Jonas
Very fresh writing style. The way some jokes were placed and the order of the story itself were really good. Nothing to remark there. I hope the next book will follow in this style.
The story itself was a bit mediocre. It kept me at a 3/5 until the final 15%. Here it really delivered with some unexpected twists. It was obvious a twist was coming but how is always the question.
It places some big promises at the ending so I'm very curious to where this will be going
Not bad but it leaves a lot unsaid. I like a more rounded ending. This felt really open on all three POV's.
The story itself had some great points but it also dragged a lot and really took me some time to work through as I was getting bored with it very quickly.
Still excited for the third one but I'll not start it directly.
Why have I never written a review for this one?
Even after reading this for the third time, I'm astonished with what's in this book. Most of the ideas aren't rocket science, some are even rather common, and some are explained in greater detail in other works, but having these all available in one book with a logic and implementable structure, makes this a go-to classic for me. This isn't a one-fix-all book, but compound enough small changes and you can gain a real shift for yourself.
Some of the things which work for me and I wouldn't want to go without:
- Make it obvious -> put a new habits in spots you cannot miss: toilet, on the stairs, on a door handle, beside the coffee...
- Habit stacking -> my daily wind-down is one big stack of newly-formed habits which all started from brushing my teeth.
- Increase or decrease friction
- (Re)setting the room / Environment -> works great for flow.
- Small easily repeated activities -> instead of writing 2000k words per day, start with writing for 5 minutes; sport for 5 minutes instead of an hour. This tricks my brain each time and I'll just continue afterward where I didn't want to at first.
- 1% increases & the compounding effect
- Habit tracker -> I use a yearly overview for each habit to cross off, fits perfectly on an A5
- Monthly review -> Doing this consistently is still hard, but just an hour to sit down and review myself has changed me a lot over the past years. Especially for promises I made to myself. This also makes it easier to pick just one thing to focus on that month, directed effort instead of waterhose.
On my third reread, I finally started with making notes. I'll be reviewing these on my monthly review and probably reread the entire book next year.
Surprising read. Wasn't expecting philosophy & psychology to mix in such a way. It follows the Adlerian way of thinking and while it's not for everyone, a lot of people could learn from this.
I don't agree on some points but most of them make a valid argument.
The dialogue method makes it easier to read and interpret.
I will surely reread this in the future.
Beta review.
Within the world of Elan I'd rate this book a 3/5. I found it to be a bit lacking in some areas and had some higher expectations for it. This still is a well written book with a lot of fun parts, hence the 4/5 this book definitely deserves. But for someone new to the world, I'd recommend Age of Myth as a starting point
Great audiobook! It really came alive and damn this was a good short again. The synopsis makes it sound like an everyday rip off but it's a really fresh story with some valid thinking points.. is that the societt where we are headed toward? It's all taken a bit extreme but I think the ignorance part is already so present.
I hope they go audio first again some time soon, has been a long time I went through a story this fast.
A fun mixture of fantasy & scifi. The story was a bit predictable at some points but it was still interesting. Mostly because of the lore, characters and the fresh settings.
The magic system feels like a blend of a lot of systems, not a rehash but some new interpretations. The inspiration from star wars is very obvious, the twillight order does feel a lot like the Jedi order, haken, blasters,... The Dhak & plaguespawn made this whole thing feel different, a gory/mutant edge. One power was ripped straight out of mistborn but it made everything a bit cooler, it clicked in the setting.
I really like how the POV's scroll back sometimes, especially when they are together. It's something I find frustrating in some other books, not knowing what the other character was doing or thinking during a specific moment.
It's not yet a memorable story for me, hence the 4 stars, but I think this series could get there. Looking forward to see more hakens, ghouls & maybe even a chosen
Very unexpected read. For me this was a book about gods (in a fantasy setting) done right. The texts, the references to the stories, the twisted beliefs. It all clicked for me.
The book itself felt a bit like The Name of the Wind. The origin story, the hard world, bullying.. It felt the same but it was brought in a fresh coat. The magic was a bit of everything not nuanced like Name of the Wind, more like Dungeon & Dragons: the monsters, wands, magic items & the bag of holding. Maybe that's why it clicked so easily for me.
The only ‘problem' I had was the timing. It all felt a bit rushed because everything happens in a span of 3-4 days? And while it was a good rush, it took a bit away from how ‘real' this could be, sometimes it almost felt like a cheatcode being entered. I believe some weeks or months passing between events would have given it some breathing room.
While the ending was a bit expected, it was unexpected the way it was actually played out. I didn't expect that big of a change but it makes me very curious where this will be going. While I relate it to the Name of the Wind, I really hope the writer doesn't follow there for the next books
Well this was a weird one for me.
I found the story quite catchy. The concept was okay, maybe lacking a bit of depth and some different locations instead of a pretty generic tower. But I had one big problem and having read Game of Thrones I wasn't expecting this from mystelf.. For me the story was a bit too much sexually, sorry but I have to use this term, tainted. The story is written in first person so you only have one real person to relate to, but why did she have to put her tongue in so many mouths? I just can't take her serious this way.. Lust I can get, and I do find it a fitting concept for the gods themselves in this story, but this was a bit too much for me. The most magical thing to happen in this fantasy story was the sex scene..
Probably I'm a bit prudish here but still for me this broke the story.
I will not be continuing this series.
Why the hell did I wait so long to read this one? Both parts were so good. A superb wrap up for some crazy adventures. Especially the last with all the info from the past. Having read the legends of the first empire first, this was great to experience. I was still hoping for a reference to the book of Brin but I guess we'll be seeing that in the next ‘pre'series.
Not bad. Sometimes a bit extreme for my opinion, but he does have a point. Especially the parts about religions & beliefs. The world could still use a big change there.
Lots of philosophical points here brought in a readable language. I will sure try to check out some of their works.
As a programmer, I think the AI part is still pretty far off but someday it will come for sure. We're already seeing advancements now, who knows what another 10 year will do. We'll have to wait and see.
I found the beginning to be good, it's what hooked me. Like the first 20-30%. But for the other part, I just couldn't care about the story being handled as a case project. I speed read through it, scanning for the core.
What I really don't like is that I just cannot agree with some opinions/statements taken here. Sure, some books are written this way but it's a very narrow scope to apply to all writing.
Title is also misleading, not really brain science but more like ‘what hooks you'.
It could work for some I think, but I found other books way more helpful.
Read it because I liked the series.
The series and the book run very close together and while some things run differently in the series, I liked it! I think it's a great rendition of the story told here and it expands a bit to make it all fit on a very short time period.
But if you've seen the TV series, the book doesn't really add a lot extra to the story. it's still a good read of course but you've had the gist already.
What a ride! I took a break after the first trilogy but picking this up now felt really awesome.
Vlora/Flint is one of the mains here along with some great new characters and some recurring roles. The first part is mostly intrigue and deception but the final part gets really explosive quickly.
The combat is really well written, not drawn out but dropping in right in the juicy parts.
Great read if you liked the first trilogy. I even think I like this more but I'll still need to see where this will be going. Eager to start the second one
Wow, shit went down pretty bad and so casual. The first part was a bit tedious with each character following their own ‘quest'. Then shit started going down, one thing after another. Everyone being pretty screwed. But they were brought together in a convincing way. This one doesn't have a fully rounded story but it does make a nice chunk. Looking forward to the next one.
Not bad but not wow either. Got lost in combat sometimes & some characters just do weird things.. Adare doesn't know what she wants & she just acts like a spoiled brat with what she has. Valyn went a bit from hero to villain almost. Kaden made most progress and even he went a bit out of character with his plans.
Still curious how it will go on. I will continue this series but first I need something different.
I was drawn to this book because last year I was diagnosed with sleep apnea. While this book doesn't cover that in particular, it goes over sleep in general & the effects, positive & negative, it has on a person.
Everything written here is based on scientific research & brought in a readable, everyday language. It's been a long time since I went so quickly through a non-fiction book.. I was pretty shocked by the points presented here & the way society disregards it all. Some examples:
Sleep medicine does not have one positive research backing it. Most of them prove it's even worse for people. There is even research that a placebo has the same benefits without the negative effects of the unnatural sleep caused by the medicine.
Drowsy driving accidents happen more than drunk or drugged accidents combined.. and is way more deadly => no reaction vs a sluggish reaction.
The effect on children.. Every parent or parent to be should read that part at least.
How society sleep deprives itself, the effects of alcohol on sleep, learning & sleeping,... so much here.
I was expecting some overall workings on sleep but what I found was a silent warning from the author. I'll be listening.
!!! This is a review of the beta version of the book !!!
So close to 5 stars. I was on the edge of my seat for the entire book but kept hanging there in the end. It would have been a solid 5 stars except for some things I felt missing. This could change toward the final version so I'm keeping my hopes high to change this review.
Overall this is a great book, the build up from the previous books really pays off. The characters really shine out & questions are answered.
For a global series review this book would come in second, just after Age of War. As a series, this one stands tall and is already going far. While it's not my top series, I would still recommend it for every fantasy reader.
Finally started this series and it made a good impression on me. The scale is a bit overwhelming, I'm glad I'm reading this on my ereader so I can search for names.
While not the best story, it was good and it kept throwing new and new epic things, which is awesome for fantasy. But I think I'll need to print some maps and names to be able to continue this one.
The whole warren thing is well thought but confusing as hell. All the weird names, the abilities coupled to each.. Damn hard but awesome too.
I will continue the series but I am not sure at which rate yet.
There are some great techniques for students here that could really improve the process. They aren't revolutionary, most can be found elsewhere too.
The part on speed reading was thorough. Some nice exercises that really work when you commit to it, which is actually the hardest part.
I skimmed over the last parts but they also seem to go real deep.
If you're a student or read a lot of dry texts => try it!
Epic in all ways. A great sequel but not as good as its predecessor. Tam wasn't the most interesting character to follow but the characters around her were. It starts of slowly and almost with a detour but the world has to be saved again. Same as the first one, it really embraces the tropes from the genre. While it wasn't as funny as Kings it did have some great jokes in it. The ending was bittersweet and while I hope the series continues, it would be a fitting end here.
Another deep delve into the stars (at least 5 of them) for Sanderson. A whole differrent story from the first one. Where you have comraderie in the first one, you have deception here. At first it felt a bit like a side story, Spensa leaving for an entire seperate adventure, but things do click together. I missed the presence of the main cast from Skyward but they are sure to play a bigger role in the further stories to come. There are a lot of new characters here, the most interesting getting their own time ofcourse.
In terms of Scifi it went all in here. Weird alien races, other communication methods and it even went a Lovecraft. The delvers being a looming unknown threat, always watching and waiting.
The ending was a surprise but I will not spoil anything there. You'll know when you reach it. Very excited where this is going.. I'll be going nowhere
Bit of slow start but it came out better than expected. There is magic here but it's very subtle & it doesn't take over the story, which is filled with betrayal & mystery. The world building is slow but it does go pretty deep in some parts.
The story follows 3 POV's, the children of the emperor, Kaden, Valyn & Adare. Adare is mostly a secondary character, involved in a small political plot. Kaden & Valyn are the bulk of the story and both are undergoing training in some very opposite fronts.
Kaden is training to become a monk & Valyn to become a Kettral, an elite military force that moves around on gigantic birds. Both of these trainings are extreme in their ways, Valyn's taking the upper hand quickly with a bigger subplot but Kaden's also gets a lot of mystery.
Toward the end of the book, the plots clash and some unexpected things happen.
For a pretty long book, it kept my interest, which has been pretty hard lately. It's not in my top 10(12) but I could see one of the next books going there.