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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
Henrietta couldn’t get out of her own way and the books were infuriating.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
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:
No
such a weak ending to such a good series. A Poison Dark and Drowning was my favorite book of 2018- and comparing this book to that one is almost laughable. i hated Henrietta and her decisions in this book. HATED THEM. ugh, it still gets me so angry how such a strong character was reduced to mush in this story. magnus was overly good in this book, not the flawed character we met in the beginning. and blackwood was just... bad. i kept waiting for henrietta to wake up to his awful decisions, but she blindly went along with almost every stupid, condescending decision he made. I’m so so so disappointed at how this series ended.
Also, the font change on the cover for solidifies my conspiracy that the publishers knew this book was going to be trash and were subtly warning the audience
Also, the font change on the cover for solidifies my conspiracy that the publishers knew this book was going to be trash and were subtly warning the audience
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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:
Yes
A Sorrow Fierce and Falling is a difficult book to review because there were just some parts of the book that seemed to work for me and others that really did not. I did enjoy how neatly tied up the conclusion was and how satisfying it is that there are no cliffhangers or questions left behind however, so overall I will say that it's a decent conclusion for a series that has attempted to tell a new story about sorcerers, magicians and witches set in the time of Victorian England.
Henrietta Howel has discovered the truth regarding her parentage and regarding her place in their battle against the Ancients. Henrietta knows that she's not the Chosen One that's stated in their prophecy but believes that she still has an important part to play in figuring out how to stop the Ancients, especially since they seem to have come one step closer to whatever their plan is for England. But in the meantime, Henrietta has a wedding to prepare for and she and Lord Blackwood have decided that there's no better time than the present to becoming wed in their last stronghold, in the Sorrow-Fell Estate that has traditionally belonged to the Blackwoods. But things take a turn as Henrietta discovers that the Blackwoods have their own sinister heritage and that Sorrow-Fell may be intimately linked to the Ancients and the way that they first came upon Victorian England.
Not to mention, her relationship with Blackwood seems to come under strain because of their differing views on how they should plan for their battle against the Ancients. Her ties with Maria, the girl that they now believe to the true Chosen One and her friendship with Magnus, a boy that she once had romantic feelings for, also call into question how deep her ties with Blackwood truly run and how suited they are for each other.
The parts that I found satisfying regarding A Sorrow Fierce and Falling are Henrietta's relationships with Maria and Magnus. I enjoyed how fiercely devoted Maria and Henrietta are to each other and it's pretty cool to read about a strong friendship that exists between these two ladies, especially in the field of YA fantasy where girls are sometimes pitted against each other. But that's not the case here because Henrietta sees that there's more to Maria than just being a witch or just being a Chosen One and the two of them seem to really value the bond that they have with each other. Additionally, I've grown to appreciate Magnus a lot more and appreciate that he seems to have grown up a lot as compared to the first book. He's truly matured and become someone who knows how to love unconditionally. The final battle between the Ancients, the humans and "the kindly Emperor" was also quite epic to read about. I thought that Jessica Cluess did a great job at describing the scale of the battle, the lives that were at stake and the choices that the characters made in the heat of battle seemed to ring true to who they were from the start.
Although Rook has never been my favorite character from the series, I did appreciate that he got a pretty decent send-off in this book as well.
However, there were a few plot contrivances that I found a little tiresome.
Overall, the series is a pretty decent introduction to YA fantasy - with some of the pitfalls that this genre tends to have, such as the overabundance of love interests. But the things that the series does: the descriptions of Victorian England, the imagination involved in projecting three different races of magical beings into that setting, it does well.
Henrietta Howel has discovered the truth regarding her parentage and regarding her place in their battle against the Ancients. Henrietta knows that she's not the Chosen One that's stated in their prophecy but believes that she still has an important part to play in figuring out how to stop the Ancients, especially since they seem to have come one step closer to whatever their plan is for England. But in the meantime, Henrietta has a wedding to prepare for and she and Lord Blackwood have decided that there's no better time than the present to becoming wed in their last stronghold, in the Sorrow-Fell Estate that has traditionally belonged to the Blackwoods. But things take a turn as Henrietta discovers that the Blackwoods have their own sinister heritage and that Sorrow-Fell may be intimately linked to the Ancients and the way that they first came upon Victorian England.
Not to mention, her relationship with Blackwood seems to come under strain because of their differing views on how they should plan for their battle against the Ancients. Her ties with Maria, the girl that they now believe to the true Chosen One and her friendship with Magnus, a boy that she once had romantic feelings for, also call into question how deep her ties with Blackwood truly run and how suited they are for each other.
The parts that I found satisfying regarding A Sorrow Fierce and Falling are Henrietta's relationships with Maria and Magnus. I enjoyed how fiercely devoted Maria and Henrietta are to each other and it's pretty cool to read about a strong friendship that exists between these two ladies, especially in the field of YA fantasy where girls are sometimes pitted against each other. But that's not the case here because Henrietta sees that there's more to Maria than just being a witch or just being a Chosen One and the two of them seem to really value the bond that they have with each other. Additionally, I've grown to appreciate Magnus a lot more and appreciate that he seems to have grown up a lot as compared to the first book. He's truly matured and become someone who knows how to love unconditionally.
Spoiler
Needless to say, I'm pretty relieved that Henrietta ends up with him when her other two choices of Rook and Blackwood were so totally abysmal. However, I will add that for fans of the Henrietta-Blackwood pairing, they would probably be pretty disappointed. Although I've pretty much grown tried of Blackwood and his machinations and manipulation of Henrietta, I do kind of agree that it seemed a little abrupt that the scales seem to have fallen from Henrietta's eyes so speedily in this last book. There's not a whole lot of build-up to explain why Blackwood's behavior towards Henrietta becomes so wretched in this book and his calling her a slut was really just the worst.Although Rook has never been my favorite character from the series, I did appreciate that he got a pretty decent send-off in this book as well.
Spoiler
The love square has never been one of the things that I enjoyed from the series but I did like the way that Cluess described his relationship with Henrietta and how their love for each other was one of familiarity and childhood.However, there were a few plot contrivances that I found a little tiresome.
Spoiler
For example, it was awfully convenient that the witch that was involved in the original Blackwood conspiracy was actually possessing Maria all along and chose the worst possible timing to manifest. It also seemed like Mary only ever surfaced when the plot called for it and Maria was otherwise pretty deft at keeping her under control. Furthermore, there were constantly times where Henrietta seemed stranded and hapless but would conveniently come across some allies, such as when Henrietta discovered Magnus and the other human survivors as well as when Henrietta and Maria come across Maria's grandma and the other witches.Overall, the series is a pretty decent introduction to YA fantasy - with some of the pitfalls that this genre tends to have, such as the overabundance of love interests. But the things that the series does: the descriptions of Victorian England, the imagination involved in projecting three different races of magical beings into that setting, it does well.
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had such high hopes, but I don’t think I can forgive HH for the idiotic decisions which almost led to the destruction of an entire country. An entirely preventable situation, which requires the actions and sacrifice of almost everyone else to resolve.
And I don’t think I can forgive the author for making a complete Horlicks of the romance(s).
And I don’t think I can forgive the author for making a complete Horlicks of the romance(s).
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A very engrossing world, full of tragedy and darkness. I thought the monsters were quite terrifying and the ideas behind the story very good. In execution things didn't turn out as well as I would of hoped. A fitting end to the series though and I did enjoy it. Highlights: fight scenes, monsters, world, the bajillion twists in the end
Problems: Writing felt a bit flat at times but was buoyed by the creativity behind it.
Problems: Writing felt a bit flat at times but was buoyed by the creativity behind it.
I was very anxious to read the last book in this series, mostly because I didn’t want the series to end. Jessica Cluess is truly gifted in the art of storytelling. She knows how to draw her readers in and make them fall in love with the characters, villains included. No character is perfect and I LOVE this! Another aspect I love about this series is while there are a lot of secrets kept, all are revealed in the end, and the characters embrace the truth.
The only thing I was not a fan of were the multiple romances. I like for the MC to pick one love interest and stay with him. I’m not a fan of love triangles as it takes away from the story when my guy doesn’t win (petty, I know, but it’s the truth). Henrietta’s heart jumps around quite a bit in a short period of time, I thought. I couldn’t understand how she could love one so much and then the second she’s alone with another, after things fall through with the first, all those feelings suddenly resurface? I wasn’t buying it. Cluess is so crafty though, I didn’t care too much about this, because I didn’t really have a Team in this book—Henrietta is headstrong and independent, I was honestly rooting for no one.
In the end, each character found their own form of happiness, no matter how much it hurt them, and it was BEAUTIFUL! Cluess wrapped this book up perfectly, with a little bit of an opening even for a potential spin off, or short story? What will become of Stephen Blackwood? I’m interested...
The only thing I was not a fan of were the multiple romances. I like for the MC to pick one love interest and stay with him. I’m not a fan of love triangles as it takes away from the story when my guy doesn’t win (petty, I know, but it’s the truth). Henrietta’s heart jumps around quite a bit in a short period of time, I thought. I couldn’t understand how she could love one so much and then the second she’s alone with another, after things fall through with the first, all those feelings suddenly resurface? I wasn’t buying it. Cluess is so crafty though, I didn’t care too much about this, because I didn’t really have a Team in this book—Henrietta is headstrong and independent, I was honestly rooting for no one.
In the end, each character found their own form of happiness, no matter how much it hurt them, and it was BEAUTIFUL! Cluess wrapped this book up perfectly, with a little bit of an opening even for a potential spin off, or short story? What will become of Stephen Blackwood? I’m interested...