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4.33 AVERAGE
4.33 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
inspiring
slow-paced
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
BookClub: Me, Myself & I *
Month: December, 2024
Theme: Finish An Unfinished Series
* BookClub Me, Myself & I is just a "book club" where I pick up a prompt each month and I have to "force" myself to read a book that fits that prompt.
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Month: December, 2024
Theme: Finish An Unfinished Series
* BookClub Me, Myself & I is just a "book club" where I pick up a prompt each month and I have to "force" myself to read a book that fits that prompt.
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“Emifal firdaant. May death claim me first.”
Synopsis:
The War is upon them. The long-imprisoned jinns wish for revenge, creating havoc in each and any village but the Nightbringer has a second agenda. Commandant Keris Venturia declares herself Empress and goes toe-to-toe with the Blood Shrike, her sister and her nephew, the true Emperor.
Laia has allied with the Blood Shrike and she is determined to stop the apocalypse from coming, throwing herself into discovering everything she can to destroy the Nightbringer. Elias has fully embraced his role as Soul Catcher, memories and feelings forgotten until he receives a curious visit that allows him to look beyond the borders of his own land.
Together, Laia, Elias and Helene are part of a prophecy: of doom or salvation, they do not know.
Review:
I often if the reason some of the YA’s characters have bothered me so much as of late is because I’m outgrowing the YA genre. Then, I read other YA fantasies that really intrigue and captivate me and then I realise: I’m outgrowing the “let’s make this main character (curiously almost always the female main character *eye roll*) as annoying as possible and then claim her as a strong, flawed warrior”.
You can make a fmc as a strong, flawed warrior without making her absolute stupid.
I absolutely loved the first book, An Ember in the Ashes, and I was so enthralled in the second, A Torch Against the Night, until the last 50 pages. However, for A Reaper at the Gates, the only main character that saved the book was Helene (the Blood Shrike) and her part of the story. For A Sky Beyond The Storm, the entire plot of each side was interesting but Laia really made me question.
Laia started as this amazing, strong, traumatised and courageous character. Sure, she made mistakes even then but they were based on her naïvety and her exploring the world around her. Even in the second book, her mistakes were realistic decisions and actions based on the amount of information she had.
She went from searching the rebels for support to a slave of The Commandant, enduring each insult and scar. She ran away and freed her brother from the most secure prison. She was an inspiration for everyone, for she was brave, kind and, even against all adversities, she remained strong. Broken and bruised, but strong.
In here, the fourth and last book, she was anything but. She turned into this Mary Sue, earning powers that “conveniently” helped her survive the entire book. She acted careless, reckless and plain stupid.
Sure, the emotions are running high, she suffered further trauma but it doesn’t excuse how plain stupid she was, especially because her caution is what would’ve shorten the entire book and they would’ve saved the world before any of those unnecessary deaths occurred.
Being such an inspiration and front leader of the war, she has responsibilities most do not have but she often ignored them to cry over random, strangers’ dead corpses and completely forgoing her task.
For Elias, though the whole Soul Catcher thing pisses me off a lot, I can understand the reason his character took so much time falling into the right pieces. However, I wish most of the book wasn’t Elias mopping and giving me whiplash between “yes, emotions” and “no, heartless”.
Helene, aka Blood Shrike. Also known as my baby and the person that saved this entire series for me. Hard to believe I actually didn’t like her in the first book. I loved to see a more emotional side of her, whilst she remained calculated and a true warrior, due to her role as a leader.
Regarding the plot, due to Laia’s constant recklessness, the story dragged further than necessary. Like I mentioned before, her actions were crucial for the end of the war but she preferred to play and act stupid than following advices and thinking properly.
I always loved the romance between Elias and Laia but there was a discrepancy in the story that feel flat.
The final battle… Well, it was good in some senses and bad in others. And I’m not even comment on the unnecessary deaths.
The world building is unique – and if not unique, then definitely amazingly crafted – in YA genre but, because of the constant “convenient” plot points for Laia, it created many questions that did not answer.
Everything was always convenient for Laia and fuck all for the rest (mainly Helene).
I’m not gonna lie, the maelstrom thing was underwhelming and could’ve been better explained within the context of the world. I understood its function but the author failed to explain how it fit the world. Plus, so many warnings and cries about how, if it escaped, no one would survive, and then, it escaped and everyone alive continued alive.
Make it make sense.
The Commandant’s death was laughable. I couldn’t believe as I watched it that that was what killed the Commadant. The fucking “lovey” thing.
Please.
Unfortunately, it brought such an amazing story to a bland end.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
fair spoiler warning, I try to keep things vague but yeah
To say I'm not okay is an understatement.
While books 1-3 were a reread for me. This was the first time I was brave enough to venture into the 4th and final book. In my review for book 3 I mentioned that I can't imagine any of the characters getting a happy end. So I went into this book prepared, expecting the worst at every turn.
BUT I was not prepared.
I did not expect to lose the people that we lost. Every single one was a punch to the gut. But most importantly, I didn't expect to lose HIM. I feel in love with Helene and him in book 3, I wanted, I NEEDED them to have their happy end. I needed ONE GOOD THING to happen to my girl. (Fine, the promotion is great and all but...stop making her lose people left and right.)
Helene throughout the book series, became my everything. I LOVE the growth she went through. The growth she HAD to go through. Her friendship with Laia was everything I always wanted and everything Helene needed. Her relationship with Harper - no, I still can't talk about it. It hurts too damn much.
Laia, my second favorite POV. Talk about growth, I'm glad that people kept reminding her what she all went through, to show her and make her understand that she actually has the strenght to do everything she needed to do. Just like with Helene, it's just absolutely heartbreaking to see my girl lose so many people she loved. I truly love her ending, her training to become a Kehanni. LOVE THAT.
Elias, he was always the least interesting to me. I'M SORRY. Don't get me wrong, I like him and I was rooting for him. And I'm okay with where he ended up. I just never had the kicking my feet and giggling like an idiot feeling when it comes to him and Laia.
But aside from all my Harper/Helene feelings. These books were never about the romance for me.
Cause the story is just too damn powerful to be overshadowed by if I want two people kissing each other or not.
This is a story about trauma, grief and loss...but it's also about having hope that things can and will change.
To say I'm not okay is an understatement.
While books 1-3 were a reread for me. This was the first time I was brave enough to venture into the 4th and final book. In my review for book 3 I mentioned that I can't imagine any of the characters getting a happy end. So I went into this book prepared, expecting the worst at every turn.
BUT I was not prepared.
I did not expect to lose the people that we lost. Every single one was a punch to the gut. But most importantly, I didn't expect to lose HIM. I feel in love with Helene and him in book 3, I wanted, I NEEDED them to have their happy end. I needed ONE GOOD THING to happen to my girl. (Fine, the promotion is great and all but...stop making her lose people left and right.)
Helene throughout the book series, became my everything. I LOVE the growth she went through. The growth she HAD to go through. Her friendship with Laia was everything I always wanted and everything Helene needed. Her relationship with Harper - no, I still can't talk about it. It hurts too damn much.
Laia, my second favorite POV. Talk about growth, I'm glad that people kept reminding her what she all went through, to show her and make her understand that she actually has the strenght to do everything she needed to do. Just like with Helene, it's just absolutely heartbreaking to see my girl lose so many people she loved. I truly love her ending, her training to become a Kehanni. LOVE THAT.
Elias, he was always the least interesting to me. I'M SORRY. Don't get me wrong, I like him and I was rooting for him. And I'm okay with where he ended up. I just never had the kicking my feet and giggling like an idiot feeling when it comes to him and Laia.
But aside from all my Harper/Helene feelings. These books were never about the romance for me.
Cause the story is just too damn powerful to be overshadowed by if I want two people kissing each other or not.
This is a story about trauma, grief and loss...but it's also about having hope that things can and will change.
"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."
Analyzing An Ember in the Ashes for my thesis has only made me appreciate the brilliance of this series more and A Sky Beyond the Storm closed it out beautifully. This story is about so much more than what appears on its surface level, and I am in awe of Sabaa Tahir for managing to pull it all off with such easy-looking elegance.
adventurous
emotional
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
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
This series was super fun to read and also very emotional. The last two books made me cry.. so
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-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
Going into this book, I didn't know how Tahir would wrap up the many heartbreaking and twisting conflicts, but she does not disappoint! Tahir holds up every flawed character for us to face their truly terrible crimes, then she holds our hand and guides us through the process of loving and grieving them.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I need something to fill the endless void this book left in my heart.