You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
libraryofavirgo's reviews
144 reviews
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is incredibly popular. Unbelievably popular, actually. On the one hand, I get it, I truly do. On the other hand, this book did not live up to all of the hype for me.
Fourth Wing is set in a fantasy world with dragons, magic, and a never-ending war. In terms of a fantasy world, nothing about this universe is astonishing. Now before you come for me, this sounds incredibly harsh, but it only adds to the book’s high demand because while it’s a fantasy world and therefore intriguing, nothing about it is very complex—allowing readers to delve in without stressing about the world and its intricacies. Instead, readers can focus almost exclusively on the action and romance, two things this book has in droves.
So while the fantasy setting allows for high stakes intensity, fighting, and dragons, nothing about it is complicated or even very important. How does the magic system work? Some vague explanation and that’s about it. Why is there a war? Don’t worry about it. Why was there a rebellion? You don’t need to know the intricacies of the whys and hows.
This book is constantly entertaining. People obviously love the constant action and it keeps the book engaging and fluid. While I can recognize that constructing multiple chapters of action is genuinely difficult, it’s also not my favorite thing.
The other characters in the book don’t really matter. Yarros throws so many characters at you and yet nothing about them sticks. Other than our main character and maybe her love interest, no characters have any depth, nuance, or significance. In a book as large as Fourth Wing I find that hugely disappointing.
Fourth Wing has a lot of elements that bother me, but as I also stated, it was highly entertaining at all moments. For this reason, I didn’t hate Fourth Wing. It does not blow my mind, nor will this be a particularly memorable read. This book at its core is a simple fantasy romance with hot enemies-to-lovers.
Fourth Wing is set in a fantasy world with dragons, magic, and a never-ending war. In terms of a fantasy world, nothing about this universe is astonishing. Now before you come for me, this sounds incredibly harsh, but it only adds to the book’s high demand because while it’s a fantasy world and therefore intriguing, nothing about it is very complex—allowing readers to delve in without stressing about the world and its intricacies. Instead, readers can focus almost exclusively on the action and romance, two things this book has in droves.
So while the fantasy setting allows for high stakes intensity, fighting, and dragons, nothing about it is complicated or even very important. How does the magic system work? Some vague explanation and that’s about it. Why is there a war? Don’t worry about it. Why was there a rebellion? You don’t need to know the intricacies of the whys and hows.
This book is constantly entertaining. People obviously love the constant action and it keeps the book engaging and fluid. While I can recognize that constructing multiple chapters of action is genuinely difficult, it’s also not my favorite thing.
The other characters in the book don’t really matter. Yarros throws so many characters at you and yet nothing about them sticks. Other than our main character and maybe her love interest, no characters have any depth, nuance, or significance. In a book as large as Fourth Wing I find that hugely disappointing.
Fourth Wing has a lot of elements that bother me, but as I also stated, it was highly entertaining at all moments. For this reason, I didn’t hate Fourth Wing. It does not blow my mind, nor will this be a particularly memorable read. This book at its core is a simple fantasy romance with hot enemies-to-lovers.
medium-paced
Let me start of by saying that I am a huge fan of Olivia Blake and have loved her other novels; The Atlas Six being one of my top ten. I've been meaning to read this book since its publication, and when I finally had the chance to I was beyond excited. However, I'm in the middle of a reading slump, and so I read this book in bits and pieces, reading a lot one day and then nothing the next, and I think this has impacted a lot in my overall opinion of it.
In general, it was okay. Overall, the book fell a bit flat for me compared to her other writing. I liked the plot and the characters were okay, but the narrative and I fought to the death to reach an understanding and until the end the combat was furious. I am a quick reader by nature, and I was fighting tooth and nail in order to force myself to finish this book. I just refuse to DNF anything. This took me well over a month to finish; I just did not want to pick it back up.
It’s known that Blake works with bigger casts in her novels, as seen in Atlas Six, however here that did not seem to translate as well. I just feel like the characters were still a bit too underdeveloped by the end of the story, and the story was overall a bit too slow for my liking for a majority of the book, with some parts feeling a bit... rushed? The pacing was a bit weird for me.
That being said, I did thoroughly the plot of the book. A vampire, the godson of Death, a demon, a ghost, an Angel, a reaper, and a demigod all coming together to navigate the tricky world of immortality. I just wish the execution had been better. This is not necessarily going to be a memorable read for me. As I said earlier, I fell into a bit of a reading slump after starting this book. Whether the slump affected my reading experience or was caused by the book itself is yet to be determined. I would be interested in revisiting this book in the future and see if I enjoy it more then.
In general, it was okay. Overall, the book fell a bit flat for me compared to her other writing. I liked the plot and the characters were okay, but the narrative and I fought to the death to reach an understanding and until the end the combat was furious. I am a quick reader by nature, and I was fighting tooth and nail in order to force myself to finish this book. I just refuse to DNF anything. This took me well over a month to finish; I just did not want to pick it back up.
It’s known that Blake works with bigger casts in her novels, as seen in Atlas Six, however here that did not seem to translate as well. I just feel like the characters were still a bit too underdeveloped by the end of the story, and the story was overall a bit too slow for my liking for a majority of the book, with some parts feeling a bit... rushed? The pacing was a bit weird for me.
That being said, I did thoroughly the plot of the book. A vampire, the godson of Death, a demon, a ghost, an Angel, a reaper, and a demigod all coming together to navigate the tricky world of immortality. I just wish the execution had been better. This is not necessarily going to be a memorable read for me. As I said earlier, I fell into a bit of a reading slump after starting this book. Whether the slump affected my reading experience or was caused by the book itself is yet to be determined. I would be interested in revisiting this book in the future and see if I enjoy it more then.
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I bought this book when it first came out in 2021 and never got around to reading it, and wow do I regret that decision. I am a sucker for dark academia, and the author mentions in the acknowledgments that The Secret History was part of her inspiration for the novel. This book seems it was written directly for me. Witchcraft, lesbians, dark academia, literature students, murder, etc.
Is this the perfect fall book? Absolutely yes. The vibes here are positively immaculate. It is dark academia, so there's a lot of candlelit library scenes, and plenty of creeping through dark parts of the school. The autumn chill pervades these pages, and I absolutely lived for it.
This is one of those books where the less you know about the plot, the better it will be. I don’t think I can say anymore without spoiling everything. So, I’ll leave this review as is.
If you are a fan of a bit of a gossip girl meets dark academia, then read this immediately.
Is this the perfect fall book? Absolutely yes. The vibes here are positively immaculate. It is dark academia, so there's a lot of candlelit library scenes, and plenty of creeping through dark parts of the school. The autumn chill pervades these pages, and I absolutely lived for it.
This is one of those books where the less you know about the plot, the better it will be. I don’t think I can say anymore without spoiling everything. So, I’ll leave this review as is.
If you are a fan of a bit of a gossip girl meets dark academia, then read this immediately.
medium-paced
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Violets explores misogyny, erasure, and repressed desire as we follow San on her desperate search for both autonomy and attachment in the unforgiving reality of contemporary Korean society This novel is short, making it a quick, but heavy read. This review is rather short, as the novel speaks so well for itself; this is truly a work of art.
I highly, highly recommend this book, but maybe not in a time when someone is in an emotional state, because it does require a certain calmness to reach its potential in the reader’s heart. If you haven't read it yet but you were tempted many times to get it. This is your sign to grab it.
I highly, highly recommend this book, but maybe not in a time when someone is in an emotional state, because it does require a certain calmness to reach its potential in the reader’s heart. If you haven't read it yet but you were tempted many times to get it. This is your sign to grab it.
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This novel, at its base, is an adaption of The Odyssey, told from the perspective of the greek nymph/witch Circe. By now it is safe to assume that most people have at least heard of Circe. Although not as popular as Miller’s other novel, Circe has definitely met with a huge amount of recognition as well.
It's truly so hard to capture in words how important and meaningful this book is. There is no book that I have read with portrayals of womanhood and its struggles that covers them as well as Circe. It is the exploration of numerous aspects of a woman's life, from girlhood to womanhood. Madeleine Miller truly has a way with words.
Many have already discussed the feminist themes present in Circe; indeed, it seems obvious that writing a background witch into a complex woman would inherently bring feminist ideas into the text. Women are abused and misused by the societies in which they are born—even (or perhaps especially) those born to gods. It is easy to dismiss Circe as a ‘bad’ woman in The Odyssey; it’s harder once you get to know and understand her as a person.
I admire Miller’s commitment to both staying faithful to the original greek myths AND ensuring that Circe’s narrative and character is strong and consistent. This novel does not tell a new story. It is an old story, being told anew by a fascinating character who has largely been silent, maligned, and ignored.
I can easily see some readers feel as if this book goes nowhere as it reports on a woman of "no urgency", but from my perspective, if you have love for Greek Mythology and you pair that with Miller's writing and nuanced delivery, Circe makes a fine story, one I intend to re-read in the future.
It's truly so hard to capture in words how important and meaningful this book is. There is no book that I have read with portrayals of womanhood and its struggles that covers them as well as Circe. It is the exploration of numerous aspects of a woman's life, from girlhood to womanhood. Madeleine Miller truly has a way with words.
Many have already discussed the feminist themes present in Circe; indeed, it seems obvious that writing a background witch into a complex woman would inherently bring feminist ideas into the text. Women are abused and misused by the societies in which they are born—even (or perhaps especially) those born to gods. It is easy to dismiss Circe as a ‘bad’ woman in The Odyssey; it’s harder once you get to know and understand her as a person.
I admire Miller’s commitment to both staying faithful to the original greek myths AND ensuring that Circe’s narrative and character is strong and consistent. This novel does not tell a new story. It is an old story, being told anew by a fascinating character who has largely been silent, maligned, and ignored.
I can easily see some readers feel as if this book goes nowhere as it reports on a woman of "no urgency", but from my perspective, if you have love for Greek Mythology and you pair that with Miller's writing and nuanced delivery, Circe makes a fine story, one I intend to re-read in the future.