David Smith

For the life of me, I don't understand why this series is so popular. Complete nonsense with wooden characters and bad plot.

Personal Rating System:
5 stars: Exceptional - I was hooked from beginning to end, and this book stayed with me after putting it down.
4 stars: Thoroughly enjoyed it, a great read with minor flaws.
3 stars: Literal definition of OK. 3 stars is NOT a bad book. It is also not a good book.
2 stars: Didn't enjoy it. Honestly probably should not have finished it.
1 star: Hated it, a terrible book that I couldn't finish.
“War doesn't determine who's right. War determines who remains”
Overall Impression: It might be an odd way to start this review, but I felt like I should have liked this book more. On the surface it has all the things I look for in a good book. Political intrigue is everywhere. Action is well written and compelling. It even had a school trope (I love a good school trope). But for whatever reason I enjoyed this a bit less than the 4 star rating would have you believe.
Feel: The vibe for this book was pretty dry. I don't think describing Rin as an inaccessible heroine is fair, but overall this felt like a book that had been poorly translated. When I found out the author was 19 when she wrote this book it made a little more sense.
Strengths: The world for this book is incredible. R.F. Kuang created a giant sweeping landscape full of villains, heroes, and various other poi's that captured my imagination. The magic system is very compelling. The tragedies in the book are very well written, and kept me engaged.
Weaknesses: I honestly don't know. This book just didn't connect with me. It isn't the fault of the author, the book, or the subject. I think if I was a different reader this book would be an easy 5 star rating.
Recommendation: Do you like a bit of military violence immediately after graduation? Do you like a flawed protagonist grasping with her own mortality? Do you like enigmatic teachers that don't say anything while teaching, but say everything in between the words spoken? This book is very very good! Don't let my lukewarm review keep you from picking this one up!

Because folks I cared about really wanted me to keep reading this series, I kept going with book 2. No idea why I listened. I shouldn't have. This book is bad

Personal Rating System:
5 stars: Exceptional - I was hooked from beginning to end, and this book stayed with me after putting it down.
4 stars: Thoroughly enjoyed it, a great read with minor flaws.
3 stars: Literal definition of OK. 3 stars is NOT a bad book. It is also not a good book.
2 stars: Didn't enjoy it. Honestly probably should not have finished it.
1 star: Hated it, a terrible book that I couldn't finish.
“Burning was a bad way to go, but my reserves of empathy were usually exhausted on orphans and puppies, a lot higher up the list than arsonists and arseholes.”
Overall Impression: I absolutely loved Blackwing. If Joe Abercombie wrote Mad Max fanfic you would end up with Blackwing. Will this book stay with you after you put it down? No. Will this book change your life? Again, no. But will you drink up every word on every page and turn each page more quickly than the last? Absolutely. This was pure, dark fun from beginning to end.
Feel: Dark. Desolate. Bleak. Hilarious in a twisted macabre sort of way.
Strengths: The vibes! The world! The monsters! The characters! I loved it all.
Weaknesses: No big weaknesses for me here. I think if you're looking for some thought provoking literature you might want to keep looking, but for an immersive fun summer blockbuster of a read, look no further
Recommendation: Do you like big scary monsters and a post apocalyptic wasteland that changes all who enter it? Do you like your heroes drunk, vulgar, and oh so relatable? Do you like a plot that will keep you guessing, and bad guys big enough to give you nightmares? This is the one for you.

I rate most of the books on this site 4 stars. That feels like a fair and accurate rating of most of the books that I finish. I tend to rate the remainder of the books I finish 5 stars. What this means though is that when a book is beyond a 5 star rating, I don't have the means with which to capture this rating

I just turned the last page of Between Two Fires. This book was a masterpiece. Simultaneously haunting, unnerving, and truly beautiful. It captures everything that makes a journey from cover to cover so special and reminds me as the reader why I love books so much!

Go read this book.

Get scared
Cry
Find Jesus
And cry again