syd
The narrators are fantastic!
I would've DNFed if I was reading with my eyes and not my ears. first part of the book was so strong, I was loving it. The setting and storytelling was so good that I was actually getting a little creeped out listening to Jonathan's journals.
once Mina and Lucy are brought into the narrative, Mina carries the story and everyone puts her on a pedestal and we can't go a page without a man gushing over her man brain. there's (I think, since I listened to it) pages of nothing in the story happening and just them yapping about how amazing Mina or Lucy is. and then all the action is at the end. I listen to audiobooks to stay awake sometimes, and I managed to fall asleep on the floor SEVERAL times listening to this snooze of a plot.
very shocked after seeing high reviews that this is the classic vampire book. vampires WHERE?!
While the characters from the first book didn't experience much growth, I liked the newer characters. I feel like all the characters would've benefited from more attention, I have read that this is 2 books condensed into 1 and I think it suffers from that. With that being said, I think it was still a very entertaining sequel. Fast-paced, action heavy plot focused on a bunch of selfish, morally grey people with superpowers struggling for power - do pick this series up if that's your jam
I finished The Trials of Empire, and so finished the Empire of the Wolf series. The first half was....a lot. I think there was a lot logistically left to do for the characters, and not much time to do it. I almost wonder if it should've been 4 books, but I think it would've probably started to drag. Either way, it hit its stride in the second half, and I think it had a strong conclusion. I loved Helena as a character and as a narrator, and I really think she had fantastic character growth. I think the overall conclusion was satisfying, there were a few moments that felt convenient for the plot, but I think that could also be waved as “Fate”. Either way, I really enjoyed reading this series, and it's one I'll re-read & recommend!
listened to the audiobook, not a huge fan of the narrator (did not affect this rating)
I just felt underwhelmed by this story. it takes forever to get going, it's a big cast and they're all almost caricatures, in a way. the reveal at the end was pretty meh, and I felt like it was just a lot of guessing that got him to that conclusion. did not make me want to take a river cruise anytime soon, that's for sure
this book is so insanely popular, and I still went into it knowing nothing other than it's devastating and it's dark. what it actually is, is way too long 😭 even with 800 pages, none of the events that were supposed to have emotional impacts on me did. instead, my thought was always “Jesus finally, the horrible event the author has been edging for 200 pages now.”
the writing was great, although with 800 pages of mostly nothing going on, I ended up skimming through parts of it. the character work was just not very good at all - though maybe that was the point? most of the time, I just felt extreme annoyance towards every single character on the page - enablers, every single one of them. every character existed only for Jude. I loved getting glimpses of the other guys inner lives, but that very quickly fell to the wayside and they just became set pieces after ~300 pages (what a waste of time). I also don't really like the ending - feels a bit like the message is there is no healing for the broken and hurting souls. but that's just a personal preference.
I feel like the author just wanted to write the most tragic story she could, but it just really missed that mark. and on that topic - check the trigger warnings if you need to.
very character-driven, not a ton of plot and mostly introspection, female rage (valid lmao) and pondering what it means to live. the main conflict is just a very toxic relationship - most of the book is just building up to that point, then the third POV is introduced and you get another flashback to build to present. I found myself agreeing with the POV character demanding to get to the point already at about halfway through the book. I cared the most about Alice's story, but she was more of a side character. I think modern vampire stories just aren't for me, they all have started to feel the same at the core. Schwab does nail aesthetics, metaphors, and vibes though!
I liked the female main character, Six. Rory was ok - at times, he really reminded me of Ravyn. The aesthetic was also kind of similar to One Dark Window, which I think is Gillig's strong point. And I LOVED the gargoyle! :')
my problems:
- the kingdom is TINY. Every hamlet is so different in climate and environment, but they're all within a day or two horseback ride of each other? - they're travelling with dozens of knights, but we keep only seeing the same couple of knights- the spring water?? Why did they destroy the cathedral at the end, when it's established that Sybil/Six HAS to keep drinking the spring water like the other omens/Diviners? The heartsore weaver stopped consuming the water, and turned into a gargoyle because of it. why does no one think of this when they bury the spring lol - the ending was a little weak. I could tell throughout the book that Benji was up to something, but the final betrayal just...didn't hit the mark. it felt like it needed to happen, it didn't feel like a natural course of events.- speaking of the ending, I HATE that romantasy is trending towards cliffhanger betrayal conclusions. stop!!! please!!!
I was very excited for this book, but it's just okay. I'm definitely going to preorder the sequel, and hope that as a series, it will continue to get stronger!
Maia, a half goblin/half elf, unexpectedly becomes the emperor of the elves, and this upsets everyone - including Maia.The story is what I'd solidly classify a political fantasy, but with really great character growth. Maia struggles with feeling like an outsider, in more ways than one. He also struggles with his own ignorance, fear, and self-confidence. I loved watching him grow from the beginning of the book, to the end.
The plot was very evenly paced, and nothing was really left hanging unanswered by the end. My only issue was my own stupidity - even at 90% into the book, I was still having to look up who characters were and flip back through the book to remind myself what they meant to Maia. The author developed a sort of convoluted and confusing naming system for characters and places, I assume so we felt as Maia felt in an alien court - but that may just be me.
LOVED it. The story is a narration of an old woman retelling events that happened in her youth, and it's interesting because the “main” character doesn't really seem to be her, but the man who is training her to be a justice (magical lawyer/judge/executioner combo). Throughout the book, she's essentially writing the series of events that has led to a major historical event. She's 19 at the start of this book, and she very much acts like a girl who is conflicted about wanting to live her own life, but who also doesn't want to let her mentor figure down. I really loved her complex relationship with both of the men she's traveling and training with. There's not many fantastical elements beyond the powers the Justices have, and those are interesting and a point of major conflict in the story. The plot very heavily explores and questions authority, justice, and morality. The character herself often analyzes conflicts and events that have long passed, discussing where she thinks things went wrong. Overall I loved it, and I can't wait to read the rest of the trilogy!
If you're a fan of wizarding schools, you'll like this book. Hugh is a bigger nerd and more of an outcast than that other series though, and a lot of this first book focuses on explaining the magic system. I think that's typical for progression fantasy, but I haven't read much of the genre. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series ☺️
I think this book was ok. the romance was pretty good, yearning was good! the plot and execution of said plot was pretty shaky. the clarity of the writing was also not great as well. most of the scenes were dialogue - characters standing around talking to each other. there were only a few scenes where characters were actually moving through and inhabiting/interacting with the world around them. otherwise they were existing in a vacuum. also, the main characters read as a bunch of 16 year old kids to me in the beginning of the book, and it gave me the ick. plot was pretty interesting though, as was the world building! solidly ok for a romantasy
Nettle & Bone is a short and simple read, if you're familiar with T. Kingfisher's prose, you'll know what to expect! I didn't fully love the story, but I think it could be that I've just read a ton of Kingfisher recently. The main character is a princess, but she's in her 30s, not a supermodel, and she's not very smart or physically strong. In that, I relate to her 😂 This is a fairytale - there's “impossible” tasks, magic, a chicken possessed by a demon, and godmothers. There is whimsy and humor, I particularly loved the relationship between the dust wife and the godmother. I liked the overall message of the story, and I think it's worth being picked up especially if you love fairy tales!
