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restlessreaderjay's review
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This one definitely takes a little while to get started, but once it does the pace is pretty fast. I still love all of the characters, and Emma and Leo's friendship continues to be one of the best relationships in the book. It was definitely a step up from the first book (White Tiger). Though I did finish it in one sitting, I found the plot itself to be fairly predictable - there's a lull, a battle, a lull, a battle, a lull, a battle - on and on until the ending. Which isn't a bad thing, but the battles ended more or less the same, which made them predictable and just this side of boring. That being said, the stakes felt real in this book compared to the first book, and there are times where Emma's life (and others') are genuinely in danger.
Honestly, the only thing that's keeping me from rating these books higher is the incessant Mary-Sue-ness of Emma. Which isn't to say I don't like her character - she's definitely my favorite of the bunch! But until we get The Big Explanation as to why she's one of the best of the best in only 14 months, her ability to just do everything (even if it takes a couple of times) is getting a bit grating.
Overall, not a bad read if you want some mostly mindless battle-then-fluff stuff. Exposition is a bit clunky, and there are places where the internal dialogue seems a bit out of character and/or disjointed. I'll definitely be continuing on to the next book!
Honestly, the only thing that's keeping me from rating these books higher is the incessant Mary-Sue-ness of Emma. Which isn't to say I don't like her character - she's definitely my favorite of the bunch! But until we get The Big Explanation as to why she's one of the best of the best in only 14 months, her ability to just do everything (even if it takes a couple of times) is getting a bit grating.
Overall, not a bad read if you want some mostly mindless battle-then-fluff stuff. Exposition is a bit clunky, and there are places where the internal dialogue seems a bit out of character and/or disjointed. I'll definitely be continuing on to the next book!
Content Warnings
Minor: Fatphobia
ashybear02's review
4.0
At first, I found this one rather slow and slightly boring. But after the first 20 chapters or so I actually found myself enjoying it more than the first one. It was much better written than White Tiger and it had me hooked by the end. Great read!
drowninginthewords_jessica's review against another edition
3.0
there's something about this series that keeps drawing me in despite its very similar plot to the first one or the fact little is solved or plot lines tied up. in fact it gets more complicated
ceels's review
4.0
Had some seriously annoying writing habits and the odd internal inconsistency, but very enjoyable reads. The action moves right along and they have lots of interesting information, though a tendency to clunky exposition.
livvy_rose's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
raerei's review against another edition
3.0
I am devouring these books as I'm really enjoying where they are heading, how un-trite they are and the exposure to Chinese gods.
rayd's review
4.0
I would have given this book a five star rating because it was fun and a fast read, it kept me entertained throughout the entire 500+ pages, but for one thing...
The Mary-Sue factor of Emma made me extremely angry and had me rolling my eyes constantly. Every little thing she did she was highly praised and called 'remarkable'. I swear, this girl could be peeing and everyone would applaud her and tell her how 'remarkable' it was she got it in the bowl. She was good as gold, she had no flaws, everyone loved her and if they didn't at first, they would eventually. On top of it, all the men fell in love with her. I was happy the author added in the "Snake'" part to her character, because I thought "Hey, finally she'll have some flaws." but honestly, it only managed to reinforce the authors view that Emma was better than everyone else.
I'm going to continue with the series because like I said...it's highly entertaining and fast reading but I do hope the author toned down the Mary -Sue-ness in the next book.
The Mary-Sue factor of Emma made me extremely angry and had me rolling my eyes constantly. Every little thing she did she was highly praised and called 'remarkable'. I swear, this girl could be peeing and everyone would applaud her and tell her how 'remarkable' it was she got it in the bowl. She was good as gold, she had no flaws, everyone loved her and if they didn't at first, they would eventually. On top of it, all the men fell in love with her. I was happy the author added in the "Snake'" part to her character, because I thought "Hey, finally she'll have some flaws." but honestly, it only managed to reinforce the authors view that Emma was better than everyone else.
I'm going to continue with the series because like I said...it's highly entertaining and fast reading but I do hope the author toned down the Mary -Sue-ness in the next book.
kevinhanes's review
3.0
yup. totally the same progression as the Dresden files: the main character gets more powerful and the enemies get more harder-er. still fun!