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alix_sottovoce's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
kylegach's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
peachyningyo's review against another edition
5.0
I don’t think I have ever read anything so epic and so fucking confusing. Thanks a lot Tamsyn. Now I must stare at a wall for 24hrs and contemplate everything.
ario_bobario's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
radiance_01's review against another edition
5.0
I will preface this by saying - this book made me irrevocably, horrifically sad.
Again, the tonal difference between the previous two books makes this a refreshing read, something familiar and something new at the same time, yet this one particularly pulled at my heartstrings. Gideon the Ninth and Harrow the Ninth focused so much on the two of them, their own struggles, their fight for survival, and then along came Nona. Nona wanted for nothing.
It was a story about a found family that was shattered, broken, and yet together. Pyrrha Dve had lost her Necromancer, a man she loved, and the woman she loved once as well. Camilla and Palamedes were two souls sharing one body, cursed to never speak to one another again and yet comforted by knowing the other was there, even if it was killing them. And Nona, who was her own, free soul, who was never destined to have her own life because she was one of two people, and yet no one knew which, and she was just her. A girl who had a family she loved and a life she treasured and a simple, lovely outlook on this world.
All of the darkness of GtN and HtN was in the background of NtN, hidden behind her childish, yet optimistic outlook. We watch her grow and the gaps in our knowledge fill out, the Blood of Eden showing themselves not entirely as a unified resistance, of God and his last Lyctor fighting for survival and control, and the stakes only grow higher as you approach the end of the book.
The last third of Nona the Ninth was enthralling. It made me cry.
Questions still remained by the end of it, ones brought up and other questions answered, and yet through it all I was still struck by Nona herself - a girl who wanted a normal life, a family, to simply be happy, and yet she was the key to everything that she knew she didn't want, and she did everything for the people she loved. Rather than the story revolving with Nona in orbit, this story was told around her, despite what she wanted. Despite knowing she was always apparently meant to be someone else, she was a whole character in herself, one who loved and was loved, and this whole book moved me to tears.
10/10 recommended to anyone who wants to read and feel like they need a cry in a hot bath at the end of it.
Again, the tonal difference between the previous two books makes this a refreshing read, something familiar and something new at the same time, yet this one particularly pulled at my heartstrings. Gideon the Ninth and Harrow the Ninth focused so much on the two of them, their own struggles, their fight for survival, and then along came Nona. Nona wanted for nothing.
It was a story about a found family that was shattered, broken, and yet together. Pyrrha Dve had lost her Necromancer, a man she loved, and the woman she loved once as well. Camilla and Palamedes were two souls sharing one body, cursed to never speak to one another again and yet comforted by knowing the other was there, even if it was killing them. And Nona, who was her own, free soul, who was never destined to have her own life because she was one of two people, and yet no one knew which, and she was just her. A girl who had a family she loved and a life she treasured and a simple, lovely outlook on this world.
All of the darkness of GtN and HtN was in the background of NtN, hidden behind her childish, yet optimistic outlook. We watch her grow and the gaps in our knowledge fill out, the Blood of Eden showing themselves not entirely as a unified resistance, of God and his last Lyctor fighting for survival and control, and the stakes only grow higher as you approach the end of the book.
The last third of Nona the Ninth was enthralling. It made me cry.
Questions still remained by the end of it, ones brought up and other questions answered, and yet through it all I was still struck by Nona herself - a girl who wanted a normal life, a family, to simply be happy, and yet she was the key to everything that she knew she didn't want, and she did everything for the people she loved. Rather than the story revolving with Nona in orbit, this story was told around her, despite what she wanted. Despite knowing she was always apparently meant to be someone else, she was a whole character in herself, one who loved and was loved, and this whole book moved me to tears.
10/10 recommended to anyone who wants to read and feel like they need a cry in a hot bath at the end of it.
ksfinnerty's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
shandraaa's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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? Yes
5.0
timinbc's review against another edition
4.0
I'm confused. This was good, bad, and all stops in between.
I understand the idea of "oops, we're not ready to do the wrap-up book yet" but it has resulted in a slightly lesser book.
Like many multi-volume books, this one seems to assume that the reader has just read #1 and #2, for the first time or not. I would have liked a who's-who and a quick summary of past books.
And I'd especially like to be able to ask, "Hey book, who's in which body right now? And which ones are dead, not dead, and formerly dead?" On top of each character having eight names of their own.
I did like the John parts, where a series of reasonable-in-the-moment decisions leads us to "wow, how did we ever get to HERE?" It also applies the hot-soup rule (whenever you get a mouthful of very hot soup, the next thing you do will be wrong) to the SF/F positioning statement "what would you do if you discovered that you are a very powerful necromancer at a time when humanity is in crisis?"
Nona's slow, almost-real-world time in the school seems to fit so badly, but in the end it anchors the whole series in something not too far from our world. This was needed, because the silo-of-bones-hanging-in-space-full-of-pansexual-wizards is wonderfully weird but maybe needs to be given a less weird base to stand on.
I also oddly liked the development of We Suffer, a middle manager doing the best they can with a weak hand in a game where the rules keep changing.
Wouldn't it be interesting to know who Muir's real-life Palamedes is?
And while we're at it, although this can never be a movie (it would be PG-65) don't you wonder about casting it?
Bring on #4, I have to know how this ends.
I understand the idea of "oops, we're not ready to do the wrap-up book yet" but it has resulted in a slightly lesser book.
Like many multi-volume books, this one seems to assume that the reader has just read #1 and #2, for the first time or not. I would have liked a who's-who and a quick summary of past books.
And I'd especially like to be able to ask, "Hey book, who's in which body right now? And which ones are dead, not dead, and formerly dead?" On top of each character having eight names of their own.
I did like the John parts, where a series of reasonable-in-the-moment decisions leads us to "wow, how did we ever get to HERE?" It also applies the hot-soup rule (whenever you get a mouthful of very hot soup, the next thing you do will be wrong) to the SF/F positioning statement "what would you do if you discovered that you are a very powerful necromancer at a time when humanity is in crisis?"
Nona's slow, almost-real-world time in the school seems to fit so badly, but in the end it anchors the whole series in something not too far from our world. This was needed, because the silo-of-bones-hanging-in-space-full-of-pansexual-wizards is wonderfully weird but maybe needs to be given a less weird base to stand on.
I also oddly liked the development of We Suffer, a middle manager doing the best they can with a weak hand in a game where the rules keep changing.
Wouldn't it be interesting to know who Muir's real-life Palamedes is?
And while we're at it, although this can never be a movie (it would be PG-65) don't you wonder about casting it?
Bring on #4, I have to know how this ends.
mmmilk's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
4.75