Take a photo of a barcode or cover
_everysecondbook's Reviews (239)
Second Read Update: Finally
(3/5 stars)
Audiobook-ish
"It means 'Shadowhunters: Looking Better in Black Than the Widows of our Enemies Since 1234'"
This is an extremely hyped series. Considering that, I was extremely hesitant to pick it up. Fantasy is not my thing, and that made me even more hesitant. However, it is my sister's favourite series and it is ultimately the reason I picked it up. I ended up liking it more than I thought I would.
I read this partially through hard copy, partially through two different audiobooks (because yes, two different audiobooks exist). I will say it is a pretty quick read, regardless of how you consume it. I didn't like the audiobooks very much, I would definitely recommend the hard copy.
My main enjoyment of this story was the sarcasm, I gotta say. The dialogue is honestly the best part of this entire story, the good news is, that it is the majority of the story. This book is extremely character driven, the world isn't really developed, and I found the plot to be pretty flat. But I will say that it is a pretty good start to a six book series, as well as multiple other stories set in the same world. I imagine that it will be further developed as the saga continues.
My issues with the book were like I said, the characters and the plot. I truly didn't like Clary, like legitimately hated her, I didn't care about her drama and her issues, which made the plot less consuming because it was all about her. I found myself liking many of the side characters, and from my sister's testimonies I will end up loving most of them as I continue. Like I said, the plot felt very flat to me. I found certain aspects to be slightly forced, and the ending dragged a lot for me.
All in all, I believe this to be a good start to what I hope to be a saga that improves over the course of reading. As this is, what I believe to be, a debut novel, I anticipate the author to grow and her work to grow with her. I definitely plan on continuing with this series.
PS: If anyone can tell me why the audiobook narrates literally everyone except Clary and Simon as British, please share.
(3/5 stars)
Audiobook-ish
"It means 'Shadowhunters: Looking Better in Black Than the Widows of our Enemies Since 1234'"
This is an extremely hyped series. Considering that, I was extremely hesitant to pick it up. Fantasy is not my thing, and that made me even more hesitant. However, it is my sister's favourite series and it is ultimately the reason I picked it up. I ended up liking it more than I thought I would.
I read this partially through hard copy, partially through two different audiobooks (because yes, two different audiobooks exist). I will say it is a pretty quick read, regardless of how you consume it. I didn't like the audiobooks very much, I would definitely recommend the hard copy.
My main enjoyment of this story was the sarcasm, I gotta say. The dialogue is honestly the best part of this entire story, the good news is, that it is the majority of the story. This book is extremely character driven, the world isn't really developed, and I found the plot to be pretty flat. But I will say that it is a pretty good start to a six book series, as well as multiple other stories set in the same world. I imagine that it will be further developed as the saga continues.
My issues with the book were like I said, the characters and the plot. I truly didn't like Clary, like legitimately hated her, I didn't care about her drama and her issues, which made the plot less consuming because it was all about her. I found myself liking many of the side characters, and from my sister's testimonies I will end up loving most of them as I continue. Like I said, the plot felt very flat to me. I found certain aspects to be slightly forced, and the ending dragged a lot for me.
All in all, I believe this to be a good start to what I hope to be a saga that improves over the course of reading. As this is, what I believe to be, a debut novel, I anticipate the author to grow and her work to grow with her. I definitely plan on continuing with this series.
PS: If anyone can tell me why the audiobook narrates literally everyone except Clary and Simon as British, please share.
[4/5 stars]
You're nobody's doorway but your own, and the only one who gets to tell you how your story ends is you.
This book was a great, super-short read. It's a very interesting take on the classic fantasy tale of travelling to a magical world through a secret 'door' in our world as we know it. There's also asexual representation in this, so, bonus.
This story follows Nancy, as she enters Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children, a rehabilitation home for those who have travelled through these 'doors' and for whatever reason, have returned to the 'real world' and cannot assimilate accordingly. There is also a mystery aspect to this story as well.
I enjoyed learning about the different worlds that people had travelled to and how it affected each character. The mystery aspect wasn't fantastic for me, I was very easily able to predict the outcome. To me, the real enjoyment came from learning of the different worlds and learning about the different personalities and how that attracts different worlds and different doors. Each character, at times, shared a part of their experience in another world and those were the truly incredible parts to me.
Personally, I don't think the book is too short. It is clearly stated that it is meant to be a novella and I think it is just that. Absolutely, there could have been more information, but I think that would have made the story much more of an info-dump scenario and would have made it less enjoyable, at least for me.
The ending of this book wrapped it up rather well, so much so that I was initially confused as to how there could be more books in this series, but I've learned they follow different stories.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story and am excited to carry on with the series. The ending of the first book didn't necessarily leave me needing to continue on, but I will be reading the next book very soon.
You're nobody's doorway but your own, and the only one who gets to tell you how your story ends is you.
This book was a great, super-short read. It's a very interesting take on the classic fantasy tale of travelling to a magical world through a secret 'door' in our world as we know it. There's also asexual representation in this, so, bonus.
This story follows Nancy, as she enters Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children, a rehabilitation home for those who have travelled through these 'doors' and for whatever reason, have returned to the 'real world' and cannot assimilate accordingly. There is also a mystery aspect to this story as well.
I enjoyed learning about the different worlds that people had travelled to and how it affected each character. The mystery aspect wasn't fantastic for me, I was very easily able to predict the outcome. To me, the real enjoyment came from learning of the different worlds and learning about the different personalities and how that attracts different worlds and different doors. Each character, at times, shared a part of their experience in another world and those were the truly incredible parts to me.
Personally, I don't think the book is too short. It is clearly stated that it is meant to be a novella and I think it is just that. Absolutely, there could have been more information, but I think that would have made the story much more of an info-dump scenario and would have made it less enjoyable, at least for me.
The ending of this book wrapped it up rather well, so much so that I was initially confused as to how there could be more books in this series, but I've learned they follow different stories.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story and am excited to carry on with the series. The ending of the first book didn't necessarily leave me needing to continue on, but I will be reading the next book very soon.
