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acuriousreader's Reviews (574)
this is so beautiful, and dark, and emotional, and not talked about enough
****Update two****
I finally got all the way through it. And hated it almost as much. There are only a couple things I liked about this read, but for the most part it felt so jumbled and like things were being made up as it went.... and soooooo much un needed filler.... I just don't like this book at all.
it had so much potential but fell short. Perhaps if it was half its length and was condensed a bit to make more sense. i dunno. i'm glad i never have to read it again
****Update****
Trying to read this again.... maybe i'll make it through this time
***************************
DNF'd at 40%
I can't believe that I actually typed the words above... this book is such a disappointment to me. I have tried 4 times to read it. I've tried a physical copy, an Ebook, and Audiobook. And I just can't for the life of me get into it.
The writing feels sloppy and lazy, all of the characters are acting way more juvenile then they are supposed to actually be. The storyline itself wasn't strong to begin with, then you throw in the lazy writing and two dimensional characters and you have nothing. It honestly feels like Cassandra Clare didn't put any care or effort into this one.
Such a shame, I also begin to wonder if I'm just over the whole "Shadowhunters" thing. its about time that we stepped into a new world created by her. You can only do so much with one idea and she has taken it to its limit and then reached beyond that. And there is 3? more trilogies or series coming about Shadowhunters yet? Nah, sorry Cassandra Clare, it's been a good ride, but until I see something new and original (and definitely that has nothing to do with shadowhunters) from you, I think this is the end of the line for me.
I finally got all the way through it. And hated it almost as much. There are only a couple things I liked about this read, but for the most part it felt so jumbled and like things were being made up as it went.... and soooooo much un needed filler.... I just don't like this book at all.
it had so much potential but fell short. Perhaps if it was half its length and was condensed a bit to make more sense. i dunno. i'm glad i never have to read it again
****Update****
Trying to read this again.... maybe i'll make it through this time
***************************
DNF'd at 40%
I can't believe that I actually typed the words above... this book is such a disappointment to me. I have tried 4 times to read it. I've tried a physical copy, an Ebook, and Audiobook. And I just can't for the life of me get into it.
The writing feels sloppy and lazy, all of the characters are acting way more juvenile then they are supposed to actually be. The storyline itself wasn't strong to begin with, then you throw in the lazy writing and two dimensional characters and you have nothing. It honestly feels like Cassandra Clare didn't put any care or effort into this one.
Such a shame, I also begin to wonder if I'm just over the whole "Shadowhunters" thing. its about time that we stepped into a new world created by her. You can only do so much with one idea and she has taken it to its limit and then reached beyond that. And there is 3? more trilogies or series coming about Shadowhunters yet? Nah, sorry Cassandra Clare, it's been a good ride, but until I see something new and original (and definitely that has nothing to do with shadowhunters) from you, I think this is the end of the line for me.
“Remember that you will die, and enjoy each pleasure the world has to offer.”
Listen, I will forever be a pile of trash for Sarah's works. I will buy each one, regardless of knowing in my heart of hearts that it's not really my cup of tea anymore. I have tattoo's dedicated to one of her series, so as an author she will always have a soft spot in my heart. That being said, I knew from the announcement of this book that I was not going to like it. I watched all the panels and interviews/Q&A's that she mentioned the process and freedom she felt while writing an "Adult" book and I knew just from the way she answered those questions that this was going to be a train wreck. I also knew that despite all that I was going to stand in front of that train and let it take me with it.
WHAT I LIKED
Oof. I would like to preface this by saying that as a long time fan of Sarah's style and prose, that this is undeniably a Sarah J Maas book. From the get go you can tell it was written by her and there is just something about her writing style that can just grip you from start to finish, regardless of the plot. She could write her grocery receipt and I would read it lapping up every word.
Although there was many characters I did not like, which I will dive deeper into that later, Lehabah and Ruhn came out on top for me and I fell in love with them. Lehabah just has such an innocence and purity to her that I felt the need to rap her in my arms and protect her at all costs. And Ruhn, I don't know what exactly about him draws me toward him, but he was one of the only characters in this book that I felt was actually using his brain.
Honestly, besides those few characters I only really enjoyed and like the last 100 - 150 pages of this book. That last chunk is what I expected out of Maas the entire way through, and the fact that it took HUNDREDS of pages to get there perhaps meant the bar was so low that the sudden shift felt greater than it was, but when I say I was taken for a ride those last few chapters...
“What blinds an oracle, Bryce Quinlan?”
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
*Cracks knuckles*
I could write my own novel with the amount of flaws and chinks in this books armor. The plot itself being it's biggest and most detrimental. There is a lot in this books plot that honestly still by the end makes absolutely no sense. There is so much that happens that, regardless of this being fiction and a fantasy, is so unbelievably unrealistic it makes it hard to get through.
And that there is the biggest wound this book has. It's really hard to get through. Not from density or tough topics, but because it is just, well, boring. And unbelievable, and quite frankly so over the top that its annoying. Sarah has a habit of straight up info dumping in the first 100-200 pages, which completely brings you out of the story and the characters so consistently that you just don't care for them for awhile.
Another thing is that she was most definitely writing about things that you could tell she had barely any knowledge of or hasn't done. Drugs being one of them. And I'm not saying that is a bad thing, to have never done them. But I think if she had taken the time to look into or talk to people who have, whether recreationally or for other reasons, there wouldn't have been such a disconnect in what she was attempting to do with that.
It's is really unfortunate that out of 800 pages it took 600 of them before the book really started/made sense/ was up to the standards a long time reader of hers was used to. I really hope that the sequel won't be as rough as this "Adult" debut was and I can grow to love this series. But, over all it felt like she was just trying too hard with this to be "different" from what she had already written and you could see right through it.
In the end I did award this 3/5 stars, mainly because of that explosive ending that still a day later has left me absolutely reeling.
Listen, I will forever be a pile of trash for Sarah's works. I will buy each one, regardless of knowing in my heart of hearts that it's not really my cup of tea anymore. I have tattoo's dedicated to one of her series, so as an author she will always have a soft spot in my heart. That being said, I knew from the announcement of this book that I was not going to like it. I watched all the panels and interviews/Q&A's that she mentioned the process and freedom she felt while writing an "Adult" book and I knew just from the way she answered those questions that this was going to be a train wreck. I also knew that despite all that I was going to stand in front of that train and let it take me with it.
WHAT I LIKED
Oof. I would like to preface this by saying that as a long time fan of Sarah's style and prose, that this is undeniably a Sarah J Maas book. From the get go you can tell it was written by her and there is just something about her writing style that can just grip you from start to finish, regardless of the plot. She could write her grocery receipt and I would read it lapping up every word.
Although there was many characters I did not like, which I will dive deeper into that later, Lehabah and Ruhn came out on top for me and I fell in love with them. Lehabah just has such an innocence and purity to her that I felt the need to rap her in my arms and protect her at all costs. And Ruhn, I don't know what exactly about him draws me toward him, but he was one of the only characters in this book that I felt was actually using his brain.
Honestly, besides those few characters I only really enjoyed and like the last 100 - 150 pages of this book. That last chunk is what I expected out of Maas the entire way through, and the fact that it took HUNDREDS of pages to get there perhaps meant the bar was so low that the sudden shift felt greater than it was, but when I say I was taken for a ride those last few chapters...
“What blinds an oracle, Bryce Quinlan?”
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
*Cracks knuckles*
I could write my own novel with the amount of flaws and chinks in this books armor. The plot itself being it's biggest and most detrimental. There is a lot in this books plot that honestly still by the end makes absolutely no sense. There is so much that happens that, regardless of this being fiction and a fantasy, is so unbelievably unrealistic it makes it hard to get through.
And that there is the biggest wound this book has. It's really hard to get through. Not from density or tough topics, but because it is just, well, boring. And unbelievable, and quite frankly so over the top that its annoying. Sarah has a habit of straight up info dumping in the first 100-200 pages, which completely brings you out of the story and the characters so consistently that you just don't care for them for awhile.
Another thing is that she was most definitely writing about things that you could tell she had barely any knowledge of or hasn't done. Drugs being one of them. And I'm not saying that is a bad thing, to have never done them. But I think if she had taken the time to look into or talk to people who have, whether recreationally or for other reasons, there wouldn't have been such a disconnect in what she was attempting to do with that.
It's is really unfortunate that out of 800 pages it took 600 of them before the book really started/made sense/ was up to the standards a long time reader of hers was used to. I really hope that the sequel won't be as rough as this "Adult" debut was and I can grow to love this series. But, over all it felt like she was just trying too hard with this to be "different" from what she had already written and you could see right through it.
In the end I did award this 3/5 stars, mainly because of that explosive ending that still a day later has left me absolutely reeling.
