erika 🧸🏹🌤️
the writing in this book is absolutely beautiful, so lyrical and flows so easily. the premise was interesting and it was honestly very strong… until the very last minute. the back portion of the book was a massive let down for me. i just didn’t buy it and it felt like it didn’t do the build up any justice. would 100x love more if the backstory for the entire thing was different :/
a warm, cosy read with adorable characters and found family dynamics!! the world building is truly the star of this book hands down, with the research-y bits really lending a hand in developing it and the action. it was funny, unique, and captivating. but tbh the pacing issues midway through and the ending did knock this book down some notches that im not frothing to get onto the next book anymore. i’m sure i’ll get onto it someday, emily and wendell are too fun a duo to miss out on 🌤️
a near perfect ending for an emotionally destructive trilogy. to have a book portray both sides of war and have you personally invested in all characters from either side has been such a wonderfully harrowing experience. i could not even fathom how that was done so masterfully and with such heartfelt send off to every single character. there is something about the world and plot wise that may have felt a bit muddled and blurry at the edges but i will be damned to give this book anything less than 5 stars for the effect it has had
i was soooo keen to get into this book and tbh i think that really worked against it. i sadly felt close to nothing throughout which is crazy considering all the emotional turmoil that was consistently being pushed onto the page.
it definitely still had some gripping plot points, like hello i read it THAT fast. but i found myself just getting icked out for far too much of the book bc bram is absolutely just an irredeemable character. not to mention that for tormented lovers trying to reconnect, we needed a lot more ivy and emmet to build up to that ending. just felt so disconnected with the characters. kinda disappointed :(
show-stopping, shocking, incredibly fast and easy read. i’m actually in disbelief about how much this exceeded my expectations. dark horse of the random tbrs i pick up. does it have a very unique story arc? tbh not really. BUT somehow it does it in a way that i LITERALLY did not see it coming. i am almost mad at myself for the slack. need to have read book 2 yesterday.
the most wholesome book!! i haven’t really read much cosy fantasy books before so this was so so refreshing. such unforgettable characters, incredibly funny, and just jam packed with whimsy. i did find that the middle dragged on for longer than needed but that could honestly just be me not being used to stakes being so low lol. otherwise, would absolutely recommend. they are to die forrrrrr
honestly such an underrated series that i can only see getting better and better!!! the first book was enough to grab my attention but this one really reeled me in with all the action which was so so exciting. we’ve strayed away from the trials trope a bit more and all the exploration of the politics is so interesting. holy cliffhanger, i can’t wait for the next book
have never eye rolled so hard at a book. so disappointing when the first two were so good! i really should have known it was only gonna get worse from the last one though. nothing carried me through this book besides spite. every single character had defaulted into one personality trait and the plot was so so messy and just felt like a whole lot of lore drop to set up new series. could not stop reading in disbelief and hatred.
industrial dystopia with incredibly fleshed out world building and magic system? that sold me immediately. but the characters were soooo good and flawed and had so much room to grow throughout that it literally left me speechless. this book is proof that the main character does not always have to be likeable to be compelling. wang's writing is just so impressive. sciona’s relationships with thomil, the archmages, alba and winny were all so complex down to the last few pages. the ending and how it mirrors the prologue? this actually might put me in a reading slump with how much i need to think this through
listening to this audiobook has been suchhhhh a fantastic decision. i love a revenge plot and this just started SO strong and had lots of potential. the storyline does steep off a bit towards the end unfortunately… but dania was such a complex main character, and her internal monologue was always so interesting that it carries. and noor! ugh what a refreshing character in a whole heap of hate
oh my god this is one of the most beautifully unique books i have ever read. such fantastic craft with dramatic irony and an unreliable narrator. it is amazing how from the get go you get this haunting feeling about the world not being how it all seems, and how much childlike wonder piranesi carries with his perception of it. the second half of the book is just absolutely harrowing and so unnerving i can’t stop thinking about it. this was truly a masterpiece that picks your brain apart, i can only imagine how cathartic reading it back would be