dozette
The world is getting complex here ! I think the main reason why some reviews are so mixed is the fact that we are not at all in the same postulate as the first book. You have to accept being a little shaken.
This was an incredible addition to the first book. I loved getting to spend some time with Vis again (and this time there is three of him ??? Great !).
I am still mad about Aequa’s death, which I still find pointless ; I understand why that has been done from a writer’s perspective, but I am sure there was another way to do this without taking away on the best and most developed character of this series. Also at the very end, adding Vis’ mother and sister, as well as Callidius ? That takes away some of the stakes, even if I am aware they are iunctii, and not really alive again. We spend some such of the book in the memory of their death, it feels a bit pointless now.
I did not have issues with the pacing. You have three worlds discussed in one book, of course the pace is going to be cut off at some point. I loved the little moments that reminded us of the Synchronicity, that really helped bringing this "multiverse" together.
We are really upping the violence, the grim and the gore in this one : the world is getting bleaker and bleaker. But I like those almost impossible odds. Like sure, let’s go kill a god. I’m on board. Can’t wait for book 3 !
The world is getting complex here ! I think the main reason why some reviews are so mixed is the fact that we are not at all in the same postulate as the first book. You have to accept being a little shaken.
This was an incredible addition to the first book. I loved getting to spend some time with Vis again (and this time there is three of him ??? Great !).
I am still mad about Aequa’s death, which I still find pointless ; I understand why that has been done from a writer’s perspective, but I am sure there was another way to do this without taking away on the best and most developed character of this series. Also at the very end, adding Vis’ mother and sister, as well as Callidius ? That takes away some of the stakes, even if I am aware they are iunctii, and not really alive again. We spend some such of the book in the memory of their death, it feels a bit pointless now.
I did not have issues with the pacing. You have three worlds discussed in one book, of course the pace is going to be cut off at some point. I loved the little moments that reminded us of the Synchronicity, that really helped bringing this "multiverse" together.
We are really upping the violence, the grim and the gore in this one : the world is getting bleaker and bleaker. But I like those almost impossible odds. Like sure, let’s go kill a god. I’m on board. Can’t wait for book 3 !
I fricking called it dude.
Started having my doubts around the 2/3rds of the novel, when we started having more details on everyone, and nothing matched. Except…well except if the story was not properly told. I love an unreliable narrator.
I had only read Murder on the Orient Express and Then They Were None before : I knew to expect something of a twist. Even so, it was beautifully executed. The middle half was a tiny bit more of a drag for me, but what a payoff. The three last chapters are so tense and Christie’s use of tension is so masterful.
Poirot is such a little freak, I love him. Yes Belgian man, show these Englishpersons what it’s like to speak French and rock a sublime mustache. Also, some of the prose was really funny. A lot of the prose about Caroline was at her expense, but the sarcastics and dry quips of Sheppard were delightful.
I fricking called it dude.
Started having my doubts around the 2/3rds of the novel, when we started having more details on everyone, and nothing matched. Except…well except if the story was not properly told. I love an unreliable narrator.
I had only read Murder on the Orient Express and Then They Were None before : I knew to expect something of a twist. Even so, it was beautifully executed. The middle half was a tiny bit more of a drag for me, but what a payoff. The three last chapters are so tense and Christie’s use of tension is so masterful.
Poirot is such a little freak, I love him. Yes Belgian man, show these Englishpersons what it’s like to speak French and rock a sublime mustache. Also, some of the prose was really funny. A lot of the prose about Caroline was at her expense, but the sarcastics and dry quips of Sheppard were delightful.
Hello to my first Emily Henry !
This is also my first contemporary romance novel. Now, I am not used to books where the romantic relationship is so much at the forefront, and that could explain my lukewarm reaction to this book. It took me too long of a time to connect and sympathise with any of the characters. The saver was the relationships between friends and family. I found the theme of friendships distorting themselves over time, and complicated relations with your parents and sister relatable, and that’s what got me the most. I don’t feel like this book has much more to go on though.
Maybe I’ll give Henry another shot. The second half was much better than the first, so I’m not closing the door on her.
Hello to my first Emily Henry !
This is also my first contemporary romance novel. Now, I am not used to books where the romantic relationship is so much at the forefront, and that could explain my lukewarm reaction to this book. It took me too long of a time to connect and sympathise with any of the characters. The saver was the relationships between friends and family. I found the theme of friendships distorting themselves over time, and complicated relations with your parents and sister relatable, and that’s what got me the most. I don’t feel like this book has much more to go on though.
Maybe I’ll give Henry another shot. The second half was much better than the first, so I’m not closing the door on her.
Because of it’s subject matter, this book is an extremely frustrating read. You are as powerless as Uju facing her situation. The pacing was nice, stretching accross multiple decades, but the ending was just a bit rushed,
It also made so so angry, almost tearing up because of anger. The book juxtaposes well the violence of the creation of a state in a post-colonial and the societal violences that women have to bear. It brushes a lot of themes, making for a clear snapshot of the Nigeria of the second half of the 20th century.
Obianuju was a compelling character. Her struggles, her hopeleness, her tranformation into a subdued human being were very believable. I wish we’d seen more interactions between her and her daughters, as this a core theme of the book.
All in all, it was a difficult, but compelling read.
Because of it’s subject matter, this book is an extremely frustrating read. You are as powerless as Uju facing her situation. The pacing was nice, stretching accross multiple decades, but the ending was just a bit rushed,
It also made so so angry, almost tearing up because of anger. The book juxtaposes well the violence of the creation of a state in a post-colonial and the societal violences that women have to bear. It brushes a lot of themes, making for a clear snapshot of the Nigeria of the second half of the 20th century.
Obianuju was a compelling character. Her struggles, her hopeleness, her tranformation into a subdued human being were very believable. I wish we’d seen more interactions between her and her daughters, as this a core theme of the book.
All in all, it was a difficult, but compelling read.
Wonderful prose. A great book about building relationships with others, trust and loneliness. A great ode to nature also ! When I saw that the author was zoologist, I was a bit afraid that she would go a bit Vernes-like, but no; she paints a beautiful background for our characters to evolve in. The marsh really came to life in front of my eyes as I was reading it.
The trial part was less compelling for me, but still installs a good mystery in an otherwise emotional and poetic work.
Wonderful prose. A great book about building relationships with others, trust and loneliness. A great ode to nature also ! When I saw that the author was zoologist, I was a bit afraid that she would go a bit Vernes-like, but no; she paints a beautiful background for our characters to evolve in. The marsh really came to life in front of my eyes as I was reading it.
The trial part was less compelling for me, but still installs a good mystery in an otherwise emotional and poetic work.
Answered a promptWhat are the best recent retellings you've read?
Answered a promptWhat were your favorite childhood books?
