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andotherworlds's review
5.0
"Yael Reider lived"
i am crying; i shouldn't be writing this just as i have finished the book but i am crying and i can't stop.
this was all just beautiful but crushing. i have been crushed and i don't know how to breathe and i don't know why but this was beautiful.
i need time to actually be able to compose myself to write a proper review but for now bask in my tears.
update after like five minutes: i am still crying; i am not over this; why did i choose to read this at two am, this is going to haunt me; luka loweeee; i'm not crying you are; my hair is drenched in my own tears; luka lowe; lions and wolves; c r y i n g
i am crying; i shouldn't be writing this just as i have finished the book but i am crying and i can't stop.
this was all just beautiful but crushing. i have been crushed and i don't know how to breathe and i don't know why but this was beautiful.
i need time to actually be able to compose myself to write a proper review but for now bask in my tears.
update after like five minutes: i am still crying; i am not over this; why did i choose to read this at two am, this is going to haunt me; luka loweeee; i'm not crying you are; my hair is drenched in my own tears; luka lowe; lions and wolves; c r y i n g
ravenslanding's review
5.0
This is a compelling duology.
I cried.
Themes of hope, love, family, sacrifice, grace and forgiveness.
I cried.
I cried.
Themes of hope, love, family, sacrifice, grace and forgiveness.
I cried.
rhrie38's review
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I somehow enjoyed this book more than the first! I was initially offput by some of the characters but they grew on me at the end. And boy, was the ending satisfying! I didn't feel like there were any loose ends at all. I really enjoyed this novel and will be looking for similar titles.
votesforwomen's review
4.0
REREAD REVIEW:
Still 4 gorgeous stars. I'm in love with this series and I need to reread the first book.
LUKA LOWE IS THE HOTTEST SIZZLING BOOKISH BOY IN BOOK HISTORY. *fans self and swoons* So hot and gorgeous and selfless and *bursts into tears* *howls* *sobs forever*
THIS BOOK GAVE ME SO MANY EMOTIONS
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
Yael. Yael. That's all I can say. She's one of my favorite heroines right now. She's epic and beautiful and feminine and broken and HUMAN. Her development over this book was the most compelling part of the story, and it made me cry and laugh and howl at the moon. Yael.
You thought Luka was boring in the first book? You thought he was nothing more than a flat love interest? You. Were. Wrong. As love interests go, he is one of THE BEST I've encountered in a very, very long time. His arc. Was. Magical. I fell in love with Luka Lowe, and my heart still aches from the end of this book.
I personally liked this book a lot more than the first one. It was a lot more compelling. It was about more than just winning a race--it was about saving the world. Yael's first book was about avenging the wolves she already had--this book was about keeping there from needing to be more wolves. I loved it. I loved it so freakin much.
Were some of the plot twists predictable? Yes. Was it slow sometimes, in the middle? Yes. Did I squirm a couple of times and grimace at the violence? Yes. But did I jump and dance at the parts that involved triumph? Yes, I did.
Because this book is about more than Yael, and she knows it now. She understands that she fights for something greater than herself. She has complex feelings about fighting in this battle and whether or not it can ever be justified to kill someone--will that turn her into the monster that the Nazis are, the monster that she's always been accused of being? I appreciated it so much. I'll say it again: Yael is tough. Yael is a fighter. She beats people up. She doesn't crack under torture. She doesn't flinch at setting her broken nose. She's a tough girl, and she knows it. But she is also so human. So feminine. She's a young woman who's had her identity stolen by the Nazis and her femininity stolen by the tough life of being a Resistance fighter and a Jew. But she is still a young woman.
There was more content in this book. There was more fighting, more death. But it was worth it this time. I really felt like, as in the case of Catching Fire, this book justified the violence and occasional strangeness of the first one.
Because it was good. And I don't know how much I can recommend it--as in the first one, there is quite a bit of violent content--but I will anyway.
Read it.
CONTENT
Violence:
A ton of violence. People are tortured, executed, and experimented on. Several people jump out of an airplane to escape. There's a scene involving amputation where you don't find out what happened til later but it's implied to be horrific. Lots and lots of fighting and death. The medical experiments of the Jewish death camps are a prominent plotline--not as much in this book as in the first one, but still a lot. Some violence involving a man beating a woman. Several people are shot and a few prominent characters die (But which ones? You won't hear it from me.)
SEXUAL:
A long kiss that is not described in detail, just emotionally, kind of from an outsiders' POV. A past incident where a guy walked in on a girl taking a shower is alluded to briefly.
LANGUAGE:
Quite a bit--all in German, although the meanings of the words aren't hard to guess. It was a LOT less than in the Book Thief, however, and I didn't feel like it detracted as much from the story.
DRUGS/ALCOHOL/ETC.
Luka smokes, although not as much as he did in the first book. I feel like there was some alcohol at a couple of points, but it would have been drunk by adults. Medical experiments were performed on important characters, and while this time we don't really see them happen we see the horrible effects of the drugs on their bodies later.
Please. If you can handle it, read this series.
Never again.
Still 4 gorgeous stars. I'm in love with this series and I need to reread the first book.
LUKA LOWE IS THE HOTTEST SIZZLING BOOKISH BOY IN BOOK HISTORY. *fans self and swoons* So hot and gorgeous and selfless and *bursts into tears* *howls* *sobs forever*
THIS BOOK GAVE ME SO MANY EMOTIONS
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
Yael. Yael. That's all I can say. She's one of my favorite heroines right now. She's epic and beautiful and feminine and broken and HUMAN. Her development over this book was the most compelling part of the story, and it made me cry and laugh and howl at the moon. Yael.
You thought Luka was boring in the first book? You thought he was nothing more than a flat love interest? You. Were. Wrong. As love interests go, he is one of THE BEST I've encountered in a very, very long time. His arc. Was. Magical. I fell in love with Luka Lowe, and my heart still aches from the end of this book.
I personally liked this book a lot more than the first one. It was a lot more compelling. It was about more than just winning a race--it was about saving the world. Yael's first book was about avenging the wolves she already had--this book was about keeping there from needing to be more wolves. I loved it. I loved it so freakin much.
Were some of the plot twists predictable? Yes. Was it slow sometimes, in the middle? Yes. Did I squirm a couple of times and grimace at the violence? Yes. But did I jump and dance at the parts that involved triumph? Yes, I did.
Because this book is about more than Yael, and she knows it now. She understands that she fights for something greater than herself. She has complex feelings about fighting in this battle and whether or not it can ever be justified to kill someone--will that turn her into the monster that the Nazis are, the monster that she's always been accused of being? I appreciated it so much. I'll say it again: Yael is tough. Yael is a fighter. She beats people up. She doesn't crack under torture. She doesn't flinch at setting her broken nose. She's a tough girl, and she knows it. But she is also so human. So feminine. She's a young woman who's had her identity stolen by the Nazis and her femininity stolen by the tough life of being a Resistance fighter and a Jew. But she is still a young woman.
There was more content in this book. There was more fighting, more death. But it was worth it this time. I really felt like, as in the case of Catching Fire, this book justified the violence and occasional strangeness of the first one.
Because it was good. And I don't know how much I can recommend it--as in the first one, there is quite a bit of violent content--but I will anyway.
Read it.
CONTENT
Violence:
A ton of violence. People are tortured, executed, and experimented on. Several people jump out of an airplane to escape. There's a scene involving amputation where you don't find out what happened til later but it's implied to be horrific. Lots and lots of fighting and death. The medical experiments of the Jewish death camps are a prominent plotline--not as much in this book as in the first one, but still a lot. Some violence involving a man beating a woman. Several people are shot and a few prominent characters die (But which ones? You won't hear it from me.)
SEXUAL:
A long kiss that is not described in detail, just emotionally, kind of from an outsiders' POV. A past incident where a guy walked in on a girl taking a shower is alluded to briefly.
LANGUAGE:
Quite a bit--all in German, although the meanings of the words aren't hard to guess. It was a LOT less than in the Book Thief, however, and I didn't feel like it detracted as much from the story.
DRUGS/ALCOHOL/ETC.
Luka smokes, although not as much as he did in the first book. I feel like there was some alcohol at a couple of points, but it would have been drunk by adults. Medical experiments were performed on important characters, and while this time we don't really see them happen we see the horrible effects of the drugs on their bodies later.
Please. If you can handle it, read this series.
Never again.
slsj_'s review
4.0
This book should be entitled, "Everyone Yael loves dies, as will you."
Seriously good series though. I always have some trepidation before reading anything his/fic because it's not my go-to genre and I feel as if I'll be bored. But this didn't bore me, it did the opposite. It recharged me. It made me laugh, it was so unexpectedly good. I'm glad it exists and now I'm hyped to read Ryan's newest novel.
Seriously good series though. I always have some trepidation before reading anything his/fic because it's not my go-to genre and I feel as if I'll be bored. But this didn't bore me, it did the opposite. It recharged me. It made me laugh, it was so unexpectedly good. I'm glad it exists and now I'm hyped to read Ryan's newest novel.
freadomlibrary's review against another edition
5.0
This review was originally posted at https://freadomlibrary.wordpress.com/
Critically
Plot – 4.5 out of 5 stars
I was totally and completed pulled into this book from the minute I started it, no joke. The plot is powerful, emotional and full of suspense. It was slow at first which threw me off a bit since the first book was so action packed. However, it was filled with twists and turns and dealt with death, violence, lots of blood, power and hope. I do have to say that every time I stopped reading, I was reluctantly to pick up the book again because I knew that it was gonna hurt and it fucking did. Not sorry for that curse word.
Writing Style – 4 out of 5 stars
I’ve come to really like Graudin’s writing style. It’s poetic in the way that she weaves sentences which sounds weird but it’s actually really cool while still keeping up the intensity, power and emotional within the characters’ voices and narratives. There’s several POVs and they all read very distinct to me. It’s simple, detailed, descriptive and very engaging.
Characters – 5 out of 5 stars
Goodness, this cast of characters. They definitely make this series for me, they are amazing and complex and interesting and I just love them so much. Yael is the baddest badass lady to hit the book world. Honestly, I don’t know this series isn’t more popular because she’s freaking amazing. She’s angry and yet kind and open to people. She’s really smart and savvy about the world she’s a part of. She’s determined and strong and stubborn. I absolutely love her development, specially in this second book. There’s so much that happens around her and to her and it changes the way she is in such a deep way but makes her so much better as a character. I just think she’s amazing and it’s astounding to me how she could push forward in life so much to get to the point where she is at the end of this book. There’s a lot of side characters in this book, specially ones where we get their POVs. I loved most of them, I can say that there’s one in particular that I do not like at all in this book. My opinion of them quickly went downhill and I am very, very mad about how their specific story line came out. However, there are a few other side characters that I love with every fiber of my being. I keep them in a safe little place inside my heart where all my little cinnamon rolls live happily ever after. Yes, I’m a weirdo.
Emotionally
The plot is powerful. We follow Yael right after the end of the first book as she works to escape Japan and warn the rest of the resistance of an unplanned obstacle in their cause. I will say right now that it’s really hard for me to properly articulate how I feel about this book. There’s so much fangirl energy connected to how this book makes me feel that I might not even coherently review it so I apologize in advance. The plot jumps between the past and the present in the lives of three of the more prominent characters in the series. It really helps get a different perspective not only on what’s currently happening, but also on what life in this crazy alternate history world is and can be from three completely different lives and perspectives which I think was very smart of the author to do. Every scene feels deliberate and intentional. Every single word, every single thing that happened, every character felt like it had a purpose, that it was meant to be there at that point at that moment to shift your perspective on everything you thought was going on in the book and it was just so. well. done. While I do have to say that there were some slow parts throughout the plot that dragged it and slowed my reading momentum, the action that was present was just as intense and brutal as I came to expect from the first book. There’s just something about it that makes you feel like you’re in particular danger yourself. I don’t know how she does it but I always feel like screaming and running away when there’s a particularly crazy action scene that has my heart in my throat. There were a lot of crazy and unexpected twists and turns that I did not see coming. I don’t know how I feel about a lot of them, it’s been a month and I’m still kind of shocked by the way some things went in this book. It’s still painful yet sometimes hopeful to think about them because yeah, that’s the mindfuck that comes with this book. It’s so agonizing for me to know that this is the last book in the series. That’s it. No more. And while I honestly believe that the ending was satisfying, it was so bittersweet and just freaking painful okay! I don’t think there’s any other way for this book to have gone that wasn’t as authentic and true to its story than the way it did here, but I still wanted something different dammit!
Yael is amazing. I feel like this little paragraph might be totally irrelevant to read because I’ve praised her already above but I just can’t help myself! She’s officially one of my favorite female characters, actually just one of my favorite characters in general honestly. She’s so so brave, more than I ever would be. She’s filled with a clear and intense determination to make her life matter and to make the best choices for the people around her that deserve peace and happiness. She’s kind and sweet and trusting (which by the way was not the best thing at this time but totally makes her such a great freaking person in general!). She’s just beautiful. And I’ve seen some people say that they don’t connect with her and I get why since she doesn’t even understand her own identity, but that just made her so much more real to me. Her struggles with identity go so far beyond my own and yet I still felt a sort of kinship with her.
I want to talk very briefly about my feelings on the side characters because there are a lot of them okay! First things first, I really fucking hate Felix in this book. In the first book, I really felt bad for him and his situation, considering how he didn’t ask for any of it and he just wanted to take of his family. But like, HOW DARE YOU BRO?! You are so easily brainwashed and conditioned that you screwed EVERYONE OVER! And he got the best ending out of everyone in my opinion which just made me really fucking salty to be quite honest. I’m still mad. There’s a character that is introduced in this book that pretty much blew my brains out through my ears because I was not expecting their presence whatsoever. It was a total game changer and an amazing addition to the way the narrative was told and I was definitely a fan by the end of the book. Last but not least, there’s Luka. I cannot articulate how my heart feels about him. I am in pain, I am in agony, I love him to tiny itty bitty pieces and no one can take that from me. He’s the humor in this dark time, he’s the stand out guy whose whole world is flipped over and he’s my precious cinnamon roll. That is all.
Overall, as you can see, I freaking loved this book. The plot was intense, it had action and it was emotionally powerful. There were some slow points and I had trouble picking up the book after I put it down but I’m so glad I completed it. The characters are amazing and complex and just really well written in my opinion. I wish there were more about them, I wish I could see from them more but I can’t and I am heartbroken. However, I am really looking forward to seeing what other amazingness the author brings to the world of literature.
Critically
Plot – 4.5 out of 5 stars
I was totally and completed pulled into this book from the minute I started it, no joke. The plot is powerful, emotional and full of suspense. It was slow at first which threw me off a bit since the first book was so action packed. However, it was filled with twists and turns and dealt with death, violence, lots of blood, power and hope. I do have to say that every time I stopped reading, I was reluctantly to pick up the book again because I knew that it was gonna hurt and it fucking did. Not sorry for that curse word.
Writing Style – 4 out of 5 stars
I’ve come to really like Graudin’s writing style. It’s poetic in the way that she weaves sentences which sounds weird but it’s actually really cool while still keeping up the intensity, power and emotional within the characters’ voices and narratives. There’s several POVs and they all read very distinct to me. It’s simple, detailed, descriptive and very engaging.
Characters – 5 out of 5 stars
Goodness, this cast of characters. They definitely make this series for me, they are amazing and complex and interesting and I just love them so much. Yael is the baddest badass lady to hit the book world. Honestly, I don’t know this series isn’t more popular because she’s freaking amazing. She’s angry and yet kind and open to people. She’s really smart and savvy about the world she’s a part of. She’s determined and strong and stubborn. I absolutely love her development, specially in this second book. There’s so much that happens around her and to her and it changes the way she is in such a deep way but makes her so much better as a character. I just think she’s amazing and it’s astounding to me how she could push forward in life so much to get to the point where she is at the end of this book. There’s a lot of side characters in this book, specially ones where we get their POVs. I loved most of them, I can say that there’s one in particular that I do not like at all in this book. My opinion of them quickly went downhill and I am very, very mad about how their specific story line came out. However, there are a few other side characters that I love with every fiber of my being. I keep them in a safe little place inside my heart where all my little cinnamon rolls live happily ever after. Yes, I’m a weirdo.
Emotionally
Spoiler
This has become one of my favorite series of all time but it’s just so heart wrenching and intense! Like I could not handle everything that happened in this book!The plot is powerful. We follow Yael right after the end of the first book as she works to escape Japan and warn the rest of the resistance of an unplanned obstacle in their cause. I will say right now that it’s really hard for me to properly articulate how I feel about this book. There’s so much fangirl energy connected to how this book makes me feel that I might not even coherently review it so I apologize in advance. The plot jumps between the past and the present in the lives of three of the more prominent characters in the series. It really helps get a different perspective not only on what’s currently happening, but also on what life in this crazy alternate history world is and can be from three completely different lives and perspectives which I think was very smart of the author to do. Every scene feels deliberate and intentional. Every single word, every single thing that happened, every character felt like it had a purpose, that it was meant to be there at that point at that moment to shift your perspective on everything you thought was going on in the book and it was just so. well. done. While I do have to say that there were some slow parts throughout the plot that dragged it and slowed my reading momentum, the action that was present was just as intense and brutal as I came to expect from the first book. There’s just something about it that makes you feel like you’re in particular danger yourself. I don’t know how she does it but I always feel like screaming and running away when there’s a particularly crazy action scene that has my heart in my throat. There were a lot of crazy and unexpected twists and turns that I did not see coming. I don’t know how I feel about a lot of them, it’s been a month and I’m still kind of shocked by the way some things went in this book. It’s still painful yet sometimes hopeful to think about them because yeah, that’s the mindfuck that comes with this book. It’s so agonizing for me to know that this is the last book in the series. That’s it. No more. And while I honestly believe that the ending was satisfying, it was so bittersweet and just freaking painful okay! I don’t think there’s any other way for this book to have gone that wasn’t as authentic and true to its story than the way it did here, but I still wanted something different dammit!
Yael is amazing. I feel like this little paragraph might be totally irrelevant to read because I’ve praised her already above but I just can’t help myself! She’s officially one of my favorite female characters, actually just one of my favorite characters in general honestly. She’s so so brave, more than I ever would be. She’s filled with a clear and intense determination to make her life matter and to make the best choices for the people around her that deserve peace and happiness. She’s kind and sweet and trusting (which by the way was not the best thing at this time but totally makes her such a great freaking person in general!). She’s just beautiful. And I’ve seen some people say that they don’t connect with her and I get why since she doesn’t even understand her own identity, but that just made her so much more real to me. Her struggles with identity go so far beyond my own and yet I still felt a sort of kinship with her.
I want to talk very briefly about my feelings on the side characters because there are a lot of them okay! First things first, I really fucking hate Felix in this book. In the first book, I really felt bad for him and his situation, considering how he didn’t ask for any of it and he just wanted to take of his family. But like, HOW DARE YOU BRO?! You are so easily brainwashed and conditioned that you screwed EVERYONE OVER! And he got the best ending out of everyone in my opinion which just made me really fucking salty to be quite honest. I’m still mad. There’s a character that is introduced in this book that pretty much blew my brains out through my ears because I was not expecting their presence whatsoever. It was a total game changer and an amazing addition to the way the narrative was told and I was definitely a fan by the end of the book. Last but not least, there’s Luka. I cannot articulate how my heart feels about him. I am in pain, I am in agony, I love him to tiny itty bitty pieces and no one can take that from me. He’s the humor in this dark time, he’s the stand out guy whose whole world is flipped over and he’s my precious cinnamon roll. That is all.
Overall, as you can see, I freaking loved this book. The plot was intense, it had action and it was emotionally powerful. There were some slow points and I had trouble picking up the book after I put it down but I’m so glad I completed it. The characters are amazing and complex and just really well written in my opinion. I wish there were more about them, I wish I could see from them more but I can’t and I am heartbroken. However, I am really looking forward to seeing what other amazingness the author brings to the world of literature.
teeggzz's review
4.0
*4.5
This was such a great finale to the duology. The second book was definitely a lot darker than the first but still so enjoyable.
So not going to lie I din't expect Yael's identity to be revealed to Luka so early on. The book got straight into it from the very first page and I loved it. When Luka got himself caught by the docks at the very start I was like why Luka why couldn't you just trust Yael? Speaking of which this book definitely took a turn that I din't see coming. It was dark and meaningful, carrying a deep message. But I couldn't help but feel half way through the book it dragged a little bit and got a kinda repetitive.
I loved the character development in this story. Yael is one of my favourite main characters and I loved finding out more about Luka's life before he met Yael. Miriam was also a great asset and I really like what she brought to the story. And yes Felix was so utterly stupid to betray Yael but I still couldn't hate him for it because he had good intentions and learnt from his mistakes. Yael was definitely the better man though and at the end of the novel spared Felix and brought him to his family. That's why I love her so much.
But omg Luka whhyyyyy. My baby was so brave at it was heartbreaking how he went, I was crying so hard. Yael didn't get her lover and it just tore me to pieces and the Lion Yael got of him literally touched my heart. Although I wish Luka's last words to Yael were more meaningful.
Over all an amazing duology that was deep and moving. It will forever be one of my faves and I'm so glad I read it!
This was such a great finale to the duology. The second book was definitely a lot darker than the first but still so enjoyable.
So not going to lie I din't expect Yael's identity to be revealed to Luka so early on. The book got straight into it from the very first page and I loved it. When Luka got himself caught by the docks at the very start I was like why Luka why couldn't you just trust Yael? Speaking of which this book definitely took a turn that I din't see coming. It was dark and meaningful, carrying a deep message. But I couldn't help but feel half way through the book it dragged a little bit and got a kinda repetitive.
I loved the character development in this story. Yael is one of my favourite main characters and I loved finding out more about Luka's life before he met Yael. Miriam was also a great asset and I really like what she brought to the story. And yes Felix was so utterly stupid to betray Yael but I still couldn't hate him for it because he had good intentions and learnt from his mistakes. Yael was definitely the better man though and at the end of the novel spared Felix and brought him to his family. That's why I love her so much.
But omg Luka whhyyyyy. My baby was so brave at it was heartbreaking how he went, I was crying so hard. Yael didn't get her lover and it just tore me to pieces and the Lion Yael got of him literally touched my heart. Although I wish Luka's last words to Yael were more meaningful.
Over all an amazing duology that was deep and moving. It will forever be one of my faves and I'm so glad I read it!
aerbourne's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.0
starrystorm's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0