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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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 out of 5 stars
I liked this ending much better than the last one -- go figure, considering Sanderson made light of how bad the ending was. There was a rather large gap between the last book and this one, but the story still felt cohesive and the ending was sweet. I don't feel like the bow wrapped on this series was perfectly neat or satisfying, but it was a nice read regardless.
I liked this ending much better than the last one -- go figure, considering Sanderson made light of how bad the ending was. There was a rather large gap between the last book and this one, but the story still felt cohesive and the ending was sweet. I don't feel like the bow wrapped on this series was perfectly neat or satisfying, but it was a nice read regardless.
I read this series with my 8 year old. I was getting pretty tired of the series, but looking forward to closing it out and Bastille's POV.
Unfortunately, it was a big letdown. Bastille is supposed to be writing as an adult, but had the voice of an annoying preteen. Her constantly alternating between childishly insulting Alcatraz and mooning after him while denying it got old after the second page. The attempted humor was not funny, and so much of the plot resolution was absurd.
I also did not enjoy the clumsy preteen romance in the Skyward novellas, so will be steering clear of Janci Patterson in the future.
Unfortunately, it was a big letdown. Bastille is supposed to be writing as an adult, but had the voice of an annoying preteen. Her constantly alternating between childishly insulting Alcatraz and mooning after him while denying it got old after the second page. The attempted humor was not funny, and so much of the plot resolution was absurd.
I also did not enjoy the clumsy preteen romance in the Skyward novellas, so will be steering clear of Janci Patterson in the future.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
It was a little disappointing to have the last book from Bastille's perspective, I do like her character but it kind of broke the momentum. Especially since I listened to the graphic audio and loved Alcatraz's performances in previous books. His wit and style was hilarious. Bastille was still fun to listen to and it was great to get her PoV but would have been better in an earlier book, not the finale. Because of this it felt kind of anti climatic.
adventurous
funny
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
I’m not too sure how much Janci did on this book (I’m guessing most of it) versus how much Brandon did (probably not too much), but I think she did a great job of capturing the same feeling that the last 5 books had. It’s a shame that books 4 and 5 didn’t work as well for me because if I had liked them more this would have been an excellent continuation and finale to the series.
I think my overall ranking goes:
- 3 (Knights of Crystallia)
- 1 (Evil Librarians)
- 2 (Scrivener’s Bones)
- 6 (Bastille)
- 4 (Shattered Lens)
- 5 (Dark Talent)
With a significant jump from 4 to Bastille, and another significant jump from 1 to 3.
Bastille is a return to form (for the little that the series deviates from form) and is reminiscent of what I liked most in the series (i.e. the first three books).
Overall it’s a nice conclusion to Alcatraz’s (and Bastille’s) story. If Janci can match Sanderson so effectively here, I have high hopes that she can continue to do so with her other collaborations, and I have a feeling I’d like her other books too (though there is so much else to read that I don’t think I’ll be able to act on this anytime soon).
I think my overall ranking goes:
- 3 (Knights of Crystallia)
- 1 (Evil Librarians)
- 2 (Scrivener’s Bones)
- 6 (Bastille)
- 4 (Shattered Lens)
- 5 (Dark Talent)
With a significant jump from 4 to Bastille, and another significant jump from 1 to 3.
Bastille is a return to form (for the little that the series deviates from form) and is reminiscent of what I liked most in the series (i.e. the first three books).
Overall it’s a nice conclusion to Alcatraz’s (and Bastille’s) story. If Janci can match Sanderson so effectively here, I have high hopes that she can continue to do so with her other collaborations, and I have a feeling I’d like her other books too (though there is so much else to read that I don’t think I’ll be able to act on this anytime soon).
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Great little finale to Sanderson's (probably final) dip into middle grade fiction. While the plot of this book is rough and feels taped-together (the Gak plot thread especially feels stapled on to provide a clean out later in the book) the parts of this book that are about being a friend to someone experiencing a deep personal tragedy are effective and interesting. This book immediately flags itself as being a romance and promising a resolution the Alcatraz/Bastille tension, which I enjoyed immensely - this brand of YA puppy love is so fun!
The way it undercuts one of the big losses from the last book feels bizarre, but I love the way thatAlcatraz never really figures out his relationships with his parents - this felt very honest and satisfying as an ending.
Thanks to the Grain of Sanderson podcast for sending me down this path!
The way it undercuts one of the big losses from the last book feels bizarre, but I love the way that
Thanks to the Grain of Sanderson podcast for sending me down this path!