arrcristi's reviews
421 reviews

5/5 - Can the third and final part of a trilogy be more compelling and fulfilling than this one? I don't think so! This conlusion is SPECTACULAR.

Robin Hobb is one of the very few authors who will make me read over eight hundred pages without one single complaint, that's how brilliant her writing is. I feel the need to say this because this isn't very common in fantasy books, so there's a need to highlight it. Great writing, amazing characters and superb plot.

Some of the things I've enjoyed most about Hobb's books so far in this trilogy are: her round characters and the strong character development; the bond between humans and animals, as well as her defense of antispecism; her immersive worldbuilding; her female characters and how they stand out in a world dominated by men. And, while I realize a lot of readers disliked it, I loved the end of this book. It was just perfect!*

(* I'd have liked to read more about Regal at the end but it's a small flaw in otherwise exquisite storytelling.)

What I'm about to say is more subjective, but this trilogy holds a special place in my heart. I'm not sure if it's because of the things I mentioned above (maybe a combination of everything?) but I feel I'll always love this story, whereas I can hardly recall anything from other fantasy books I've highly enjoyed once. :s

You need these books in your life. Seriously.

Vladimir by Julia May Jonas

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dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

2/5 - I'd been looking forward to reading this 2022 release, only to find myself deeply disappointed after doing so. I still consider Taylor Jenkins Reid to be a good writer, but let's just say that this book wasn't for me.

"Carrie Soto Is Back" tells the story of a tennis player who is determined to reclaim her record at the age of 37. When I first read about this character, I knew I wanted to know more about her. I get that tennis must be important if you decide to write a book about a tennis player. However, the biggest issue for me is that there wasn't anything else apart from sport-related stuff. And I'm not very keen on tennis, to be honest, so I guess you can understand why I found this book extremely boring. I didn't really care about the two subplots either, which were directly related to tennis as well. *rolls eyes*

I guess what I'll take from his story is the strong non-conforming female character who is able to outdo herself and figure out that success may not mean the same thing to everybody.

Would I recommend this book? Not unless you're really into tennis. If you aren't, I think you should choose a different book if you're really interested in reading somehting by this author. "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" and even "Malibu Rising" are much better books, in my opinion.

The Agathas by Liz Lawson, Kathleen Glasgow

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adventurous mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

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arrcristi's reviews 421 reviews

arrcristi's reviews
421 reviews