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feefie4o's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
nicole1832's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
This book was a bit of a drag for me. I liked the Shades of Magic series, but I felt like this didn’t add anything of worth to that world. While it was wonderful to see the familiar characters again, they were all kind of flat versions of themselves, with far too little attention given to their character arcs. The new characters were fun but weren’t nearly as nuanced or fleshed out as I would have liked.
The pacing was very off, too. For the first 400+ pages, the book is primarily backstory and setup, with a ridiculous amount of flashbacks. The story gets moving toward the end, but by that point I was too annoyed with the slow beginning to really enjoy it. An editor was desperately needed to cut some scenes. (And cut some words, too. There was a lot of redundant or unnecessarily dramatic prose throughout the book.)
Overall, I think diehard fans of the first series will enjoy this book, but I think casual fans can skip it.
The pacing was very off, too. For the first 400+ pages, the book is primarily backstory and setup, with a ridiculous amount of flashbacks. The story gets moving toward the end, but by that point I was too annoyed with the slow beginning to really enjoy it. An editor was desperately needed to cut some scenes. (And cut some words, too. There was a lot of redundant or unnecessarily dramatic prose throughout the book.)
Overall, I think diehard fans of the first series will enjoy this book, but I think casual fans can skip it.
psychominnie624's review against another edition
adventurous
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
5.0
This continues to be such a well done series. The world building is deep (consistent), characters continue to develop and grow even as the cast grew, and the plot remains strong.
colleencalello's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
rsb12's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
3.5
mrsrccockrell's review against another edition
4.0
I love VE Schwab. She creates fantasy worlds that manage to be unique and characters that are bother otherworldly and relatable.
femkey's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
4.75
Ik hield van darkershades of magic dus dit boek voelde alsof ik weer thuis kwam. De pagina's vlogen voor bij en het verhaal was goed opgezet. Het is lastig om door te gaan op een eerdere wereld maar VE Schwab deed dit prachtig!
anna_feather's review against another edition
adventurous
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? No
4.0
That's the genius of Victoria Schwab for you. A slow beginning, a well crafted world building, a concious intrigue and a host of colourful characters caught up in history and their fates.
And us, readers, don't have but the choice to follow them whereever the author is leading them. We've missed some of them and are eager to take up on another journey with them. Others we've never met and since it's the first book of a trilogy with many characters, we may regret that we are not more acquainted with them but V.E Schwab will make sure that by the end of their own arc we miss them dearly too.
I was so eager to meet with Kell, Lila and Rhy again that it may have taken me too much time to care for the other characters but the one that intrigues me the most is Nadiya. I think she's a wonderful addition to the cast of characters and I hope her role will grow in the sequels. I'm also intrigued with Tes' role in the story.
The plot at the end of book 1 is full of promesis and I, for one, can't wait to read the 2nd one. I hope we'll spend alot of time with Kell, Rhy and Lila and hope to be more fascinited for what is to come in White London.
And us, readers, don't have but the choice to follow them whereever the author is leading them. We've missed some of them and are eager to take up on another journey with them. Others we've never met and since it's the first book of a trilogy with many characters, we may regret that we are not more acquainted with them but V.E Schwab will make sure that by the end of their own arc we miss them dearly too.
I was so eager to meet with Kell, Lila and Rhy again that it may have taken me too much time to care for the other characters but the one that intrigues me the most is Nadiya. I think she's a wonderful addition to the cast of characters and I hope her role will grow in the sequels. I'm also intrigued with Tes' role in the story.
The plot at the end of book 1 is full of promesis and I, for one, can't wait to read the 2nd one. I hope we'll spend alot of time with Kell, Rhy and Lila and hope to be more fascinited for what is to come in White London.
Though, I cannot and will not only praise that book. It has the same and redundant default that most, if not all, V.E Schwab's books possess : the "not like other girl" character that we should've have let in the 2010's. Don't get me wrong, I love Lila and the other female characters but I'm a bit piss with the fact that they have to undermine other "girly" girl all the time to show to the reader that they are "different". It's a shame because they have great personnalities but it seems that their personnalities for the author is to be "not like the other"...
Oh, and clearly, V.E Schwab don't know how to let go of things. It's nice but it's also tiring : you made a great choice, face the consequences and keep up with it.
Also, I might add one thing: what the heck is going with Kell and his own personnality. If you've already read the book, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about and if you haven't, come back and tell me if you too found a bit ridiculous.