Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
I like the world-building in these books, but it's really difficult to care about the characters, they're quite annoying.
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was awesome. I really did not expect the ending. I am a tad torn on how to feel about Hester's character after this book. All in all, Fishcake wins out for saddest tale.
Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this one at all. I really liked book one, and liked book two plenty, but this one...well, I just felt like the characters from the first books were changed so drastically that it ruined them, and they made decisions that their characters wouldn't have made. Plus, there was the fact that once again, everyone apparently despises Hester, including her daughter , which made me really sad, because Hester is my favorite, and though she made some risky decisions in the second book, that doesn't mean she deserves so much hate. It doesn't mean she'd hate her daughter . I just didn't enjoy it, which is too bad. I won't be reading the last book.
I'm very unsure about finishing the series because jfc this book was bad in so many ways. Why are Wren and Hester butchered like this?? Why are they not allowed to be anything but bad, two-dimensional stereotypes?? Why are women not allowed to like or love each other, not even as mother and daughter? Why are kids constantly being abused and mistreated and sold as slaves just to, idk, make it easier for some random scene to take place? Why does everyone love and worship Tom?! Why do humans suck so much?
These and many more questions are all left unanswered and I don't think after this ending I'm curious enough to see where this goes. I'm just not. It can't redeem what Reeve keeps doing to Hester and the main relationships, it probably won't even try tbh, this will probably end with horrible deaths and still a "happy" end.
Also the nod to LGBTQ+ with "but youths will be youths and so girls fall in love with girls and boys with boys" wasn't a good way to.. well, idk, accept that they exist? Because there is no rep, we get another totally forced, totally unwanted hetero love story between two characters who have zero chemistry or meaningful conversations that you could mistake as positive feelings towards one another. Also the "youth" part really bothers me. It's not some trend people grow out of.
Also why the everloving fuck did I have to read about Penny- whatshisname again?? Especially in that context? ESPECIALLY WITH THAT ENDING, I MEAN WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!?! Why would Wren choose that stupid, disgusting, pathetic excuse for an old fucker over even so much as an ant?! What bullshit. Catch me murdering the fuck who nearly killed my dad, keeps slaves and is just overall a disgrace to the human race at the first chance I get.
Just no to so many parts of this story, Wren as a character, the butchering of Hester, the treatment of basically everyone else and that whole ordeal with Uncle?! What was that about?? Abused child returns """home""" after 17 frigging years and immediately reverts back to loving their abusive """father figure""" to the point where they threaten their friends at gunpoint?? What?
Also good job Reeve in immediately ruining your own "I'm not like other writers, one of my characters actually didn't manage to magically integrate into a society they don't really understand and not (even) love could help them do it" moment which I was actually impressed with. Amazing job, really.
Well, I'm done with this for now. Not a lot of actual review in this, I also didn't even notice how annoyed I was with most of this stuff until I started writing this.
Anyway, like I said, I don't think I'm going to continue with a Darkling Plain, but we'll see. I'll read some reviews and decide.
These and many more questions are all left unanswered and I don't think after this ending I'm curious enough to see where this goes. I'm just not. It can't redeem what Reeve keeps doing to Hester and the main relationships, it probably won't even try tbh, this will probably end with horrible deaths and still a "happy" end.
Also the nod to LGBTQ+ with "but youths will be youths and so girls fall in love with girls and boys with boys" wasn't a good way to.. well, idk, accept that they exist? Because there is no rep, we get another totally forced, totally unwanted hetero love story between two characters who have zero chemistry or meaningful conversations that you could mistake as positive feelings towards one another. Also the "youth" part really bothers me. It's not some trend people grow out of.
Also why the everloving fuck did I have to read about Penny- whatshisname again?? Especially in that context? ESPECIALLY WITH THAT ENDING, I MEAN WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!?! Why would Wren choose that stupid, disgusting, pathetic excuse for an old fucker over even so much as an ant?! What bullshit. Catch me murdering the fuck who nearly killed my dad, keeps slaves and is just overall a disgrace to the human race at the first chance I get.
Just no to so many parts of this story, Wren as a character, the butchering of Hester, the treatment of basically everyone else and that whole ordeal with Uncle?! What was that about?? Abused child returns """home""" after 17 frigging years and immediately reverts back to loving their abusive """father figure""" to the point where they threaten their friends at gunpoint?? What?
Also good job Reeve in immediately ruining your own "I'm not like other writers, one of my characters actually didn't manage to magically integrate into a society they don't really understand and not (even) love could help them do it" moment which I was actually impressed with. Amazing job, really.
Well, I'm done with this for now. Not a lot of actual review in this, I also didn't even notice how annoyed I was with most of this stuff until I started writing this.
Anyway, like I said, I don't think I'm going to continue with a Darkling Plain, but we'll see. I'll read some reviews and decide.
Title: Infernal Devices
Author: Phillip Reeve
Series: (if any) The Hungry City Chronicles book 3
Rating:5/5 stars
Format: Audiobook
Why'd you pick this book? Books 1 and 2 were great and captivated my interest
Summary: The mighty engines of Anchorage have been rusted and dead for years. The derelict city no longer roams the Ice Wastes, but has settled on the edge of the land that was once America. Tom Natsworthy and Hester Shaw are happy in the safety of a static settlement, but their daughter, Wren, is desperate for adventure. When a dangerously charming submarine pirate offers her a chance to escape, Wren doesn't think twice about leaving her home and her parents behind. But the pirate wants something in return--Wren must steal the mysterious Tin Book. To do so will ignite a conflict that could tear the whole world apart.
Favorite and Least Favorite part: Favorite: THEY GOT MARRIED! mY BABIES! AND HAD A BABY! OH MAN <3 Also, these books are so well thought out. Least: This one is 16 YEARS AFTER BOOK 2 though its described, I want entire books of how cute Tom and Hester are
If you like this book you might like: Every Day by David Levithan
Author: Phillip Reeve
Series: (if any) The Hungry City Chronicles book 3
Rating:5/5 stars
Format: Audiobook
Why'd you pick this book? Books 1 and 2 were great and captivated my interest
Summary: The mighty engines of Anchorage have been rusted and dead for years. The derelict city no longer roams the Ice Wastes, but has settled on the edge of the land that was once America. Tom Natsworthy and Hester Shaw are happy in the safety of a static settlement, but their daughter, Wren, is desperate for adventure. When a dangerously charming submarine pirate offers her a chance to escape, Wren doesn't think twice about leaving her home and her parents behind. But the pirate wants something in return--Wren must steal the mysterious Tin Book. To do so will ignite a conflict that could tear the whole world apart.
Favorite and Least Favorite part: Favorite: THEY GOT MARRIED! mY BABIES! AND HAD A BABY! OH MAN <3 Also, these books are so well thought out. Least: This one is 16 YEARS AFTER BOOK 2 though its described, I want entire books of how cute Tom and Hester are
If you like this book you might like: Every Day by David Levithan
adventurous
medium-paced
This is the best in the series yet. Started off just ok, but the ending clenches it by showing that Reeve is not interested in writing the stereotypical teen heroine in dystopian world kind of lit. Reeve while writing this one: “F*** your expectations, sir!”