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4.39 AVERAGE
4.39 AVERAGE
adventurous
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
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Just as thrilling and fast paced as the first in the series. Love reading Cassandra Clare as an adult as it is like re-reading a book from my teens. Though this is adult fiction, it reads with a YA appeal with some darker themes and scenes. Love the cliffhanger ending, can't wait to see how this story continues!
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A great addition to a series I’m really enjoying ❤️💙
Pros: a cohesive continuation of each of our characters’ journeys. We get to see our favorite characters grow and reveal more of themselves to us and each other. There are some fun lore revelations specifically involving the King. The plot thickens so much in this book. We get a new badass princess character who I really enjoyed.
Cons: if you didn’t enjoy the pacing of the first book, this one is very similar (a steady, simmering slow burn). This really felt like a buildup for a third book, so a LOT happens but there aren’t too many resolutions. And I still want Kel to have more badass moments; I feel like this is sorely lacking given how important being the swordcatcher is to his character.
I loved some of the more dramatic reveals at the end of the book as well! Very clever! I’m looking forward to the next installment!
4.5 ⭐️
Pros: a cohesive continuation of each of our characters’ journeys. We get to see our favorite characters grow and reveal more of themselves to us and each other. There are some fun lore revelations specifically involving the King. The plot thickens so much in this book. We get a new badass princess character who I really enjoyed.
Cons: if you didn’t enjoy the pacing of the first book, this one is very similar (a steady, simmering slow burn). This really felt like a buildup for a third book, so a LOT happens but there aren’t too many resolutions. And I still want Kel to have more badass moments; I feel like this is sorely lacking given how important being the swordcatcher is to his character.
I loved some of the more dramatic reveals at the end of the book as well! Very clever! I’m looking forward to the next installment!
4.5 ⭐️
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
tense
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
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is better than the first of the series by virtue of not being quite as egregious with the constant repetition (although I did need to put the book down and walk a lap around my room when a 'flood' of guards 'flooded' a room) and by actually, interestingly, having a plot.
The positives: As mentioned above, this book has a plot-- not only that, it has a few of them! When the plot gets going or when a high-action scene kicks into gear, Clare's imagery is very nice. The introduction of interstitial chapters, while (I think) very mis-handled, introduced interesting variety. Yet again, the crocodiles are sick. Without spoilers, certain characters' identity-based reveals were well-foreshadowed and satisfying to puzzle out early.
The negatives: When you start a new section with a new POV character, the gods flip a coin to determine whether you will have to inhabit the mind of the most insufferable, self-absorbed, frustratingly oblivious man in the world or whether you will have the pleasure of being politely bored out of your goddamn mind with Lin. Lin and Conor have the same exact argument three times, and it never feels less stupid or contrived. The interstitial chapters' being in the present tense, while the rest of the book was in past tense, did not seem to accomplish anything narratively outside of confusing Clare, who on occasion switches to the present tense in the middle of other main chapters. Characters with dark skin are often described as "going pale" or on one occasion "looking white as a sheet", which only serve to confuse the reader as to the actual looks of these characters (not at all helped by the fact that their skin color is very sparingly mentioned in the first place). Foolish main characters are fine, but I cannot express just how much I would say a reader should tread carefully if a main character's inadequate deductive skills are going to cause frustration: to say that Kel's logical blind spots frustrated me to read would be beyond underselling it. For someone who is constantly thinking condescendingly-obvious thoughts reminding the reader with the same repeated phrases that he is to be Conor's Sword Catcher, and he couldn't possibly do X, Y, or Z because that would give away that he was Kel, and not Conor, and thus could only behave as Conor would, no matter how much he wished it would be otherwise-- Kel is really, abysmally bad at his fucking job.
All of those negatives being said, it is roundly better than the first novel in the series. I will absolutely dread Lin's plotline unless a miracle occurs to make it more interesting in book three, but I will maintain that they are fun reads in a book club, and will keep reading the series in the hopes that they continue to improve over time.
The positives: As mentioned above, this book has a plot-- not only that, it has a few of them! When the plot gets going or when a high-action scene kicks into gear, Clare's imagery is very nice. The introduction of interstitial chapters, while (I think) very mis-handled, introduced interesting variety. Yet again, the crocodiles are sick. Without spoilers, certain characters' identity-based reveals were well-foreshadowed and satisfying to puzzle out early.
The negatives: When you start a new section with a new POV character, the gods flip a coin to determine whether you will have to inhabit the mind of the most insufferable, self-absorbed, frustratingly oblivious man in the world or whether you will have the pleasure of being politely bored out of your goddamn mind with Lin. Lin and Conor have the same exact argument three times, and it never feels less stupid or contrived. The interstitial chapters' being in the present tense, while the rest of the book was in past tense, did not seem to accomplish anything narratively outside of confusing Clare, who on occasion switches to the present tense in the middle of other main chapters. Characters with dark skin are often described as "going pale" or on one occasion "looking white as a sheet", which only serve to confuse the reader as to the actual looks of these characters (not at all helped by the fact that their skin color is very sparingly mentioned in the first place). Foolish main characters are fine, but I cannot express just how much I would say a reader should tread carefully if a main character's inadequate deductive skills are going to cause frustration: to say that Kel's logical blind spots frustrated me to read would be beyond underselling it. For someone who is constantly thinking condescendingly-obvious thoughts reminding the reader with the same repeated phrases that he is to be Conor's Sword Catcher, and he couldn't possibly do X, Y, or Z because that would give away that he was Kel, and not Conor, and thus could only behave as Conor would, no matter how much he wished it would be otherwise-- Kel is really, abysmally bad at his fucking job.
All of those negatives being said, it is roundly better than the first novel in the series. I will absolutely dread Lin's plotline unless a miracle occurs to make it more interesting in book three, but I will maintain that they are fun reads in a book club, and will keep reading the series in the hopes that they continue to improve over time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Minor: Rape
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book is slightly, and I mean slightly, better than its' predecessor.