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andreamariee4's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Maybe it’s just because I’m 30 books deep into this series but I am INVESTED in all these characters. This was a great start to the series & I cannot wait for what’s next. I am fighting for Emma & Julian 🥹
b1ue_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-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
5.0
ainslieruhl's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-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
4.5
i am nothing if not a cassandra clare enjoyer, and this book did not detract my feelings. this book had all my favourite things (found family!!!!!) and it absolutely did not feel like 700 pages. i flew through it and there was never a dull moment. bonus: i love the cameos from the mortal instruments and infernal devices characters
my only critique is that we don’t really get to see the flaws of our main characters (emma & julian) really fleshed out or even existent. julian is what? too caring? lies to protect his family? don’t get me wrong, julian is lovely, but i find it hard to relate to him as a character beyond the shared eldest sibling energy.
i’m curious to see where the series goes and will be continuing!
my only critique is that we don’t really get to see the flaws of our main characters (emma & julian) really fleshed out or even existent. julian is what? too caring? lies to protect his family? don’t get me wrong, julian is lovely, but i find it hard to relate to him as a character beyond the shared eldest sibling energy.
i’m curious to see where the series goes and will be continuing!
witten82's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
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? N/A
5.0
I am emotionally unwell after this book. 😭
8going80's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? No
4.0
Only reason I’m not rating it higher is because it took me just under 500 pages to actually get in to the book, but after that I was hooked on the trilogy
eesh25's review against another edition
4.0
This was book my most anticipated book of the year. And while I enjoyed it, I was still a little disappointed.
I was super nervous about reading it. I wanted to like it but I wanted my review to be as fair as possible so I was also at the risk of over-analizing. It took me some time to get my thoughts in order.
First of all, I'm still a bit angry about the last page, before the epilogue. When I read it, I wanted to hammer someone's head in. With a hammer. And it wasn't so much the characters that I'm angry at, it's that the author decided to take that direction. That she added this, another complicated, another lie.
With many other authors, I could have just rolled my eyes and said it was stupid. But with Cassie, who is one of my favorites, I expected more.
And it's not that I don't understand the reason. I really, really do. I thought a lot about it and I get why that decision was made. It wasn't right but people make mistakes. That's why I'm not as angry at the characters. I just loathed it.
Moving on from that.
This is a slow burning book, especially for those who have already read other series' by Cassie because there a lot of introducing-the-world in it for those who are starting with this series. It is, after all, also a standalone. But that doesn't mean it was boring. It was a very interesting book and I flew though it (in two and a half days).
Also, there's her writing style. I remember when I used to absolutely love it. I still like it, but not as much. Cassie has a noticeably different style. She has this thing with hair and eyes and body postures and facial expressions. And the way the colors change due to the different amounts and types of lights. So there are a lot of descriptions of them. And similies! Lots of 'em!
But they mostly work. She hasn't gone into the Shatter Me category of writing yet, thankfully.
Now, I'm done being horrible about a book I waited two years for. Let's get to the things I liked:
1. The Characters: Characters, I feel, are a specialty of Cassie's. She writes such distinct characters and gives them beautiful stories to flesh them out that you can't help but feel connected to them.
Emma and her sass was great (even if she got annoying sometimes and did stupid things). I adored the twins' relationship with each other. Livvy is so great with everyone and Ty is just... inetersting. I can't wait to get to know him more. Dru is so cute and fun and Tavvy, the baby... All I can say is, "Cassie, please don't hurt him." Mark, for me, is still walking the thin like between love and I-will-kill-him-slowly-and-painfully.
And Jules... Oh Jules, Jules, Jules. He is so... amazing. I won't say perfect, because he isn't. No well developed character can be. But that's what makes them precious. And he is very precious. I especially loved him during his last conversation in the book. And I loved him throughout the book with his siblings.
2. The two major plot twists/revelations: I can't really say anything about that here but I'll mention one in a spoiler section at the end of the review. I can say that I didn't, at all, see either of them coming. I could say 'Oh my God!' a thousand times and it wouldn't be enough.
3. The family aspect: Family plays a very important role in the book and it was handled beautifully. Each individual relationship was given time and importance and I loved that. I love how much they care.
4. The ending: This is the epilogue ending and not the infuriating one. I kinda expected what happened to happen but I don't know how that's going to play out in the next book. I'm very excited to find out though.
Overall, this was a great book. There were parts I didn't like, parts I liked and parts I'm still buzzed about. It's not a mind-blowing book, for me at least, but I have a feeling the series will get better with every book.
Spoiler section
2) CHRISTOPHER JONATHAN HERONDALE! Oh my God, that happened! And the name just makes it even better! I could cry with how happy I am. I need the next book ASAP. And I totally ship him with Ty. And their ship name is Kitty, which is hilarious. Whenever I start to get engry about that ending, I remind myself of him and I get a huge smile on my face.
I was super nervous about reading it. I wanted to like it but I wanted my review to be as fair as possible so I was also at the risk of over-analizing. It took me some time to get my thoughts in order.
First of all, I'm still a bit angry about the last page, before the epilogue. When I read it, I wanted to hammer someone's head in. With a hammer. And it wasn't so much the characters that I'm angry at, it's that the author decided to take that direction. That she added this, another complicated, another lie.
With many other authors, I could have just rolled my eyes and said it was stupid. But with Cassie, who is one of my favorites, I expected more.
And it's not that I don't understand the reason. I really, really do. I thought a lot about it and I get why that decision was made. It wasn't right but people make mistakes. That's why I'm not as angry at the characters. I just loathed it.
Moving on from that.
This is a slow burning book, especially for those who have already read other series' by Cassie because there a lot of introducing-the-world in it for those who are starting with this series. It is, after all, also a standalone. But that doesn't mean it was boring. It was a very interesting book and I flew though it (in two and a half days).
Also, there's her writing style. I remember when I used to absolutely love it. I still like it, but not as much. Cassie has a noticeably different style. She has this thing with hair and eyes and body postures and facial expressions. And the way the colors change due to the different amounts and types of lights. So there are a lot of descriptions of them. And similies! Lots of 'em!
But they mostly work. She hasn't gone into the Shatter Me category of writing yet, thankfully.
Now, I'm done being horrible about a book I waited two years for. Let's get to the things I liked:
1. The Characters: Characters, I feel, are a specialty of Cassie's. She writes such distinct characters and gives them beautiful stories to flesh them out that you can't help but feel connected to them.
Emma and her sass was great (even if she got annoying sometimes and did stupid things). I adored the twins' relationship with each other. Livvy is so great with everyone and Ty is just... inetersting. I can't wait to get to know him more. Dru is so cute and fun and Tavvy, the baby... All I can say is, "Cassie, please don't hurt him." Mark, for me, is still walking the thin like between love and I-will-kill-him-slowly-and-painfully.
And Jules... Oh Jules, Jules, Jules. He is so... amazing. I won't say perfect, because he isn't. No well developed character can be. But that's what makes them precious. And he is very precious. I especially loved him during his last conversation in the book. And I loved him throughout the book with his siblings.
2. The two major plot twists/revelations: I can't really say anything about that here but I'll mention one in a spoiler section at the end of the review. I can say that I didn't, at all, see either of them coming. I could say 'Oh my God!' a thousand times and it wouldn't be enough.
3. The family aspect: Family plays a very important role in the book and it was handled beautifully. Each individual relationship was given time and importance and I loved that. I love how much they care.
4. The ending: This is the epilogue ending and not the infuriating one. I kinda expected what happened to happen but I don't know how that's going to play out in the next book. I'm very excited to find out though.
Overall, this was a great book. There were parts I didn't like, parts I liked and parts I'm still buzzed about. It's not a mind-blowing book, for me at least, but I have a feeling the series will get better with every book.
Spoiler section
Spoiler
Only have two things to say: 1) If Emma sleeps with Mark, I will never, not ever forgive her. I might be okay with a kiss but they better not date because... NO!2) CHRISTOPHER JONATHAN HERONDALE! Oh my God, that happened! And the name just makes it even better! I could cry with how happy I am. I need the next book ASAP. And I totally ship him with Ty. And their ship name is Kitty, which is hilarious. Whenever I start to get engry about that ending, I remind myself of him and I get a huge smile on my face.
izzylashley's review against another edition
5.0
Finally reading the dark artifices and I’m literally in shock after this one, like high key def my favorite book in the realm so far
kendra_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
oh my god Cassie was not playing around!
faeriesparks's review against another edition
4.0
between 4 and 4.5 stars
I don't even know where to start with this review. I'm going to keep this quite short since I do plan on filming a booktalk for my booktube channel
edit:
my booktalk is up on my Youtube channel. part 1: https://youtu.be/OBFxg0aznsU & part 2: https://youtu.be/Y7oKbcw9jic
some general thoughts:
I found the plot of the book quite intriguing but a bit slow at times. Fortunately I didn't mind this as much because I did enjoy the characters and their interactions a lot.
I really liked most of the characters. Some of them (Julian, Mark) I absolutely loved. And even the ones I didn't quite like in the beginning (Cristina) I warmed up to by the end of the book.
As for ships: I AM SO CONFLICTED. I basically ship everything and everyone.
There were quite a few plot twists in this, that I did not expect at all. A lot of other things were predictable - but being a reader of Cassies's books for several years now, you get the jist of her stories and characters; there is a certain pattern she follows with most things.
As for a certain scene in about the middle of the book or a bit after, I don't quite remember, I am incredibly annoyed and angered about that one scene. With Julian and Emma. If you've read the book you'll probably know what scene I mean. I will discuss it further in my booktalk before I start ranting about it here. But I will say I didn't like it at all and I even had to stop reading after that because I was so angry.
I think that's all I have to say for now.
I don't even know where to start with this review. I'm going to keep this quite short since I do plan on filming a booktalk for my booktube channel
edit:
my booktalk is up on my Youtube channel. part 1: https://youtu.be/OBFxg0aznsU & part 2: https://youtu.be/Y7oKbcw9jic
some general thoughts:
I found the plot of the book quite intriguing but a bit slow at times. Fortunately I didn't mind this as much because I did enjoy the characters and their interactions a lot.
I really liked most of the characters. Some of them (Julian, Mark) I absolutely loved. And even the ones I didn't quite like in the beginning (Cristina) I warmed up to by the end of the book.
As for ships: I AM SO CONFLICTED. I basically ship everything and everyone.
There were quite a few plot twists in this, that I did not expect at all. A lot of other things were predictable - but being a reader of Cassies's books for several years now, you get the jist of her stories and characters; there is a certain pattern she follows with most things.
As for a certain scene in about the middle of the book or a bit after, I don't quite remember, I am incredibly annoyed and angered about that one scene. With Julian and Emma. If you've read the book you'll probably know what scene I mean. I will discuss it further in my booktalk before I start ranting about it here. But I will say I didn't like it at all and I even had to stop reading after that because I was so angry.
I think that's all I have to say for now.
nikkireadsstuff's review against another edition
3.0
Cassandra Clare has done it again! I absolutely LOVE her world! I'm a huge fan of both series, and the fact that this book mixed both Mortal Instruments and Infernal Devices made the fan girl in me jump at the chance to dive in!!! All my favorite characters made an appearance, and I loved every second of it!
You can expect the same Classic Cassie that we've seen in the other series...except this one is more tied to family. The Blackthorns are mentioned in previous books, but they were the focus in this one. Loved the added information in this one!
The ONLY thing I wasn't impressed by was the forbidden love story. I didn't get it. I was more grossed out by it than truly invested in it.
Either way...I will be reading the rest of the books. Because it's Cassandra Clare...come on!
You can expect the same Classic Cassie that we've seen in the other series...except this one is more tied to family. The Blackthorns are mentioned in previous books, but they were the focus in this one. Loved the added information in this one!
The ONLY thing I wasn't impressed by was the forbidden love story. I didn't get it. I was more grossed out by it than truly invested in it.
Either way...I will be reading the rest of the books. Because it's Cassandra Clare...come on!