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starryoatmilk's review against another edition
4.0
Oh. My. God. THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD! At first I was kind of bored, but like ALL FANTASTIC BOOKS after the first couple of chapters I couldn't put it down. The whole Prometheus thing flew right over my head (I had to read that part a couple of times to understand what happened). I can't wait until I get to read the third book.
simplyadrift's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this. The beginning was a bit slow but the rest of it was great! It was perhaps a tad predictable but it was still very enjoyable.
mostlyshanti's review against another edition
3.0
(3.5 stars)I feel so torn with Shadowlark. On one hand, it fits a lot of clichés and had a fairly predictable plot. On the other side, the ‘nature of evil’ theme and the unique world, captured perfectly in captivating writing entranced me. Which side wins?
Loved
I loved all the questions Lark had to deal with on her journey. She’s come a long way from the uncertain girl who doesn’t know her own power—she has become the figurehead of a revolution and a passionate friend. But she still had to decide a lot of things—what does being a good friend mean? Can you love someone who betrayed you? Can someone you love betray you? When should she tell the truth? What does being a good sister mean? What can and can’t you do in the name of the greater good? When is manipulation okay? What responsibility should be attached to power?
I really liked how Wesley was a mentor to her and let her bounce ideas off him, and how Oren’s relationship to her evolved as well. She see’s Oren as a person, but he is basically soulless, which was so interesting. Lark is a really interesting character, and I loved her response to the dark hunger inside herself that was hard to control (metaphor, much?) Magic as a whole is a fascinating way to represent lifeforce/humanity.
The world Spooner develops is also intriguing. I liked it in Skylark, but Shadowlark is focussed on a single place—the city of Lethe—and we get to know it very well. The mix of magic, dystopia, and technology, worked really well for me—it created this entrancing, thrilling atmosphere. I really loved how all the elements worked together, bound in this taut, swift writing. There aren’t any dull moments in Shadowlark.
But…
My major problem with Shadowlark was that the plot was predictable. The minute that Lark picked up the diary I knew that she was going to find out that Prometheus was her brother Of course, I liked the high stakes situations that this ‘plot twist’ enabled, but it was so obvious. I knew it was coming. Well I can admire foreshadowing well done, I don’t like knowing what’s going to happen. The plot was exciting, but predictable.
Shadowlark also relies on a lot of clichés. Dystopias are all over the place these days, and I’ve read lots of them. These are some of the things I’ve seen many times before which also appeared in Shadowlark. (This might slightly spoil you, but it’s non-specific)
-Girl with ‘special’ powers undergoes great trials and becomes the figurehead and quasi-leader of the rebellion without having to think about logistics like food.
-Girl knows special information that can help everyone.
-Girl doesn’t know whether she trusts friend, but still wants to save her.
-Girl has relinquished all right to boys attention; still gets jealous
-Girl is impulsive
-Girl has no parents
- A new government which promised Utopia is anything but.
- Girl will sacrifice herself for people she barely knows.
-Girl will sacrifice people she barely knows for the greater good
-Girl just happens to find the rebels in a big city.
At least she was the second most wanted, not the most wanted fugitive in the city. The way it relied on these clichés irritated me, but I still want to read Lark Ascending, because the series—the writing, the characters, the themes—have potential to be amazing even though they haven’t blown me away yet.
Loved
I loved all the questions Lark had to deal with on her journey. She’s come a long way from the uncertain girl who doesn’t know her own power—she has become the figurehead of a revolution and a passionate friend. But she still had to decide a lot of things—what does being a good friend mean? Can you love someone who betrayed you? Can someone you love betray you? When should she tell the truth? What does being a good sister mean? What can and can’t you do in the name of the greater good? When is manipulation okay? What responsibility should be attached to power?
I really liked how Wesley was a mentor to her and let her bounce ideas off him, and how Oren’s relationship to her evolved as well. She see’s Oren as a person, but he is basically soulless, which was so interesting. Lark is a really interesting character, and I loved her response to the dark hunger inside herself that was hard to control (metaphor, much?) Magic as a whole is a fascinating way to represent lifeforce/humanity.
The world Spooner develops is also intriguing. I liked it in Skylark, but Shadowlark is focussed on a single place—the city of Lethe—and we get to know it very well. The mix of magic, dystopia, and technology, worked really well for me—it created this entrancing, thrilling atmosphere. I really loved how all the elements worked together, bound in this taut, swift writing. There aren’t any dull moments in Shadowlark.
But…
My major problem with Shadowlark was that the plot was predictable. The minute that Lark picked up
Shadowlark also relies on a lot of clichés. Dystopias are all over the place these days, and I’ve read lots of them. These are some of the things I’ve seen many times before which also appeared in Shadowlark. (This might slightly spoil you, but it’s non-specific)
-Girl with ‘special’ powers undergoes great trials and becomes the figurehead and quasi-leader of the rebellion without having to think about logistics like food.
-Girl knows special information that can help everyone.
-Girl doesn’t know whether she trusts friend, but still wants to save her.
-Girl has relinquished all right to boys attention; still gets jealous
-Girl is impulsive
-Girl has no parents
- A new government which promised Utopia is anything but.
- Girl will sacrifice herself for people she barely knows.
-Girl will sacrifice people she barely knows for the greater good
-Girl just happens to find the rebels in a big city.
At least she was the second most wanted, not the most wanted fugitive in the city. The way it relied on these clichés irritated me, but I still want to read Lark Ascending, because the series—the writing, the characters, the themes—have potential to be amazing even though they haven’t blown me away yet.
hollyn_middle's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
ashesmann's review against another edition
4.0
Yay, a middle book that doesn't completely disappoint. It was good, though if I have to complain it's that Lark always jumps to the wrong conclusion and her gut instinct is terrible. Again it was obvious who Prometheus really was, just like (but not exactly haha) it was obvious what Oren was. Anyway. You can usually tell how in to a book I am by how quickly I read it. This was a couple hours while waiting for something at work. I super appreciated that while there was almost a love triangle, the whole stupid thing was in Lark's head. Yay, Oren.
kdotsart's review against another edition
4.0
A fitting 2nd book to this white-knuckled trilogy. Lark continues her journey to find her brother. She now has to deal with what her power actually is and what she can do. Luckily, she has help on the way to discovering both her own powers and the mystery of where Basil has gone.
Still, my favorite character is Nix. He provides that R2-D2 comic relief and common sense. Although I’m still trying to wrap my head around the level of dystopia this trilogy contains, the world makes a little more sense in Lethe. A little. Maybe I’m not meant to fully understand until the 3rd novel. That seems to be where readers are led.
I have always disliked reviewing second books in a series because I don’t want to give away anything from the first book in case someone hasn’t read it yet. So I’ll stop my review here by saying READ THIS SERIES!!!! If you like dystopian novels, books with a magic element, and/or survival novels, you will probably enjoy this book.
Still, my favorite character is Nix. He provides that R2-D2 comic relief and common sense. Although I’m still trying to wrap my head around the level of dystopia this trilogy contains, the world makes a little more sense in Lethe. A little. Maybe I’m not meant to fully understand until the 3rd novel. That seems to be where readers are led.
I have always disliked reviewing second books in a series because I don’t want to give away anything from the first book in case someone hasn’t read it yet. So I’ll stop my review here by saying READ THIS SERIES!!!! If you like dystopian novels, books with a magic element, and/or survival novels, you will probably enjoy this book.
shortstack930's review against another edition
4.0
A bit of a slow start but it really picked up halfway through. I liked Lark's growth throughout the book and I'm interested to see how this all ends.
sophiesmallhands's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
3.25
dragontomes2000's review against another edition
3.0
Still a really enjoyable series so far, but this definitely felt like a bridge between books 1 and 3. I still really liked learning more about this post Earth kind of world and also how we got a more deep dive into the magic elements. Lark is still a really enjoyable lead but the romance which didn't really bother me in book one, bothered me in this one. I also found this installment to be just a tad predictable. It did end up going exactly where I thought it would go but I thought for a moment, just a moment I would have been proven wrong. Meagan Spooner though is an author who has such a talent for writing. This has so far been a beautifully written story that is really hard to hate but it falls into the trope trap and story mold of books that came out around the same time. I like to try and suspend my expectations for the books I have taken a long time to get to but it's hard. But I will say this I am really enjoying this series overall, I do believe it does the dystopian world story a little differently then most and that is why it seems fresh to me.