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4.38 AVERAGE
4.38 AVERAGE
The more I read the more I hate hate hate the racist old boys club, and want them to be destroyed completely. And the more I love Bree and Sel, and also ship them (sorry Nick but I just don't care about you). Also fuck Arthur, he seems like a dick.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Violence
Moderate: Grief
adventurous
emotional
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
adventurous
emotional
tense
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
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:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
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
I had this book marked as currently reading for two whole years because I knew I would like it at some point and here we are!! lmao I knew it was too good of a series to give up on and I'm very happy I didn't <33 to me this combines so many of the best aspects of ya fantasy and is just?? so well-written??
speaking of writing I do actually think it's also a little over-written... it's a thick book and like a lot happens but also not that much... the descriptions are immersive but also a bit tough to get through at times-- I had the same issue with book one and I think it's why I DNF-ed this originally. it's so hard to focus on and keep your eyes from skipping ahead because even fast-paced action that you really want to see the quick beats of are written with flowery language... but at the same time I think that style of writing is gorgeous in slower scenes so it's not a deal-breaker for me lol
the worldbuilding also took a second to get back into but once I did it was so easy to get invested, same with the characters!! loved alice and william especially, and valec!! however I thought sel was written as a caricature of himself sadly nothing he did made any sense whatsoever. he was living in a victorian novel saying 'alas' with a straight face (I kid you not this actually happens) while everyone else was in the southern US as a... modern teenager... anyway. I got kinda tired of him but ofc everything else is just set dressing for bree, who was an icon <33
everything about the story just feels so purposeful and intelligent, if that makes sense-- we're not just stumbling around from plot point to plot point with no actual message. I love books like this (similar to babel in a way) that can both lure you in with the inherent romanticism of something like oxford or arthurian legend, which it's clear the author still has a lot of interest in, but also critique it and (literally) burn it down after revealing its flaws. although I am kinda sad arthur turned out to be such an asshole... I thought he was well-intentioned T_T I also think it's a little weird for bree to burn her connections with vera's line away when that was the heart of the series?? but I trust tracy deonn everything else has been phenomenal.
I think overall this suffered from a little of the middle-book fatigue (especially given that this is meant to be a four book series) and slightly weird pacing mainly with nick's entire storyline and also that the romance has so much potential but that bree and sel clearly cannot handle themselves by themselves lmfao... anyway. criticisms aside I did still absolutely love this!! I'm a little terrified to check how long I have to wait until book four comes out...
speaking of writing I do actually think it's also a little over-written... it's a thick book and like a lot happens but also not that much... the descriptions are immersive but also a bit tough to get through at times-- I had the same issue with book one and I think it's why I DNF-ed this originally. it's so hard to focus on and keep your eyes from skipping ahead because even fast-paced action that you really want to see the quick beats of are written with flowery language... but at the same time I think that style of writing is gorgeous in slower scenes so it's not a deal-breaker for me lol
the worldbuilding also took a second to get back into but once I did it was so easy to get invested, same with the characters!! loved alice and william especially, and valec!! however I thought sel was written as a caricature of himself sadly nothing he did made any sense whatsoever. he was living in a victorian novel saying 'alas' with a straight face (I kid you not this actually happens) while everyone else was in the southern US as a... modern teenager... anyway. I got kinda tired of him but ofc everything else is just set dressing for bree, who was an icon <33
everything about the story just feels so purposeful and intelligent, if that makes sense-- we're not just stumbling around from plot point to plot point with no actual message. I love books like this (similar to babel in a way) that can both lure you in with the inherent romanticism of something like oxford or arthurian legend, which it's clear the author still has a lot of interest in, but also critique it and (literally) burn it down after revealing its flaws.
I think overall this suffered from a little of the middle-book fatigue (especially given that this is meant to be a four book series) and slightly weird pacing
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Love the rootcraft magic so much, but the Arthur/order magic is so hard for me to grasp and idk why. I get so confused about who’s who and who outranks who etc and just have to let the vibes carry me through.
If there were ever a love triangle that needs to be a throuple, it’s this one. It basically already is on so many levels!
If there were ever a love triangle that needs to be a throuple, it’s this one. It basically already is on so many levels!
there’s no way this is the last book. it has to be a trilogy because there’s nooooo way that is the ending, that would be unhinged
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
A great continuation to the story! I can't wait to read the third book.