Beattz

SPOILERS FOR REAL

I enjoyed this book a lot. It had some issues, but with this installment, I fully recognize that the series earned the Hugo Award it just won.

This book came out of the gate swinging. I was worried after the disappointment of book 2, but Rebecca knew what she needed to do, and got right down to business. The writing, as always, was spectacular. Our main characters so intense it was impossible to look away from them. The plot itself was a little shakier. A lot of time was spent in some places that didn't seem as necessary, and rushed in others that I would have liked to linger in. For example, we spent a whole lot of time at the the war college w the spearmaiden sovren who ended up being largely unimportant to the plot, other than giving Lord Balam a place to scheme outside of Tova/Cuecola. And, in my opinion, ofc, not nearly enough time with Serapio when he comes face to face with Pogweh, and learns that Balam is his father. That felt like it could have been a confrontation of the century. Something at least as emotional as what he had w Marcal. And yet, he just walks through the shadow gate.

My only other real complaint was the bit about the prophecy, and it showing up so late in the game. Typically that kind of thing would be used in the beginning, then we get to watch it unfold throughout. It was another example of feeling rushed, I guess. I do understand how/why it wasn't present earlier, but I guess I just wanted a smoother transition maybe? Felt a little clunky, especially when Serapio immediately starts to try and manipulate it assuming he knows what it means. Straight into action with barely any forethought, and that's just not part of the Serapio we've gotten to know, who's been very intentional with his actions up to that point.

That being said. I thought the ending nailed it. Xiala just doing Xiala things, kicking ass and not bothering to take names. Esa getting her comeuppance (although I wish that backstabbing captain had gotten his too, but alas). Coyote finally making their presence known, and for the most part, gods back in the heavens, where they belong. The epilogue did make things a little *too* neat, but, I wanted that so bad, I don't even care.

There's so much more I could get into, but I've said enough already. This series was a banger. Check it out.

This was unsatisfying. I'm bummed because I loved the first two so much. I was 80% of the way through the book before anything really happened. Then what happened happens and that's great and all, but it just wasn't enough. This volume definitely felt much more like a set up for a conclusion than a conclusion itself.
That being said, the setting, the characters, the story are very well written, and still entertaining. It just felt hollow next to how full to bursting the other volumes in the series were. Like. I still have no idea why Gladys had any chapters at all. It was pure filler content. And I know this was loosely based on historical figures and all, but the fact that Mungo never really got a comeuppance was an incredible letdown. I wanted to see that man flayed for what he put Languoreth and Lailoken through. But alas...

*i see now that what i read elsewhere - that the next book will be a prequel is incorrect. that there will be a 4th installment. which is what i had thought after reading all the author's notes, but a (unfortunately not thorough enough) search of the internet lead I me astray. can you believe it??
So, the review stands, but i am very much looking forward to how this story really ends.

This is as advertised lol. The first one had more “sting” to it for sure, but it is definitely “in kind”. If you liked the first one, you'll dig this one too.

This was so very disappointing. I was promised unicorn smut and I got Brave, but with a horse instead of a bear. It was 300 pages of internal monologue and only 30 pages of action. There wasn't even a bad guy to speak of. Sure, there was a plot to take the throne, but that character was off screen the entire book. A romance? Hardly. There was one instance of banter in ch 6, and that was the end of that. The vector of their relationship was a daily conversation of “I'm not strong, you're strong.” “ No u.”
I will say that the writing itself was good. That's why I didn't DNF. I kept going thinking that something was going to happen. Any minute now... any minute.
If a book where the protagonists leave town for a week just to turn around and come back home again is your thing, enjoy!

I'm not sure where to begin because I have so many thoughts, but here goes nothing.
I ended up enjoying this much more than I thought. The first half wasn't slow, exactly, it just didn't differentiate itself from other Roman inspired fantasy that I've read (ie, Red Rising). It took until Vis went back to Suus, I think, for the story to truly start to come into its own and pull away from the pack. From there on out, each minute felt like that scene from Indiana Jones when he's being chased by a giant boulder, only it's wild animals, what amounts to zombies in this world, and members of the rebel faction.
One thing I really commend this book on is the crafting of the characters and their relationships. We really have 5 main players- Vis, Eidhin, Callidus, Emissa, and Aequa. Each with their own goals and strategies, thrust into this academy by their parents or benefactors to be used as tools in the future governance of the realm. But we get to see beneath all of that to the people they are underneath, what truly moves them, what makes them human, how they think they can affect the world around them. And we get to watch as little by little waters are tested, feelers extended and they begin to trust one another with secrets and with intimacies. Each bit of ground earned with the text we are given.
And the end. I don't even know what to say. Part of it I sussed out sure, but the other bit?? Are you kidding me?? Please tell me we get dual POV now in each world. Anything else would be an absolute crime.

This book had a good premise, a neat story. The characters were pretty well done. My issues again lie with editing, I think. The novel is set in Scotland, obvs. But as far as dialect goes, only one word was ever really used -auld, instead of old. And it was used a lot. And sometimes by the American character. And other similar type things. I just want more better, even if it’s Cryptid smut. And make no mistake by the cartoony cover- this is not your vanilla, random Tuesday romance novel. Here there be monsters.

This was interesting. I've never read a book within a book about a book before.

The format of the layers was really intriguing and kept me hooked. That and each chapter was 10 mins or less (according to that little line on the bottom of my kindle).

Within the book, the story was referred to as a “reverse locked door mystery” and that’s as good of a description as I can give it. The plot worked well, but would have benefited from at least one more character to widen the pool of suspects a bit more.

Ignoring the controversy around RPF/publishing what amounts to fanfic -

The storyline was pretty good - I’ve not read any other rock star romances, so I’m not sure how the two mc’s typically meet, but this was done in a believable manner. The characters themselves feel realistic and are written well, although I’m finding that the more romance I read, if the book is going to be in first person, I prefer dual POVs. Having only one POV when the narrator is plagued by whatever flaw they happen to have gets tedious for me after a couple hundred pages.

This book features a singer/songwriter, and so has lots of lyrics sprinkled throughout, as well as poetry. All of that was a miss for me. It was very much an attempt at emulation of a specific voice and it rang hollow - tons of flowery language and that’s not my cup of Barry’s.

All in all, a middling experience.

They had us in the first half. Not gonna lie.

I was all aboard for a time travel adventure. This is super light when it comes to the “science” in the fiction. Time travel technology exists, secretly, of course, but we don't know how it works and even it's origins are vague. That's fine. I'm good as suspending belief. The premise seemed kind of half baked. Pull some not to be missed persons from the past and bring them to the future, acclimate them, then turn them into Ministry assets. Why they couldn't have just invested in current persons to train as assets, I have no idea. Well, other than that's not much of a story to read, I suppose. Each time traveler, of which there are six, is paired with a handler referred to as a “bridge”, and the story is told from the POV of one such Bridge, partnered with an Arctic explorer from 1847. We never learn the narrator's name, only that she's female, half Cambodian and daughter of a refugee immigrant, and wants nothing so much as to be a good cog in the machine.
The story progresses for the first half of the book as you think it should. You're introduced to all the players, get some back story on them, see the rumblings of what will become the conflict. All good and well. And then. And then they insert what feels like a very forced and awkward and unnecessary romance. And that becomes the focal point for the next 40%. Which is lame. Then the conflict comes to a head and it's all so very disappointing. It's over relatively quickly, with a sense of disbelief because, 1, that can't be all, 2, it might not even have worked, and 3, the apparent consequences that did exist might just come undone.
If the story had continued as it started, this could have been a great book.