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clar2d2's Reviews (510)
Two A Song of Ice and Fire books read! I'm proud of myself.
This book, of course, was really good. We were introduced to a lot of new characters, some of which I really loved, we were also further exposed to a bunch of different religions and cultures in this world, and there was a lot of Tyrion, which I will always be happy about.
Ultimately, though, I don't think I enjoyed it quite as much as I enjoyed the first book. That isn't to say I didn't really really like A Clash of Kings, though I did love A Game of Thrones. I found myself confused and disoriented a lot more while reading A Clash of Kings; I couldn't seem to keep track of all the characters. That may have been caused by the very fragmented way I was reading it because I often only had enough free time to read one chapter at a time.
This series is still amazing so far, and all the events happened at the end of this book really have me excited to read the next one! I'm hoping to get to it before the end of March!
This book, of course, was really good. We were introduced to a lot of new characters, some of which I really loved, we were also further exposed to a bunch of different religions and cultures in this world, and there was a lot of Tyrion, which I will always be happy about.
Ultimately, though, I don't think I enjoyed it quite as much as I enjoyed the first book. That isn't to say I didn't really really like A Clash of Kings, though I did love A Game of Thrones. I found myself confused and disoriented a lot more while reading A Clash of Kings; I couldn't seem to keep track of all the characters. That may have been caused by the very fragmented way I was reading it because I often only had enough free time to read one chapter at a time.
This series is still amazing so far, and all the events happened at the end of this book really have me excited to read the next one! I'm hoping to get to it before the end of March!
2nd read (June 18, 2025): 4/5 stars
How did Sanderson make a fantasy book feel like a sci-fi book? It's crazy.
I still feel the same about this series as a whole, that the worldbuilding and plot are so interesting, but the characters, while not bad, don't feel as real to me as the other Sanderson characters I've read. Though this book did a similar thing for me that the Well of Ascension did for me; it made this world feel bigger.
I'm still reeling a bit from the ending, though. I'm really excited to get to The Lost Metal, since it's the end of the series, but also the only part of the series I hadn't technically read before (though I legitimately forgot so much of the books over the years that this feels like a first read.
How did Sanderson make a fantasy book feel like a sci-fi book? It's crazy.
I still feel the same about this series as a whole, that the worldbuilding and plot are so interesting, but the characters, while not bad, don't feel as real to me as the other Sanderson characters I've read. Though this book did a similar thing for me that the Well of Ascension did for me; it made this world feel bigger.
I'm still reeling a bit from the ending, though. I'm really excited to get to The Lost Metal, since it's the end of the series, but also the only part of the series I hadn't technically read before (though I legitimately forgot so much of the books over the years that this feels like a first read.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
2nd read (June 18, 2025)
The pacing of the story was different than what I'm used to. It felt more like how a TV show would be, in that this book was made up of a bunch of smaller story arcs that each had their own rising action, climax and falling action. That's the case for most books, but in this one I could put a line between them, since they all had clear conclusions. And yet they still all contributed to the larger story arc. Which I also imagine would contribute to the larger arc of the whole series.
I appreciated having all these separate arcs. Each arc gave me as the reader dedicated time to meet each character, and have each of them develop a unique relationship with Fitz. It felt like a collection of short stories, but not exactly, since each arc was more entwined than that.
While reading this, I found myself highlighting parts I felt were foreshadowing, or that I had questions about, and coming back to them when I had answers or new theories. There are so many mysteries in this book, some answered in this book and some still left hanging, which made it feel like an interactive experience for me, since I generally enjoy identifying those questions and making theories as to what the answers could be.
This is kind of a rambly review, but in general, I did enjoy this book, and I'm excited to move on to the rest of the series to see how these mysteries unfold.
The pacing of the story was different than what I'm used to. It felt more like how a TV show would be, in that this book was made up of a bunch of smaller story arcs that each had their own rising action, climax and falling action. That's the case for most books, but in this one I could put a line between them, since they all had clear conclusions. And yet they still all contributed to the larger story arc. Which I also imagine would contribute to the larger arc of the whole series.
I appreciated having all these separate arcs. Each arc gave me as the reader dedicated time to meet each character, and have each of them develop a unique relationship with Fitz. It felt like a collection of short stories, but not exactly, since each arc was more entwined than that.
While reading this, I found myself highlighting parts I felt were foreshadowing, or that I had questions about, and coming back to them when I had answers or new theories. There are so many mysteries in this book, some answered in this book and some still left hanging, which made it feel like an interactive experience for me, since I generally enjoy identifying those questions and making theories as to what the answers could be.
This is kind of a rambly review, but in general, I did enjoy this book, and I'm excited to move on to the rest of the series to see how these mysteries unfold.
This is one of those books that gave a lot of useful information, but could've probably been condensed into a blog post or two - there were many times I felt it was just dragging along and restating things that were already said.
I will probably reread it in the future when it's more relevant to me i.e. when I'm living with a partner.
I will probably reread it in the future when it's more relevant to me i.e. when I'm living with a partner.
Had a super fun afternoon reading this! Of course the computer scientist in me had to make use of an algorithm to make sure I tried every single path in the book too haha.
W.I.T.C.H., Part I. The Twelve Portals, Vol. 1
Alessandro Barbucci, Katie Blakeslee, Elisabetta Gnone, Eva Martina Allione, Barbara Canepa
Rereading this series for the nostalgia! ❤️
