Scan barcode
swaye's review against another edition
3.0
This book left me feeling seriously conflicted.
To be honest, there were huge chunks of it I simply didn't enjoy and it felt more like a chore than anything remotely resembling pleasure to get through. Most of the story felt like it was going around in circles and every chapter often just repeated the same sentiments over and over again from each character's POV.
Personally, there is nothing more frustrating in a series than when an author feels the need to recap what happened in the previous books. What sane individual is going to pick up the 3rd book in a series and read it as a standalone? I feel like it's lazy storytelling and a complete waste of time. For me, a lot of Gathering Darkness felt like a desperate need to reach a word count instead of focusing on plot progression and there were many times when I felt a compelling urge to throw the book out the window. ESPECIALLY when it came to Jonas' chapters. Holy chicken nugget in a biscuit dipped in mashed potato! What an incredibly pointless and annoying character! He, by far, wins all the awards for the horndoggiest character ever written. He goes from lusting after one character to another and then even pervs a fucking statue ffs! The man is incorrigible!
Now that I've got all of that out of my system, I have to say that the ending of this book was so bloody brilliant that I very nearly gave it a 4 star rating. But alas, overall, I just felt like the book waffled way too much until it finally got there.
I was going to take a break before beginning Frozen Tides but I NEED MORE MAGNEO IN MY LIFE!!! That, and my bae, Lucia is on the cover. *sigh* My poor, beautiful sorceress. I just want her to be happy. IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK, MORGAN RHODES, YOU MAGNIFICENT BUT MERCILESS MURDERER OF DARLINGS!?
To be honest, there were huge chunks of it I simply didn't enjoy and it felt more like a chore than anything remotely resembling pleasure to get through. Most of the story felt like it was going around in circles and every chapter often just repeated the same sentiments over and over again from each character's POV.
Personally, there is nothing more frustrating in a series than when an author feels the need to recap what happened in the previous books. What sane individual is going to pick up the 3rd book in a series and read it as a standalone? I feel like it's lazy storytelling and a complete waste of time. For me, a lot of Gathering Darkness felt like a desperate need to reach a word count instead of focusing on plot progression and there were many times when I felt a compelling urge to throw the book out the window. ESPECIALLY when it came to Jonas' chapters. Holy chicken nugget in a biscuit dipped in mashed potato! What an incredibly pointless and annoying character! He, by far, wins all the awards for the horndoggiest character ever written. He goes from lusting after one character to another and then even pervs a fucking statue ffs! The man is incorrigible!
Now that I've got all of that out of my system, I have to say that the ending of this book was so bloody brilliant that I very nearly gave it a 4 star rating. But alas, overall, I just felt like the book waffled way too much until it finally got there.
I was going to take a break before beginning Frozen Tides but I NEED MORE MAGNEO IN MY LIFE!!! That, and my bae, Lucia is on the cover. *sigh* My poor, beautiful sorceress. I just want her to be happy. IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK, MORGAN RHODES, YOU MAGNIFICENT BUT MERCILESS MURDERER OF DARLINGS!?
eesh25's review
4.0
This book starts off just days after when the last one ends.
Magnus is furious with his father for having his ,other killed, Jonas tries to find out more about his rebel group's condition after a kidnapping gone wrong and Cleo is trying to befriend Lucia to gain her trust so she can use her to get the Kindred and claim her throne.
I was very confused about how to rate this (hence the 3.75 rating) because it didn't have the best beginning. It was uneventful and, while the pace picked up, the book didn't get really exciting until the final third or quarter of the book.
There were events in the book that felt anticlimactic and there were, once again, plot hole. Like in the second book, Jonas breaks into the castle to talk to Cleo but we're never told how hw accomplished that. If it were so easy, wouldn't the king already be dead? Stuff like that was in this one as well and it bothers me. Still, I did enjoy the book.
There was romance in the book but it wasn't the main focus for any of the characters except Lucia, who I don't like. The character development was great. While Magnus will probably always be my favourite, Cleo has gotten a lot smarter. I think there wasn even a turning point for Jonas. Lucia... I don't wanna talk about her.
When you think about it, this book might be a turning point for the entire series. So much shit went down and it's not something you can come back from. I'm very interested to know which direction the story is heading now.
Oh and, I finally have a ship! I had couples that I thought might be good, before, but now I have a definite ship. And that is... Magnus and Cleo! Please don't drown my ship, Morgan Rhodes.
Overall, this was a really good book and, by far, my favourite in the series. Excited to read the next part. I'm starting it right after I finish writing the review, which is now.
erikajay's review
3.0
So far my favorite book of the series! Magnus is still my favorite character and I loved every second with him.
krln's review
3.0
ive always thought i prefer 3rd POV but this series is starting to make me think otherwise. i just dont care about most of the characters. am is supposed to like lucia? hate her? cause i dont know and i really dont care about her. she does have a little more personality than in the previous books.
its really telling that magnus the incest boy is now my favorite character lol. i do like cleo because i feel like she finally had some agenda in this book. i really liked jonas in the first books, now i feel like his chapters are one of the most boring.
overall this book definitely wasnt bad, but i just cant bring myself to give it more than 3 stars - it is more like 3.5 in my mind.
ill still try to read the next book, even if it might be just for magnus
its really telling that magnus the incest boy is now my favorite character lol. i do like cleo because i feel like she finally had some agenda in this book. i really liked jonas in the first books, now i feel like his chapters are one of the most boring.
overall this book definitely wasnt bad, but i just cant bring myself to give it more than 3 stars - it is more like 3.5 in my mind.
ill still try to read the next book, even if it might be just for magnus
edeneldred's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
acel96's review
2.0
Well… that was really disappointing… i wouldn’t even call that a slow burn because it was hella boring! The first two books were amazing and i couldn’t wait to get to the next chapter because i wanted to know what would happen next but THIS ONE? I honestly couldn’t wait to get done with it because of how boring it was… i wish i only read the last 50 pages of the book because that’s when shit started to get interesting.
rowrow's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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? N/A
4.25
lilygrace27's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
4.75