved into the usually hidden or barely explored themes, which really built and helped us understand and feel with Meilin, while throwing in plot twists and carrying on with the light romance that had been opened up.
I really enjoyed this book and kick myself for not getting to it earlier. If there is a third, I will be very pleased. If not, I can come to some sort of peace with Book Two.
Firstly, I never expected to get an advanced copy of this highly anticipated title, yet here I am.
I went into this knowing that it was hinting at the same kind of relationship that Dramione fans yearned for. So I was not disappointed in the slow burn and enemies-to-lovers tropes on this point; these two specifics were built in deliciously.
Unfortunately, the worldbuilding fell short. It lacked just that same level of description as the characters themselves, which was a shame because it had the potential to become something bigger, and I could see a possible universe coming out of it. Perhaps there was a need to push fanfic to traditional publishing, but perhaps some more time could have been spent in actually using what was a great base and crafting it into something Brigitte Knightley could have used again and again.
Overall, a great read, but only because of the characters themselves. And I'm not actually 100% it was because I separated them from their inspiration.
Since I enjoyed the first book, though I found the pacing a little rushed towards the end, I knew I had to come back to the second to continue the storyline.
Wasting no time, Book Two picks up where Book One left off without any faffing about. The storyline was interesting, though it did stagnate a little once we returned back to the underwater city. Characters were just as well written as in the previous book, with developments only adding to the vivid imagery of them.
Overall a great read, enjoyed it more than the first!
A direct continuation from the ending of the first book, we're thrown back into the political turmoil that's brewing in Tiankawi.
While Kai's sacrifice was not in vain (still miss him), it only delays the inevitable. Each of the key players (Nami, Mira, Cordelia) are left to deal with their own individual growing problems, and developing. However, while I enjoyed Cordelia's subplot in the first book, it doesn't feel as impactful or necessary in this one.
The ending was wrapped up in an almost too neat way. After showing us what she's capable of through the grief for Kai shown through various characters, the climax of it felt a little lacklustre. It almost felt like a little bit of a letdown after being thrown into such a high stakes plotline from the beginning.
Overall, I enjoyed the duology as a whole, and while it didn't conclude in a way I liked, it gave the characters something.
Kristen Ciccarelli did not mess about, and she threw us right back into the plot.
The world-building continues to be immaculate, following with a solid plotline that rivalled the first book. Rune and Gideon lived up to the enemies-to-lovers trope, with the slowburn and angst that I could feel from them. The pacing was fast, the side characters held their own, and I ended up reading the entire thing in one day.
I had the same feeling with The Crimson Moth, but maybe this book just hit me in the right mood, because I enjoyed it very much.
A decent read with relatively interesting storyline initially, but then fell off towards the latter half.
The book felt like it should have concluded with Marie's discovery, using an extra chapter or two for resolution, but suffered from significant miscommunication and unnecessary angst.
The writing also felt a little heavy at times, which made it difficult to read through long periods of time. I had to drop and pick this back up throughout the time I spent reading it because it felt very...heavy.
I've been in a bit of a reading slump, and the thought of venturing into a new adventure, by someone who contributed and brought to life City of Mages and Canyon of Crystal... I may have had high expectations going into this book.
It's very fortunate that I can say, without fail, that Kiersten Michele ticked everything I wanted. Every. Single. Box.
This book developed and produced a chef's-kiss version of a true enemies-to-lovers. The characters are fleshed out well, and it's extremely clear how much thought and love Kiersten put into creating each of them, bringing them to life and painting an action-filled adventure for us.
And the SLOW BURN. I knew what I would be getting into from her previous books, but this was DELICIOUSLY written, and I found myself grinning like a fool while reading.
Another example of a well-written, amazingly built world, once again. I eagerly await Book 2.
A cosy, light read with inspiration drawn from Asian Folklore.
I was intrigued by the intricacy regarding silk paintings and their creation, as well as the way that things were written well. The flow of the writing was easy to read and made it simple to follow the story while also learn more about our two main characters.
The overall book felt very whimsical, and while I would have loved to read more about their relationship towards the end, it was a very sweet read.
Those coming to these books after the Bridgerton series may find this book to be tamer, building more on how their own realisation of feelings comes to play rather than the aftermath. I found it pretty endearing, honestly.
Honoria Smythe-Smith is an interesting enough character in her own right - she's a realist, openly admitting she's an awful violinist and that she needs to get married no matter what by the end of the Season because she's in her third Season now, and she just wants to start a family.
Marcus is less of an interesting character - he's tall, dark and handsome. Brooding as well, but it wouldn't be a love story if the there wasn't a cliché character as a love interest. Honoria describes him as shy, and he claims to not understand the ways of charming a woman, though considering she's pregnant after the epilogue, which takes place a year after the proposal, he might know more than he lets on.
All in all though, a decent read of two childhood friends turned lovers.
Honestly I had forgotten who Marguerite was until we were given some snippets and reintroduced back to Grace from the first book in the series.
While this wasn't as cosy as the previous between Galen/Piper (who have gone galavanting to work out the mysterious things that Piper saw when he accidentally touch and relived (redied?) the Saint of Steel's death), the stakes were much higher and we had not one but two Paladins of Steel.
Shane is clearly a masochist of some sort, seemingly finding that his attraction to a heavily bosomed and clever woman a hard burden (in numerous ways) upon him. Wren is a comely once-upon-a-housewife who probably ran out with a rolling pin when the tide took over her and she was bundled off to her new home.
I love them both and they need to be protected at all costs, especially after what happened with Wren and Davith (could see this coming a mile away ngl)
The development of Marguerite and Shane's romance was exceedingly and deliciously slow. The edging was pure T. Kingfisher torture and it was explosive when they finally decided to just fuck.
The little sprinkles of development towards the end was clever and very rude since it left wanting and there isn't another book until at least 2026 (I hope). Hopefully by then we see Galen and Piper return with more answers.
A decent, fluffy, quick read about a human and dragon shifter. The writing did feel a little basic at times, lots of show instead of tell, but nonetheless it was simple to read.
While the relationship did move very quick, and the plot was rushed, it was nice to read about their relationship. Their sexual relationship was explored in a very open and healthy way, which was nice to see.
Arguably the best book in the series so far, though it might be because the story felt like a sidestory from the build up of the smooth-skinned men.
Our main characters are both known from the previous books, their attraction to each other another signature nod to Kingfisher's writing style, yet because of how short this book felt compared to the others, there was less yearning. While Galen did mess up, he eventually pulled his head out his backside and just communicated. I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly their relationship developed as well, weirdly fitting for the two's personalities.
I enjoyed the exploration of the labyrinth beneath, an interesting bit of insight into the lore of Clocktaur War, as well as the twist at the end of the epilogue.
Looking forward to see if anything comes out from it in the next book.
I don't know whether to be mad or glad that this book is over, as I am heartbroken and yet in awe of the sheer emotions that Kingfisher has managed to put down on paper.
Firstly, I would agree with others that say you should read this directly after the first book, since this picks up exactly where the previous left off. The journey continues pretty well and there is a lot of setup for this high risk, high reward mission that they're on. There was a lot of set up, a few side quests to finish off based on our dear Slate's backstory, and then the ultimate finale (which honestly was sidelined by the more heart-wrenching plot twist).
Learned Edmund is probably the one that goes through the most character development. He is a very young and impressionable, and it is clear that he was indoctrinated with the beliefs of the Many-Armed God very early on. The best indication of this is when he invites Slate to join him after their journey, forgetting the animosity that his brethren have against women.
The ending was weirdly unsatisfactory. I know that in order to qualify for a romance, the characters have to have a HEA, but I feel like leaving it as it had been and having them finish open-ended would have served better, especially after the events that happened.
I still love it despite what transpired, I can admire an author that cackles knowing the reader will break over what they've written.
A well written, well paced historical c-novel revolving around a second chance life and fated partners.
Our MC is meticulous and cunning, thinking ahead of her time as a woman living in Ancient China. She knows the value of women in that time period and thinks selfishly for herself, having been neglected emotionally for many years. She hopes to marry rich and live comfortably, seeking the best match possible for herself with the men presented to her. Her way of thinking is rational and sensible to the point that it's almost machine like, for example, she doesn't consider concubines or other women her future husband may have as a problem, merely additional household items she will need to manage. She knows her place and doesn't hope to step out of it, especially seeing what happened in her previous life.
Our male LI is the hidden Crown Prince, having avoided death early in life, he has to pretend to be much lower than his intended level until he can reclaim his birthright. By a single chance meeting, he and our MCs lives entwine, producing a beautifully written love story.
While some things are set in stone and cannot be altered, the many what ifs and reflection to their past lives show that it only takes a single point in life that could ultimately change the future. If our MC and male LI hadn't interacted in the manner that they did, their lives would never have intersected, and they would never have met each other.
This story speaks a lot about fate, and how it is written in the stars, but there is only so much that it can do in order to guide us on that path.
An initially good first half, but alas there was a lot of musing in the latter half was didn't really feel necessary. I did end up skipping a lot of the paragraphs without actually feeling as though I missed out much on any of the information/plot.
Despite being a smutty book, there was a strong premise on heavier topics, such as fertility and relationship issues. Whilst it did add to the main character herself, it isn't something that's as light as the initial two books.
A whimsical read about dreams and those who sell them.
This book was crafted in a way I didn't expect from the blurb - we are introduced into a whole other world where we (humans) are customers only when we sleep. The little stories behind the dreams that we can envision, as well as the little meanings behind them paint a picture of why we have the dreams that we have.
A definite enjoyable cosy read, with some thought provoking snippets.
My favourite of the series so far - while I can kind of relate to Taylor with her perspective within the gaming industry and the difficulties, it was still a little bit odd to read. However, her personality and interest in gaming made the references feel good.
Krivoth being his grumpy self, develops from the end of the previous book - having been exploited and put down by his own father since childhood, he's developed an inferior complex and hopes that he can achieve acceptance from his father despite his denial. Being with Taylor makes him realise he doesn't need to prove anything and that everything he thinks will bring joy to his father is just an extension/projection.
I love the two of them very much and hope to see little bits of them in the other books.