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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
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
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
adventurous
dark
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
My problem with this book is that it's very much the second book in a trilogy; it falls into all the usual boxes: character driven rather than plot driven, small-scale, an emotional blender for the protagonist(s) (ie. put them in a completely different headspace and shake), throw in a few more characters and try to make them just as "big" as your main ensemble.
But it then falls into that standard trap: the scope was TOO small and both reader and characters feel trapped and restless after the much broader scope and wider implications of the previous (and presumably next) installment. There's also a weird thing here in which Schwab tries to level the playing field between her two protagonists which I'm not a huge fan of (because balance is boring, even if it is power in this particular universe).
Like I said, I love her writing and the world she paints and how much sheer imagination this whole idea took, but it feels so... cheap after the death-of-all-the-worlds implications from the first book and (based on the set up from this book) the last one. It felt rather like 500 pages of filler and it really saddens me to say that because this universe is so cool and the characters are deep and interesting but my God, you could have gone through all the important stuff in about 5 chapters to set up the plot of the next book.
But it then falls into that standard trap: the scope was TOO small and both reader and characters feel trapped and restless after the much broader scope and wider implications of the previous (and presumably next) installment. There's also a weird thing here in which Schwab tries to level the playing field between her two protagonists which I'm not a huge fan of (because balance is boring, even if it is power in this particular universe).
Like I said, I love her writing and the world she paints and how much sheer imagination this whole idea took, but it feels so... cheap after the death-of-all-the-worlds implications from the first book and (based on the set up from this book) the last one. It felt rather like 500 pages of filler and it really saddens me to say that because this universe is so cool and the characters are deep and interesting but my God, you could have gone through all the important stuff in about 5 chapters to set up the plot of the next book.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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
I think these books have so much potential to be amazing, but they fall short. This book was so slow. The games could have been so much fun. It’s magic. Could have done so many interesting things with it. The characters continue to be intriguing…except for Lila…she’s annoying. But the ending was so powerful. So many spiritual correlations..there’s probably a Bible study in there somewhere. Looking forward to book 3 and hopeful that it will satisfy like I want it to!