Reviews

Earth's End by Elise Kova

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This story could have either been considerably condensed or expanded upon to make everything more meaningful.

I'm glad Aldrick and Vhalla are split (for now). Their relationship sucks and is extremely toxic and unhealthy. I hope she and Daniel get together, but I have a feeling Aldrick will be redeemed.

loup's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

stjehanne's review

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1.0

I know my rating might seem a bit harsh - but I truly think this book is a failure at so many levels.
Let me start with the positive things first: I thought the plot was okay, suspenseful enough to make me finish the novel. The author's writing style really improved over the course of the series and I did enjoy the bits of lore and world-building I was given.

However, the narrative arc was a bit... rough. It followed the same steps over and over again: Romance, angst, combat, rinse and repeat. In its core, this could still be the foundation for an enjoyable experience but as always, Kova struggled with establishing her characters fully.

Most side characters had two main functions: failed love interests (Daniel) or plot devices (Baldair, most of the other nobles). They had little to no depths but at least they got some screen time. Fritz, the token gay character and Vhalla's best friend (?) rarely came up. It seems the author forgot about him as frequently as our protagonist did.
This raises the question: Why even have these characters? They were never fleshed out and could be summarised with a few words. How am I supposed to care about fictional people with no personality? What are they contributing to Vhalla's world?

Rant over. Let's talk about Vhalla herself. I faintly remember praising her development in my review of [b:Fire Falling|26047438|Fire Falling (Air Awakens, #2)|Elise Kova|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1440388938l/26047438._SY75_.jpg|45977131] but in this one, her moral compass is basically spinning out of control. It makes for a very disconcerting reading experience, frequently giving me whiplash. She spends pages lamenting the fate of the Northerners, showing sympathy and respect towards their culture. But during the final battle,

Spoiler

the prose suggests that she utterly enjoys massacring them. It's written in a very strange way that's obviously trying to show the strength of her and Aldrik's bond in battle. The emphasis on the gruesomeness of her kills makes this seem less romantic and plain murderous. It doesn't help that she quickly forgets about her pledge of making it up to the people of the North after the war.

Last but not least - let's talk about Earth's Ends view on alcohol dependency. This topic hits close to home since it runs in my family. Thus, I was utterly disgusted by Kova's portray of it. It very clearly provides a simple solution for it: love. Because if you love someone, you can just get over it, right? Love can cure addiction! Certainly, it does not. Trust me. No matter how much people love you, you will still find yourself lost and afraid without professional help. I do not condemn that the novel uses this topic as a motive. I just hate how it talks about it without sympathy or realism.

Let me be clear that I do not think that Kova is a bad writer, I actually think she's improving with each book and her work shows a great spark of creativity. I simply believe that Earth's End is not only flawed but severely underdeveloped.

astheplotthickens24's review

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3.0

”I was raised in a world where I had thousands of friends, each one waiting for me on a shelf every day.”

MILD SPOILER ALERT!
This series is so good, it was weirdly addicting because once you start reading the first paragraph of the story then you just crave for more.
I am a bit disappointed on this one and I ended up giving it a three star rating instead of four stars like the first two books of this series.
Vhalla Yarl and I, have a love-hate relationship. I love her bravery but aside from that she just plain annoys me. All she basically did on this book is mop and fool around with her beau.

The only thing that manages to anchor me on this series are the rest of the characters and guess what the author did? She just killed my MOST FAVORITE CHARACTER!!! I don’t think I’ll read the rest of the series soon but I will probably read books 4 & 5 next year.

korol_rezni's review

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5.0

Thank you for breaking my heart.

clockworkbook's review

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5.0

That ending!!!!!

leilaxx's review

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5.0

I- these books have me on edge all the time, clenching my teeth, and gripping the book wondering what will happen. Plot twist after plot twists. I think this year is heading off to a great book year for me