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4.26 AVERAGE
4.26 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
You know, when I sit and think about everything that I can remember happening in this book for plot, I find it real hard to believe it needed to be 23hrs. There's so much being said without enough actually happening.
I think the most frustrating thing about it is that while the plot with Riadne and Vehan is SO compelling and DOES SEEM to be the driving force of the overall series, it spends SO MUCH TIME on Arlo who I find the least interesting part of the series. I want to DIG IN to those politics and the magic so much more, not learn about Arlo learning how to dnd her magic. And Nausicaa does seem to be in a different plot altogether, only truly tied in through Arlo, who I still can't quite understand why she's the main focus of the book when it probably should be Vehan.
I think the most frustrating thing about it is that while the plot with Riadne and Vehan is SO compelling and DOES SEEM to be the driving force of the overall series, it spends SO MUCH TIME on Arlo who I find the least interesting part of the series. I want to DIG IN to those politics and the magic so much more, not learn about Arlo learning how to dnd her magic. And Nausicaa does seem to be in a different plot altogether, only truly tied in through Arlo, who I still can't quite understand why she's the main focus of the book when it probably should be Vehan.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
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:
Complicated
The book in which I tried to read physically after listening to the first one and quickly got humbled and ran to find the audiobook. And ANNOYINGLY none of the libraries I had a card at had the audiobook so I had to buy it. Which ig if there was ever an author I wanted to support and buy an audiobook for it would 100% be this one so its fine Im chilling with it. Except for the part where after I bought it and the 3rd book my library decided to ALSO add it to their libby collection! Almost like they did it just to spite me, how rude.
I spent this entire book very nervously on edge waiting for shit to blow because I KNEW it would and it did and i promptly flipped my shit when it did. Its like ADAHS was the calm, and this book was the build up to all hell breaking loose. Im sure AGASV will be that hell. Riadne is a deeply deeply twisted woman with like 8 faces none of which you can actually trust even if you were Vehan, her own son, and its so fucking unsettling to watch. You know she's up to something the entire fuckin 400 something page book and theres not a damn thing you can do about it but watch it unfold. But she's so cool despite that like her entire deal really works for her and makes her a hell of an interesting character. It was cool to run around the summer palace for the book, somewhere new learning new things about Arlo's magic and even about Vehan and Aurelian's day to day life with sprinkles of Nausicaa's past too. Character building is the name of the game friends!
I liked Celedon's inclusion here a lot too. Because obviously hes an important character already in ADAHS being Arlo's best friend and cousin and part of the royals but his POV was very welcome in learning more ab him on his own. His plot twist was one I had a very sneaky suspicion about for a while before it actually got revealed but I still had that "they're not actually gonna do that are they? thats not whats going on is it?" so the shock factor was still very much there. I loved Theo too he's a very minor side character but I think he'll probably become more important and I welcome it openly. This was also the book where our four main idiots get off their ass and finally get together with their LI's finally! After almost 2 books of pining! Putting us all out of our misery! And it was everything I hoped for and more incase you were wondering.
Shits going to get very very real in AGASV anybody can see that from the jaw dropping (my jaw is still on the floor), earth shattering (the earth might still be shattered), ending and I threw a fit when I had to wait the like 3 weeks between books 2 and 3 and I truly don't know how the strongest soldiers waited longer than that. Could not be me besties.
I spent this entire book very nervously on edge waiting for shit to blow because I KNEW it would and it did and i promptly flipped my shit when it did. Its like ADAHS was the calm, and this book was the build up to all hell breaking loose. Im sure AGASV will be that hell. Riadne is a deeply deeply twisted woman with like 8 faces none of which you can actually trust even if you were Vehan, her own son, and its so fucking unsettling to watch. You know she's up to something the entire fuckin 400 something page book and theres not a damn thing you can do about it but watch it unfold. But she's so cool despite that like her entire deal really works for her and makes her a hell of an interesting character. It was cool to run around the summer palace for the book, somewhere new learning new things about Arlo's magic and even about Vehan and Aurelian's day to day life with sprinkles of Nausicaa's past too. Character building is the name of the game friends!
I liked Celedon's inclusion here a lot too. Because obviously hes an important character already in ADAHS being Arlo's best friend and cousin and part of the royals but his POV was very welcome in learning more ab him on his own. His plot twist was one I had a very sneaky suspicion about for a while before it actually got revealed but I still had that "they're not actually gonna do that are they? thats not whats going on is it?" so the shock factor was still very much there. I loved Theo too he's a very minor side character but I think he'll probably become more important and I welcome it openly. This was also the book where our four main idiots get off their ass and finally get together with their LI's finally! After almost 2 books of pining! Putting us all out of our misery! And it was everything I hoped for and more incase you were wondering.
Shits going to get very very real in AGASV anybody can see that from the jaw dropping (my jaw is still on the floor), earth shattering (the earth might still be shattered), ending and I threw a fit when I had to wait the like 3 weeks between books 2 and 3 and I truly don't know how the strongest soldiers waited longer than that. Could not be me besties.
4.5/5
Just like the first book, the beginning was a little bit slow for me, I liked it but it took me much longer to get to the part where I'm not able to put the book down, usually it's instant, with this book it took a bit longer, but the end... Oh my god, it was amazing. The story, the mystery, the couples... I loved it
Just like the first book, the beginning was a little bit slow for me, I liked it but it took me much longer to get to the part where I'm not able to put the book down, usually it's instant, with this book it took a bit longer, but the end... Oh my god, it was amazing. The story, the mystery, the couples... I loved it
A Cruel and Fated Light is a worthy sequel to A Dark and Hollow Star, captivating to read even if the actual plot is a bit less defined than in the first book. If ADAHS was overall a fun ride, ACAFL has a heavier feeling to it: it is clear that, after what happened in the first book, the characters had come to discover harsher truths of their world, to understand they have a role of heroes weighting on their shoulders- one they can’t shy away from.
This second installment is in fact heavily focused on the characters, their evolution and the relationships between them (Nausicaa and Arlo are giving me life). It’s no surprise that I keep just wanting to hug everyone, especially Arlo: she is a main character that I’ve always adored and related to, for her struggles and her way of moving through the world, and this became even more clear to me after certain choices she made in this book.
ACAFL also gives some insight into certain interesting backstories (Riadne may be a bitch, but she is also an incredibly well-built and understandable villain) and answer some questions left unsaid in the first book.
I’m absolutely loving the world Ashley is building, the intertwin of urban fantasy with fairies and mythological creatures through the key element of alchemy, so I can’t but keep recommending this series- even if the ending of A Cruel and Fated Light was BRUTAL, and I’m simultaneously dreading and waiting desperately for the next book.
This second installment is in fact heavily focused on the characters, their evolution and the relationships between them (Nausicaa and Arlo are giving me life). It’s no surprise that I keep just wanting to hug everyone, especially Arlo: she is a main character that I’ve always adored and related to, for her struggles and her way of moving through the world, and this became even more clear to me after certain choices she made in this book.
ACAFL also gives some insight into certain interesting backstories (Riadne may be a bitch, but she is also an incredibly well-built and understandable villain) and answer some questions left unsaid in the first book.
I’m absolutely loving the world Ashley is building, the intertwin of urban fantasy with fairies and mythological creatures through the key element of alchemy, so I can’t but keep recommending this series- even if the ending of A Cruel and Fated Light was BRUTAL, and I’m simultaneously dreading and waiting desperately for the next book.
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
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