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4.38 AVERAGE
4.38 AVERAGE
Well, it sure is Mockingjay In Space. Complete with video messages by rebels and dressing up in extravagant clothes to disguise oneself as a citizen of the Capitol. I mean, Artemisia.
See my bamboozled review of the previous book. Sometimes I think I read books just for the satisfaction of having an empty "continue series" shelf...
For some reason despite liking the first 3 books I found the concluding book almost unreadable. I think perhaps the author's skill is in introducing new characters and not so much on developing the plot, because as soon as the final character was introduced I lost all interest in the conclusion.
4 stars!
Such a good ending to series. Absolutely high stakes, action packed, and filled with emotions.
Such a good ending to series. Absolutely high stakes, action packed, and filled with emotions.
For me, this is the best book in the series. Every thing was in place and I could not think of a better ending! I will definitely pick up and read this series again in the future! :D
It wasn't perfect but it was as close as it could be with the amount of story Meyer had left to tell. I'll admit, I was a little scared that Meyer wasn't going to be able to tell the story she needed to tell in one last book, but she proved me wrong and I couldn't be happier. I was pleased with how well Meyer was able to give each character their due without bogging down the story line with unnecessary cameos and how well she was able to wrap up all the hanging plot lines. While I did have to suspend my disbelief at how easily Cinder was able to woo the Lunar people to her cause, I definitely will be able to look back on this reading experience with fondness. Now all I have to do is wait for the Stars Above anthology and I will be fully satisfied!
I'm... shocked that I'm not rating this higher? If it were based purely on ships, it would undoubtedly be 5 stars!!! There's also a chance that my expectations were too high to live up to anyway. But Meyer's editor seemed to be MIA; the writing could have been tighter and it ended up feeling a lot like I was reading unbeta'ed fic for the series rather than the actual book. Not necessarily a problem, but some of the plotting got sloppy and there was one deus ex machina too many for my liking. (Ravenclaw brain completely took the reins on this one, blerg.) Spoilers after the jump.
Scratch that. My real problem is that the threat of death never feels substantial until the very end (and even then I wasn't left fretting for long before I learned that everyone was okay). On the one hand, I'm pleased that everyone got a happy ending because they all deserve it! On the other, peril feels cheap when there are such easy fixes for everything.
Scarlet contracts an especially virulent, rapidly-acting strain of Letumosis? Cinder and co. still have enough time to: a) discover where she and Winter are, b) break into a medical lab to steal vials of the antidote, c) travel all the way to the distant sector to deliver the cure. Maybe the progression of the disease was slowed because Scarlet's not a Lunar, but that's a significant time gap for them to find Scarlet still up and about barking orders to people when they arrive.
And the list continues. Cress gets practically disemboweled? There's a magic suspension tank to heal her! Iko gets riddled with bullets and her android body is shredded? She's still ok! (Where the hell is her power source/central wiring?? How is it possible that none of those bullets struck her head?)
I will allow Wolf's mental wiring righting itself at the first sight of Scarlet in danger because, WELL.
I'm also kind of surprised that Cinder... actually ended up on the throne? (I'm surprised that a lot of things played out more or less the way our heroes wanted them to.) There was so much set-up with Winter galvanizing the revolution and having the love of the people that I felt it would have made sense if she became queen instead of Cinder. In all fairness, she may still become president or something in the future. But it's strange when you think you're following a narrative staircase to someplace specific -- only to find yourself somewhere else entirely at the top.
ANYWAY ENOUGH COMPLAINING. I'm exhausted of my own negativity. Because there was also a lot I enjoyed! I definitely went into this wanting to love the book! THE LAST 10 CHAPTERS WERE BASICALLY JUST ROMANTIC FULFILLMENT AND I WAS 1000% HERE FOR THEM. (I do feel my mental teeth aching a little from all the sugar, but I will soldier on~)
Winter/Jacin hit so many sweet spots for me: a Queen and Huntsman dynamic, the hurt-comfort trope, CHILDHOOD FRIENDS WHO BECOME MORE. I also spent half of the book grinning at Thorne's angst over Cress, going, "He loooooooves her, he loves her so much". Their makeout session just before the coronation was immensely satisfying (shhhh no one cares that they were technically off-task). SCARLET AND WOLF, ALPHA SOULMATES, THE STARS IN MY EYES. Kai acknowledging that Cinder never wanted a crown of her own! BUT her willingness to consider becoming empress in the future!!!
So. 5 stars for LOVE, 2 stars for length/plotting/pacing, 3 to 3.5 stars overall.
Spoiler
I... can't believe I feel like there should have been more deaths? I HAVE NEVER BEEN THAT PERSON, THIS IS UNCOMFORTABLE.Scratch that. My real problem is that the threat of death never feels substantial until the very end (and even then I wasn't left fretting for long before I learned that everyone was okay). On the one hand, I'm pleased that everyone got a happy ending because they all deserve it! On the other, peril feels cheap when there are such easy fixes for everything.
Scarlet contracts an especially virulent, rapidly-acting strain of Letumosis? Cinder and co. still have enough time to: a) discover where she and Winter are, b) break into a medical lab to steal vials of the antidote, c) travel all the way to the distant sector to deliver the cure. Maybe the progression of the disease was slowed because Scarlet's not a Lunar, but that's a significant time gap for them to find Scarlet still up and about barking orders to people when they arrive.
And the list continues. Cress gets practically disemboweled? There's a magic suspension tank to heal her! Iko gets riddled with bullets and her android body is shredded? She's still ok! (Where the hell is her power source/central wiring?? How is it possible that none of those bullets struck her head?)
I will allow Wolf's mental wiring righting itself at the first sight of Scarlet in danger because, WELL.
I'm also kind of surprised that Cinder... actually ended up on the throne? (I'm surprised that a lot of things played out more or less the way our heroes wanted them to.) There was so much set-up with Winter galvanizing the revolution and having the love of the people that I felt it would have made sense if she became queen instead of Cinder. In all fairness, she may still become president or something in the future. But it's strange when you think you're following a narrative staircase to someplace specific -- only to find yourself somewhere else entirely at the top.
ANYWAY ENOUGH COMPLAINING. I'm exhausted of my own negativity. Because there was also a lot I enjoyed! I definitely went into this wanting to love the book! THE LAST 10 CHAPTERS WERE BASICALLY JUST ROMANTIC FULFILLMENT AND I WAS 1000% HERE FOR THEM. (I do feel my mental teeth aching a little from all the sugar, but I will soldier on~)
Winter/Jacin hit so many sweet spots for me: a Queen and Huntsman dynamic, the hurt-comfort trope, CHILDHOOD FRIENDS WHO BECOME MORE. I also spent half of the book grinning at Thorne's angst over Cress, going, "He loooooooves her, he loves her so much". Their makeout session just before the coronation was immensely satisfying (shhhh no one cares that they were technically off-task). SCARLET AND WOLF, ALPHA SOULMATES, THE STARS IN MY EYES. Kai acknowledging that Cinder never wanted a crown of her own! BUT her willingness to consider becoming empress in the future!!!
So. 5 stars for LOVE, 2 stars for length/plotting/pacing, 3 to 3.5 stars overall.
Just as I thought….nothing really redeeming in this character. The rest of the story makes more sense to me now that I understand Levana more so I did enjoy this book.
At first I thought this might be another wicked witch story where she is sorta good at first, then turns bad after some event. That’s not exactly how it happened. I mean, I could see some slightly redeemable qualities in her for the first quarter of this book but then she got too manipulative & changed that completely. Given her home life, it sort of makes sense in a way. I mean, as an impressionable young girl to deal with a sister like Channary, would break even the toughest of kids. There’s a small part of me that wishes that she actually made it through without becoming evil but then the story wouldn’t be the same.
I absolutely adored Evret throughout this story. I thought that he was one of the few really good characters throughout the entire thing. Even his interactions with young Levana were genuine despite how the rest of the court treated her. I admired Solstice for the time she was in the story. It seemed she was the kind of woman that really had everything she wanted & appreciated it every day. Channary made me frustrated because I wanted to reach in the book & slap her like I want to slap Levana sometimes. Those are the characters I love to hate because I love when good finally triumphs over evil. I really adored little Winter & Selene because who doesn’t like kids?
I got exactly what I wanted with this one - an inside peak into Levana’s head & backstory. I can’t wait to see what else is in store in Winter.
At first I thought this might be another wicked witch story where she is sorta good at first, then turns bad after some event. That’s not exactly how it happened. I mean, I could see some slightly redeemable qualities in her for the first quarter of this book but then she got too manipulative & changed that completely. Given her home life, it sort of makes sense in a way. I mean, as an impressionable young girl to deal with a sister like Channary, would break even the toughest of kids. There’s a small part of me that wishes that she actually made it through without becoming evil but then the story wouldn’t be the same.
I absolutely adored Evret throughout this story. I thought that he was one of the few really good characters throughout the entire thing. Even his interactions with young Levana were genuine despite how the rest of the court treated her. I admired Solstice for the time she was in the story. It seemed she was the kind of woman that really had everything she wanted & appreciated it every day. Channary made me frustrated because I wanted to reach in the book & slap her like I want to slap Levana sometimes. Those are the characters I love to hate because I love when good finally triumphs over evil. I really adored little Winter & Selene because who doesn’t like kids?
I got exactly what I wanted with this one - an inside peak into Levana’s head & backstory. I can’t wait to see what else is in store in Winter.