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lucycanread's review against another edition
Adding my thoughts as I read along because I cannot function anymore.
As of Chapter 2El's grief is killing me, my heart is breaking for this girl and I refuse to believe that Orion is actually dead
As of Chapter 6WELL DAMM. That was one hook up I genuinely did not see coming. I'm starting to believe that Orion really is dead. There's no reason any one would be able to live in a maw mouth like that. Plus the spell she cast in the earlier chapters only further confirms what I've been unwilling to see. I feel like my heart is breaking because despite how much he pissed me off right at the end, I loved him and El. I'm not sure how I feel about Leisel, mainly because I'm worried she IS using El for her end goals. God idk anymore š
As of Chapter 2
As of Chapter 6
blove0312's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
Iām wavering on the final āgrade.ā Novik is a masterful storyteller though, and I loved many of these characters completely. So 5 it is.
<i>(A lot of the following was just partial sentences I jotted down as I was reading so I wouldnāt forget. I did try and finagle them into a somewhat intelligible paragraph. But honestly if you finished book two and still came looking for reviews of book threeā¦ maybe call your therapist instead.)</i>
Holy shit. This book pulls no punches. Several things have happened that hit me full on in the face, completely out of the blue.
Namely, the maleficer. Spoiler free. WTF.
But also the summoning spell at the beginning, and reaching through the puddle to FEEL HIM AND HE STILL FOUGHT HER! I couldāve vomited I was so sick and stressed and upset!
And then London?! All of it! The maw mouth. The scheming in such a short window of time. Lieselās offer! The route out. What we learn about the void and how things actually disappearā¦ or donāt.
Liu, Liesel, Aadhya.
Dubai. Mumbai.
Oh my god. The attacks on the enclaves. IT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE š³š
The real truth comes out. <i>(Or many truths is probably more accurate.)</i>
Thereās no downtime. Thereās no breathing room. Weāre jetting across the world and back again, only to head to a new place, and well, only to end up where we began.
I also wish we got more time with her mom. I wanted to see her reaction when she learned her wonderful daughter could kill maw-mouths. Also that her surly daughter actually has friends. Real āIād die for youā friends. And thereās none or almost no dialogue between them when theyāre there.
Dialogue between the characters was sacrificed for the internal monologuing again. I know itās a quicker way to move the ball along, but El fought for those friendships and relationships and Iād have liked to see them continue to grow and strengthen, instead of just being told or āknowingā they did.
I wasnāt ready for what happened, having already resigned myself to something else, and as soon as my eyes dipped down a few lines and cheated, all on their own I assure you, I just lost it. Sobbing so hard I scared all three of my dogs (my bebes) and couldnāt get it together and just. Damn. <i>(however in hindsight, as Iāve been working on this off and on for nearly 40 minutes jumping around, not much else was added to it. And left many questions behind that I canāt voice here.)</i>
I do not like that there is no accountability. No wizard jail for the worst offenders (or even just The One). Probably because so many of them are okay with the means because the ends and they can say they <i>technically</i> didnāt do the bad thing themselvesā¦ I guess itās probably a good thing that El doesnāt just sweep through with fire and brimstoneā¦ especially with the whole maleficer thingā¦ but thatās what some of them deserved. And even better than some deserved. I was full on rooting for it at least two different times for sure, and kept as a solid backup plan for a lot more times.
<b>Worth noting:</b> I suppose itās more realistic that way. Some bad things are stopped, some bad practices eliminated, but not nearly enough people are held accountable or face justice. And it doesnāt ever prevent NEW bad things from popping up. Not everything can be tied up in a neat bow.
Iām really glad I gave up on the rubbish bargainer series; it felt like good karma sending them on their way bc I landed these 3 from the library in the same day. Which are without a doubt in my top 5 series of the year. (Wolfsong/Green Creek canāt be topped, and I donāt think itās better than Magnus Chase but Iām partial to Rick Riordan lol). I donāt even want to give them back. For the first time ever I did selfishly hold onto books 1&2 as I finished them in case I needed to go back and look something up. But I suppose I can force myself to relinquish them. If only because El forced herself not to just obliterate mfs that get on her nerves.
<i>(A lot of the following was just partial sentences I jotted down as I was reading so I wouldnāt forget. I did try and finagle them into a somewhat intelligible paragraph. But honestly if you finished book two and still came looking for reviews of book threeā¦ maybe call your therapist instead.)</i>
Holy shit. This book pulls no punches. Several things have happened that hit me full on in the face, completely out of the blue.
Namely, the maleficer. Spoiler free. WTF.
But also the summoning spell at the beginning, and reaching through the puddle to FEEL HIM AND HE STILL FOUGHT HER! I couldāve vomited I was so sick and stressed and upset!
And then London?! All of it! The maw mouth. The scheming in such a short window of time. Lieselās offer! The route out. What we learn about the void and how things actually disappearā¦ or donāt.
Liu, Liesel, Aadhya.
Dubai. Mumbai.
Oh my god. The attacks on the enclaves. IT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE š³š
The real truth comes out. <i>(Or many truths is probably more accurate.)</i>
Thereās no downtime. Thereās no breathing room. Weāre jetting across the world and back again, only to head to a new place, and well, only to end up where we began.
I also wish we got more time with her mom. I wanted to see her reaction when she learned her wonderful daughter could kill maw-mouths. Also that her surly daughter actually has friends. Real āIād die for youā friends. And thereās none or almost no dialogue between them when theyāre there.
Dialogue between the characters was sacrificed for the internal monologuing again. I know itās a quicker way to move the ball along, but El fought for those friendships and relationships and Iād have liked to see them continue to grow and strengthen, instead of just being told or āknowingā they did.
I wasnāt ready for what happened, having already resigned myself to something else, and as soon as my eyes dipped down a few lines and cheated, all on their own I assure you, I just lost it. Sobbing so hard I scared all three of my dogs (my bebes) and couldnāt get it together and just. Damn. <i>(however in hindsight, as Iāve been working on this off and on for nearly 40 minutes jumping around, not much else was added to it. And left many questions behind that I canāt voice here.)</i>
I do not like that there is no accountability. No wizard jail for the worst offenders (or even just The One). Probably because so many of them are okay with the means because the ends and they can say they <i>technically</i> didnāt do the bad thing themselvesā¦ I guess itās probably a good thing that El doesnāt just sweep through with fire and brimstoneā¦ especially with the whole maleficer thingā¦ but thatās what some of them deserved. And even better than some deserved. I was full on rooting for it at least two different times for sure, and kept as a solid backup plan for a lot more times.
<b>Worth noting:</b> I suppose itās more realistic that way. Some bad things are stopped, some bad practices eliminated, but not nearly enough people are held accountable or face justice. And it doesnāt ever prevent NEW bad things from popping up. Not everything can be tied up in a neat bow.
Iām really glad I gave up on the rubbish bargainer series; it felt like good karma sending them on their way bc I landed these 3 from the library in the same day. Which are without a doubt in my top 5 series of the year. (Wolfsong/Green Creek canāt be topped, and I donāt think itās better than Magnus Chase but Iām partial to Rick Riordan lol). I donāt even want to give them back. For the first time ever I did selfishly hold onto books 1&2 as I finished them in case I needed to go back and look something up. But I suppose I can force myself to relinquish them. If only because El forced herself not to just obliterate mfs that get on her nerves.
finglishknits's review against another edition
4.0
I LOVE THIS SERIES SO MUCH
Thereās definitely weaknesses, but I enjoyed reading this immensely.
Thereās definitely weaknesses, but I enjoyed reading this immensely.
cometgrrl's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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? Yes
5.0
cunninss's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? Yes
4.25
tsap's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.75
bernmetoacrisp's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
wolfmouse's review against another edition
5.0
I really justā¦fell in love with these books from start to finish. Itās hard to remember the last time that I could say such a thing about a series. Iām sad that itās over, and it ended on such a lovely, bittersweet note. Was this a five star trilogy? Beats me. It was a five star experience, though, so Iām gonna go with that.