syd
it's got everything - drama, comedy, and commentary on how money was the most important factor in marriages for some (women AND men), and societal expectations like showing too much or too little emotions was a bad thing at the time. it's also about sisterhood and family.
did she forget about Margaret??
This is definitely a popcorn thriller, there's nothing wrong with that. I actually did really enjoy the plot and the twists. it's just an ok book - the writing is okay and there's some bits in there that read as borderline fetish content (I will say, this may also be due to how the narrator read the book. I dunno). I also didn't really love being stuck in Millie's head, the way she views things like postpartum psychosis was gross. but, I like where the author was trying to take the plot!
I DNF'ed at 11%, so I'm not leaving a rating.
I'm not a huge fan of the narrator for Adam (small nitpick) As far as the writing goes, I do not like either Sarah or Adam. The assistant is another character introduced, and she is such a doormat. And now I'm DNFing at 11% because a best friend (Matthew) was introduced and he is the worst (hates kids AND pets???) and he's such a dick to Sarah but she just laughs it off like "ha ha that's just Matthew!" Grow a SPINE girl stand up for yourself, that man is MEAN
Anyway, everyone's insufferable and I am a very character driven reader, so I'm dropping it.
I really liked this story - the characters, the setting, all of it was such a good package! But, when at ~80% of the book, the plot still hadn't revealed most of the actual murder mystery bit, I started to feel a bit meh on the "mystery" part of the book. It wasn't really a who dunnit, but a who is it?! The main thing that impacted the rating for me is the ending. I feel like we had a lot of build up, with a lot of POV characters having motives and conflict - but then that was all rushed and wrapped up in the last chapter and epilogue.
I enjoyed it, and the story plays out like a movie! But I'll probably never re-read. I do recommend picking up if the premise seems interesting to you!
beginning of the book was a rough read, mega worldbuilding lore & religion info dump. as a huge fantasy reader, it was still rough for me to get through. the narrative hit its stride at ~40% of the book! first half was meh, second half (especially the ending) I loved.
very very low fantasy, mostly political intrigue - the main character is essentially a (spicy - in the pain sense, that is) courtesan trained to be a spy. I wouldn't consider it romantasy, but it does have a lot of sex scenes (plot relevant, not gratuitous) woven through the narrative. it's a good book to pick up if you're looking for a uh....spicier? fantasy narrative that has flowery prose, and a mountain of lore.
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!
