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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
This book was deeply ambitious! There were sections that I adored - the maze! Oh, the maze! However, the dual timelines told in a frame became pretty unwieldy, and I just find myself thinking of only half the story. Its a good half, but it wasn't the half I thought I would like coming out of the first book.
Overall: Special thanks to NetGalley and DAW for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Content warnings:
Rep: sapphic relationship, queer relationship family bonds
Thoughts
Neutral thoughts:
I thought that this was a good continuation from the first book! Some questions were answered but there is still a lot going on in this world that we dont know about and or getting hints at. I will say that the descriptions were a little over whelming at some points, making the book feel a little dense, but you can tell that the author has put a lot of time and effort into creating this world and the environmental issues going on.
I also like the character development that we got to see between Kindred and the people that she interacted with, as well and Flitch (someone who we barely saw in the first one).
And just like the first one, this one had quite the cliffhanger so we shall see what goes on in the final book!
Content warnings:
Rep: sapphic relationship, queer relationship family bonds
Thoughts
Neutral thoughts:
I thought that this was a good continuation from the first book! Some questions were answered but there is still a lot going on in this world that we dont know about and or getting hints at. I will say that the descriptions were a little over whelming at some points, making the book feel a little dense, but you can tell that the author has put a lot of time and effort into creating this world and the environmental issues going on.
I also like the character development that we got to see between Kindred and the people that she interacted with, as well and Flitch (someone who we barely saw in the first one).
And just like the first one, this one had quite the cliffhanger so we shall see what goes on in the final book!
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a great sequel. All around an astoundingly solid book. Every bit of the first book came full circle in this one, and there were no loose ends left wagging in the wind, which I am extremely fond of.
Johnston sculpted these characters from the raw clay that was in my mind, and as the story progressed, so too did my image of and fondness for them. No character was left vague, no sub-plot was left half-done. Absolutely incredibly done; you can tell the author put an insane amount of forethought and planning into this story.
Johnston sculpted these characters from the raw clay that was in my mind, and as the story progressed, so too did my image of and fondness for them. No character was left vague, no sub-plot was left half-done. Absolutely incredibly done; you can tell the author put an insane amount of forethought and planning into this story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Blood, Death of parent, Murder
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
reflective
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
"The Endless Song" by Joshua Phillip Johnson is a sequel that follows not only Kindred, like in the first book, but also Flitch. The book didn't go quite as I expected, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
I liked Kindred's storyline, especially the people in the world beneath the prairie grasses. They were intriguing, and the conflict was quite interesting. However, the characters felt underdeveloped. Despite their potential, you don't learn much about them, and many aspects weren't properly explained. The pace was slow, with not much happening, and the explanations often felt odd. The grandmother, unlike in the first book where she was fleshed out through flashbacks, was quite annoying in this installment.
Flitch's storyline was more engaging and better developed, but I found it hard to connect with him. His family's big secret didn't captivate me. Some elements of the magic system seemed inconsistent, or perhaps my lack of interest made it feel that way.
What kept me reading was the world-building. Joshua Johnson excels at creating a well-thought-out and visually stunning world. Everything is vividly described, making it come to life, yet leaves enough to the imagination for readers to add their own spin. If there were a book solely about this world with beautiful illustrations, I would buy it immediately.
Johnson's original ideas are impressive, and I'm very curious about what he will create in the future.
Overall, I found this book a bit disappointing in terms of character and plot development. However, the world-building was exceptional and kept me engaged.
I liked Kindred's storyline, especially the people in the world beneath the prairie grasses. They were intriguing, and the conflict was quite interesting. However, the characters felt underdeveloped. Despite their potential, you don't learn much about them, and many aspects weren't properly explained. The pace was slow, with not much happening, and the explanations often felt odd. The grandmother, unlike in the first book where she was fleshed out through flashbacks, was quite annoying in this installment.
Flitch's storyline was more engaging and better developed, but I found it hard to connect with him. His family's big secret didn't captivate me. Some elements of the magic system seemed inconsistent, or perhaps my lack of interest made it feel that way.
What kept me reading was the world-building. Joshua Johnson excels at creating a well-thought-out and visually stunning world. Everything is vividly described, making it come to life, yet leaves enough to the imagination for readers to add their own spin. If there were a book solely about this world with beautiful illustrations, I would buy it immediately.
Johnson's original ideas are impressive, and I'm very curious about what he will create in the future.
Overall, I found this book a bit disappointing in terms of character and plot development. However, the world-building was exceptional and kept me engaged.
adventurous
emotional
sad
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:
Complicated
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
After quite a few mediocre reads, this book had me sobbing endlessly at the end. Johnson so aptly creates new archetypes, new stories, that stick in your mind. Tragic and beautiful and heart wrenching.
"Think on the wind, Heat had told them, and Kindred found that she had been thinking of little else since. What did it mean to do good, to be good, when you were one note in the world's melody? What was a good life when a person could be nothing more than an empty cathedral built by the hands of everyone and everything they had ever encountered?"
"Think on the wind, Heat had told them, and Kindred found that she had been thinking of little else since. What did it mean to do good, to be good, when you were one note in the world's melody? What was a good life when a person could be nothing more than an empty cathedral built by the hands of everyone and everything they had ever encountered?"