riya

the only distinctive thing about this book is how ‘riveting' it is. as in, its biggest quality is that it's a page-turner. it makes you want to keep reading, because you want to find out, right now. i found nothing else good about it. 

it's like a movie just in book form. there is almost no depth to it, no meaning, no reflectiveness. there are so many things and so rushed that everything (especially some promising and likeable characters) feels underdeveloped. there really are some promising threads, lines of thought, but they peter out and don't lead anywhere new.

in the end it doesn't affect the way you think, it doesn't even make you think. the reader is nothing more than a passive consumer. it's purely entertainment value. it made me feel cheap after finishing it, like I'd wasted so many hours in the pursuit of simple greedy pleasure. it's not literature in any sense. it's a one-time experience that you forget about the minute you reach the end. 

it had some half-hearted points to make, but they didn't reach me, or resonate with me, or surprise me.  maybe it's my fault for choosing this book, for having different expectations. but i do know that i don't ever want to read anything like this again. 

Gorgeous writing style and some exceptional stories here. 

It's the most delightful book I've ever read. It's a world I didn't want to leave at all!

i hated it!!! it was boring and it dragged on and on and it was terrible!! have you heard of pacing ?? the character development was weird and shoddy and lazy and inconsistent. the third act dragged on for a million years and then wrapped up too quickly and conveniently. nothing of actual interest happens in this book. a huge waste of time. i have got to stop trusting popular opinion for book recommendations.

Excellent. it's excellent. i can't wait to read the others. i can't formulate words to describe the experience of reading this book.