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4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
I'm not sure how I feel about this book. Truth is, I didn't think it was as good as the first and second. For the first time in this beloved series, I had to push through most of this novel, bored, and honestly uninterested.
I don't think the plot is less well crafted, but somehow it is more abstract. There is less of one definitive goal, which was something I loved about the first and especially the second.
I think what I missed here is hope. I respect any author able to kill their characters when the plot demands it, but truth is, in this novel, at some point there was no hope anymore. Toward the end, I felt, just like Mia, that there was nothing left to fight for, and that's why I didn't really care what would happen next, I knew probably someone else would die.
Mia was also different in this one, colder; I guess the development makes sense after everything she went through, but somehow it made her less compelling. She appeared more like some mythical creature from the shadows, this killing machine, and less like a girl. She was also infuriating at times, uncaring.
This novel also made me realize how little I really believe in the relationships. In the first two tomes, Mia's relationship with Tric and then with Ash were being built, they weren't unconditional, they were people she found comfort in, within the chaos of her life. It made sense to me the way she would rely on them without truly knowing yet how she felt. But now, the author wants me to believe that their love is stronger than death, that they would do anything for her as if she were their soulmate, and I'm not saying she isn't, but I definitely don't remember that development happening.
I mean, did Mia ever have a normal conversation with Ash or Tric? Does she know their hobbies outside of killing? Their favourite colour? The food that comforts them?
I understand that their setting is different and that when your world is coming down on you, those aren't the questions that come to mind, but still, I had a hard time believing a sky-shattering love that was built solely on sex, a shared talent for murder, maybe admiration, and... I don't even know, to be honest.
In contrast, her relationship with Sid felt way stronger, deeper. I felt like she knew him better as a person than she did Ash or Tric.
Kristoff's narration was still awesome, however, toward the ending I think some editing could have been more tightly done. I am the first one to promote his kind of writing, a little convoluted, fancy, and "over the top". I loved it throughout all three books. I can accept an unlimited amount of metaphors strung one after the other, so long as they make sense. Toward the more important scenes at the end, however, sometimes it felt like words were there only to add an epic tone, but words that had nothing to do with what he tried to describe, and which added nothing to the image.
The ending was satisfying enough. Something between bitter and sweet. The problem was that it was a mirage of a an ending, something that is happy only if you don't think much on it.
I appreciated this conclusion for what it is, although some loose ends were predictable, and some heart was missing from the core of this third tome. I still hold this series very close to my heart, and I would still recommend Kristoff's prose until the end of times.
If you haven't picked this series up (why are you reading reviews about the third one, then?), please do.
I don't think the plot is less well crafted, but somehow it is more abstract. There is less of one definitive goal, which was something I loved about the first and especially the second.
I think what I missed here is hope. I respect any author able to kill their characters when the plot demands it, but truth is, in this novel, at some point there was no hope anymore. Toward the end, I felt, just like Mia, that there was nothing left to fight for, and that's why I didn't really care what would happen next, I knew probably someone else would die.
Mia was also different in this one, colder; I guess the development makes sense after everything she went through, but somehow it made her less compelling. She appeared more like some mythical creature from the shadows, this killing machine, and less like a girl. She was also infuriating at times, uncaring.
Spoiler
The fact that she sent Mister Kindly away, to me, seemed like a simple plot device, it felt like the author needed it, less than an organic event. He has been there longer than anyone, she knows that he thinks just like her.This novel also made me realize how little I really believe in the relationships. In the first two tomes, Mia's relationship with Tric and then with Ash were being built, they weren't unconditional, they were people she found comfort in, within the chaos of her life. It made sense to me the way she would rely on them without truly knowing yet how she felt. But now, the author wants me to believe that their love is stronger than death, that they would do anything for her as if she were their soulmate, and I'm not saying she isn't, but I definitely don't remember that development happening.
I mean, did Mia ever have a normal conversation with Ash or Tric? Does she know their hobbies outside of killing? Their favourite colour? The food that comforts them?
I understand that their setting is different and that when your world is coming down on you, those aren't the questions that come to mind, but still, I had a hard time believing a sky-shattering love that was built solely on sex, a shared talent for murder, maybe admiration, and... I don't even know, to be honest.
In contrast, her relationship with Sid felt way stronger, deeper. I felt like she knew him better as a person than she did Ash or Tric.
Kristoff's narration was still awesome, however, toward the ending I think some editing could have been more tightly done. I am the first one to promote his kind of writing, a little convoluted, fancy, and "over the top". I loved it throughout all three books. I can accept an unlimited amount of metaphors strung one after the other, so long as they make sense. Toward the more important scenes at the end, however, sometimes it felt like words were there only to add an epic tone, but words that had nothing to do with what he tried to describe, and which added nothing to the image.
The ending was satisfying enough. Something between bitter and sweet. The problem was that it was a mirage of a an ending, something that is happy only if you don't think much on it.
Spoiler
How happy is it to live with the love of your life truly FOREVER, and more, while both of you are dead. Is that truly a life?I appreciated this conclusion for what it is, although some loose ends were predictable, and some heart was missing from the core of this third tome. I still hold this series very close to my heart, and I would still recommend Kristoff's prose until the end of times.
If you haven't picked this series up (why are you reading reviews about the third one, then?), please do.
Non so quanto riuscirò a parlare di questo libro, perchè l'avevo iniziato tre mesi fa, poi l'ho interrotto e finalmente l'ho concluso oggi. Nonostante mi sia piaciuto tanto, l'ho trovato troppo carico. Alcune parti erano completamente inutili e si sarebbero potute tagliare, visto che comunque il libro avrebbe avuto una trama abbastanza corposa a prescindere, senza dover aggiungere 6 capitoli che comunque non hanno influenzato di molto l'esito della storia. Tra queste parti inutili si sarebbero completamente potute togliere inoltre la resuscitazione di alcuni personaggi, che tanto poi muoiono di nuovo, o la morte di altri ancora, che poi resuscitano dopo 10 capitoli sempre senza aggiungere niente alla trama. Per il resto l'ho trovata un'ottima conclusione della trilogia. Il finale è sensato e non cade troppo nel trash. Ho adorato Mercurio più di quanto già non facessi prima. Il suo rapporto paterno con Mia, che in questo libro è stato approfondito ancora di più, è divino e il parallellismo tra lui e Jay l'ho trovato semplicemente geniale.
Reading the first part, I was absolutely sure that I would write a separate review for each book. But spoilers from the synopsis, reviews, and article disappointed me so much that I wasn't sure if I would read this book at all. I wouldn't recommend buying it without reading it first. It's a matter of taste.
Pros and cons: cool idea, insanely detailed world, with just a billion tiny details. The school is very well written. It's a difficult read, with the world divided between the heroine's past and present, so there are italic and regular fonts. Two-time jumps, a heavy, disjointed style, and insanely fine details make the book challenging to read. It takes a lot of time to get into it, and on pages 100-200, it will be completely unclear who is doing what, where, and when, and sometimes the dialogue is hard to understand because of the characters' speech defects. But then the events come flying out like bullets from a gun.
The characters are not bad, in the first part, I liked all of them. Especially Mia and Trik, their chemistry was palpable. Some characters annoy and irritate, and some seem suspicious. I didn't believe that kids at 16 could do such things. No way. This is an exaggeration of capabilities, which means that teachers at school spent millions of years becoming respected killers, and the kids at 16 came to wave around. It's funny. The end disappointed me.
Pros and cons: cool idea, insanely detailed world, with just a billion tiny details. The school is very well written. It's a difficult read, with the world divided between the heroine's past and present, so there are italic and regular fonts. Two-time jumps, a heavy, disjointed style, and insanely fine details make the book challenging to read. It takes a lot of time to get into it, and on pages 100-200, it will be completely unclear who is doing what, where, and when, and sometimes the dialogue is hard to understand because of the characters' speech defects. But then the events come flying out like bullets from a gun.
The characters are not bad, in the first part, I liked all of them. Especially Mia and Trik, their chemistry was palpable. Some characters annoy and irritate, and some seem suspicious. I didn't believe that kids at 16 could do such things. No way. This is an exaggeration of capabilities, which means that teachers at school spent millions of years becoming respected killers, and the kids at 16 came to wave around. It's funny. The end disappointed me.
I DNFed. I couldn’t handle the same rinsed plot line and with the other books on my TBR that I have from the library I’ve been reading those and just haven’t picked it up. I liked the writing style and how Jay Kristoff takes the mick outta his own writing I just couldn’t do it anymore lol. Might go back but it just felt to slow and flat for all the build up in the others
*rating changed from 5 to 4 stars
feb 2020 - this was more of a 4 star read to me
____
*closes book slowly, clutches book to chest, stares at the wall for the next hour*
No words, absolutely incredible.
feb 2020 - this was more of a 4 star read to me
____
*closes book slowly, clutches book to chest, stares at the wall for the next hour*
No words, absolutely incredible.
adventurous
dark
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
adventurous
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I really wanted to love these books. I loved the first book, the second book bored me, and whilst reading this third book I realised I just didn't care about Mia, or most of the characters. Mia came across as more of a fantasy of a person than an actual person. The world building was brilliant, the author is excellent with effortless immersion. The stakes just weren't high enough for me. I skipped to the end so will log as dnf