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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
So this final book was ok...I've felt meh about the entire series but I liked it enough to see it through to the end and I'm not sure if I'm glad I finished it or not? I have more negative things to say than positive, but it wasn't an awful reading experience so it's getting 3 stars. If you REALLY like this series than finish it, but if you just want to see it through for the sake of it, maybe skip this finale.
********SPOILERS*******
What the fuck happened to Blackwood. Like actually. wtf happened to Blackwood. If you liked his character but do not like it when they turn sour then I suggest skipping this one. I can't say he was my favourite character, but he was alright in the previous two novels. What the actual hell. He's a total prick in this book and I'm so glad Henrietta got away from him. Could not STAND him and his power trip. And the end redemption arc did nothing for me. Henrietta ending up with Magnus was cool?? I guess?? I'd honestly rather shed end up with nine of the guys and recognized her own strength and power and stayed with the queen to make England a better place. Also Rook. I felt like nothing really came out of that relationship by the end of the series.
********SPOILERS*******
What the fuck happened to Blackwood. Like actually. wtf happened to Blackwood. If you liked his character but do not like it when they turn sour then I suggest skipping this one. I can't say he was my favourite character, but he was alright in the previous two novels. What the actual hell. He's a total prick in this book and I'm so glad Henrietta got away from him. Could not STAND him and his power trip. And the end redemption arc did nothing for me. Henrietta ending up with Magnus was cool?? I guess?? I'd honestly rather shed end up with nine of the guys and recognized her own strength and power and stayed with the queen to make England a better place. Also Rook. I felt like nothing really came out of that relationship by the end of the series.
I could basically copy and paste my review of the second book here. Henrietta continues to be a Damsel in Distress even though there's no one left to save her. The books are entertaining enough and easy to read, with enough action and unique mythology to keep it interesting, but lord... I would rather read this entire thing from Maria or Magnus' point of view and have had Henrietta throw herself into the sea from the last book. She's such a damp towel but Now With Less Virginity!
I could not have asked for a better ending to this series. The love triangle stuff still bothered me, but in the end, this series was fantastic and I am so glad I read it. and it left me excited to see what Cluess does next.
I have no idea what to rate this because there were aspects I enjoyed and were dramatic and intense, but also the mashing of Jane Eyre and this fantasy world was way too much. And once I saw the Jane Eyre parallels I couldn’t un-see them, and it was incredibly distracting and made the whole thing feel like a fanfic. (If the Jane Eyre connection had been made clear in any of the blurbs or the summaries of the books, I may have been able to forgive this because then it wouldn’t have felt like the author was trying to pull one over on us.) The plot was all over the place, reminding me of the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series, which I had to dnf. If you’re one for insane plots with constant dramatic reveals, but not so concerned about understanding the characters, this series might be for you.
DNF @ 26%
I physically cannot read this book anymore. I don’t want to get into it too much because even thinking about this book infuriates me.
My main problem is the relationship between Henrietta and Blackwood. I was never a huge fan of their relationship, especially after book two. This book starts off with them being ~in love~ after being engaged for a couple of months, and you may be wondering: didn’t Henrietta say that she didn’t want to marry Blackwood and that she is only doing so so that she can have magicians at Sorrow-Fell? And you would be right. So how do you think the author explains this drastic change in their relationship? In a one sentence explanation 60 pages into the book saying that they grew closer and fell in love. What?? That’s not how you develop a relationship! I remember starting the second book and thinking that Henrietta and Blackwood were WAY closer than I remember them being, and it was the same in this book. It’s just lazy writing to have these characters develop their relationship offscreen and just expect the readers to accept that.
Another thing I hated about this book is how Blackwood is emotionally abusive to Henrietta and in general a power hungry asshole AND YET it’s never condemned or challenged. There was one scene where he basically orders the QUEEN OF ENGLAND around and Henrietta is like “oh my god he only cares about power and he doesn’t want to share that with anyone” but then she just forgives him! That’s just one instance, but there were countless examples in the first quarter. Honestly anytime Blackwood was in a scene or mentioned I had it highlighted green (how I annotate things I don’t like/hate).
And the final nail in the coffin was when they have sex. I’m not a prude, I think Henrietta should have sex with whoever she wants, but the TIMING!! So many people had just died because of what they did and they decide that the best way to cope with this is to bang. Like ok?? The entire scene made me so uncomfortable that after I finished it I immediately checked the back of the book to make sure that she ends up with Magnus (I spoiled myself in the middle of the second book because I didn’t care anymore), and she does?? So I checked some spoilery Goodreads reviews to see if I wanted to continue since I had not enjoyed a second of what I had read so far. AND APPARENTLY Henrietta gets pregnant and Blackwood calls her a slut (who’s shocked?) and they break off their engagement. Then Blackwood dies? I don’t know how all I know is that it’s lame and nothing is done to redeem him for all his shitty, misogynistic and possessive behavior. And then somehow Henrietta and Magnus get together BECAUSE HER OTHER TWO OPTIONS ARE DEAD?????
Honestly I’m glad I jumped ship. I can’t remember the last time I DNFed a book with no intention of finishing it. I usually push through but I physically can’t, it’s literally so flabbergasting that this is where the story went. The first book was almost a five star book for me! And while I didn’t like the second one as much I really cared about most of the characters! But it’s just too frustrating to read. I had to create a new Goodreads shelf for DNFs! That’s how much I didn’t like this book! I finished A Great and Terrible Beauty!! That’s one of my least favorite books of ALL TIME! And I couldn’t get more than 26% of the way through this! I'm so disappointed, but I don’t care enough to read the rest of the book, and from what I read there’s no way that this would have gotten more than a 2 star rating from me and it doesn’t look like it gets any better. Oh well ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I physically cannot read this book anymore. I don’t want to get into it too much because even thinking about this book infuriates me.
My main problem is the relationship between Henrietta and Blackwood. I was never a huge fan of their relationship, especially after book two. This book starts off with them being ~in love~ after being engaged for a couple of months, and you may be wondering: didn’t Henrietta say that she didn’t want to marry Blackwood and that she is only doing so so that she can have magicians at Sorrow-Fell? And you would be right. So how do you think the author explains this drastic change in their relationship? In a one sentence explanation 60 pages into the book saying that they grew closer and fell in love. What?? That’s not how you develop a relationship! I remember starting the second book and thinking that Henrietta and Blackwood were WAY closer than I remember them being, and it was the same in this book. It’s just lazy writing to have these characters develop their relationship offscreen and just expect the readers to accept that.
Another thing I hated about this book is how Blackwood is emotionally abusive to Henrietta and in general a power hungry asshole AND YET it’s never condemned or challenged. There was one scene where he basically orders the QUEEN OF ENGLAND around and Henrietta is like “oh my god he only cares about power and he doesn’t want to share that with anyone” but then she just forgives him! That’s just one instance, but there were countless examples in the first quarter. Honestly anytime Blackwood was in a scene or mentioned I had it highlighted green (how I annotate things I don’t like/hate).
And the final nail in the coffin was when they have sex. I’m not a prude, I think Henrietta should have sex with whoever she wants, but the TIMING!! So many people had just died because of what they did and they decide that the best way to cope with this is to bang. Like ok?? The entire scene made me so uncomfortable that after I finished it I immediately checked the back of the book to make sure that she ends up with Magnus (I spoiled myself in the middle of the second book because I didn’t care anymore), and she does?? So I checked some spoilery Goodreads reviews to see if I wanted to continue since I had not enjoyed a second of what I had read so far. AND APPARENTLY Henrietta gets pregnant and Blackwood calls her a slut (who’s shocked?) and they break off their engagement. Then Blackwood dies? I don’t know how all I know is that it’s lame and nothing is done to redeem him for all his shitty, misogynistic and possessive behavior. And then somehow Henrietta and Magnus get together BECAUSE HER OTHER TWO OPTIONS ARE DEAD?????
Honestly I’m glad I jumped ship. I can’t remember the last time I DNFed a book with no intention of finishing it. I usually push through but I physically can’t, it’s literally so flabbergasting that this is where the story went. The first book was almost a five star book for me! And while I didn’t like the second one as much I really cared about most of the characters! But it’s just too frustrating to read. I had to create a new Goodreads shelf for DNFs! That’s how much I didn’t like this book! I finished A Great and Terrible Beauty!! That’s one of my least favorite books of ALL TIME! And I couldn’t get more than 26% of the way through this! I'm so disappointed, but I don’t care enough to read the rest of the book, and from what I read there’s no way that this would have gotten more than a 2 star rating from me and it doesn’t look like it gets any better. Oh well ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Review now online on: https://mybookishadventuress.wordpress.com/2020/06/11/a-sorrow-fierce-and-falling-spoiler-free-review/
Omg so much happened in this book. Can't even begin to wrap my head around it lol. Review to come.
Omg so much happened in this book. Can't even begin to wrap my head around it lol. Review to come.
I am so sad that I am done with this series because it was unbelievable. It is a series that isn't afraid to rip your heart out and give you a real ending. I fell in love with these characters and their story. It was an amazing adventure. The main character, Henrietta, has been through so much but she doesn't stop fighting. She defeats all odds and proves people wrong time and time again. She is definitely one of my favorite female characters of all time. If you haven't read this trilogy you really need to! Also, the covers of this series are gorgeous and I'm obsessed. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.
**truly some indeterminate number between 3 and 4**
I'M AS INDECISIVE AS HENRIETTA AT THIS POINT.
No, but really, please visit this review. There's a wonderful rant on how I feel towards this book.
I think it’s been a long time since I have been so razzled on what my rating should be (and how the review should go) as a whole. I ended up deciding to have an indeterminate number because depending on the day my opinion seems to change. I have so many thoughts over this book. [If you’ve read this, comment/send e-mail! I’m curious what you thought of it].
First of all, I’ve probably mentioned this before…I rarely ever enjoy a love triangle; it’s probably my most hated trope. And in this case, it was a love…square? I think that’s what we’re calling it.
There were some twists in this book, THAT WE SO COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY. Alright, I’m really referring to one I am struggling to accept as a good piece of the story, but there were a few others that weren’t fun either okay? I saw them as a push to complete character arcs that had already burned to ashes in the first place, and adding such tid-bits only frazzled me more.
I felt like I was reading a hodge-podge of about a hundred different books I’ve read just this year. I kept realizing what books she was drawing aspects from over and over again. And don't even get me started about "the chosen one" sections of this book. *simmering rage*
It may seem like I hated this book, but in this weird way I can't even figure out, it made it a decent book too. The writing is enjoyable and the concept as a whole is different. The execution was flat our poor. I think most people will LOVE it or HATE it.
Overall audience notes:
- Young adult, Victorian-era fantasy/historical fiction
- No language (a feminine derogatory comment is made though)
- Violence (mostly in the forms of magic; fire, wind, etc.)
- One love scene, a little descriptive; some kisses and plenty of declarations of love for everyone
I'M AS INDECISIVE AS HENRIETTA AT THIS POINT.
No, but really, please visit this review. There's a wonderful rant on how I feel towards this book.
I think it’s been a long time since I have been so razzled on what my rating should be (and how the review should go) as a whole. I ended up deciding to have an indeterminate number because depending on the day my opinion seems to change. I have so many thoughts over this book. [If you’ve read this, comment/send e-mail! I’m curious what you thought of it].
First of all, I’ve probably mentioned this before…I rarely ever enjoy a love triangle; it’s probably my most hated trope. And in this case, it was a love…square? I think that’s what we’re calling it.
There were some twists in this book, THAT WE SO COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY. Alright, I’m really referring to one I am struggling to accept as a good piece of the story, but there were a few others that weren’t fun either okay? I saw them as a push to complete character arcs that had already burned to ashes in the first place, and adding such tid-bits only frazzled me more.
I felt like I was reading a hodge-podge of about a hundred different books I’ve read just this year. I kept realizing what books she was drawing aspects from over and over again. And don't even get me started about "the chosen one" sections of this book. *simmering rage*
It may seem like I hated this book, but in this weird way I can't even figure out, it made it a decent book too. The writing is enjoyable and the concept as a whole is different. The execution was flat our poor. I think most people will LOVE it or HATE it.
Overall audience notes:
- Young adult, Victorian-era fantasy/historical fiction
- No language (a feminine derogatory comment is made though)
- Violence (mostly in the forms of magic; fire, wind, etc.)
- One love scene, a little descriptive; some kisses and plenty of declarations of love for everyone
TW: some brief blood magic
The thing that ultimately did the finale in was the pacing. This series could have easily been 4 books. There were so many plot points and themes that were significant and needed more time. I liked a lot of what this book did, but it didn’t have room to breathe and sit with the significance of what was happening. Even the many romantic subplots, although ultimately wrapped up wonderfully in a way I didn’t expect, still didn’t have enough TIME. Sadly, this made this finale a bit of a disappointment even though I love what it attempted. It is darker than so many books that tried to do a similar thing, and I appreciate that.
The thing that ultimately did the finale in was the pacing. This series could have easily been 4 books. There were so many plot points and themes that were significant and needed more time. I liked a lot of what this book did, but it didn’t have room to breathe and sit with the significance of what was happening. Even the many romantic subplots, although ultimately wrapped up wonderfully in a way I didn’t expect, still didn’t have enough TIME. Sadly, this made this finale a bit of a disappointment even though I love what it attempted. It is darker than so many books that tried to do a similar thing, and I appreciate that.
