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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
I don't really have anything good to say, so here's just the short review:
Gorgeous cover.
Great premise.
Terrible execution.
As much as I loved Graceling and Fire (probably some of my favorite books ever), Bitterblue was a letdown and this book just felt like a crash and burn. Kind of similar to how Bitterblue handled plot, characters, and flow, Winterkeep had similar problems, but was ultimately worse. The story just didn't come together, the characters didn't feel fully developed to me, and the politics that were thrown into the book weren't set up properly. Does anyone remember the climate crisis in Maximum Ride series that made us all raise eyebrows? Yeah, the politics in here also gave me the same eyebrow raise. If you want to make an impact, you need to build it up correctly and address it right, and this wasn't done here.
This book just didn't work for me.
Gorgeous cover.
Great premise.
Terrible execution.
As much as I loved Graceling and Fire (probably some of my favorite books ever), Bitterblue was a letdown and this book just felt like a crash and burn. Kind of similar to how Bitterblue handled plot, characters, and flow, Winterkeep had similar problems, but was ultimately worse. The story just didn't come together, the characters didn't feel fully developed to me, and the politics that were thrown into the book weren't set up properly. Does anyone remember the climate crisis in Maximum Ride series that made us all raise eyebrows? Yeah, the politics in here also gave me the same eyebrow raise. If you want to make an impact, you need to build it up correctly and address it right, and this wasn't done here.
This book just didn't work for me.
I struggled with this one. I think a strength of the writing in this series is the relationship between characters so I didn't love that Bitterblue was separate to some of the characters for so much of the book. I also didn't like the politics and world building in this new kingdom and didn't like Lovisa's character so I often found myself getting distracted when reading this.
Well done all around
#4 of a series. Overall, made me laugh, and there were some genius passages & dialogue. The world-building May have gotten a tad overdone in this volume, but it did keep things intriguing. Excellent psychological, personal growth reflected in the storylines.
#4 of a series. Overall, made me laugh, and there were some genius passages & dialogue. The world-building May have gotten a tad overdone in this volume, but it did keep things intriguing. Excellent psychological, personal growth reflected in the storylines.
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:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
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:
No
I liked it but not as much as the original Graceling books. It felt too bogged down in politics. I did enjoy it, and I read it in one weekend because I couldn't put it down--that says something, right?
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
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:
No
Bitterblue, my beloved. I am also madly in love with this strong, proud queen. I was so happy my least favorite parts of the last book were gone. I thoroughly enjoyed this read. From the plot, the mysterious conflict brewing in the political setting, to the characters, all so vastly different and purposeful. There is something so tragic in the internal development of each character, it gripped me to continue reading.
I loved every scene with Hava and Giddeon. They are such a fun duo, so caring and united in their love for Bitterblue (they are just like me, fr). Lovisa Cavenda was such an interesting main character to follow around. Her development surprised me. I was expecting to hate her by the end but she kind of grew on me. Adventure Fox' chapters were entertaining and insightful as well. All of the different characters' perspectives added so many layers to this story.
I am interested in knowing what the next book brings. I'm hoping it delves more into the political and ethical themes of the book, which were just a bit superficial in Winterkeep. Let's see what the Graceling Realm has to show me.
I loved every scene with Hava and Giddeon. They are such a fun duo, so caring and united in their love for Bitterblue (they are just like me, fr). Lovisa Cavenda was such an interesting main character to follow around. Her development surprised me. I was expecting to hate her by the end but she kind of grew on me. Adventure Fox' chapters were entertaining and insightful as well. All of the different characters' perspectives added so many layers to this story.
I am interested in knowing what the next book brings. I'm hoping it delves more into the political and ethical themes of the book, which were just a bit superficial in Winterkeep. Let's see what the Graceling Realm has to show me.
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced