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iam's reviews
1627 reviews
Metal from Heaven by August Clarke
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
2.5
I liked a lot of things about this book. I liked the idea of a lesbian revenge fantasy, the backdrop of industrial revolution and labor strikes, the lyrical writing of the author, and the expansive worldbuilding - unfortunately, the narration kind of killed the vibe for me.
Content warnings include: death, seizures, hallucinations, violence, organised crime, robbery, sex on-page, homophobia.
One of my biggest issues was that the main plot that is described in the book description - the bit about the main character Marney seeking revenge on the the man who killed her family, so to get close she starts courting for his daughter's hand - doesn't even come up until after 50% into the book. This is already a pet peeve of mine, but unfortunately the bits between the very beginning, where Marney's family is killed, and the plot really starting, were not my cup of tea.
Not because of what was happening - Marney growing up with bandits - but because of the narration.
For a huge part the book is written as Marney telling what happened to her to "you", her childhood friend who died with her family. Meaning the events are not written as if they are happening to Marney, but as if they had happened in the past and she is recounting the events. I simply did not like that.
The book was not well written - the writing is very beautiful, and I have enjoyed it already in the author's other works. However, the very lyrical writing, combined with the retrospective narration, and how the reader is thrown into the entire world without much explanation made it confusing to read at times. Usually I don't mind a bit of confusion while reading (the book is compared to Gideon the Ninth after all, which is famously confusing and one of my favourite books) but in this case this specific combination made me not particularly engaged with the book or plot.
Additionally, while the characters were pretty cool, they also felt very scattered and surface level. Even some of the most important characters I had no grasp on as I finished the book, and since a lot of the characters switched around, appeared out of nowhere just to disappear again, it was hard to really get invested into any of them as they were discarded so quickly even when they seemed important. And even the ones that reappeared never got much depth.
Conversely, it actually felt like there was a lot of depth to the setting and worldbuilding, but following it was difficult, and I admittedly just gave up on some of the world politics and countries/players involved. I wanted more from it, but couldn't quite get there.
The plot, what there was of it, was very cool. Unfortunately, it sort of just.... ends at 90%, and the rest of the book is told in a sort of omniscent epilogue style were a ton of events are summarized. It's not like it doesn't make sense for the plot, and IS explained away, but it felt like a very strange choice. It also gave some of the coolest worldbuilding reveals, but it wasn't as impactful as it could have been due to the narration, again.
Ultimately this has a super cool concept and I did enjoy parts of it, but it hugely missed the mark for me due to the narrative choices.
Content warnings include: death, seizures, hallucinations, violence, organised crime, robbery, sex on-page, homophobia.
One of my biggest issues was that the main plot that is described in the book description - the bit about the main character Marney seeking revenge on the the man who killed her family, so to get close she starts courting for his daughter's hand - doesn't even come up until after 50% into the book. This is already a pet peeve of mine, but unfortunately the bits between the very beginning, where Marney's family is killed, and the plot really starting, were not my cup of tea.
Not because of what was happening - Marney growing up with bandits - but because of the narration.
For a huge part the book is written as Marney telling what happened to her to "you", her childhood friend who died with her family. Meaning the events are not written as if they are happening to Marney, but as if they had happened in the past and she is recounting the events. I simply did not like that.
The book was not well written - the writing is very beautiful, and I have enjoyed it already in the author's other works. However, the very lyrical writing, combined with the retrospective narration, and how the reader is thrown into the entire world without much explanation made it confusing to read at times. Usually I don't mind a bit of confusion while reading (the book is compared to Gideon the Ninth after all, which is famously confusing and one of my favourite books) but in this case this specific combination made me not particularly engaged with the book or plot.
Additionally, while the characters were pretty cool, they also felt very scattered and surface level. Even some of the most important characters I had no grasp on as I finished the book, and since a lot of the characters switched around, appeared out of nowhere just to disappear again, it was hard to really get invested into any of them as they were discarded so quickly even when they seemed important. And even the ones that reappeared never got much depth.
Conversely, it actually felt like there was a lot of depth to the setting and worldbuilding, but following it was difficult, and I admittedly just gave up on some of the world politics and countries/players involved. I wanted more from it, but couldn't quite get there.
The plot, what there was of it, was very cool. Unfortunately, it sort of just.... ends at 90%, and the rest of the book is told in a sort of omniscent epilogue style were a ton of events are summarized. It's not like it doesn't make sense for the plot, and IS explained away, but it felt like a very strange choice. It also gave some of the coolest worldbuilding reveals, but it wasn't as impactful as it could have been due to the narration, again.
Ultimately this has a super cool concept and I did enjoy parts of it, but it hugely missed the mark for me due to the narrative choices.
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Reread December 2024:I'm not sure what it is about this book, but there is something magical about it to me.
On paper, this book - the entire series - sounds incredibly boring: a group of boys who go to a rich school are on the hunt for the grave of a dead Welsh king, and they get involved with a girl who's the daughter of psychics, and whose first love with die after she kisses them.
Yet somehow, this series kinda has me in a chokehold whenever I read it. Something about the dynamics between the characters is so captivating, and I love every one of them, all of them flawed yet lovely.
The writing is quite particular, too, and I can see how it could be annoying or pretentious, but for me it really works. The performance of the audiobook narrator is great, too.
Overall the book is both magical and ordinary, gentle and harsh, happy and sad, silly and deathly serious. Something about it is just really special to me, and I am happy to be along for the ride once again.
Reread September 2020:Audio reread made me like this considerably more than I did on first read. The narrator made me POV switches fun, and I totally failed at listening to this low-key on the side as I planned to. Instead I totally got sucked into the story and wanted to keep listening even even audiobook time was over.
First read March 2016: 3 stars
On paper, this book - the entire series - sounds incredibly boring: a group of boys who go to a rich school are on the hunt for the grave of a dead Welsh king, and they get involved with a girl who's the daughter of psychics, and whose first love with die after she kisses them.
Yet somehow, this series kinda has me in a chokehold whenever I read it. Something about the dynamics between the characters is so captivating, and I love every one of them, all of them flawed yet lovely.
The writing is quite particular, too, and I can see how it could be annoying or pretentious, but for me it really works. The performance of the audiobook narrator is great, too.
Overall the book is both magical and ordinary, gentle and harsh, happy and sad, silly and deathly serious. Something about it is just really special to me, and I am happy to be along for the ride once again.
Reread September 2020:Audio reread made me like this considerably more than I did on first read. The narrator made me POV switches fun, and I totally failed at listening to this low-key on the side as I planned to. Instead I totally got sucked into the story and wanted to keep listening even even audiobook time was over.
First read March 2016: 3 stars
And the Mighty Will Fall by K.B. Wagers
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
This was a lot! A great, high adrenaline novel for the NeoG series.
Content warning include: graphic death and injury, terrorism, mass murder, trauma, hostage situation.
I really enjoyed the NeoG series when I found it last year, and this new novel was no exception. While the first three books were never without action, this one raised it all on a whole new level.
From the get go, the book is way more serious than the previous ones. There is no relationship drama, and no boarding games - the entire book plays over the course of one day (possibly only a series of hours?) and against one massive, horrifying attack on a day that should lead to more peace.
There is a time skip between And the Mighty Will Fall, which is the fourth book in the series, and the previous books, The Ghost of Trappist. It's also been over a year since I read it. As such, I struggled a bit with recalling the massive cast of characters and their relationships and character dynamics. There is a cast list at the beginning of the book, grouping all appearing characters based on their factions/teams, but that admittedly didn't really help me. I did find my groove eventually, but I do think the series is best enjoyed when you have a deep understanding of the characters and dynamics, though it does still work when you just vaguely remember. I don't think it would work as a standalone, was there is next to no recap of anything that has happened before.
Something that really struck with me was Max's character arc, especially towards the end. While the book is full of personal tragedy, what is happening to Max, or rather how what she has to do in this book, is absolutely horrifying on an emotional level. It isn't really resolved at the end, which makes sense because my god it would take a lot of time, but I'm very curious to see how it will affect her in upcoming books - I have a feeling it's going to be a big plot point.
While the series has always excelled at having a huge cast of interesting characters, I enjoyed seeing so many of them working together here, and to see them all individually excel at their jobs. That was very satisfying to read.
I said before there is not much relationship-focus in And the Mighty Will Fall - the few relationships that do advance do so very subtly, and it's more groundwork that is laid for possible future developments. I enjoyed that, too, as the main plot is just so all-encompassing. But it makes me excited to see how these things develop in possible future books.
Overall a great, high adrenaline and fast-paced installment of the series!
Content warning include: graphic death and injury, terrorism, mass murder, trauma, hostage situation.
I really enjoyed the NeoG series when I found it last year, and this new novel was no exception. While the first three books were never without action, this one raised it all on a whole new level.
From the get go, the book is way more serious than the previous ones. There is no relationship drama, and no boarding games - the entire book plays over the course of one day (possibly only a series of hours?) and against one massive, horrifying attack on a day that should lead to more peace.
There is a time skip between And the Mighty Will Fall, which is the fourth book in the series, and the previous books, The Ghost of Trappist. It's also been over a year since I read it. As such, I struggled a bit with recalling the massive cast of characters and their relationships and character dynamics. There is a cast list at the beginning of the book, grouping all appearing characters based on their factions/teams, but that admittedly didn't really help me. I did find my groove eventually, but I do think the series is best enjoyed when you have a deep understanding of the characters and dynamics, though it does still work when you just vaguely remember. I don't think it would work as a standalone, was there is next to no recap of anything that has happened before.
Something that really struck with me was Max's character arc, especially towards the end. While the book is full of personal tragedy, what is happening to Max, or rather how what she has to do in this book, is absolutely horrifying on an emotional level. It isn't really resolved at the end, which makes sense because my god it would take a lot of time, but I'm very curious to see how it will affect her in upcoming books - I have a feeling it's going to be a big plot point.
While the series has always excelled at having a huge cast of interesting characters, I enjoyed seeing so many of them working together here, and to see them all individually excel at their jobs. That was very satisfying to read.
I said before there is not much relationship-focus in And the Mighty Will Fall - the few relationships that do advance do so very subtly, and it's more groundwork that is laid for possible future developments. I enjoyed that, too, as the main plot is just so all-encompassing. But it makes me excited to see how these things develop in possible future books.
Overall a great, high adrenaline and fast-paced installment of the series!
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
Fifty Shades of Gorgosaur by Lola Faust
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Unironically? This was absolutely hilarious, and I had a great time with it.
It starts great already with a list of content warnings, which both serves its purpose by, well, warning the reader about the content (including, but not limited to, sex with a dinosaur, as well as the blood, death and gore) as well as throwing in a good amount of humor with also warning about things like job interviews, or taxes (implied).
While I have not actually ready (or watched) 50 Shades of Grey, this certainly seems to be exactly the same - except the heroine is bisexual, the billionaire is a dinosaur, and there's a sexy executive assistant.
There isn't much plot beyond exactly what you'd think it would be - heroine applies for job, signs her body away to the billionaire, smut ensues.
But something about the fast-pace, the short length, enthusiastic and horny protagonist, and the writing which didn't take itself all too seriously, really reall worked for this.
There even is a third-act breakup! Well, sort of.
The writing was really great too - not a literary masterpiece, but easy to read, and it made me laugh out loud, both from the... let's say creative ways of describing genitals, but also by the occasional dry humor, plus the occasionally frankly ridiculous situations that happen. I was laughing a lot while I was reading, and this really wasn't a long book - I read it in one sitting in about an hour.
Overall this is a ridiculous but very fun and unserious dinosaur erotica novella. Exactly what it promises to be.
It starts great already with a list of content warnings, which both serves its purpose by, well, warning the reader about the content (including, but not limited to, sex with a dinosaur, as well as the blood, death and gore) as well as throwing in a good amount of humor with also warning about things like job interviews, or taxes (implied).
While I have not actually ready (or watched) 50 Shades of Grey, this certainly seems to be exactly the same - except the heroine is bisexual, the billionaire is a dinosaur, and there's a sexy executive assistant.
There isn't much plot beyond exactly what you'd think it would be - heroine applies for job, signs her body away to the billionaire, smut ensues.
But something about the fast-pace, the short length, enthusiastic and horny protagonist, and the writing which didn't take itself all too seriously, really reall worked for this.
There even is a third-act breakup! Well, sort of.
The writing was really great too - not a literary masterpiece, but easy to read, and it made me laugh out loud, both from the... let's say creative ways of describing genitals, but also by the occasional dry humor, plus the occasionally frankly ridiculous situations that happen. I was laughing a lot while I was reading, and this really wasn't a long book - I read it in one sitting in about an hour.
Overall this is a ridiculous but very fun and unserious dinosaur erotica novella. Exactly what it promises to be.
Pole Position by Rebecca J. Caffery
3.5
I was super interested in a sports romance featuring Formula 1, but I ended up not really liking the characters.
Haper was acting disrespectful and just plain stupid for a good portion of it, and while some of his behaviour is later explained by trauma, especially his early on rudeness cannot be excused away by that.
Kian was a bit more mature at times, but still had a flaring temper that made him act petty and incredibly rude as well, which combined with his overall higher sense of maturity felt even more jarring.
For a big chunk of the book, I just plain didn't enjoy the characters interactions. Which is not ideal for a romance. This is pitched as an enemies-to-lovers romance, which I usually enjoy. And there sure is animosity between the two, except... they had no reason do dislike each other?? Kian is simply sulking, and Harper is being obnoxious for the heck of it, and neither of them wants to be the bigger person. Even when they try to make up, which happens from both ends several times, they end up breaking off all attempts for plain stupid/senseless reasons again. Not saying that's not realistic, it just was annoying to read about, to be frank.
Once the proper romance started, however, things mellowed out, and I enjoyed it a lot more. There are still conflicts, but they made more sense to me and felt better to read about.
I also enjoyed the mix of romance and sports stuff. F1 was not explained, so someone who has no idea about it may struggle a bit with following the sports stuff - my family is big on F1 so I have some idea of it by osmosis - but I don't think that will impede the reading enjoyment much, as the base "car race" stuff is easy to follow.
I also really enjoyed how little of a deal the queerness was. It's not ignored, but the potentially troublesome conversations all happen off-page. While this was a good choice, a lot of other things also happened off-page... and not all of them I found a good choice. There were several times were I felt like I had missed something, or accidentally skipped a chapter, because so much seemingly important things happened off-page. I personally would also simply have enjoyed some of the things that were skipped, interviews, trainings, conversations and such.
I also found several of the background things to feel very forgotten. For example, there's a whole blackmailing thing going on in the background, but it's barely addressed? Plus, a whole second plotpline in the background that is probably setting up a sequel. Overall, just a lot of stuff happened in the background that felt important but ultimately wasn't, which I found a bit disappointing.
Lastly: the names? Harper James and Kian Walker? Something about Walker and Harper I found super hard to keep apart, especially since the characters jump wildly between calling each other or being called by their first and last names.
Haper was acting disrespectful and just plain stupid for a good portion of it, and while some of his behaviour is later explained by trauma, especially his early on rudeness cannot be excused away by that.
Kian was a bit more mature at times, but still had a flaring temper that made him act petty and incredibly rude as well, which combined with his overall higher sense of maturity felt even more jarring.
For a big chunk of the book, I just plain didn't enjoy the characters interactions. Which is not ideal for a romance. This is pitched as an enemies-to-lovers romance, which I usually enjoy. And there sure is animosity between the two, except... they had no reason do dislike each other?? Kian is simply sulking, and Harper is being obnoxious for the heck of it, and neither of them wants to be the bigger person. Even when they try to make up, which happens from both ends several times, they end up breaking off all attempts for plain stupid/senseless reasons again. Not saying that's not realistic, it just was annoying to read about, to be frank.
Once the proper romance started, however, things mellowed out, and I enjoyed it a lot more. There are still conflicts, but they made more sense to me and felt better to read about.
I also enjoyed the mix of romance and sports stuff. F1 was not explained, so someone who has no idea about it may struggle a bit with following the sports stuff - my family is big on F1 so I have some idea of it by osmosis - but I don't think that will impede the reading enjoyment much, as the base "car race" stuff is easy to follow.
I also really enjoyed how little of a deal the queerness was. It's not ignored, but the potentially troublesome conversations all happen off-page. While this was a good choice, a lot of other things also happened off-page... and not all of them I found a good choice. There were several times were I felt like I had missed something, or accidentally skipped a chapter, because so much seemingly important things happened off-page. I personally would also simply have enjoyed some of the things that were skipped, interviews, trainings, conversations and such.
I also found several of the background things to feel very forgotten. For example, there's a whole blackmailing thing going on in the background, but it's barely addressed? Plus, a whole second plotpline in the background that is probably setting up a sequel. Overall, just a lot of stuff happened in the background that felt important but ultimately wasn't, which I found a bit disappointing.
Lastly: the names? Harper James and Kian Walker? Something about Walker and Harper I found super hard to keep apart, especially since the characters jump wildly between calling each other or being called by their first and last names.
Swordcrossed by Freya Marske
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
I'll be honest - the first half of this gay (no magic) romantasy felt a bit lackluster to me, but the second half more than made up for it!
I can't quite put my finger on why, but this did not start off on the right foot for me. I found the beginning kind of confusing with all the different names mentioned, and something about the writing style didn't entirely mesh with me either, even though I've enjoyed other books by this author before.
I did eventually get used to it, but even then, the plot wasn't all that exciting to me. Matti and Luca start off in an antagonistic way but then quickly settling into a mututally benefitial arrangement with plenty of banter and attraction was fun, but not all too much exciting. They did also clearly not trust each other, and maybe that's also why I wasn't that invested into them. The plot around Matti's family debts, his upcoming wedding, and the uncovering of a conspiracy against his family also wasn't super engaging, though also not boring.
What changed the game for me was when Luca's past finally caught up with him. It's clear from the start that he is running from something, but he mostly successfully hides it from both Matti and the reader- until his past catches up with him, and everything comes crashing down. That was a huge turning point for me in the book, and the fact that it forces both character to be honest and face the truth of what they really want VS. their obligations made me truly care about them for the first time.
I felt like at that point the side characters were also more involved. The plot and romance culminates in a beautifully exciting climax that I thoroughly enjoyed. It was dramatic and a bit over-the-top, but very satisfying and indulgent. I enjoyed both the personal relationship developments, the conclusion of the character arcs, as well as how the political intrigue ends up.
This was overall a very feel good read to me.
I know some people feel iffy about the fact that the romance between Luca and Matti happens while Matti is engaged to another. The topic of cheating or open relationships is not discussed in the book, but there are never any hurt feelings or broken obligations or promises.
My personal biggest complaint was that I couldn't always follow all the names of the individual houses and characters - but this may be becauses I read it in audio, where I sometimes struggle with processing names, so this may be more of a me-issue than the book's fault.
I can't quite put my finger on why, but this did not start off on the right foot for me. I found the beginning kind of confusing with all the different names mentioned, and something about the writing style didn't entirely mesh with me either, even though I've enjoyed other books by this author before.
I did eventually get used to it, but even then, the plot wasn't all that exciting to me. Matti and Luca start off in an antagonistic way but then quickly settling into a mututally benefitial arrangement with plenty of banter and attraction was fun, but not all too much exciting. They did also clearly not trust each other, and maybe that's also why I wasn't that invested into them. The plot around Matti's family debts, his upcoming wedding, and the uncovering of a conspiracy against his family also wasn't super engaging, though also not boring.
What changed the game for me was when Luca's past finally caught up with him. It's clear from the start that he is running from something, but he mostly successfully hides it from both Matti and the reader- until his past catches up with him, and everything comes crashing down. That was a huge turning point for me in the book, and the fact that it forces both character to be honest and face the truth of what they really want VS. their obligations made me truly care about them for the first time.
I felt like at that point the side characters were also more involved. The plot and romance culminates in a beautifully exciting climax that I thoroughly enjoyed. It was dramatic and a bit over-the-top, but very satisfying and indulgent. I enjoyed both the personal relationship developments, the conclusion of the character arcs, as well as how the political intrigue ends up.
This was overall a very feel good read to me.
I know some people feel iffy about the fact that the romance between Luca and Matti happens while Matti is engaged to another. The topic of cheating or open relationships is not discussed in the book, but there are never any hurt feelings or broken obligations or promises.
My personal biggest complaint was that I couldn't always follow all the names of the individual houses and characters - but this may be becauses I read it in audio, where I sometimes struggle with processing names, so this may be more of a me-issue than the book's fault.
Paris Daillencourt Is About to Crumble by Alexis Hall
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Gay romance with a baking competition background, general anxiety disorder rep, and extremely unafraid to get messy!
Content warnings include: anxiety, cyberbullying, panic attack, racism, religious ignorance. Content warnings cal be found at the beginning of the book.
I truly do admire Alexis Hall for how unafraid of messyness they are. I don't think I've read such a terrible first date in, well, ever.
As such, the romance in this book is far from linear. With plenty of ups and downs. And it's not because either character is a bad person. They are just both not perfect, and make mistakes. I also really admire them for being able to talk about those mistakes, because my god that is so hard. I certainly couldn't have handled it in their shoes.
The baking competition was delightful, as in the first book in the series (which you don't have to read before this one!) but at the same time it was also totally different through Paris's eyes. I really appreciated that. I also enjoyed that this time around, we also got to see the reactions to all the aired episodes, even though the reality of social media reactions to reality TV was... ouch.
The anxiety rep really hit hard. I can't entirely speak for the accuracy, but it was certainly executed in a way that I truly felt for Paris.
Despite this, the humor was never far away, and plenty of scenes made me smile. The one thing I found incongruous at times was how Paris's anxiety and humor went together - or rather how they didn't go together. With how anxious Paris is, I wondered how he would be fine with making some of the jokes he makes, since he overthinks literally everything else. Maybe that was done for levity, maybe humor just works differently for him.
Overall a lovely book, and I can't wait to return to the series with the next book.
Content warnings include: anxiety, cyberbullying, panic attack, racism, religious ignorance. Content warnings cal be found at the beginning of the book.
I truly do admire Alexis Hall for how unafraid of messyness they are. I don't think I've read such a terrible first date in, well, ever.
As such, the romance in this book is far from linear. With plenty of ups and downs. And it's not because either character is a bad person. They are just both not perfect, and make mistakes. I also really admire them for being able to talk about those mistakes, because my god that is so hard. I certainly couldn't have handled it in their shoes.
The baking competition was delightful, as in the first book in the series (which you don't have to read before this one!) but at the same time it was also totally different through Paris's eyes. I really appreciated that. I also enjoyed that this time around, we also got to see the reactions to all the aired episodes, even though the reality of social media reactions to reality TV was... ouch.
The anxiety rep really hit hard. I can't entirely speak for the accuracy, but it was certainly executed in a way that I truly felt for Paris.
Despite this, the humor was never far away, and plenty of scenes made me smile. The one thing I found incongruous at times was how Paris's anxiety and humor went together - or rather how they didn't go together. With how anxious Paris is, I wondered how he would be fine with making some of the jokes he makes, since he overthinks literally everything else. Maybe that was done for levity, maybe humor just works differently for him.
Overall a lovely book, and I can't wait to return to the series with the next book.
League of Dragons by Naomi Novik
adventurous
medium-paced
4.0
A great series ends...
Content warnings include: starvation, violence, war, graphic injury, kidnapping, imprisonment, threat of execution, insubordination, semi-explicit sex on-page, duelling, character gets shot, sexual harassment and assault.
Not gonna lie, there were several times when I thought this would go dreadfully south and ruin the series for me, but THANKFULLY it always managed to avoid disaster and turned out surprisingly well!
While I overall did enjoy the book and do think it's a well deserved ending of the series, in some ways it was sorely lacking.
I have three particular complaints:
1) Unresolved plotthreads. Especially in the last few books several things happened that, while mostly fun to read, didn't really seem to follow any particular reason or have any purpose or advance the story. I had hoped these threads to be picked up and tied neatly in League of Dragons but that didn't happen, or only in a very flimsy fashion.
2) Plotholes. There were a few things that made me scratch my head and wonder how they could come to be, and while I was mostly ready to excuse them there was one that was just glaring the entire time. Something that directly contradicts what had happened a chapter before and there was zero explanation offered. It almost felt like an entire scene or even a chapter was cut, creating a, well, hole in the middle of the story, leaving the ending of one and the beginning of the next chapter wholly unconnected.
3) Timeskips. I noticed this happening in a few of the books in the second half of the series already, where scenes spanning weeks or even entire months were simply skipped. For the most part I understand that - Temeraire & crew travel A LOT, and there is only so much adventure on the road that can be exciting, especially when nothing of import was supposed to happen.
In League of Dragons however, not just travelling but entire fights and discussions were skipped - which I can also, for the most part, excuse, because similar to the travelling, reading the same maneuvers and argument over and over again can be tiring. Which is all fine and good - but to skip the entire final battle that brings down the one big enemy, the moment the protagonists have been working towards for nine books?
That's a BOLD move, that, while not ruining it entirely, does leave me feeling perplexed and robbed of a certain kind of satisfaction.
Another thing, which is more something I notice now in hindsight that while reading, is that I'm disappointed in the (lack of) advancement in the personal relationships of the characters. The series has never paid much attention to any sort of relationship outside the one between dragon and captain, and isn't very big on the internal feelings of the characters either, but part of me still expected there to be more happening on an interpersonal level. There were even hints to some of the characters getting closer than they had been previously, but all of that led to nothing.
While I would have wished for a longer epilogue that went into detail about various characters' fates in the future, the ending was nevertheless satisfying without limiting the reader's imagination for the future.
So this was a fun read and I had a pretty good time with it, but overall it felt very unstructured and lacked the pleasant coherence and tight plotlines from the first few books.
I truly adore this series. It's brutal and heart-breaking at times, but also hilarious in its subtly situational humor, with lovable characters and interesting worldbuilding in the form on integrating dragons into actual historical events and various cultures.
I cannot speak on the accuracy of the historical events, persons and cultures but they were for the most part portrayed believably and respectfully, though the British approach often made me cringe, even while the protagonists do not approve of it.
Content warnings include: starvation, violence, war, graphic injury, kidnapping, imprisonment, threat of execution, insubordination, semi-explicit sex on-page, duelling, character gets shot, sexual harassment and assault.
Not gonna lie, there were several times when I thought this would go dreadfully south and ruin the series for me, but THANKFULLY it always managed to avoid disaster and turned out surprisingly well!
While I overall did enjoy the book and do think it's a well deserved ending of the series, in some ways it was sorely lacking.
I have three particular complaints:
1) Unresolved plotthreads. Especially in the last few books several things happened that, while mostly fun to read, didn't really seem to follow any particular reason or have any purpose or advance the story. I had hoped these threads to be picked up and tied neatly in League of Dragons but that didn't happen, or only in a very flimsy fashion.
2) Plotholes. There were a few things that made me scratch my head and wonder how they could come to be, and while I was mostly ready to excuse them there was one that was just glaring the entire time. Something that directly contradicts what had happened a chapter before and there was zero explanation offered. It almost felt like an entire scene or even a chapter was cut, creating a, well, hole in the middle of the story, leaving the ending of one and the beginning of the next chapter wholly unconnected.
3) Timeskips. I noticed this happening in a few of the books in the second half of the series already, where scenes spanning weeks or even entire months were simply skipped. For the most part I understand that - Temeraire & crew travel A LOT, and there is only so much adventure on the road that can be exciting, especially when nothing of import was supposed to happen.
In League of Dragons however, not just travelling but entire fights and discussions were skipped - which I can also, for the most part, excuse, because similar to the travelling, reading the same maneuvers and argument over and over again can be tiring. Which is all fine and good - but to skip the entire final battle that brings down the one big enemy, the moment the protagonists have been working towards for nine books?
That's a BOLD move, that, while not ruining it entirely, does leave me feeling perplexed and robbed of a certain kind of satisfaction.
Another thing, which is more something I notice now in hindsight that while reading, is that I'm disappointed in the (lack of) advancement in the personal relationships of the characters. The series has never paid much attention to any sort of relationship outside the one between dragon and captain, and isn't very big on the internal feelings of the characters either, but part of me still expected there to be more happening on an interpersonal level. There were even hints to some of the characters getting closer than they had been previously, but all of that led to nothing.
While I would have wished for a longer epilogue that went into detail about various characters' fates in the future, the ending was nevertheless satisfying without limiting the reader's imagination for the future.
So this was a fun read and I had a pretty good time with it, but overall it felt very unstructured and lacked the pleasant coherence and tight plotlines from the first few books.
I truly adore this series. It's brutal and heart-breaking at times, but also hilarious in its subtly situational humor, with lovable characters and interesting worldbuilding in the form on integrating dragons into actual historical events and various cultures.
I cannot speak on the accuracy of the historical events, persons and cultures but they were for the most part portrayed believably and respectfully, though the British approach often made me cringe, even while the protagonists do not approve of it.