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rwxtd's review against another edition
3.0
I have a *lot* to say about this one, so buckle up, folks. (There will be spoilers for The Girl At Midnight in this review, obviously, so be warned.)
Most of my opinions/thoughts/feelings about this book, similar to how I felt about the first book in this series, have to do with the characters and romantic relationships rather than the plot. The plot is fine. It's not the most original, but it's not bad. Three stars is about accurate. It was a bit more interesting/less predictable in this book than it was in the first one. Dorian, Jasper, and Ivy were a lot more plot-relevant in this one, which was nice. I'm pretty much just reading the series because of them, so I appreciated that, and it's nice to see the Pretty Gay Boys get to do something other than be pretty and gay.
On to the romantic relationships! I've found that in this series, the romantic relationships are equally as important/prominent as the actual plot, if not more so, and there are *so many* romance subplots to keep track of.
-First we have the Rowan/Echo/Caius love triangle, and can I just say, I *despise* love triangles, and this one is very cliche. I found myself rolling my eyes constantly. This romance plot is just all of the classic love triangle tropes smashed together, and it's not interesting or unique at all. I still don't really like Caius or Echo very much- Caius isn't as icky in this book, but he is a lot more boring, so there's that. Echo learning how to be the firebird and use her power is decent, but she's still a shitty girlfriend. The Rowan/Echo relationship develops a bit more which is kind of cute, but it really just feeds into more cliche love triangle tropes, and also Rowan deserves better.
-Next we have Dorian/Jasper! I *loved* Dorian and Jasper in this book. I was on the fence about Jasper for a lot of the first book, particularly after that one very icky conversation he had with Caius, but I elected to give Jasper the benefit of the doubt after seeing that a. he genuinely cares about Dorian, b. he respects Dorian's boundaries, and c. Dorian is interested. (That particular conversation from the first book is never addressed. I'm not sure why it was there at all, and honestly it would have been better if it wasn't. They really just pretended it didn't happen, which is maybe better because it was very icky and weirdly out of character for both Jasper and Caius.) In this book, though, we get to see more of Jasper's backstory, when we are introduced to Quinn- as soon as Quinn was introduced (pretty early on, so I'm not counting it as a spoiler) I became very protective of Jasper (as did Dorian, it was very cute). I like Jasper a lot more now than I did at the end of the first book. Quinn, as a character, is intentionally *extremely* icky and very manipulative, and he does a lot of very icky things as well. I was a bit concerned when Quinn was introduced for a few reasons: first, Echo called it a "love triangle" (????? Echo, you have two boyfriends, you don't get to complain about someone else's love triangle) so I was a bit worried they would try and turn it into an actual love triangle, which it most certainly was not and should not be. I was also a bit worried that the outcome of that particular subplot would end up being icky/bad/problematic, but fortunately they were able to pull it off decently. They didn't drag that particular subplot out for longer than was necessary, which I appreciated.
(EDIT: It has been several months since I've read this series, and mostly I'm editing this review because I'm bored. One of the few things that I actually really liked about this book series was that Jasper is super respectful of Dorian's boundaries- in contrast with Quinn, who is super disrespectful of any and all boundaries, you can see that really clearly. I personally think that communication and boundaries are both really important in a functional relationship, so I really appreciate that Jasper is surprisingly good at both of those things.)
In summary: the plot is basically on the same level as the plot of the last book was. The primary love triangle is exhausting and very cliche. The secondary romance subplot is wonderful and I love Jasper and Dorian with all my heart, but if emotional manipulation is a trigger for you, be wary. They don't go into a ton of detail, so it should be easy enough to skip over if you need, but it is in there. Ivy gets to do important things (yay!) as do Jasper and Dorian (also yay!).
**I would also like to address the fact that one of the characters does say "M'lady" unironically, which I can't not comment on. Why would you do that. Now I can't support that relationship on principle. I should really stop reading books where so many of the characters are straight men.
Most of my opinions/thoughts/feelings about this book, similar to how I felt about the first book in this series, have to do with the characters and romantic relationships rather than the plot. The plot is fine. It's not the most original, but it's not bad. Three stars is about accurate. It was a bit more interesting/less predictable in this book than it was in the first one. Dorian, Jasper, and Ivy were a lot more plot-relevant in this one, which was nice. I'm pretty much just reading the series because of them, so I appreciated that, and it's nice to see the Pretty Gay Boys get to do something other than be pretty and gay.
On to the romantic relationships! I've found that in this series, the romantic relationships are equally as important/prominent as the actual plot, if not more so, and there are *so many* romance subplots to keep track of.
-First we have the Rowan/Echo/Caius love triangle, and can I just say, I *despise* love triangles, and this one is very cliche. I found myself rolling my eyes constantly. This romance plot is just all of the classic love triangle tropes smashed together, and it's not interesting or unique at all. I still don't really like Caius or Echo very much- Caius isn't as icky in this book, but he is a lot more boring, so there's that. Echo learning how to be the firebird and use her power is decent, but she's still a shitty girlfriend. The Rowan/Echo relationship develops a bit more which is kind of cute, but it really just feeds into more cliche love triangle tropes, and also Rowan deserves better.
-Next we have Dorian/Jasper! I *loved* Dorian and Jasper in this book. I was on the fence about Jasper for a lot of the first book, particularly after that one very icky conversation he had with Caius, but I elected to give Jasper the benefit of the doubt after seeing that a. he genuinely cares about Dorian, b. he respects Dorian's boundaries, and c. Dorian is interested. (That particular conversation from the first book is never addressed. I'm not sure why it was there at all, and honestly it would have been better if it wasn't. They really just pretended it didn't happen, which is maybe better because it was very icky and weirdly out of character for both Jasper and Caius.) In this book, though, we get to see more of Jasper's backstory, when we are introduced to Quinn- as soon as Quinn was introduced (pretty early on, so I'm not counting it as a spoiler) I became very protective of Jasper (as did Dorian, it was very cute). I like Jasper a lot more now than I did at the end of the first book. Quinn, as a character, is intentionally *extremely* icky and very manipulative, and he does a lot of very icky things as well. I was a bit concerned when Quinn was introduced for a few reasons: first, Echo called it a "love triangle" (????? Echo, you have two boyfriends, you don't get to complain about someone else's love triangle) so I was a bit worried they would try and turn it into an actual love triangle, which it most certainly was not and should not be. I was also a bit worried that the outcome of that particular subplot would end up being icky/bad/problematic, but fortunately they were able to pull it off decently. They didn't drag that particular subplot out for longer than was necessary, which I appreciated.
(EDIT: It has been several months since I've read this series, and mostly I'm editing this review because I'm bored. One of the few things that I actually really liked about this book series was that Jasper is super respectful of Dorian's boundaries- in contrast with Quinn, who is super disrespectful of any and all boundaries, you can see that really clearly. I personally think that communication and boundaries are both really important in a functional relationship, so I really appreciate that Jasper is surprisingly good at both of those things.)
In summary: the plot is basically on the same level as the plot of the last book was. The primary love triangle is exhausting and very cliche. The secondary romance subplot is wonderful and I love Jasper and Dorian with all my heart, but if emotional manipulation is a trigger for you, be wary. They don't go into a ton of detail, so it should be easy enough to skip over if you need, but it is in there. Ivy gets to do important things (yay!) as do Jasper and Dorian (also yay!).
**I would also like to address the fact that one of the characters does say "M'lady" unironically, which I can't not comment on. Why would you do that. Now I can't support that relationship on principle. I should really stop reading books where so many of the characters are straight men.
the_bookish_scorpio's review against another edition
2.0
Un libro che è un wannabe "La Chimera di Praga" in concept e vibes.
SPOILER: non ci è riuscito.
SPOILER: non ci è riuscito.
snowblu3's review against another edition
2.0
The first book in the series was fluff but delightful fluff. The writing in the first wasn't the best, but the story was engaging and it had its redeeming qualities. This one, though. Meh. It's just dragging on. When I was forcing myself to at least skim through the last quarter of the book, I decided there was no point in continuing. I don't know how it ends and I don't care! It's a shame since the first one was much better. This one feels uninspired.
ang_hickey's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
celsius273's review against another edition
3.0
Island hopping, the global edition part two; except it’s not islands and it’s also not WWII.
Much like its predecessor, this book is a lot of travelling (made convenient thanks to magic dust) from NYC to Scotland and China and who knows where else. But rather than searching for the firebird, The Shadow Hour follows Echo and co. around the world as they try to cobble together a plan to defeat an evil darkness released at the same time the firebird was. Yes, this book simplifies down quite literally to light vs. dark. And if that sounds familiar, yes you’ve read this before in the Grisha series.
So I just mentally summarized the book and it seems pretty packed with stuff going on, yet somehow when I finished the book it feels like it was pretty sparse on action. The gang is holed up in a London safehouse because literally everyone is out to kill Echo and her conspirators, but then some shit goes down with the darkness rearing its head and suddenly Echo and co. find themselves teaming back up with the Avicen to try and figure out what the hell is going on. Echo, Caius, and Rowan (oh joy, doesn’t that seem fun) end up sneaking off chasing a tip for information and somehow end up in China and finally back in the UK for the final showdown. Meanwhile, Ivy, Dorian, Jasper, and a newcomer warlock infiltrate the Drakharin base to retrieve Caius’ notes on the darkness plaguing them running into their fair share of problems along the way. This split narration - EVERYONE gets to narrate I’m pretty sure at one point or another - keeps things interesting because things will cut off in one story and jump to the other keeping me reading on.
See everything in this book is about gathering information, preparing for a battle and though there is a pretty epic battle scene to conclude the book, it seems abrupt and random and out of place to the more low key pacing of this book. Much of this book instead focused on the gang working out their feelings for each other and here is where I announce an astonishing fact about this book.
Ready?
This book has not one but two love triangles. Yes that’s right, TWO LOVE TRIANGLES. Like how can that even happen? Well the first one is the one we all know, the Echo - Caius - Rowan one and I thought it was done at the end of the first book but apparently not. The thing is, Caius is so patient with the whole thing (and I suppose that has to come with being so old and everything) and even after confessing his love and Echo being hesitant, he accepts it and is chill even while I’m internally screaming. I was not too thrilled with Caius in the first book because it was the “falling for the bad guy and making him good” trope all over again but he’s actually such a nice guy to Echo and ugh, he’s been through so much and the least he deserves is to have a nice romance I think. So yeah, I was not having Rowan’s return in this book, especially because he’s actually an ass to both Echo and Caius in this book.
The other love triangle is with Dorian, Jasper, and Quinn, that warlock they hire. Turns out Quinn and Jasper were a thing (and tbh, it was pretty predatory and low key statuary from the way it was described) and I thought it was totally unnecessary to add in another love triangle with them. I mean fine, it serves it purpose by making Dorian get his act together and I still just want him and Jasper to bang already because they have so much chemistry together, like they’re actually basically the caricature of gay book couple. But alas, they both have stuff to work through so we’ll have to wait to the next book to get resolution.
Perhaps why I felt like nothing fun happened in this book was because like half of it was the Echo, Caius, Rowan shit show. It really is quite good when it comes to the actual writing and with the cliffhanger and resigned tone that this book ends with, you know that something big is going to happen in the next book.
Much like its predecessor, this book is a lot of travelling (made convenient thanks to magic dust) from NYC to Scotland and China and who knows where else. But rather than searching for the firebird, The Shadow Hour follows Echo and co. around the world as they try to cobble together a plan to defeat an evil darkness released at the same time the firebird was. Yes, this book simplifies down quite literally to light vs. dark. And if that sounds familiar, yes you’ve read this before in the Grisha series.
So I just mentally summarized the book and it seems pretty packed with stuff going on, yet somehow when I finished the book it feels like it was pretty sparse on action. The gang is holed up in a London safehouse because literally everyone is out to kill Echo and her conspirators, but then some shit goes down with the darkness rearing its head and suddenly Echo and co. find themselves teaming back up with the Avicen to try and figure out what the hell is going on. Echo, Caius, and Rowan (oh joy, doesn’t that seem fun) end up sneaking off chasing a tip for information and somehow end up in China and finally back in the UK for the final showdown. Meanwhile, Ivy, Dorian, Jasper, and a newcomer warlock infiltrate the Drakharin base to retrieve Caius’ notes on the darkness plaguing them running into their fair share of problems along the way. This split narration - EVERYONE gets to narrate I’m pretty sure at one point or another - keeps things interesting because things will cut off in one story and jump to the other keeping me reading on.
See everything in this book is about gathering information, preparing for a battle and though there is a pretty epic battle scene to conclude the book, it seems abrupt and random and out of place to the more low key pacing of this book. Much of this book instead focused on the gang working out their feelings for each other and here is where I announce an astonishing fact about this book.
Ready?
This book has not one but two love triangles. Yes that’s right, TWO LOVE TRIANGLES. Like how can that even happen? Well the first one is the one we all know, the Echo - Caius - Rowan one and I thought it was done at the end of the first book but apparently not. The thing is, Caius is so patient with the whole thing (and I suppose that has to come with being so old and everything) and even after confessing his love and Echo being hesitant, he accepts it and is chill even while I’m internally screaming. I was not too thrilled with Caius in the first book because it was the “falling for the bad guy and making him good” trope all over again but he’s actually such a nice guy to Echo and ugh, he’s been through so much and the least he deserves is to have a nice romance I think. So yeah, I was not having Rowan’s return in this book, especially because he’s actually an ass to both Echo and Caius in this book.
The other love triangle is with Dorian, Jasper, and Quinn, that warlock they hire. Turns out Quinn and Jasper were a thing (and tbh, it was pretty predatory and low key statuary from the way it was described) and I thought it was totally unnecessary to add in another love triangle with them. I mean fine, it serves it purpose by making Dorian get his act together and I still just want him and Jasper to bang already because they have so much chemistry together, like they’re actually basically the caricature of gay book couple. But alas, they both have stuff to work through so we’ll have to wait to the next book to get resolution.
Perhaps why I felt like nothing fun happened in this book was because like half of it was the Echo, Caius, Rowan shit show. It really is quite good when it comes to the actual writing and with the cliffhanger and resigned tone that this book ends with, you know that something big is going to happen in the next book.
knight101's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
lcasswrites's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't enjoy this quite as much as book 1, but it was still a good read with a terrific main character. I'll definitely be tuning in for the final book in the series
erinarkin20's review against another edition
5.0
Sooooo good! How am I going survive waiting for the next book???
Full review to come.
Full review to come.