Scan barcode
solinel7's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Loved this conclusion to the All Souls Trilogy. Although there were a lot of talks about alchemy and genetics that I didn't always get, I couldn't put it down. The author's way of writing is captivating 'cause even what you don't understand you're interested in learning more aboutthe charactersand the world they live in. Wouldlove to see more of this world. This is one of my favorite Trilogies/ Sagas to date.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Torture, and Violence
christinecc's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
An extra half star because of all the work that must have gone into this and the mounting levels of absurdity the book attained, 2 stars on a personal level because reading this book felt like an exercise in futility.
Our protagonists are back from the Elizabethan era and ready to find the Book of Life! Except we also need to identify the DNA of all the creatures, and we have to deal with another pregnancy, and then a major character death (but don't worry, we'll sweep that under the rug because WHY DWELL ON A TRAGIC LOSS, I guess?). Urgent matters come up, we think the characters will launch themselves into action, only to find them furnishing a house, walking around, or taking on some brand new issue in the next scene.
Essentially the book is a series of events with very little forward momentum except whatever the reader is willing to bring to the table. My momentum ran out... like, halfway through the book, at which point I had to drag the book behind me and hope for a quick release. It would have been nice had the romance between Matthew and Diana made my heart go pitter-patter, but honestly it did not, and I am borderline shocked that they have any kind of functioning relationship. All I can tell you about Diana is that she sometimes stands up to Matthew, and Matthew (in turn) sometimes acts a little less condescending to Diana than usual (but always condescending, because why would a vampire view women as social equals? I ask you, why?).
I guess I signed up for a slightly more straightforward story about a vampire and a witch having adventures with magic, academia, and history while falling in love/ being bonded by trauma (potato, potato). Instead, I got... this thing. And no, I still don't know what the Book of Life is or why it was made the way it was. Or why that thing happened to it at the end. I don't know. I just don't know.
Recommended if... umm... you want to finish the trilogy. For reasons. Honestly, I'm looking forward to watching the tv series after this, because it looks like the TV writers had to squish it all into a comprehensible story, and I NEED to see how they manage it. Plus Matthew and Diana are fun in the show! Imagine that.
Our protagonists are back from the Elizabethan era and ready to find the Book of Life! Except we also need to identify the DNA of all the creatures, and we have to deal with another pregnancy, and then a major character death (but don't worry, we'll sweep that under the rug because WHY DWELL ON A TRAGIC LOSS, I guess?). Urgent matters come up, we think the characters will launch themselves into action, only to find them furnishing a house, walking around, or taking on some brand new issue in the next scene.
Essentially the book is a series of events with very little forward momentum except whatever the reader is willing to bring to the table. My momentum ran out... like, halfway through the book, at which point I had to drag the book behind me and hope for a quick release. It would have been nice had the romance between Matthew and Diana made my heart go pitter-patter, but honestly it did not, and I am borderline shocked that they have any kind of functioning relationship. All I can tell you about Diana is that she sometimes stands up to Matthew, and Matthew (in turn) sometimes acts a little less condescending to Diana than usual (but always condescending, because why would a vampire view women as social equals? I ask you, why?).
I guess I signed up for a slightly more straightforward story about a vampire and a witch having adventures with magic, academia, and history while falling in love/ being bonded by trauma (potato, potato). Instead, I got... this thing. And no, I still don't know what the Book of Life is or why it was made the way it was. Or why that thing happened to it at the end. I don't know. I just don't know.
Recommended if... umm... you want to finish the trilogy. For reasons. Honestly, I'm looking forward to watching the tv series after this, because it looks like the TV writers had to squish it all into a comprehensible story, and I NEED to see how they manage it. Plus Matthew and Diana are fun in the show! Imagine that.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Body horror, Blood, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, and Torture
More...