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4.33 AVERAGE
4.33 AVERAGE
REVIEW FOR FUTURE ME WHEN I FORGET THAT I EVEN READ THIS BOOK:
With 50 pages to go, you nearly gave up from a broken heart. But, LOYAL TO THE END. Not since SJM have you ever loved a series so much. This finished with guts and you respect the fuck out of the author for not taking an easy or happy way out. This book felt truer to war than any others have, and the losses were devastating and pulled no punches. You cried the entire way through the last 100 pages but it was perfect perfect perfect. Adding in all the quotes you highlighted would be impossible and also would make you cry again. A 48 minute standing ovation for the best on grounds:
1. Helene is top 3 FMCs ever written. You love her - ”Despite all I have survived, or perhaps because of it, there is still joy in my heart.”
2. Elias was a pain in the ass for most of this book but there were no loopholes to his redemption - “You are my temple… You are my priest… You are my prayer… You are my release… I wish I could live a thousand lives so I could fall in love with you a thousand times,” he says. “But if all we get is this one, and I share it with you, then I will never want for anything.”
3. Laia was an unlikely hero but her reasoning felt true of being a 20 year old prophecy. Everything with her mother was heartbreaking - “Would that we all knew the cracked terrain of each other’s broken hearts. Perhaps then, we would not be so cruel to those who walk this lonely world with us.”
4. Musa needs a spinoff. This gentle man’s story and the hope he promises to your girl Hel was a salve to the final pages - “Alas.” The Scholar spins me in a circle, then pulls me back. “We’re the ones who survived, Empress. Unlucky, perhaps, but that’s our lot. And since we’re here, we might as well live.”
5.
With 50 pages to go, you nearly gave up from a broken heart. But, LOYAL TO THE END. Not since SJM have you ever loved a series so much. This finished with guts and you respect the fuck out of the author for not taking an easy or happy way out. This book felt truer to war than any others have, and the losses were devastating and pulled no punches. You cried the entire way through the last 100 pages but it was perfect perfect perfect. Adding in all the quotes you highlighted would be impossible and also would make you cry again. A 48 minute standing ovation for the best on grounds:
1. Helene is top 3 FMCs ever written. You love her - ”Despite all I have survived, or perhaps because of it, there is still joy in my heart.”
2. Elias was a pain in the ass for most of this book but there were no loopholes to his redemption - “You are my temple… You are my priest… You are my prayer… You are my release… I wish I could live a thousand lives so I could fall in love with you a thousand times,” he says. “But if all we get is this one, and I share it with you, then I will never want for anything.”
3. Laia was an unlikely hero but her reasoning felt true of being a 20 year old prophecy. Everything with her mother was heartbreaking - “Would that we all knew the cracked terrain of each other’s broken hearts. Perhaps then, we would not be so cruel to those who walk this lonely world with us.”
4. Musa needs a spinoff. This gentle man’s story and the hope he promises to your girl Hel was a salve to the final pages - “Alas.” The Scholar spins me in a circle, then pulls me back. “We’re the ones who survived, Empress. Unlucky, perhaps, but that’s our lot. And since we’re here, we might as well live.”
5.
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
I will admit that I loved parts of this book much less than others. But it was the ending that earned it five stars. It was a punch in the gut, a slap to the face, and - somehow - very comforting.
But damn, Tahir, why do you hate Helene? I have never read a character as tortured by the author as the Blood Shrike. I just kept thinking that Tahir took it too far. I still think that. I think she deserved better.
But damn, Tahir, why do you hate Helene? I have never read a character as tortured by the author as the Blood Shrike. I just kept thinking that Tahir took it too far. I still think that. I think she deserved better.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Read books, they say.
It's fun, they say.
My heart 💔
This was f*cking brutal!
No one is safe in this series. The tears I've cried...
I read about 50pages/hour so I spent the last hunded pages, in other words, 2 hours, crying.
I've just bought Hire, that is set up in the same world if I’m correct. But I will have to wait with that one a bit. Have to read something lighter to cleanse and heal my heart first.
In other words I really liked this series! Didn’t know what to expect, and it was so much more than I thougt!
The political power struggles through the series was so good and well written in my opinion.
The romance takes the back seat, but the story is still driven by love. Love to your people, to your family, friends and to fight for what you believe in, and for a better world and equaly for everyone.
And the cruelness of war and thurst for power made me gasp and want to throw the book serveral times.
So read it, if you want your heart broken.
Read it if you like storys where a "lesser" people fight for their freedom and rightfull place in the world.
It will be fun, I say 🙃
It's fun, they say.
My heart 💔
This was f*cking brutal!
No one is safe in this series. The tears I've cried...
I read about 50pages/hour so I spent the last hunded pages, in other words, 2 hours, crying.
I've just bought Hire, that is set up in the same world if I’m correct. But I will have to wait with that one a bit. Have to read something lighter to cleanse and heal my heart first.
In other words I really liked this series! Didn’t know what to expect, and it was so much more than I thougt!
The political power struggles through the series was so good and well written in my opinion.
The romance takes the back seat, but the story is still driven by love. Love to your people, to your family, friends and to fight for what you believe in, and for a better world and equaly for everyone.
And the cruelness of war and thurst for power made me gasp and want to throw the book serveral times.
So read it, if you want your heart broken.
Read it if you like storys where a "lesser" people fight for their freedom and rightfull place in the world.
It will be fun, I say 🙃
I’ll probably come back to this review later but I just wanted to speak with the raw feelings cuz I just finished the book— literally tried everything to read the final part as I was crying non stop for 2 hours… unbelievable and shocking for me, I had to take breaks.
While I was reading the book, I actually thought it was a little too long, but as I kept reading and the story got closer to its end, I realized that it wasn't. It was beautiful, it really was. Ugh— I don’t know how to put it into words, my heart is shattered but also at the same time I’m happy with how this series ended. So many feelings that I don’t know how to express at the moment…
I love the characters so much, I don’t think I will every forget them. How each one of them carries so much depth, so much love… I just can’t fathom it. And I think I won’t be able to talk about every one of them but Elias… he is absolutely everything to me. his brave, caring, unyielding, self sacrificing spirit, his love and loyalty for his beloved, his love and loyalty for his people (not just him but also Laia, Helene, and the everyone who has suffered…)—ever since the time I read the first book I knew that he immediately became one of my fav character ever. I just love him so so so so much.
Was going through the pages that I noted and I realized how Laia’s thinking and the way she speaks is just so beautiful and admirable—especially the moment where Elias asked how to they go on if they don’t know if the happiness, the joy will be taken away, and Laia answered as “I don’t think the answer is in words, love. I think it is in living. In finding joy, however small, in every day.” I love Laia :( I’ll always remember this. ALWAYS. we need to cherish every second of each moment we have with our loved ones, we need to live EVERY second like its our last, we need to find the joy whether its small or not. And just do our best to continue.
While I was reading the book, I actually thought it was a little too long, but as I kept reading and the story got closer to its end, I realized that it wasn't. It was beautiful, it really was. Ugh— I don’t know how to put it into words, my heart is shattered but also at the same time I’m happy with how this series ended. So many feelings that I don’t know how to express at the moment…
I love the characters so much, I don’t think I will every forget them. How each one of them carries so much depth, so much love… I just can’t fathom it. And I think I won’t be able to talk about every one of them but Elias… he is absolutely everything to me. his brave, caring, unyielding, self sacrificing spirit, his love and loyalty for his beloved, his love and loyalty for his people (not just him but also Laia, Helene, and the everyone who has suffered…)—ever since the time I read the first book I knew that he immediately became one of my fav character ever. I just love him so so so so much.
Was going through the pages that I noted and I realized how Laia’s thinking and the way she speaks is just so beautiful and admirable—especially the moment where Elias asked how to they go on if they don’t know if the happiness, the joy will be taken away, and Laia answered as “I don’t think the answer is in words, love. I think it is in living. In finding joy, however small, in every day.” I love Laia :( I’ll always remember this. ALWAYS. we need to cherish every second of each moment we have with our loved ones, we need to live EVERY second like its our last, we need to find the joy whether its small or not. And just do our best to continue.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I loved this series so much! The characters are so well developed throughout and you learn so much more about the world. Everything came together in the end and it was heartbreaking.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
This whole series was good. Was it great? Nah. But I did like it, especially books 1 and 2.
That said, partway through this book I found myself wondering if I really needed to know how it ended. There’s just so much to it and so many layers that I feel like each book kept adding unnecessary complexity. It felt impossible to know where any character was in the physical world of the Empire at any time. I liked the characters, especially in the first and second book. But by this book they all became kind of muddy and I sometimes didn’t know whose perspective I was reading. I wish the story wasn’t so vast and convoluted. The end in particular was just annoying because it was all like “oh here’s a convenient way to solve everyone’s problems”. I don’t know, maybe I’m too cynical, but the deus-ex-machina aspect to fantasy books is kind of killing me. Like, can no struggle be solved just by the characters alone? There always has to be some outside force or some random savior that’ll solve the problems?
As a series, it was fine. If the three main characters were portrayed as they are in this book from book 1 though, I never would have picked up book 2. It’s like they all forgot who they were and while I get that war changes you and fighting epic fantasy beings is going to alter you, it’s like they all became either mopey, or unfeeling, or just totally disconnected from who they were at the start.
I’d say read it if you’re looking for a fantasy series and don’t have any other ones on your TBR list. Otherwise, probably not worth the effort in my opinion.
I think I need a break from epic fantasies for a bit after this one.
That said, partway through this book I found myself wondering if I really needed to know how it ended. There’s just so much to it and so many layers that I feel like each book kept adding unnecessary complexity. It felt impossible to know where any character was in the physical world of the Empire at any time. I liked the characters, especially in the first and second book. But by this book they all became kind of muddy and I sometimes didn’t know whose perspective I was reading. I wish the story wasn’t so vast and convoluted. The end in particular was just annoying because it was all like “oh here’s a convenient way to solve everyone’s problems”. I don’t know, maybe I’m too cynical, but the deus-ex-machina aspect to fantasy books is kind of killing me. Like, can no struggle be solved just by the characters alone? There always has to be some outside force or some random savior that’ll solve the problems?
As a series, it was fine. If the three main characters were portrayed as they are in this book from book 1 though, I never would have picked up book 2. It’s like they all forgot who they were and while I get that war changes you and fighting epic fantasy beings is going to alter you, it’s like they all became either mopey, or unfeeling, or just totally disconnected from who they were at the start.
I’d say read it if you’re looking for a fantasy series and don’t have any other ones on your TBR list. Otherwise, probably not worth the effort in my opinion.
I think I need a break from epic fantasies for a bit after this one.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated