E.C.
this is a puzzling book. on the one hand I really love the relationship building between our two main characters. I feel like it goes so much deeper and it's less vain than like a typical book found within this trope. That's a really good thing. On the other hand, there are just certain parts of it that either don't make sense or just feel like a stretch. I think the writing could have used some actually publishing house editing/polishing. But certainly not a bad read.
it's kind of a shame because I think this book is trying way too hard to be mature. I think it actually would have been pretty successful as a YA book and tone down some of the profanity and kind of random sex scenes. it just would have fit the tone of the story better in my opinion.
Great idea for a story, underdeveloped magic system, pretty good writing, blah characters and staggering line chart plot development.
I am notoriously harsh on bridge books and The Heirarchy series is no exception (though can you really call 4.25 stars harsh? 🤔). But I will say WHAT AN ENDING. Despite my issues with book 2, I 1000% will be waiting with anticipation for the third book.
Ok, let's get into it: things that bothered me:
-viz has about 17 names in this book and the names evolve as the story goes (and in some ways I felt were very unnecessary).
-no maps of obiteum or luceum so i had to remind myself of these regional places that are caten but not with no reference points.
-the short 2 chapter world arcs where it takes me about 7 pages of chapter 1 to remember where we were and what's going on. by the time I remember, the a POV ends and we move to a different viz POV. I found it incredibly jarring and distracting. I wish the story was laid out like The Two Towers - gimme the whole thing in world 1 and then take me to world 2. If not that, at least give me something more substantial in each place so we're not jumping around the entire 700 pages.
What I liked:
-James Islington has to be one of the more creative fantasy authors out there. Nothing in this story feels like a trope. It's all fresh, original concepts.
-i like that he's not afraid to kill off major characters. It hits me in the feels and makes the tension of the world mean more.
-i want to have cross stitches of everything viz's father has ever said to him. It's so beautiful and just like good advice on being a decent human and a great leader.
-oh yeah let's talk about how IRISH GAELIC shows up in this book (and not like poorly Google translated Irish gaelic - like proper Irish).
I definitely recommend this series to any fantasy reader. The author's influences are so apparent (but not just badly disguised fanfiction) so if you like Sanderson ‘s Mistborn and/or Rothfuss' the Name of the Wind, these books are for you.
I really, really enjoyed this book. Alyson is so authentic and a wonderful storyteller. I enjoyed this “not another child star trauma dump expose” and it more feeling like growing up with Alyson as she learned these really hard truths. Her mental health and counseling profession background is clear, which I really appreciate. She has clear empathy for the consumers of her content. Even encouraging folks to trust themselves and protect themselves if they need to avoid triggers.
I remembered Allison in key roles in TV and movies growing up and I always really enjoyed the characters she played. I loved how much she made a young smart girl seem sassy funny and confident. While it's truly sad the systems in place that leaves so many vulnerable children damaged in the wake of Hollywood stardom, I hope Allison knows she continues to be a role model for many girls, women and people in the world by pursuing her truth and telling her story.
Oh boy, buckle in. I've got THOUGHTS on this one. First all, I believe everything Sarah Wynn-Williams said is some kind of true. I'm in the habit of believing women when they say they've experienced sexual harassment in the workplace and her stories are sadly like the thousands of stories I've heard where this happens so laughably often, it's hard to deny it's just part of modern day life as a woman in the workplace. I felt myself physically reacting with cringe as she told her story. Sister, I feel you.
That being said, I found myself getting frustrated at the author for being so draw jaw-droppingly naive. And for knowingly helping to build the machine and continue to build the machine and using excuses like her pregnancies and her visa status in order to not leave. I don't mean to be too judgy because you never know what you would do if you found yourself in a similar position but like to me it felt disingenuous for her to be all woe is me, I'm trapped at Facebook but also I'm going to continue to do my job and continue to build Facebook as this horrible machine that enables it to do horrible things. It just felt like she was shirking responsibility. And it really bothered me that she didn't bring up her own feelings of the legacy of what she did over her seven year career. I get she was young and idealistic and naive but clearly she experienced warning signs early on that Facebook leadership didn't care about the harm their products perpetuate and were only interested in making gob loads of money. I give her credit for doing the right thing and blowing the whistle so people can see how the inside story of how decisions were made at Facebook. I am now in process of deleting my Facebook account and I'm swearing off all Meta products to try and be a responsible consumer. This is a hell of a story and it's especially well written. Lots of shocking moments, disgusting and horrifying workplace stories, creepy people (I'd say men here but I'm keeping it genderless because holy shit, Sheryl Sandberg is such a weirdo) and other American things that go bump in the night.
You know it's a weird story when grown ass adults in a pillow fight is the best part of the book. this book starts out strong but goes downhill. It's clever in parts but I don't feel the story is told particularly well. The cleverness of the time loops and the unveiling of the mystery feels less twisty and more like an annoying cousin who thinks he's clever talks jibber jabber at you and then says, “gotcha!”. It's eye rolly. Also these characters are horrible people 🙅♂️.
You know, this book isn't what I expected, and I'll acknowledge I'm a teensy bit disappointed in that but I think I'm intrigued by the book so much more because of what it is and how it's written. it honestly feels like James Islington knows something I don't know and I'm just waiting on EGGSHELS to find out what it is. This book blew me away. It's on the slower developing side so you have to be patient with it but the world building is Sanderson-level good.
And holy shit, this guy can write. Super original and insanely creative- I've never read anything else like it. I may never forgive Islington for that ending. 🤯
I don't even know what to say right now.
I don't think I've ever read a book and am THIS stunned by its ending.
Beautiful writing, banana pants geopolitics and epic scope, I was confused most of this book with how much it had going on and the last 5 chapters of this book I think gave me high blood pressure.
What kind of evil genius is Seth Dickinson.
The first 15% of this book is absolute fire. Honestly if the entire book was written more along this line, I think I would have absolutely loved this book. But the story got rather repetitive the longer it went on. In fact there was a lot of harping on the idea of legacy and identity but it wasn't told in a particularly new or nuanced way as the story progressed. It just seemed to be repeating things the author has already expressed to us.
She has this weird obsession with making sure her kids are Hawaiian enough. Like I think she spends an unhealthy amount of time thinking about this.
This book devolves into therapy journal by the end. It really lost the thread for me. I wish it mimicked the first part of the book, where the memoir was interwoven with stories of Hawaiian history and put into context of the low-key unspoken American colonialism. It is very much more memoir than nonfiction, which makes it feel like a journal rather than a full story.
