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4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
i wish the plot was as interesting as the romance
PERFECTION. I’m going to be thinking about this book for weeks.
First off - THE WAY I CALLED FROM THE BEGINNING OF BOOK ONE... my superior intelligence is unmatched (maybe a bit of an exaggeration, but that's okay).
I can see why so many people liked this book so much. The writing and dialogue is entrancing, the characters are well-realized, their relationships and bonds are fully fleshed out and the romance is so compatible and magnetic and heart-wrenching at times, and it just has that spark.
However.
In terms of plot, there's just so much... nothing, I guess? It felt like we the readers were just floating from place to place, pulled along by the currents of the world. Things just happened to the main characters. Secrets they needed revealed themselves with perfect timing, rescuers appeared to save them whenever they found themselves in a spot of trouble - hell, the entire ending was just one long example of deus ex machina. They didn't need to work for anything. That's what bothered me the most, I think. In a storyline like this, where there's a rebellion and you're trying to take down the Big Bad Guy, the rewarding part comes from seeing the efforts of your favorite character finally pay off. Through their wits and strength, through their blood, sweat and tears, they've finally thrown off the mantle of oppression. But there's no wits or strength here. It wasn't by any hard work done by their hand that Alya and Crier achieved their goals. No, on their end all there was to be found was sheer coincidence and a shit-ton of providence, and while that's nice and all, it's not what I want from a rebellion story. I want to see resourcefulness, schemes, sacrifice, maybe an epic clash or two. I got the epic clashes for sure, but not much else.
I think something else that, although not so annoying, did having me shaking my head a couple of times, was Crier's naivete. It's something that's even acknowledged by Scyre Kinok in the book, and frankly I have to agree with him. I didn't mind it in the first book, because in that book we got to Crier realize how much she truly didn't know. I thought in this book her mindset would've been different, changed after the events and development she went through in Crier's War, but she was still as persistently blind to the world around her in this installment as she was in the first one. It just... ugh. What was all that development for, if you were still going to make the same mistakes?
Personally, I think this story would've much more interesting if we had seen it from Queen Junn's and Storme's perspectives. Still, despite all I've said, it's not a terrible book - I actually liked it a fair amount - but it definitely could've been improved upon.
Spoiler
HEARTSTONE NOT REALLY BEING A NATURAL MINERAL AND BEING PRODUCED FROM BLOODI can see why so many people liked this book so much. The writing and dialogue is entrancing, the characters are well-realized, their relationships and bonds are fully fleshed out and the romance is so compatible and magnetic and heart-wrenching at times, and it just has that spark.
However.
In terms of plot, there's just so much... nothing, I guess? It felt like we the readers were just floating from place to place, pulled along by the currents of the world. Things just happened to the main characters. Secrets they needed revealed themselves with perfect timing, rescuers appeared to save them whenever they found themselves in a spot of trouble - hell, the entire ending was just one long example of deus ex machina. They didn't need to work for anything. That's what bothered me the most, I think. In a storyline like this, where there's a rebellion and you're trying to take down the Big Bad Guy, the rewarding part comes from seeing the efforts of your favorite character finally pay off. Through their wits and strength, through their blood, sweat and tears, they've finally thrown off the mantle of oppression. But there's no wits or strength here.
Spoiler
I mean, they literally ran straight into a lair full of Watchers without any sort of plan - that's basically the opposite of smart. Maybe take a second to think, you know?I think something else that, although not so annoying, did having me shaking my head a couple of times, was Crier's naivete. It's something that's even acknowledged by Scyre Kinok in the book, and frankly I have to agree with him. I didn't mind it in the first book, because in that book we got to Crier realize how much she truly didn't know. I thought in this book her mindset would've been different, changed after the events and development she went through in Crier's War, but she was still as persistently blind to the world around her in this installment as she was in the first one. It just... ugh. What was all that development for, if you were still going to make the same mistakes?
Personally, I think this story would've much more interesting if we had seen it from Queen Junn's and Storme's perspectives. Still, despite all I've said, it's not a terrible book - I actually liked it a fair amount - but it definitely could've been improved upon.
Still very impressed by the audiobook VA and it was an enjoyable read.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
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
It was good, defo better than the first imo. I like that in the end they didn’t end up perfectly together, like married or whatever. They were together but it was new for both of them and I liked that. I was sad that all we got was a kiss. I wanted these bitches to fuck bro. loved the writing and the world building.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
crying at the acknowledgments. also, i love hook and storme and literally all of them :((