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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
Oh, man, this book was so fantastic! Such a great sequel, so much happened, so many heart-pounding moments, and was just so great to read! Very satisfying ending!
I got halfway through and I could not bring myself to finish reading this book.
adventurous
dark
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
At the end Paris, Romeo, Juliet, Runajo and whathisface Paris' lover are all alive, the Ruining ends because the other alive dead Juliet is dead again thanks to Romeo who took her and Juliet who gave up the sacred words of her people and everyone is building ships to leave.
I loved this even more than the first one. What a fucking rollercoaster. I love every single one of these characters and I want to give them all of the hugs, except that all of the girls would probably stab me if I did. Good times.
And with one notable exception, I thought the series played with gender in very interesting ways--each house has its own idea of appropriate gender roles, and it was super interesting to watch our characters transgress their own house's gender roles and the way that was perceived both within the house and with everyone else.
Also, A+ Land of the Dead-ing, I am always here for an interesting afterlife sequence, and this one did not disappoint at all. It almost made up for the first book not having more supernatural library exploration/hijinks.
Thoroughly recommended, especially to anybody who wants more in the vein of Six of Crows and/or likes Shakespeare.
And with one notable exception, I thought the series played with gender in very interesting ways--each house has its own idea of appropriate gender roles, and it was super interesting to watch our characters transgress their own house's gender roles and the way that was perceived both within the house and with everyone else.
Also, A+ Land of the Dead-ing, I am always here for an interesting afterlife sequence, and this one did not disappoint at all. It almost made up for the first book not having more supernatural library exploration/hijinks.
Thoroughly recommended, especially to anybody who wants more in the vein of Six of Crows and/or likes Shakespeare.
The walls of Viyara are still falling and Juliet is trapped doing Lord Ineo’s bidding unless she can find another way to protect Viyara from the dead who are rising. Romeo on the other hand, has found out that the love of his life is alive, but his actions are what killed her family. Now he must face death in order to redeem himself. This novel was fast-paced and had a lot going on, much like the first novel. Again, this left the reader a little confused as to what was going on because there was just so much going on. There were plots everywhere that it was hard for the reader to keep straight. It also didn’t help that there felt like there were all these characters and sometimes they went by one name, sometimes another and that left the reader disoriented as to who was who. This was still an interesting novel and the ending was really good, it ended things nicely and on a good note. Overall, it was a nice retelling of Romeo and Juliet, if only the plot hadn’t been so cluttered, this could have been a great retelling.
Undoubtedly a step up from Bright Smoke, Cold Fire, Endless Water, Starless Sky still suffers by being bogged down by the factors that made the first instalment a weak read, but it also delivers with beautiful worldbuilding, a dark and rich atmosphere and ornate prose. These are the redeeming factors, undoubtedly, and things that Hodge has always impressed me with.
On the flip-side, I struggled with staying invested. Whilst the second half of the book is better than the first, the slower pacing did have me listlessly flicking through chapters like it was a chore. I was also never overly attached to the characters, though I can't pin-point why, because they were substantially built.
All in all, the fact that this duology was a let-down is just a small annoyance, but I still have faith in Rosamund Hodge as a writer and I'm SO hyped for her next book WHAT MONSTROUS GODS which has heretic sorcerer ghosts. Which sounds lit.
On the flip-side, I struggled with staying invested. Whilst the second half of the book is better than the first, the slower pacing did have me listlessly flicking through chapters like it was a chore. I was also never overly attached to the characters, though I can't pin-point why, because they were substantially built.
All in all, the fact that this duology was a let-down is just a small annoyance, but I still have faith in Rosamund Hodge as a writer and I'm SO hyped for her next book WHAT MONSTROUS GODS which has heretic sorcerer ghosts. Which sounds lit.
4.5/5
As a sequel, I've definitely read better, but this is worth the read, if only to find out what happens to the characters we'd fallen in love with in the first book.
As a sequel, I've definitely read better, but this is worth the read, if only to find out what happens to the characters we'd fallen in love with in the first book.
4.5/5
As a sequel, I've definitely read better, but this is worth the read, if only to find out what happens to the characters we'd fallen in love with in the first book.
As a sequel, I've definitely read better, but this is worth the read, if only to find out what happens to the characters we'd fallen in love with in the first book.