Karen
This is my first Holly Black book. The plot was pretty well thought out and I enjoyed the twists and turns. None of these characters are perfect. Jude, Cardan, all of them do bad things, and none of them are ever excused of their crimes, but they learn to deal with them and the other ramifications that come from their actions. Jude is a bit annoying and Taryn- ugh, I just can't with her. It will definitely be interesting to see what happens next.
What a fun read! I do think if this story had a few POVs from the other characters while on the island, it would have made it that much more interesting. I was rooting for Maddy and felt horrible for her throughout the story. There are a few loose ends and the pacing slows down in the second half, but I still found it to be a compelling read with enough twists to keep me hooked.
I'm new to sci-fi genre, I struggled to follow some of the key plot points at times. The world is dense and rich, but also confusing to keep track of. The premise of the book is extremely interesting, it covers important topics such as race, identity, misogyny, classism, and motherhood. This book makes many great points about the reality of womanhood today and what could be. Even though I did enjoy this story something felt flat. I wish it was told in a story I loved more.
The imagery of literally eating the white male gaze. I love weird books. This was an interesting perspective on the serial killer genre. This one is very focused on the Korean American experience, heavy character focus. Ji-won is unapologetically crazy and prone to hallucinations, adding an unpredictable and thrilling element to the story. But it is really her or the tumor? I could see Ji-won losing herself to her desires and getting caught. Some men are trash and being a woman is hard and even harder if you are a woman of color.
This is my favorite book in the series by far! I think Helene is my favorite character! She is brilliant, loves her people and ready to make sacrifices for the benefit of many. I think the biggest strength of this series has been the constantly turning plot. There's always a new development, a new wrench thrown into the best plans, that the characters have to find a solution to. This book was non stop action, betrayals, reveals, and heartbreak.
Finding out Cook is Laia's long lost mother, sad part of the story, but a neat piece to tie things together as well. We get inside the Nightbringer's head and what object is the last piece of the Star. Elias now fully embracing his role as Soul Catcher, ugh a bit sad. How will this series end?
I don't really know how I feel about this book. I liked it, but maybe my timing was just off. It took me awhile to get through it, due to work and and falling asleep from exhaustion. Sometimes I only read a couple of pages per day. But... The story was a lot darker than I expected, it's a cruel, harsh world. I did enjoy the dual narration, it worked really well in this book. It was a bit repetitive in the middle. I really liked the ending though, because that's when the characters decided to do something for themselves rather than wait for things to happen to them. By the end it feels like they is a lot of potential going into the next book. The last quarter of the book was very good and I hope the next book can pick up and maintain that momentum. I will continue the series.
A very interesting book that raises a lot of racial issues and questions, but... The setting of an all Black community seems rather sad to me. It seems more like a regression to segregation rather than progress and diversification. I found the wellness center early on to be quite culty. It became more and more creepy as the book went on and in the end for me it was just offensive. The ending felt rushed and didn't sit right after all we went through to get there.
I don't even know where to start... I laughed, I cried, my heart races, and I was left speechless. What a fun ride, this book does take some dark turns. This is hands down my favorite book in the series so far, even though I have SO many questions! I expect the upcoming books to get even darker and my heart hurts for all these characters for what's to come. Violet really stepped up her game in this book. I can't believe I'm okay with Dain now. I loved getting POVs from Rhi and Imogen. The humor and banter is top-notch, there were several lines and interactions that had got me laughing! While there were moments that felt a bit repetitive, the overall experience was EPIC.
There were points in the book that made me stop and think about our society. The scariest thing about this is that I can actually see this coming true. This is exactly how society would act given the “right” situation. The premise of the story is very intriguing, but the execution was a bit boring, also disturbing and gross. Even so I still think it was an interesting read.
Amazing follow up to the first novel The world building is better, the lands we visited, the characters we meet, the magic and action, and the romance! l loved the humor, the banter, and just the general dynamic between the characters. Feyre is gonna destroy the shit out of Tamin and cannot wait! SJM has a knack for glorious endings. I love Rhysand and still hate Tamlin.
