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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
I love Falling Kingdoms , and I came into A Book of Spirits and Thieves excited to see more of Mytica. I was a bit wary, because I have a history of not liking spin-offs that much. In the end, I'd say that ABOSAT was a good book, but I didn't like it as much as Falling Kingdoms.
While reading this book, I had a hard time getting into Crys's side of the story. Most of the time I was more emotionally invested in Maddox's side. There was a lot of mystery going on in Toronto, but it often didn't compare to the magic in Mytica. The magical world is more interesting than the real world, and it also has more room for world-building and mythos so I just found myself caring more about what was going on there than in the real world.
I have a love/hate relationship with Farrell Grayson. I love him as a character, but I hate him as a person. He was easily the most interesting part of the real world, with his arrogance confidence that he flaunted all over the place. He's compassionate toward his family, even if he cares for little else. I empathized with his struggles of not knowing what purpose he served when his siblings were so much "better", and I felt for him as he sank into depravity, even if I disliked his actions. I had a hard time, however, getting behind his attraction toward Crys. It's very... lust-based, and I didn't see much actual chemistry between the two. Perhaps it'll get better in the sequel.
Crys is my type of person. She loves sushi, wears funny t-shirts, and appreciates art. She's also sassy and bold, which was awesome, especially when she encountered enemies. I also have a soft spot for Becca, because she's a nice kid who loves books.
I love Maddox. He's a wonderful guy, and I'm excited to see his magic develop further. Maybe someday he'll be a powerful warlock, who knows. We have two more books to see what happens. His relationship with Becca felt a bit insta-lovey, but it was sweet.
Sister relationships always touch me, because I have an older sister whom I care about a lot. Becca and Crys have a strained relationship after their father leaves them, but it's evident that they still love each other a lot. Rhodes definitely captured the special bond between sisters with Becca and Crys, with their inside jokes and understanding of one another. Sisters seemed to be a bit of a repeating motif in this book. There were Cleiona, Valoria, and Eva, three sisters whose relationship was so twisted that the former two betrayed Eva only to become great rivals later in life. Julia and Jackie, Crys's mother and aunt, respectively, whose relationship I didn't get to see very much because Jackie herself was mostly only present off-screen. Their relationship is still very vague. Hopefully it gets developed later on.
The plot was very "loop-de-loop", if that makes any sense. Near the end twists just kept popping up, like "Whoop, betcha didn't see that coming!" A lot of "special snowflake" going on, but I'm not too surprised. Daniel broke my heart :[ Parent-child relationships... 3
Not as good as Falling Kingdoms , but definitely good enough to warrant a read! I'll just quietly wait for the sequel to come out any day now...
While reading this book, I had a hard time getting into Crys's side of the story. Most of the time I was more emotionally invested in Maddox's side. There was a lot of mystery going on in Toronto, but it often didn't compare to the magic in Mytica. The magical world is more interesting than the real world, and it also has more room for world-building and mythos so I just found myself caring more about what was going on there than in the real world.
I have a love/hate relationship with Farrell Grayson. I love him as a character, but I hate him as a person. He was easily the most interesting part of the real world, with his
Crys is my type of person. She loves sushi, wears funny t-shirts, and appreciates art. She's also sassy and bold, which was awesome, especially when she encountered enemies. I also have a soft spot for Becca, because she's a nice kid who loves books.
I love Maddox. He's a wonderful guy, and I'm excited to see his magic develop further. Maybe someday he'll be a powerful warlock, who knows. We have two more books to see what happens. His relationship with Becca felt a bit insta-lovey, but it was sweet.
Sister relationships always touch me, because I have an older sister whom I care about a lot. Becca and Crys have a strained relationship after their father leaves them, but it's evident that they still love each other a lot. Rhodes definitely captured the special bond between sisters with Becca and Crys, with their inside jokes and understanding of one another. Sisters seemed to be a bit of a repeating motif in this book. There were Cleiona, Valoria, and Eva, three sisters whose relationship was so twisted that the former two betrayed Eva only to become great rivals later in life. Julia and Jackie, Crys's mother and aunt, respectively, whose relationship I didn't get to see very much because Jackie herself was mostly only present off-screen. Their relationship is still very vague. Hopefully it gets developed later on.
The plot was very "loop-de-loop", if that makes any sense. Near the end twists just kept popping up, like "Whoop, betcha didn't see that coming!" A lot of "special snowflake" going on, but I'm not too surprised. Daniel broke my heart :[ Parent-child relationships... 3
Not as good as Falling Kingdoms , but definitely good enough to warrant a read! I'll just quietly wait for the sequel to come out any day now...
This book definitely started slow. But about 65% of the way through things picked up and I started to like each of the narrating characters, Crys, Farrel, and Maddox. The book ended in an appropriate speed and left me wanting more.
Looking for my review of the [b:Falling Kingdoms|12954620|Falling Kingdoms (Falling Kingdoms, #1)|Morgan Rhodes|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1337026387s/12954620.jpg|18111704] series? Click here!
This is a great spin-off series that helps expand the world that Rhodes has created in Falling Kingdoms while not alienating readers who may not have read that series. It brings together little pieces of both our world and Mytica which is super exciting. As well, we are able to see the history behind the events that are currently happening in Falling Kingdoms, which is SUPER COOL. Since this is only a trilogy, and the second book is out at the end of the month, if you are hesitant about starting the epically long Falling Kingdoms series, try [b:A Book of Spirits and Thieves|22571365|A Book of Spirits and Thieves (Spirits and Thieves, #1)|Morgan Rhodes|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1429026765s/22571365.jpg|42037808] first to determine if you want to know more about the world (Spoiler: you will).
I think the characters in this one had better introductions than what we got from the characters in Falling Kingdoms. I really liked Crystal and how she was doing her best to be a good sister while also forging her own path. It was interesting to see her dynamic with her family because she wanted answers and instead of just asking questions, she did what she could to find the answers. She was very thorough in her research and tried to see both sides of the story before coming to any conclusions. It was refreshing that she wanted to make a name for herself but also wanted to be a good sister because I am sure she will come to realize that both can be done.
I really liked having Farrell's perspective because he was on the complete other side. He doesn't wholeheartedly believe in what he's doing, but he believes in it enough to keep doing it and I think it will be interesting to see how he merges what he knows about the Hawkspear Society with what Crystal knows about it. I think there is a lot of room for character growth with him and heis will be my favourite by the end.
However, Maddox's point of view was the best because we were back in Mytica. I loved seeing the early stages of the world I've come to know and love because it was SO different. And I am really excited to see how it grows and changes and what that means. Plus we are learning more about the history!! And OMG! So many new twists and turns which will only add to my enjoyment of [b:Crystal Storm|23367261|Crystal Storm (Falling Kingdoms, #5)|Morgan Rhodes|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1458655374s/23367261.jpg|42926537] when it releases! I also really liked that even though Maddox had magic, he was intimidated by it and didn't necessarily want to use it. I think there are too many characters out there who just use whatever they are given and don't think about the consequences, but not Maddox! Plus, I started to really love him andBecca and then it WAS ALL TAKEN FROM ME. NOOOO . So I can't wait to see where that heads next!
I think the plot was pretty interesting. I liked how the Toronto plot overlapped with the Mytica plot and I am really excited to see where it goes. For me, though, Rhodes's stories are character heavy. And these characters are really delivering. They are all fairly selfish and want answers to please themselves so I can't WAIT TO SEE WHERE THIS GOES. I haven't been this excited about a new series in a long time so I'm super duper happy right now.
I do think that some of the story was a bit rushed and there were some big reveals that were kind of glossed over. We learned what the reveal was, but not what it meant for the story and I think that is something we see too often in these kinds of stories. It is all about the immediate drama of revealing the twist rather than the long term drama of what it means for the future of the story. I am sure it will be expanded upon in the next book but I am still a bit hesitant because what if it doesn't really get addressed again in the future?
Overall, I highly recommend [b:A Book of Spirits and Thieves|22571365|A Book of Spirits and Thieves (Spirits and Thieves, #1)|Morgan Rhodes|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1429026765s/22571365.jpg|42037808] AND [b:Falling Kingdoms|12954620|Falling Kingdoms (Falling Kingdoms, #1)|Morgan Rhodes|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1337026387s/12954620.jpg|18111704] because both are excellent and have excellent characters and Canadian author! That's all.
Read this as part of Summer Series Challenge hosted by Amanda @ Brains Books Brawn!
Books and Ladders | Queen of the Bookshelves | Books Are My Fandom | Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin'
This is a great spin-off series that helps expand the world that Rhodes has created in Falling Kingdoms while not alienating readers who may not have read that series. It brings together little pieces of both our world and Mytica which is super exciting. As well, we are able to see the history behind the events that are currently happening in Falling Kingdoms, which is SUPER COOL. Since this is only a trilogy, and the second book is out at the end of the month, if you are hesitant about starting the epically long Falling Kingdoms series, try [b:A Book of Spirits and Thieves|22571365|A Book of Spirits and Thieves (Spirits and Thieves, #1)|Morgan Rhodes|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1429026765s/22571365.jpg|42037808] first to determine if you want to know more about the world (Spoiler: you will).
I think the characters in this one had better introductions than what we got from the characters in Falling Kingdoms. I really liked Crystal and how she was doing her best to be a good sister while also forging her own path. It was interesting to see her dynamic with her family because she wanted answers and instead of just asking questions, she did what she could to find the answers. She was very thorough in her research and tried to see both sides of the story before coming to any conclusions. It was refreshing that she wanted to make a name for herself but also wanted to be a good sister because I am sure she will come to realize that both can be done.
I really liked having Farrell's perspective because he was on the complete other side. He doesn't wholeheartedly believe in what he's doing, but he believes in it enough to keep doing it and I think it will be interesting to see how he merges what he knows about the Hawkspear Society with what Crystal knows about it. I think there is a lot of room for character growth with him and he
However, Maddox's point of view was the best because we were back in Mytica. I loved seeing the early stages of the world I've come to know and love because it was SO different. And I am really excited to see how it grows and changes and what that means. Plus we are learning more about the history!! And OMG! So many new twists and turns which will only add to my enjoyment of [b:Crystal Storm|23367261|Crystal Storm (Falling Kingdoms, #5)|Morgan Rhodes|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1458655374s/23367261.jpg|42926537] when it releases! I also really liked that even though Maddox had magic, he was intimidated by it and didn't necessarily want to use it. I think there are too many characters out there who just use whatever they are given and don't think about the consequences, but not Maddox! Plus, I started to really love him and
I think the plot was pretty interesting. I liked how the Toronto plot overlapped with the Mytica plot and I am really excited to see where it goes. For me, though, Rhodes's stories are character heavy. And these characters are really delivering. They are all fairly selfish and want answers to please themselves so I can't WAIT TO SEE WHERE THIS GOES. I haven't been this excited about a new series in a long time so I'm super duper happy right now.
I do think that some of the story was a bit rushed and there were some big reveals that were kind of glossed over. We learned what the reveal was, but not what it meant for the story and I think that is something we see too often in these kinds of stories. It is all about the immediate drama of revealing the twist rather than the long term drama of what it means for the future of the story. I am sure it will be expanded upon in the next book but I am still a bit hesitant because what if it doesn't really get addressed again in the future?
Overall, I highly recommend [b:A Book of Spirits and Thieves|22571365|A Book of Spirits and Thieves (Spirits and Thieves, #1)|Morgan Rhodes|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1429026765s/22571365.jpg|42037808] AND [b:Falling Kingdoms|12954620|Falling Kingdoms (Falling Kingdoms, #1)|Morgan Rhodes|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1337026387s/12954620.jpg|18111704] because both are excellent and have excellent characters and Canadian author! That's all.
Read this as part of Summer Series Challenge hosted by Amanda @ Brains Books Brawn!
Books and Ladders | Queen of the Bookshelves | Books Are My Fandom | Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin'
Nothing Special. I was excited there was a lot of hype for this. But the book didn't do anything for me. The characters were not interesting at all. It is just a typical YA fantasy.
one year later***
All I can remember is the cringe. Wow compare to Jan 2018 to Jan 2017 they are complete opposites (even though I finished this book in Feb)
I just remembered the Canada setting. and my emotions. I wasn't bored. I remember really liking the setting. I just couldn't stand the characters.
one year later***
All I can remember is the cringe. Wow compare to Jan 2018 to Jan 2017 they are complete opposites (even though I finished this book in Feb)
I just remembered the Canada setting. and my emotions. I wasn't bored. I remember really liking the setting. I just couldn't stand the characters.
I picked up Morgan Rhodes' A Book of Spirits and Thieves on a whim. So far, most books I've picked up on a whim have been rather disappointing but A Book of Spirits and Thieves was surprisingly enthralling and interesting. But the whole time, I felt like there was something missing, and I can't quite put my finger on what.
I'll admit, I chose ABOS&T (man, even the acronym is long winded) because it was a portal fantasy, similar to my current project. Teen girl gets dropped into ancient, magical world and has to get back home. That's the bread and bones of the book. And I wanted to check out the competition and see if there was something Rhodes brought to the genre that I haven't, or vice versa. Reading the book description on Goodreads had me believing that Becca Hatcher, aforementioned transported girl, was the main character and therefore, it'd be her point of view we'd be seeing.
I was dead wrong.
The story is, instead, told through people surrounding the incident of Becca's departure: her sister, a boy she meets on the other side, and an increasingly infuriating rich kid who has barely any ties to Becca. We see what happens to Becca from everyone else's perspective and never once do we really see what Becca thinks or says unless she interacts with another character. It made me feel like Becca was merely the plot point and was hardly necessary once the inciting incident was over.
But the characters we do get to see are complex and thoroughly human, so despite expecting one thing and getting three different things, I'm pretty satisfied.
A mix of contemporary mystery and fantasy intrigue, this book was a great read, and made me fall in love with Morgan Rhodes' writing even more.
Personally, the Falling Kingdom series is a great one, but it doesn't really place in my favourite fantasy series category, but I did enjoy this book to FK. The story here was (a bit more) straight forward, and the narrators were easier to get along with and enjoy.
Regardless, this book is great, and if you haven't picked this or Falling Kingdoms up yet, most definitely should!
Personally, the Falling Kingdom series is a great one, but it doesn't really place in my favourite fantasy series category, but I did enjoy this book to FK. The story here was (a bit more) straight forward, and the narrators were easier to get along with and enjoy.
Regardless, this book is great, and if you haven't picked this or Falling Kingdoms up yet, most definitely should!
I liked this book! It wasn't great but it was fun. It's a whole hodge podge of things so it's really complicated to explain the plot of the story. The gist of it is that there's this book called The Bronze Codex that everyone fights over. It causes a lot of problems with all the characters. Basically nothing really happens in the book. It's mostly an introduction to the rest of the books. It was all a lot of talking and not much of doing anything. Plus, nothing exciting happened at all until the last fifty pages. I expected the book to be like Falling Kingdoms; full of actions and surprises. I'm going to talk mostly about the characters since they affected my view on the story the most.
My favorite character was Crystal. At first I didn't like her because she was kind of boring to be honest. Most of the characters were to be honest. However, Crystal was the only one with any sort of depth to her at all. She doesn't settle for anything. When she wants something, she goes for it. Crystal is feisty but loyal to a fault. Everything she did was for her sister, Becca. I can't really explain why I liked her so much but I just did. Then again there wasn't very much options. None of the other characters were appealing.
Maddox was so bland. Everything that he said was either self pitying or so pessimisstic. He didn't do anything the whole time. All Maddox did was complain that he didn't have good magic. I didn't like him. There wasn't much to like. I did like what happened to him in the end with Valoria, Barnabas, and Eva but he really had nothing to do with that. It was just cool to see a connection. He was so boring. Nothing exciting happened with him, he had no depth whatsoever, and he was so self pitying. He was a cardboard cut out of a character. Plus, I hated the 'lost in translation' feel with him and Becca. He is from a different time period and a different world. I understand that he is going to have issues with our terminology. It just felt so cheesy and bland. Here's an example: "Her name is Crystal." she said. "Crys." "Crystal-crys. An unusual name. (Please forgive me if it's not exact. i don't have the book with me and I don't want to go get it. It's basically what happened) See? It's meant to be funny but it just made me roll my eyes. Maddox was supposed to be that 'gosh darn kid from a past time that's just not as smart as us' kind of guy. I wasn't a big fan.
Farrell was also a really bland character. The only thing he did that had any form of depth was when he felt all that morally grey stuff. He would do anything for his brother Adam but still wanted to prove himself to the Society and his parents. When that thing happened with the second circle, I started to like Farrell's story more. He wanted to do something great with his life but the second circle really changed him. I thought it was really cool. Other than that, Farrell was the typical rich kid that has questionable morals but thinks he can get away with anything because he's rich. *cough*Chuck Bass*cough* Nothing really separated him from the pack.
I'm not even going to bother talking about Becca. She was fine but she was barely in the story. I know next to nothing about her character at all. She was so boring, gullible and bleh. I wish we got her POV.
Overall, I recommend this only if you want to see the connections this will have to the Falling Kingdoms series. I don't think you will get anything out of this unless you have read Falling Kingdoms. ABOSAT is okay but is really boring. I would suggest sticking it out because it is fun. It's just really boring.. The whole thing is just an introduction to the rest of the series. I'm not a huge fan.
My favorite character was Crystal. At first I didn't like her because she was kind of boring to be honest. Most of the characters were to be honest. However, Crystal was the only one with any sort of depth to her at all. She doesn't settle for anything. When she wants something, she goes for it. Crystal is feisty but loyal to a fault. Everything she did was for her sister, Becca. I can't really explain why I liked her so much but I just did. Then again there wasn't very much options. None of the other characters were appealing.
Maddox was so bland. Everything that he said was either self pitying or so pessimisstic. He didn't do anything the whole time. All Maddox did was complain that he didn't have good magic. I didn't like him. There wasn't much to like. I did like what happened to him in the end with Valoria, Barnabas, and Eva but he really had nothing to do with that. It was just cool to see a connection. He was so boring. Nothing exciting happened with him, he had no depth whatsoever, and he was so self pitying. He was a cardboard cut out of a character. Plus, I hated the 'lost in translation' feel with him and Becca. He is from a different time period and a different world. I understand that he is going to have issues with our terminology. It just felt so cheesy and bland. Here's an example: "Her name is Crystal." she said. "Crys." "Crystal-crys. An unusual name. (Please forgive me if it's not exact. i don't have the book with me and I don't want to go get it. It's basically what happened) See? It's meant to be funny but it just made me roll my eyes. Maddox was supposed to be that 'gosh darn kid from a past time that's just not as smart as us' kind of guy. I wasn't a big fan.
Farrell was also a really bland character. The only thing he did that had any form of depth was when he felt all that morally grey stuff. He would do anything for his brother Adam but still wanted to prove himself to the Society and his parents. When that thing happened with the second circle, I started to like Farrell's story more. He wanted to do something great with his life but the second circle really changed him. I thought it was really cool. Other than that, Farrell was the typical rich kid that has questionable morals but thinks he can get away with anything because he's rich. *cough*Chuck Bass*cough* Nothing really separated him from the pack.
I'm not even going to bother talking about Becca. She was fine but she was barely in the story. I know next to nothing about her character at all. She was so boring, gullible and bleh. I wish we got her POV.
Overall, I recommend this only if you want to see the connections this will have to the Falling Kingdoms series. I don't think you will get anything out of this unless you have read Falling Kingdoms. ABOSAT is okay but is really boring. I would suggest sticking it out because it is fun. It's just really boring.. The whole thing is just an introduction to the rest of the series. I'm not a huge fan.
I am a tad surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. A Book of Spirits and Thieves is told from three distinct points of view and encompasses present day Toronto with ancient Mythica. I have not read The Falling Kingdoms series and I was afraid that might impair my ability to like and understand this book. However that was not the case and in fact, I think I may have enjoyed the book more because it was the first one I had read.
Rhodes is great at capturing both settings, and I felt a connection to all the characters. I don't know if it happens in all her books, but I was interested in learning more about even the villains in the book.
This book was extremely action packed. There was some "set-up" in the beginning, but it was important and did not bog down the plot. There wasn't much I didn't enjoy about this book and as I have mentioned before, I was hooked on it after reading just a few chapters. I have already picked up Falling Kingdoms to start sometime in June.
I received this book from the Penguin First to Read program, which does not reflect my review or rating in any manner.
Rhodes is great at capturing both settings, and I felt a connection to all the characters. I don't know if it happens in all her books, but I was interested in learning more about even the villains in the book.
This book was extremely action packed. There was some "set-up" in the beginning, but it was important and did not bog down the plot. There wasn't much I didn't enjoy about this book and as I have mentioned before, I was hooked on it after reading just a few chapters. I have already picked up Falling Kingdoms to start sometime in June.
I received this book from the Penguin First to Read program, which does not reflect my review or rating in any manner.