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4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
reflective
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:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Definite improvement on the first book, but a slow burner.
I appreciate the attention to detail and the intricate world-building (which are probably my favourite aspects of Samantha Shannon’s writing) - but the references to London’s street names and landmarks can get a bit tedious. I think those details can afford to be overlooked every now and then.
I was relived to see Paige and Arcturus’ relationship wasn’t the main focus. Nothing was too forced or cliched. Also meant that we got to see Paige grow and come into her own.
Not particularly invested in any of the characters, but still keen to read on and see where the story goes next!
I appreciate the attention to detail and the intricate world-building (which are probably my favourite aspects of Samantha Shannon’s writing) - but the references to London’s street names and landmarks can get a bit tedious. I think those details can afford to be overlooked every now and then.
I was relived to see Paige and Arcturus’ relationship wasn’t the main focus. Nothing was too forced or cliched. Also meant that we got to see Paige grow and come into her own.
Not particularly invested in any of the characters, but still keen to read on and see where the story goes next!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
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:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
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:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Solid 3.5⭐️ primarily for how atrocious the beginning was. This was soooo boring at the start…like extremely boring, it was borderline torture to get through. Super slow and nothing was really happening, then it picked up suddenly around 40% and got interesting, which I’ll admit was a surprise to me. I thought I’d hate it from start to finish but I began to change my mind halfway through.
I can appreciate how Shannon is setting it up—the world, politics, and character abilities are so complex that it wouldn’t make any sense without the background information; however, the pacing felt way off to me. We get random info dumps throughout the book (much like how it was in the bone season) which are confusing and difficult to digest at one time instead of being peppered throughout, and the first half of the book is nothing but laying groundwork for the rest of the series.You don’t even see (or really hear about) Warden until around halfway through so it seems a bit disjointed from where the first book leaves off
Overall it was just intriguing enough that I will continue on with Sabaa Tahir’s glowing recommendation of this series—looking forward to seeing the redeeming qualities she picked up on.
I can appreciate how Shannon is setting it up—the world, politics, and character abilities are so complex that it wouldn’t make any sense without the background information; however, the pacing felt way off to me. We get random info dumps throughout the book (much like how it was in the bone season) which are confusing and difficult to digest at one time instead of being peppered throughout, and the first half of the book is nothing but laying groundwork for the rest of the series.
Overall it was just intriguing enough that I will continue on with Sabaa Tahir’s glowing recommendation of this series—looking forward to seeing the redeeming qualities she picked up on.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
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:
No
!!! Um excuse me, that was so good?! What a sequel! Definitely recommend to people who need a book series full of adventure, rebellion and suave. Samantha spun an intricate plot web, created a simple yet sophisticated magic system, and brought a dystopian London to life in this mysterious, action packed sequel and I have zero doubt the rest of the series will be just as mind blowing.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes