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4.33 AVERAGE
4.33 AVERAGE
OHHHH boy, the start took me a bit to get into as it's been a long time since I read the initial series. But once I got my sea legs back I was Hooked - I can't wait to see where the rest of this series goes.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
What a beautiful experience, to once again find a book that will be a permanent addition to my bookshelf, awaiting rereads.
This is actually my first from VE Schwab (and it is a sequel series), so considering that, the author does a phenomenal job to set enough backstory and exposition in to make it friendly to first-time readers. I am inspired to go and read the original series now.
Characters are rich. Prose is pretty enough to be unique and capture interest, but straightforward and not flowery and silly. The images built in my head pretty easily like an internal movie. I have only 2 qualms with her writing, which are pretty minor. One is that she repeatedly refers to market stalls as mushrooms (the way they start popping up and opening for business), and at first it's a unique and wonderful comparison, but it's a weird and specific metaphor to use REPETITIVELY in different chapters with different characters. The other is that there are occasional moments where really for clarity the past perfect tense should have been used (to describe some backstory or previous event) but instead, a simple past tense was used. Occasionally a little confusing. Not enough flaws in the prose to knock my rating down at all, though.
At first I was overwhelmed with the ways the chapters change between characters and settings so much, but it's smoothly done so that the suspense builds nicely, the threads come together (haha), and you start to really understand what's at stake and how it all weaves together. I will be seeking out more Schwab books.
This is actually my first from VE Schwab (and it is a sequel series), so considering that, the author does a phenomenal job to set enough backstory and exposition in to make it friendly to first-time readers. I am inspired to go and read the original series now.
Characters are rich. Prose is pretty enough to be unique and capture interest, but straightforward and not flowery and silly. The images built in my head pretty easily like an internal movie. I have only 2 qualms with her writing, which are pretty minor. One is that she repeatedly refers to market stalls as mushrooms (the way they start popping up and opening for business), and at first it's a unique and wonderful comparison, but it's a weird and specific metaphor to use REPETITIVELY in different chapters with different characters. The other is that there are occasional moments where really for clarity the past perfect tense should have been used (to describe some backstory or previous event) but instead, a simple past tense was used. Occasionally a little confusing. Not enough flaws in the prose to knock my rating down at all, though.
At first I was overwhelmed with the ways the chapters change between characters and settings so much, but it's smoothly done so that the suspense builds nicely, the threads come together (haha), and you start to really understand what's at stake and how it all weaves together. I will be seeking out more Schwab books.
Didn't realize this was a sequel series to A Darker Shade of Magic (: will maybe read that first and come back to it
dark
funny
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
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
mysterious
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
3.5 stars!
Full review to come - reading the finalists for the Goodreads Choice Awards
Full review to come - reading the finalists for the Goodreads Choice Awards