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4.41 AVERAGE
4.41 AVERAGE
If someone had done a search for "Ali blinked." and removed at least half of the occurrences, it would be even better.
This is one heck of a book.
The time jump from book one is a bit jarring. It makes sense for the story, but it took a while for my mind to adapt to the change. Beyond that, though, an excellent experience. I love the author's style, and the way the characters weave their own plans so clearly.
Already can't wait for book 3! :)
The time jump from book one is a bit jarring. It makes sense for the story, but it took a while for my mind to adapt to the change. Beyond that, though, an excellent experience. I love the author's style, and the way the characters weave their own plans so clearly.
Already can't wait for book 3! :)
Some second book syndrome since it did drag a bit, but damn was that ending wild enough to make it all worth it!!!! I love all these characters, even the terrible ones so much.
Now I absolutely cannot wait for the next book. The second was even better than the first - great characters, rich world-building, palace intrigue... what more could you ask for?
5 Stars
Me @ me: june marianne, the sequel is coming out in june, just june, just one month from now -
Also me: I'VE DONE MY WAITING. 12 SECONDS OF IT. IN AZKABAN!
This was a wild ride ending on an evil cliffhanger. Should I have really been surprised after the ending of the last book? I still have so many questions!
I love that basically the majority of this book's political intrigue centres around a hospital and the providing of healthcare to Daevabad's people. It's such a contentious issue in the real world and it translates so well into fantasy. The political intrigue, as in the first book, is *chef's kiss*. It's super messy, just like in real life, and you kind of sympathise and despise everyone simultaneously. How things come together and how all the tension escalates is incredible - I felt like there were five million different kinds of revolts/riots going on at one point, and it's chaotic but in a way that just feels natural. Again, just like in real life, there are never really just two sides.
One of my favourite aspects of this series is the characters. I still love Nahri with all my heart, and Ali, Zaynab, and Jamshid are up there too. I also have a soft spot for Munthadhir, even though he is basically a dickhead throughout most of this book. He really shines at the end . Hatset is probably my favourite new character - I hope we see more of her in the sequel! Then there's Dara...
OK, confession. This book was actually a little slower-paced for me than the last, only because I struggled with Dara's sections sometimes. This was mostly because I was just so intensely invested in what was happening in Daevabad itself. (I mean, when I say struggled, I mean they were the only times when I could actually put the book down, which was kind of handy as I needed to stop sometimes, for work and sleep and stuff!). Dara is also one of those characters who I sometimes like and sometimes want to throw to the ghouls. He is fascinating in his own way, but man, can he be irritating! I liked his sections well enough and they're definitely necessary, but personal preference meant I wasn't quite as excited to read them as Nahri and Ali's POVs. His sections were 4* reads while theirs were like, beyond 5* for me.
This review probably doesn't make much sense because it's 3am but I had to release all my thoughts now while they were fresh. There are so many things I can't wait for in Empire of Gold...it's a good thing I have some pretty good books lined up to read before then, to keep me distracted!
Me @ me: june marianne, the sequel is coming out in june, just june, just one month from now -
Also me: I'VE DONE MY WAITING. 12 SECONDS OF IT. IN AZKABAN!
This was a wild ride ending on an evil cliffhanger. Should I have really been surprised after the ending of the last book? I still have so many questions!
I love that basically the majority of this book's political intrigue centres around a hospital and the providing of healthcare to Daevabad's people. It's such a contentious issue in the real world and it translates so well into fantasy. The political intrigue, as in the first book, is *chef's kiss*. It's super messy, just like in real life, and you kind of sympathise and despise everyone simultaneously. How things come together and how all the tension escalates is incredible - I felt like there were five million different kinds of revolts/riots going on at one point, and it's chaotic but in a way that just feels natural. Again, just like in real life, there are never really just two sides.
One of my favourite aspects of this series is the characters. I still love Nahri with all my heart, and Ali, Zaynab, and Jamshid are up there too.
Spoiler
Nahri and Jamshid acting like siblings without knowing they were actually siblings was so cute, my poor heart couldn't take it.Spoiler
(he's dying and still managing to annoy the hell out of Dara and make me laugh out loud. Love him for that.)OK, confession. This book was actually a little slower-paced for me than the last, only because I struggled with Dara's sections sometimes. This was mostly because I was just so intensely invested in what was happening in Daevabad itself. (I mean, when I say struggled, I mean they were the only times when I could actually put the book down, which was kind of handy as I needed to stop sometimes, for work and sleep and stuff!). Dara is also one of those characters who I sometimes like and sometimes want to throw to the ghouls. He is fascinating in his own way, but man, can he be irritating!
Spoiler
I want him to find peace, but I really don't ship him with Nahri.Spoiler
Surprisingly, I don't hate Nahri and Ali as a pairing, even though I'm kind of sad their beautiful friendship wasn't just that. To be fair, they really do work, and are good for each other!Spoiler
especially learning more about ManizhehThis review probably doesn't make much sense because it's 3am but I had to release all my thoughts now while they were fresh. There are so many things I can't wait for in Empire of Gold...it's a good thing I have some pretty good books lined up to read before then, to keep me distracted!
As expected, S.A. Chakraborty basically took my heart and stomped on it until it fragmented into pieces. Gutted and sad for every single character right now.
And selfishly sad for myself as I still have to wait two whole weeks for the conclusion of this story.
And selfishly sad for myself as I still have to wait two whole weeks for the conclusion of this story.
I promised myself after "The Broken Earth" trilogy I wasn't getting involved in another unfinished trilogy-- this is the perfect example as to why. I will spent the next months frantically hypothesizing with fellow readers and find, as with this one, that my best-thought-out theories are expanded to new heights of detail and nuance while at the same time shouting BUT OF COURSE IT WAS HER ALL ALONG!!!
Chakraborty deserves great praise for her utter refusal to allow anyone in her novels the moral high ground no matter how loudly they lay claim to that geography. At the same time she allows virtually no one to go un-redeemed such that--in spite of oneself-- the reader holds their breath for the fratricide, crosses their fingers for the would-be assassin, and wishes devoutly for the happy ending for the war criminal. Utterly brilliant and deserving of all of the accolades that have been heaped upon this series so far.
....is book three out yet?
Chakraborty deserves great praise for her utter refusal to allow anyone in her novels the moral high ground no matter how loudly they lay claim to that geography. At the same time she allows virtually no one to go un-redeemed such that--in spite of oneself-- the reader holds their breath for the fratricide, crosses their fingers for the would-be assassin, and wishes devoutly for the happy ending for the war criminal. Utterly brilliant and deserving of all of the accolades that have been heaped upon this series so far.
....is book three out yet?
I would give this a hundred million stars if I could. A bit of a slow start, but that might have been due to how much time passed between reading the first book and this one. But the second half. My god. Elevated pulse. Rapid breathing. Gut-wrenching unintentional betrayal after gut-wrenching unintentional betrayal. The build up. The pay off. The heart break. The cliffhanger. 500,000,000 stars.