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4.26 AVERAGE
4.26 AVERAGE
i think the first half was stronger than the second half, and i don't think i would reread, BUT i really enjoyed this book, it had some beautiful descriptions and some characters i found really compelling - i did not expect to be so pro-tané by the end of it but HERE WE ARE. i struggled between 3 and 4 stars but i've opted for 4 as overall i thought it was a good read
HOWEVER the ending felt like a real anticlimax for two reasons: the stakes didn't seem as urgent as they did halfway through the book where there were real consequences/casualties; and. when you have a book this long, i feel like the ending really has to land, and i'm not sure this one did.
i thought the world-building was really nicely done, and some of the characters were well fleshed out (although there were so many... and so many came to nothing...).
HOWEVER the ending felt like a real anticlimax for two reasons: the stakes didn't seem as urgent as they did halfway through the book where there were real consequences/casualties; and
Spoiler
the fight against the Nameless One was such a let down?? i can't believe shannon hyped him up for so long and then he was just actually a bigger dragon... fyredel put in all that work and for what?!i thought the world-building was really nicely done, and some of the characters were well fleshed out (although there were so many... and so many came to nothing...).
adventurous
Wow wow wow! Ok this beast of a book took me 2 weeks to read - but every minute that I was reading this I was enthralled.
900 pages of brilliant, sassy feminist fantasy with a breadth of characters and places that make your head spin (in a good way).
Fantasy is not my go-to genre but on this occasion I wanted a book to totally lose myself in and forget the outside world. I was 100% rewarded by my choice.
Someone PLEASE turn this into a TV series and soon!
This book definitely lives up to the hype.
Ead, Sabran & Tané I will miss you!
900 pages of brilliant, sassy feminist fantasy with a breadth of characters and places that make your head spin (in a good way).
Fantasy is not my go-to genre but on this occasion I wanted a book to totally lose myself in and forget the outside world. I was 100% rewarded by my choice.
Someone PLEASE turn this into a TV series and soon!
This book definitely lives up to the hype.
Ead, Sabran & Tané I will miss you!
characters weren't clicking, started to not enjoy the plot
adventurous
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I spent a lot of time stressed about Nayimathun! The story starts slow and confusing, but around 350 pages in, it gets really good. Definitely worth the long ramp up.
Fantasy isn't my usual genre, so it took me a while to get use to the many perspectives and story-lines over different lands and beliefs. It was slightly overwhelming, but entertaining.
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
[No Spoilers] This is one of the most masterfully written books I’ve read *in my life.* The prose is out of the world gorgeous and frequently gave me chills. I learned so many new intoxicating words. I have never read female characters so reverently described — this book felt like a love letter to women and the way women love (and can easily be enjoyed by anyone of any gender identity).
The diversity of this cast of characters (ethnicity/gender/sexuality/age) is wonderful to see in fantasy and from a white (sapphic) author who clearly did her due diligence and research. This book also discusses and deconstructs political/cultural/religious divide in ways I found really illuminating and profound. There are metaphors and illusions to our real world, seamlessly woven in, striking you with their subtlety.
This author also treats her readers like smart people, connecting her main cast of characters patiently, names and details dropped here and there so you pick up what she’s putting down without large paragraphs of exposition.
PRO TIP: Read this book consistently until you finish it so you remember the characters because there are a LOT of names (also a wonderful index of them all in the back!) and so you can remember how the characters are connected to each other because it’s quite the stunning and intricate web.
If only I could read this book again for the first time. Wow.
The diversity of this cast of characters (ethnicity/gender/sexuality/age) is wonderful to see in fantasy and from a white (sapphic) author who clearly did her due diligence and research. This book also discusses and deconstructs political/cultural/religious divide in ways I found really illuminating and profound. There are metaphors and illusions to our real world, seamlessly woven in, striking you with their subtlety.
This author also treats her readers like smart people, connecting her main cast of characters patiently, names and details dropped here and there so you pick up what she’s putting down without large paragraphs of exposition.
PRO TIP: Read this book consistently until you finish it so you remember the characters because there are a LOT of names (also a wonderful index of them all in the back!) and so you can remember how the characters are connected to each other because it’s quite the stunning and intricate web.
If only I could read this book again for the first time. Wow.
adventurous
slow-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