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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
I don’t find the new crisis as interesting as I found the old one, so this book dragged a bit. Also, I hate what happened to most of the side characters.
emotional
reflective
sad
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:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
first read (2023): elise kova manages to rip me a new one with each book.
reread (2025): elise did her one with this book. best one so far in the series.
and most of it read like a filler, but this was a damn good filler in my opinion. and that end ? too good
rereading about baldair didn’t make it any easier. vhalla losing her magic just before this mess is also so messy!
can’t wait to go and refresh my mind on the final one.
reread (2025): elise did her one with this book. best one so far in the series.
and most of it read like a filler, but this was a damn good filler in my opinion. and that end ? too good
rereading about baldair didn’t make it any easier. vhalla losing her magic just before this mess is also so messy!
can’t wait to go and refresh my mind on the final one.
i'm just flying through these fuckers and i don't even enjoy them!!!
- these secondary characters are all amazing, like fritz, baldair and jax are the real stars of the show i love them. (i like reading more about them then aldrik and vhalla tbh)
- the world-building made a little more sense? i'm pretty sure solaris is the "south" (there is a specific contradicting line pretty early on in the book though so i may be wrong) and the other directions are placeholders for other regions, each with different climates, cultures and races. so i'm a little less confused! it just took me four books to get here!
- i did almost cry during that um... emotional moment. and considering the cold-hearted negativity and carefree personality i exude in all respects of life, that is a high honour.
- the whole crystal thing? still doesn't make sense. world-building be better, but then they introduce the *magical* world-building and i get confused again
- elecia, either leave or SHUT UP GODDAMMIT.
- i GET that their love story was only for show and it was "arranged" but the stuff valdrik did while he was engaged to another girl kind of rubbed me the wrong way. like i get y'all love each other and you're *bonded* but can't you just wait? and i think it specifically rubbed me the wrong way because there was like one single moment of guilt and then they kind of moved on.
- pacing? a little bit better? there were certain suspenseful moments that felt kind of glossed over that could've been better if they had been spaced out better but overall not the worst book in the series in terms of pacing.
off to the last book i go!
- these secondary characters are all amazing, like fritz, baldair and jax are the real stars of the show i love them. (i like reading more about them then aldrik and vhalla tbh)
- the world-building made a little more sense? i'm pretty sure solaris is the "south" (there is a specific contradicting line pretty early on in the book though so i may be wrong) and the other directions are placeholders for other regions, each with different climates, cultures and races. so i'm a little less confused! it just took me four books to get here!
- i did almost cry during that um... emotional moment. and considering the cold-hearted negativity and carefree personality i exude in all respects of life, that is a high honour.
- the whole crystal thing? still doesn't make sense. world-building be better, but then they introduce the *magical* world-building and i get confused again
- elecia, either leave or SHUT UP GODDAMMIT.
- i GET that their love story was only for show and it was "arranged" but the stuff valdrik did while he was engaged to another girl kind of rubbed me the wrong way. like i get y'all love each other and you're *bonded* but can't you just wait? and i think it specifically rubbed me the wrong way because there was like one single moment of guilt and then they kind of moved on.
- pacing? a little bit better? there were certain suspenseful moments that felt kind of glossed over that could've been better if they had been spaced out better but overall not the worst book in the series in terms of pacing.
off to the last book i go!
Copying over my July 2016 review from amazon
Of all the books thus far, this, I feel, has been the weakest, but not because it had terrible content or anything, but because it's a set-up and connecting book that introduces another layer of conflict to resolve without a whole lot moving forward towards those final goals we've had in mind from the start (like seeing Vhalla and Aldrick wed and crowned and happy). This has its pros and cons; the pros being that this adds more complexity and dimension to the story, which make for a more engaging and well-written story that isn't super predictable, but a con is that this route leaves this book in the same position as book #1 in that it had to dedicate a lot to time to setting things up and there wasn't a whole lot of movement forward. A lot happens in this book, yes, but more or less this book's goal was to say "okay, the war is done, but that's not the end of our woes, we have another bigger problem that was festering under the surface undetected, waiting to spring forth" and to set that up so it could be introduced into the plot well and tie into it.
And boy, did it do just that. Much like the last few novels, this book wraps itself up nicely, ending at the point where the arc of the story shifts. We're left with some pretty powerful developments, there's deaths and betrayal and forgiveness and changes and all sorts of stuff, so the final book seems like it'll have that "the final battle before all is well again" feel to it, like this was the build up to a grand climax and finale in the last book.
For those who weren't a fan of how much romance was in books #2 and #3, you'll like how little there is in this one despite a blurb that's all "she might fall into waiting arms of a former lover." Most of the time the main pair is either apart or they have something more important to focus on than kissing and declaring love, even though there still a few scenes and declarations and such to be had that are of a romantic/emotional nature that focuses on their relationship with one another.
As always the writing is great, the story building is phenomenal, the side-characters are still getting created and given attention, there's a lot of layers and subplots, the world-building is expanding and is still wonderful for a fantasy, and overall I'm both excited and sad that there's only one more book to go in this series, which I'll be picking up to read very soon. I finished this book off in a single sitting and was interested the majority of the time; some things dragged a little bit or felt a little dull, but it wasn't so bad that I was like groaning or skimming or feeling like giving up on finishing.
Of all the books thus far, this, I feel, has been the weakest, but not because it had terrible content or anything, but because it's a set-up and connecting book that introduces another layer of conflict to resolve without a whole lot moving forward towards those final goals we've had in mind from the start (like seeing Vhalla and Aldrick wed and crowned and happy). This has its pros and cons; the pros being that this adds more complexity and dimension to the story, which make for a more engaging and well-written story that isn't super predictable, but a con is that this route leaves this book in the same position as book #1 in that it had to dedicate a lot to time to setting things up and there wasn't a whole lot of movement forward. A lot happens in this book, yes, but more or less this book's goal was to say "okay, the war is done, but that's not the end of our woes, we have another bigger problem that was festering under the surface undetected, waiting to spring forth" and to set that up so it could be introduced into the plot well and tie into it.
And boy, did it do just that. Much like the last few novels, this book wraps itself up nicely, ending at the point where the arc of the story shifts. We're left with some pretty powerful developments, there's deaths and betrayal and forgiveness and changes and all sorts of stuff, so the final book seems like it'll have that "the final battle before all is well again" feel to it, like this was the build up to a grand climax and finale in the last book.
For those who weren't a fan of how much romance was in books #2 and #3, you'll like how little there is in this one despite a blurb that's all "she might fall into waiting arms of a former lover." Most of the time the main pair is either apart or they have something more important to focus on than kissing and declaring love, even though there still a few scenes and declarations and such to be had that are of a romantic/emotional nature that focuses on their relationship with one another.
As always the writing is great, the story building is phenomenal, the side-characters are still getting created and given attention, there's a lot of layers and subplots, the world-building is expanding and is still wonderful for a fantasy, and overall I'm both excited and sad that there's only one more book to go in this series, which I'll be picking up to read very soon. I finished this book off in a single sitting and was interested the majority of the time; some things dragged a little bit or felt a little dull, but it wasn't so bad that I was like groaning or skimming or feeling like giving up on finishing.
As with the previous 3, my original 2016 review is still available on the paperback edition here.
I remember thinking this was the slowest of the books in the series, but it actually went by rather fast for me during this second read. I think what I was remembering was the fact that the big climatic part literally didn't happen until the book was around the 80% mark.
The characters, their relationships, the plot, and the overall story remain quite engaging to me and I'm having a good time rereading the series.
Also, knowing what I know now about the sequel series (I haven't read it, but I've read a blurb or two) I can see the connections being made to it here in this story.
I am now a little apprehensive about the sequel series, as I suspect there's time travel involved, and time travel used as something that it utilized throughout a story (beyond just throwing someone through time to a new setting) can easily become... conflated and confusing.
Anyway, one thing I've always loved about this series was that the plot has so many facets to it. Things started in Air Awakens have now come forth, the seeds for this new stretch of conflict beyond the war having been planted early on. The story was planned and executed with a lot of depth, so it makes the story feel very fleshed out and engaging.
A criticism I have, however, is that I don't understand why Aldrick wouldn't have some manner of suspicion towards Victor. Like, it's explained like "oh, he's my mentor" but Aldrick hardly seems someone to have utter faith in anyone (he even struggles to let in Vhalla after everything), so I don't quite understand why he wouldn't express some manner of suspicion against Victor, especially after learning what he's doing with Vhalla and crystals. Like, it's not as if he has no awareness. He just... doesn't put 2 and 2 together?
But, that aside, overall worthwhile story with good emotional beats and an engaging plot. I'm looking forward to the finale of this series (probably later today; I woke up at 2 am to read this and now at 8 am I think I'll sleep some more), then I'll pick up with the Vortex Visions series for the first time.
I remember thinking this was the slowest of the books in the series, but it actually went by rather fast for me during this second read. I think what I was remembering was the fact that the big climatic part literally didn't happen until the book was around the 80% mark.
The characters, their relationships, the plot, and the overall story remain quite engaging to me and I'm having a good time rereading the series.
Also, knowing what I know now about the sequel series (I haven't read it, but I've read a blurb or two) I can see the connections being made to it here in this story.
I am now a little apprehensive about the sequel series, as I suspect there's time travel involved, and time travel used as something that it utilized throughout a story (beyond just throwing someone through time to a new setting) can easily become... conflated and confusing.
Anyway, one thing I've always loved about this series was that the plot has so many facets to it. Things started in Air Awakens have now come forth, the seeds for this new stretch of conflict beyond the war having been planted early on. The story was planned and executed with a lot of depth, so it makes the story feel very fleshed out and engaging.
A criticism I have, however, is that I don't understand why Aldrick wouldn't have some manner of suspicion towards Victor. Like, it's explained like "oh, he's my mentor" but Aldrick hardly seems someone to have utter faith in anyone (he even struggles to let in Vhalla after everything), so I don't quite understand why he wouldn't express some manner of suspicion against Victor, especially after learning what he's doing with Vhalla and crystals. Like, it's not as if he has no awareness. He just... doesn't put 2 and 2 together?
But, that aside, overall worthwhile story with good emotional beats and an engaging plot. I'm looking forward to the finale of this series (probably later today; I woke up at 2 am to read this and now at 8 am I think I'll sleep some more), then I'll pick up with the Vortex Visions series for the first time.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Die Chroniken von Solaris sind eine Reihe, der ich sehr zwiegespalten gegenüber stehe. Band eins mochte ich sehr gerne, Band zwei fand ich eher langweilig aber dafür hat mir Band drei wieder super gefallen. Deswegen waren meine Erwartungen für Band vier dementsprechend hoch. Ich bin wieder gut in die Handlung gekommen und am Anfang hat mir die Geschichte auch noch gut gefallen aber je mehr ich gelesen habe, desto weniger konnte es mich begeistern.
Die Geschichte an sich finde ich richtig gut und auch super interessant aber leider mag ich Vhalla und Aldrik überhaupt nicht. In keinem der vier Bände haben es die beiden geschafft, dass ich mich für sie begeistern kann. Wie Aldrik mit Vhalla umgegangen ist war für mich ein absolutes No-Go und das Vhalla das auch alles hat mit sich machen lassen, konnte ich zu keiner Zeit nachvollziehen. Da war keine Chemie, keine Gefühle und für mich war das alles eher toxisch. Auch das ständige hin und her zwischen den beiden hat nach einer Weile genervt.
Ich habe das Buch nach ca. 200 Seiten abgebrochen, da ich einfach nicht mehr konnte. Für mich persönlich war die Geschichte leider ganz und gar nichts und ich werden den fünften Teil auch nicht mehr lesen. Leider kann ich keine Leseempfehlung aussprechen.
Die Geschichte an sich finde ich richtig gut und auch super interessant aber leider mag ich Vhalla und Aldrik überhaupt nicht. In keinem der vier Bände haben es die beiden geschafft, dass ich mich für sie begeistern kann. Wie Aldrik mit Vhalla umgegangen ist war für mich ein absolutes No-Go und das Vhalla das auch alles hat mit sich machen lassen, konnte ich zu keiner Zeit nachvollziehen. Da war keine Chemie, keine Gefühle und für mich war das alles eher toxisch. Auch das ständige hin und her zwischen den beiden hat nach einer Weile genervt.
Ich habe das Buch nach ca. 200 Seiten abgebrochen, da ich einfach nicht mehr konnte. Für mich persönlich war die Geschichte leider ganz und gar nichts und ich werden den fünften Teil auch nicht mehr lesen. Leider kann ich keine Leseempfehlung aussprechen.
medium-paced
This book is pure agony in a cup, but I still drink the thing because I'm suddenly so damned thirsty.
Suffice to say, I hate this book. I hate this fucking book with so much passion. I want to punch someone in the face and burn this book for the suffering it has caused me. Too many cruel things happened here, unspeakable things. It's like Vhalla's sacrifice is never enough. It's like Aldrik's suffering never ends. I'm on verge of tears because of this book at so many scenes it's miracle I'm not bawling at work. It's just--it hurts so bad. Everything is painful and horrible. I wish someone would make it stop.
Yet I can't stop reading because I wish so bad for the characters to be happy. I don't think I can handle more deaths, but the next book is just as agonizing as this one. God, whatever these wonderful characters ever did to you to receive such a bleak fate? I want to curse and blame destiny for making it hard for them. I want to scream at fate because all Vhalla ever wanted was for peace but she couldn't have that without more sacrifices in line. I don't know how she manages. How after everything her moral and sanity and heart are still intact.
Suffice to say, I hate this book. I hate this fucking book with so much passion. I want to punch someone in the face and burn this book for the suffering it has caused me. Too many cruel things happened here, unspeakable things. It's like Vhalla's sacrifice is never enough. It's like Aldrik's suffering never ends. I'm on verge of tears because of this book at so many scenes it's miracle I'm not bawling at work. It's just--it hurts so bad. Everything is painful and horrible. I wish someone would make it stop.
Yet I can't stop reading because I wish so bad for the characters to be happy. I don't think I can handle more deaths, but the next book is just as agonizing as this one. God, whatever these wonderful characters ever did to you to receive such a bleak fate? I want to curse and blame destiny for making it hard for them. I want to scream at fate because all Vhalla ever wanted was for peace but she couldn't have that without more sacrifices in line. I don't know how she manages. How after everything her moral and sanity and heart are still intact.