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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
I enjoyed it but it didn’t catch my interest the same as the first two books did. I found my mind wandering off more at times while listening to it. I enjoyed spending time with the characters again, though.
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In the end it's about helping each other out, it's always about helping each other out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I've loved this series and I think this installment sticks the landing. My main complaint is that I wish El had struggled harder to be a good person, I wish she'd done something really dreadful on purpose; I feel like so much of this trilogy has been El fervently wishing to do dreadful things but reining herself in, which does not quite satisfy me. But nevertheless I enjoyed myself plenty! I do like El and her narration / the writing style has really grown on me. All this time I've been admiring the books for their on-the-run worldbuilding where El will offhandedly explain new monsters and new fighting strats and new magic rules to us off the cuff but in this one we go back and start tying old elements together and it got me, I lapped it up every time. The themes of power and privilege were so strongly iterated; I think it will only get more satisfying on reread.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I think if it had been edited more strictly, it would have made it to the five stars for me, but there were a lot of moments where I was pulled from being engrossed in the story because the author repeated words or entire sentences just lines after the first use.
Unfortunately, this made the entire book seem rushed, and with it already being pretty fast-paced (apart from some noteable scenes), I felt like I was stumbling from one under-developed scene to the next without a break to understand things properly.
Some of the big reveals were genuine surprises to me: Orion's origin was so interesting and finding out how enclaves were created was honestly really gripping and tense. Some parts though, like Ophelia's evil scheme, I had to reread or force myself to care because it seemed like a rushed insertion, yet another reason to feel bad for Orion (which I do, I love him) without an end goal in mind for the actual character. I think I would be on board with Ophelia joining in to save her son if there was more time given to her character. I didn't understand why Novik didn't have her explain herself instead of Li Shanfeng, I think it probably would have made me feel more connected with that particular plot point.
Speaking of Li Shanfeng, I feel like a lot of the characters introduced in this book are only there to give El a convenient solution to the problems she's facing. I admit that this has always been a thing in this series, but in the previous books it felt like the students were all working to save themselves and we got to know them through their talents and what they could bring to the table. In this book though, I was so tired of all the new characters, each one appearing to give some super specific advice or secret get-out.
I hated Yancy, so much so that as I was reading the beginning of the book I was worried about continuing if she was a main character. I would have quit if she didn't go away, but luckily she did as soon as she gave El an escape route and a convenient tip about getting back into the Scholomance. I think the same could probably be said of Liesel - in this book she's kind of just the one who gets things done that El is too emotional to do. I mean, I think she's literally described as a bulldozer at some point, and if it weren't for the fact that I kind of liked Liesel, I would think she was just there to advance the plot.
None of these gripes ruined the book for me, though! Despite the lower rating, I think this was an excellent ending to the series. Novik is clearly a really great writer, which I think is why the weird editing really stood out to me in this book. I loved how El was described grappling with grief, and how she couldn't help her mother with her own sadness (still mad she abandoned Gwen even though I get her reasoning). The maw-mouth creation was written amazingly well, especially when it involved Liu. I genuinely didn't know if El would save her in time.
Overall, I think I missed the connection to the characters that was present in the previous books. El, understandably, is very wrapped up in her own business, and because she's the narrator I found myself missing the closeness she had with others at the Scholomance. I did really enjoy the read though, and I'd happily read more by this author!
Unfortunately, this made the entire book seem rushed, and with it already being pretty fast-paced (apart from some noteable scenes), I felt like I was stumbling from one under-developed scene to the next without a break to understand things properly.
Some of the big reveals were genuine surprises to me: Orion's origin was so interesting and finding out how enclaves were created was honestly really gripping and tense. Some parts though, like Ophelia's evil scheme, I had to reread or force myself to care because it seemed like a rushed insertion, yet another reason to feel bad for Orion (which I do, I love him) without an end goal in mind for the actual character. I think I would be on board with Ophelia joining in to save her son if there was more time given to her character. I didn't understand why Novik didn't have her explain herself instead of Li Shanfeng, I think it probably would have made me feel more connected with that particular plot point.
Speaking of Li Shanfeng, I feel like a lot of the characters introduced in this book are only there to give El a convenient solution to the problems she's facing. I admit that this has always been a thing in this series, but in the previous books it felt like the students were all working to save themselves and we got to know them through their talents and what they could bring to the table. In this book though, I was so tired of all the new characters, each one appearing to give some super specific advice or secret get-out.
I hated Yancy, so much so that as I was reading the beginning of the book I was worried about continuing if she was a main character. I would have quit if she didn't go away, but luckily she did as soon as she gave El an escape route and a convenient tip about getting back into the Scholomance. I think the same could probably be said of Liesel - in this book she's kind of just the one who gets things done that El is too emotional to do. I mean, I think she's literally described as a bulldozer at some point, and if it weren't for the fact that I kind of liked Liesel, I would think she was just there to advance the plot.
None of these gripes ruined the book for me, though! Despite the lower rating, I think this was an excellent ending to the series. Novik is clearly a really great writer, which I think is why the weird editing really stood out to me in this book. I loved how El was described grappling with grief, and how she couldn't help her mother with her own sadness (still mad she abandoned Gwen even though I get her reasoning). The maw-mouth creation was written amazingly well, especially when it involved Liu. I genuinely didn't know if El would save her in time.
Overall, I think I missed the connection to the characters that was present in the previous books. El, understandably, is very wrapped up in her own business, and because she's the narrator I found myself missing the closeness she had with others at the Scholomance. I did really enjoy the read though, and I'd happily read more by this author!
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes