beckybmckinney's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
sydneys0717's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
4.0
reveal's review against another edition
2.0
i love zoya. what a good, well-written character. LB is amazing at these hardboiled women, and i adored alex from ninth house for the same reasons i like zoya. she's not easy, she wants power, and the reasons for which she wants power have to do with the patriarchy (an extremely common theme throughout lb's bibliography). i think zoyalai is good because of this. they see each other and what holds them back is status. and yet. and yettttt!!! just... *so* good.
lb also learned nobody gives a shit about that much narration and headspace. when it's time for action. i'm very grateful for that; it keeps the second half more to the point (as "more to the point" you can get with 500 fucking pages), but it was a far better reading experience than crooked kingdom. i get the whole vibe of a fairy tale, i appreciate it because i tend to read at night in bed, but there's a point where the story no longer needs it honestly speaking. glad she knows that now.
that's about all the praise i have for this book, because the rest was either mindnumbing, by-the-numbers harry potter-esque, or it was the entire last section of this book, where every single plot twist/reveal was the worst possible choice you could've made here. (nina's climax reminded me so much of ninth house's climax which made kos even worse). it was so bad. like actually horrible. if you can't deliver your narrative promise that you set around 200 pages in (200!!! other books are DONE by 200!!!!) then get the fuck out of my face.
and of course there's the end. like. i read harry potter. i fucking reread it like early last year? please. by the fucking numbers. i'm so not in the mood.
lb also learned nobody gives a shit about that much narration and headspace. when it's time for action. i'm very grateful for that; it keeps the second half more to the point (as "more to the point" you can get with 500 fucking pages), but it was a far better reading experience than crooked kingdom. i get the whole vibe of a fairy tale, i appreciate it because i tend to read at night in bed, but there's a point where the story no longer needs it honestly speaking. glad she knows that now.
that's about all the praise i have for this book, because the rest was either mindnumbing, by-the-numbers harry potter-esque, or it was the entire last section of this book, where every single plot twist/reveal was the worst possible choice you could've made here. (nina's climax reminded me so much of ninth house's climax which made kos even worse). it was so bad. like actually horrible. if you can't deliver your narrative promise that you set around 200 pages in (200!!! other books are DONE by 200!!!!) then get the fuck out of my face.
and of course there's the end. like. i read harry potter. i fucking reread it like early last year? please. by the fucking numbers. i'm so not in the mood.
_lilyyy_'s review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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
4.0
leticiatoraci's review against another edition
4.0
I must confess that I expected more plot and fast paced action after reading about wonder prince ;-) Nikolai in the previous books. A couple of POVs that felt like filler, too many flashbacks and repetitive backstory mentions, especially with Zoya. (yeah I get it, she suffered, I like her character, let's move on please...) underwhelmed me as I was expecting fast paced twists. Instead I got a character driven story that picked its pace only at the end. I will still read the next book, but I hope it will then go faster.
stayarmytiny's review against another edition
4.0
I’m torn between 4 and 4.5 but holy shit I was NOT ready for the ending. thank god I read this book now when the sequel is about to come out in just a few weeks. I’m so ready for the next one I can already tell it’s going to be liiittttt
deannab's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
!!!! Spoilers throughout the review !!!!!
I didn’t like the switch off from the story surrounding Nikolai to Nina’s. They felt too disconnected and I can see how it might fit into the next book but it seemed like it could be its own book. I like Nina’s story but it doesn’t carry the same weight that the plot around Nikolai (& company) does. So, I found myself just skimming through her sections to get back to the others. Also, I felt like Hanne's character came off as very sheltered and needed her handheld along the way. I just don't have patience for it because there is a precedence of the Grishaverse characters to be from harder backgrounds and experience the impact of war-torn nations. Maybe if she had been introduced from her POV I would feel differently. However, we just get that she doesn't want to live up to Fjerdian expectations but does nothing to really change that until Nina needs her. Another aspect I do not like is the ending. It felt like nothing was accomplished because Nikolai still has the demon thing, some random saints are dead, Isaak is dead (presumably), and the Darkling is back. I felt so unsatisfied after closing the book. I hate that the Darkling is back because it undoes all of Alina's sacrifices in the Shadow and Bone series. There could have been a new big bad developed since there were 500 pages to work with. On to some things I enjoyed. I love Zoya and I'm glad to see more of her character's point of view. Her and Nikolai's relationship developing is lovely. I enjoyed Isaak's character but it felt unnecessary to perma-kill him. We spent a good bit of the book in his pov learning his desires and knowing he'll never get them is just a lame end. Also, an attempted assassination would have moved the plot along just as much as his death. Overall, I was entertained but would not read this again, and is my least favorite book in the Grishaverse thus far.
I didn’t like the switch off from the story surrounding Nikolai to Nina’s. They felt too disconnected and I can see how it might fit into the next book but it seemed like it could be its own book. I like Nina’s story but it doesn’t carry the same weight that the plot around Nikolai (& company) does. So, I found myself just skimming through her sections to get back to the others. Also, I felt like Hanne's character came off as very sheltered and needed her handheld along the way. I just don't have patience for it because there is a precedence of the Grishaverse characters to be from harder backgrounds and experience the impact of war-torn nations. Maybe if she had been introduced from her POV I would feel differently. However, we just get that she doesn't want to live up to Fjerdian expectations but does nothing to really change that until Nina needs her. Another aspect I do not like is the ending. It felt like nothing was accomplished because Nikolai still has the demon thing, some random saints are dead, Isaak is dead (presumably), and the Darkling is back. I felt so unsatisfied after closing the book. I hate that the Darkling is back because it undoes all of Alina's sacrifices in the Shadow and Bone series. There could have been a new big bad developed since there were 500 pages to work with. On to some things I enjoyed. I love Zoya and I'm glad to see more of her character's point of view. Her and Nikolai's relationship developing is lovely. I enjoyed Isaak's character but it felt unnecessary to perma-kill him. We spent a good bit of the book in his pov learning his desires and knowing he'll never get them is just a lame end. Also, an attempted assassination would have moved the plot along just as much as his death. Overall, I was entertained but would not read this again, and is my least favorite book in the Grishaverse thus far.
klb_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.0
dancin_ladybird's review against another edition
1.0
DNF - third attempt to try to get through this book. I got further than I had done., But when I got half way through and I still DID. NOT. CARE. I decided enough was enough. Good bye and good riddance.
hufflepuff_baudelaire's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I really loved this book, it was really fun and interesting. However I feel that if the plot followed or intertwined more with the previous stories, it would have been a little more likeable. It was obviously stunning but the plots sometimes didn't make sense like the Saints we were only briefly introduced to in the first two series. The cliffhanger at the end knocked the breath out of me. Amazing as always, well played Leigh Bardugo!