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literalottie's reviews
133 reviews
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was a true experience from beginning to end. Between the layers upon layers of narration, the jumping around between footnotes and appendices, and the formatting which mirrors the story as well as deliberately seeks to disorient and confuse the reader, this is easily one of the densest, most demanding books I've ever read. I absolutely loved it.
There are just so many little details in this book, little secrets that are left for the reader to uncover. I definitely did not get everything out of this book that I could've the first time round - this is definitely one that I plan to reread at least once. Maybe I'll reread it when I move out to my own place (whenever that may be), which will either be the best idea I've ever had or the worst. I'm excited to find out.
There are just so many little details in this book, little secrets that are left for the reader to uncover. I definitely did not get everything out of this book that I could've the first time round - this is definitely one that I plan to reread at least once. Maybe I'll reread it when I move out to my own place (whenever that may be), which will either be the best idea I've ever had or the worst. I'm excited to find out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Confinement, and Animal death
Moderate: Rape, Drug abuse, and Child abuse
The Sea Is Salt and So Am I by Cassandra Hartt
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was a well-written and, for the most part, an engaging literary YA contemporary. I really liked how believable and flawed the three main characters were, and thought that the author, Cassandra Hartt, did a really good job of capturing the complexities of their relationships.
However, ultimately I didn't quite get the emotional connection and impact that I was hoping for from this book - many of the big reveals towards the end didn't quite hit me the way I was expecting and I found the ending in general to be a bit abrupt.
Overall though, I liked the "atmosphere" of the story as a whole and still think this was a commendable book and one I'm glad to have picked up! I haven't seen much buzz for it - I hope it does get some because I think there are a lot of people who would enjoy this. I think plenty of people will find the emotional connection that wasn't 100% there for me, particularly given the poignant mental health themes that run through the story (this is a book to make sure you note the TWs for before reading as it does discuss suicide and depression).
However, ultimately I didn't quite get the emotional connection and impact that I was hoping for from this book - many of the big reveals towards the end didn't quite hit me the way I was expecting and I found the ending in general to be a bit abrupt.
Overall though, I liked the "atmosphere" of the story as a whole and still think this was a commendable book and one I'm glad to have picked up! I haven't seen much buzz for it - I hope it does get some because I think there are a lot of people who would enjoy this. I think plenty of people will find the emotional connection that wasn't 100% there for me, particularly given the poignant mental health themes that run through the story (this is a book to make sure you note the TWs for before reading as it does discuss suicide and depression).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide attempt, and Suicide
Minor: Animal death
Going South by Ella Yelich-O'Connor (Lorde)
informative
reflective
4.0
Yeah, I'm counting this towards my reading goal. I waited almost 8 months for this goddammit.
There's not much I can really "review" here - it's pretty much exactly what was promised - pictures from Lorde's Antarctica trip and a short essay at the beginning which touches on the theme of environmentalism (psst, you can also read the essay in this article). It's well written, and I liked how she discusses the conflict between wanting to protect the environment and wanting to observe and experience it, even when to do so causes damage. The pictures are nice to look at - Antarctica really is a breathtaking landscape. Penguins are also my favourite animal, and there are pictures of penguins in here, so ❤️❤️❤️
As a long-time Lorde stan, I was excited for this to provide more of an insight into the album, but I can't really judge on that until the album actually releases (August 20 can't come soon enough!!). I have a feeling that this isn't really going to be as intertwined with the album as I had originally thought; I think the Antarctica trip just planted the seed for the environmentalism theme that will be one part woven into the whole album, rather than the album actually being directly inspired by the Antarctica trip. Alas, this book is a cool companion piece nonetheless, and I'm glad to have it even just as a collector's item from my favourite artist.
There's not much I can really "review" here - it's pretty much exactly what was promised - pictures from Lorde's Antarctica trip and a short essay at the beginning which touches on the theme of environmentalism (psst, you can also read the essay in this article). It's well written, and I liked how she discusses the conflict between wanting to protect the environment and wanting to observe and experience it, even when to do so causes damage. The pictures are nice to look at - Antarctica really is a breathtaking landscape. Penguins are also my favourite animal, and there are pictures of penguins in here, so ❤️❤️❤️
As a long-time Lorde stan, I was excited for this to provide more of an insight into the album, but I can't really judge on that until the album actually releases (August 20 can't come soon enough!!). I have a feeling that this isn't really going to be as intertwined with the album as I had originally thought; I think the Antarctica trip just planted the seed for the environmentalism theme that will be one part woven into the whole album, rather than the album actually being directly inspired by the Antarctica trip. Alas, this book is a cool companion piece nonetheless, and I'm glad to have it even just as a collector's item from my favourite artist.
The Ones We're Meant to Find by Joan He
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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
Wow, this truly is a unique sci-fi thriller, and my experience with reading this has definitely cemented Joan He as an author I will continue to look out for in the years to come. This is categorised as a YA novel, but (I mean this as no slight against YA books) honestly I think that is doing it a disservice. It doesn't feel like it's specifically geared towards the YA demographic, and there's a lot of depth and complexity that I think readers of many ages would enjoy.
I absolutely loved the setting of this book - the backdrop of ecological disaster, the concept of the eco-cities and all the commentary on climate ethics and humanity that came along with it was so interesting. I do feel that at times the worldbuilding was a bit vague - the twisty nature of the story necessitates a bit of mystery, of course, but sometimes I felt like crucial details got a bit muddied along the way.
As for the story, hoo boy, it delivered beyond my expectations. The blurb describes it as being akin to Black Mirror, and I absolutely can understand and agree with this comparison. There was a specific point in this book where the penny dropped, and I outright gasped and had to take a moment to put the book down and process what I had just realised. The reveals don't feel cheap or random, in fact the stories of the two sisters Kasey and Cee unfurl and ultimately intersect in a way that is equally shocking and satisfying. Ultimately, this was a great read, and one I would wholeheartedly recommend.
I absolutely loved the setting of this book - the backdrop of ecological disaster, the concept of the eco-cities and all the commentary on climate ethics and humanity that came along with it was so interesting. I do feel that at times the worldbuilding was a bit vague - the twisty nature of the story necessitates a bit of mystery, of course, but sometimes I felt like crucial details got a bit muddied along the way.
As for the story, hoo boy, it delivered beyond my expectations. The blurb describes it as being akin to Black Mirror, and I absolutely can understand and agree with this comparison. There was a specific point in this book where the penny dropped, and I outright gasped and had to take a moment to put the book down and process what I had just realised. The reveals don't feel cheap or random, in fact the stories of the two sisters Kasey and Cee unfurl and ultimately intersect in a way that is equally shocking and satisfying. Ultimately, this was a great read, and one I would wholeheartedly recommend.
Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Am I being a bit harsh? Probably - but I'm frustrated. I'm frustrated at this book for wasting my time, and I'm frustrated at myself for letting it waste my time.
There's frankly way too much going on in this book, and I cared about approximately zero of it. I would just list off every single thing I disliked, but that would get incoherent very quickly, so let me just divide up my criticisms into the five POV characters and their individual story arcs (there are FIVE of them!! I love multiple POV books, but for this book that was just too many!!). This, obviously, is not going to be spoiler free.
Nikolai: Look, like everyone else who read the Grisha trilogy, I loved Nikolai. But frankly, for all his charm and wit (and oh boy, we are told a LOT in this book about how charming Nikolai is), I unfortunately just don't think he has the range to be a main protagonist. And I think Leigh realised it too, because for as much as this duology was marketed as the "Nikolai duology", there's a lot of not-Nikolai content in it. In this book, the war between Fjerda and Ravka comes to a head, but the way it's portrayed really feels toothless. There are few battle scenes in this book, and when we aren't in a battle scene the war either takes a complete backseat or we get scenes filled with painful posturing about "war bad :(" and how Nikolai and Ravka don't really want to fight the war :(. And like, I understand this is a YA novel and you can't really get as brutal as you can in adult novels, but come on. The one glimpse we get at the horrors of war is when David died, which felt more like a cheap shot at the audience's emotion than a genuinely well-thought-out plot point, especially given how much Genya and David's romance had been played up in the chapters just preceding it.
Also, we're told all about how vulnerable Ravka is, and how much of a disadvantage they're at, and yet for a book that's meant to be all about the war, there seems to be a lot of downtime where the war just doesn't happen. Honestly, I don't know how Ravka managed to not get rolled and curb-stomped by Fjerda at the beginning of this book, they truly seem so incompetent. There's even time for a little escapade away to Ketterdam to visit some of the SoC gang and have a whole heist that gets breezed through in a few chapters and feels like an excuse to go "hey! Remember the crows?! You love them, remember?!". Basically, it, along with the little SoC3 teaser at the end, felt like fanservice. Six of Crows is your masterpiece, Leigh Bardugo!! Leave it alone!!
Zoya: Yeah, I don't like Zoya. I thought that this duology gave her some much needed character development, but I still don't feel any kind of love towards her character. Which is a shame, because honestly she feels like more of a protagonist in this book than Nikolai does! Anyway, she's a dragon now - I know this directly continues on from the previous book, but I don't remember the exact details of that plotline, and I didn't care enough to work it out. Her chemistry with Nikolai felt non-existent to me. She then becomes a Saint, and then the Queen at the very end. Um, what? I thought it was made pretty clear throughout the duology that she's much more suited to the general/miltary leader role rather than the royalty role, which requires a certain degree of diplomacy that Zoya definitely doesn't possess. I don't know, I was bored with her plot line, and when I wasn't bored it was because I was actively not enjoying it.
Nina: Along with the whole "war bad" preaching we get from the Ravka side of things, Nina's entire motivation in this book is "war IS bad, but I can fix Fjerda uwu" and it sucked, because pretty much everyone we meet from Fjerda sucks. Jarl Brum? Sucks. Prince Rasmus? Sucks. Hanne? Doesn't suck, but purely exists as a new romantic interest for Nina and the romance just falls flat. The way Nina's storyline was all resolved was very underwhelming and it feels like she's probably been written out of any future Grisha books (except maybe as a cameo character, which judging from this book Leigh Bardugo absolutely loves), which is a shame because I did genuinely like her.
Mayu: Boring. The Shu Han storyline could have been a really interesting plotline full of political intrigue, and the crumbs that we got from it in the previous book were actually my favourite part of that book. Unfortunately, here it's relegated to a brief side plot in the second half that is half-baked and narrated by a character I have no reason to care about.
"The Monk": Goodfuckingbye. The Darkling should've just stayed dead. I didn't need a POV from him. He gets brought back to life at the end of the next book, then shocker! He's still evil, manages to escape after pretending he's going to help as a ploy (because of course he was fucking lying he's the biggest fucking villain in this series you bunch of idiots). Then he fucks off and is evil for a bit, then comes back at the end for a REDEMPTION ARC??!?! And yes, I know it's not technically a redemption arc because none of the other characters actually forgive him blah blah, but he does go on about "paying for his crimes" and yada yada yada and goes into eternal suffering to save Ravka yada yada yada. Good riddance. Side note: The Blight was another plot point that could've been scrubbed from it's book because it's completely brushed aside until it needs to be brought up as this great threat that could destroy the world. But oh well, good thing the Darkling really took one for the team here. RIP Yuri I guess.
Rant over. At least I'll always have Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom, my beloveds <3
There's frankly way too much going on in this book, and I cared about approximately zero of it. I would just list off every single thing I disliked, but that would get incoherent very quickly, so let me just divide up my criticisms into the five POV characters and their individual story arcs (there are FIVE of them!! I love multiple POV books, but for this book that was just too many!!). This, obviously, is not going to be spoiler free.
Nikolai: Look, like everyone else who read the Grisha trilogy, I loved Nikolai. But frankly, for all his charm and wit (and oh boy, we are told a LOT in this book about how charming Nikolai is), I unfortunately just don't think he has the range to be a main protagonist. And I think Leigh realised it too, because for as much as this duology was marketed as the "Nikolai duology", there's a lot of not-Nikolai content in it. In this book, the war between Fjerda and Ravka comes to a head, but the way it's portrayed really feels toothless. There are few battle scenes in this book, and when we aren't in a battle scene the war either takes a complete backseat or we get scenes filled with painful posturing about "war bad :(" and how Nikolai and Ravka don't really want to fight the war :(. And like, I understand this is a YA novel and you can't really get as brutal as you can in adult novels, but come on. The one glimpse we get at the horrors of war is when David died, which felt more like a cheap shot at the audience's emotion than a genuinely well-thought-out plot point, especially given how much Genya and David's romance had been played up in the chapters just preceding it.
Also, we're told all about how vulnerable Ravka is, and how much of a disadvantage they're at, and yet for a book that's meant to be all about the war, there seems to be a lot of downtime where the war just doesn't happen. Honestly, I don't know how Ravka managed to not get rolled and curb-stomped by Fjerda at the beginning of this book, they truly seem so incompetent. There's even time for a little escapade away to Ketterdam to visit some of the SoC gang and have a whole heist that gets breezed through in a few chapters and feels like an excuse to go "hey! Remember the crows?! You love them, remember?!". Basically, it, along with the little SoC3 teaser at the end, felt like fanservice. Six of Crows is your masterpiece, Leigh Bardugo!! Leave it alone!!
Zoya: Yeah, I don't like Zoya. I thought that this duology gave her some much needed character development, but I still don't feel any kind of love towards her character. Which is a shame, because honestly she feels like more of a protagonist in this book than Nikolai does! Anyway, she's a dragon now - I know this directly continues on from the previous book, but I don't remember the exact details of that plotline, and I didn't care enough to work it out. Her chemistry with Nikolai felt non-existent to me. She then becomes a Saint, and then the Queen at the very end. Um, what? I thought it was made pretty clear throughout the duology that she's much more suited to the general/miltary leader role rather than the royalty role, which requires a certain degree of diplomacy that Zoya definitely doesn't possess. I don't know, I was bored with her plot line, and when I wasn't bored it was because I was actively not enjoying it.
Nina: Along with the whole "war bad" preaching we get from the Ravka side of things, Nina's entire motivation in this book is "war IS bad, but I can fix Fjerda uwu" and it sucked, because pretty much everyone we meet from Fjerda sucks. Jarl Brum? Sucks. Prince Rasmus? Sucks. Hanne? Doesn't suck, but purely exists as a new romantic interest for Nina and the romance just falls flat. The way Nina's storyline was all resolved was very underwhelming and it feels like she's probably been written out of any future Grisha books (except maybe as a cameo character, which judging from this book Leigh Bardugo absolutely loves), which is a shame because I did genuinely like her.
Mayu: Boring. The Shu Han storyline could have been a really interesting plotline full of political intrigue, and the crumbs that we got from it in the previous book were actually my favourite part of that book. Unfortunately, here it's relegated to a brief side plot in the second half that is half-baked and narrated by a character I have no reason to care about.
"The Monk": Goodfuckingbye. The Darkling should've just stayed dead. I didn't need a POV from him. He gets brought back to life at the end of the next book, then shocker! He's still evil, manages to escape after pretending he's going to help as a ploy (because of course he was fucking lying he's the biggest fucking villain in this series you bunch of idiots). Then he fucks off and is evil for a bit, then comes back at the end for a REDEMPTION ARC??!?! And yes, I know it's not technically a redemption arc because none of the other characters actually forgive him blah blah, but he does go on about "paying for his crimes" and yada yada yada and goes into eternal suffering to save Ravka yada yada yada. Good riddance. Side note: The Blight was another plot point that could've been scrubbed from it's book because it's completely brushed aside until it needs to be brought up as this great threat that could destroy the world. But oh well, good thing the Darkling really took one for the team here. RIP Yuri I guess.
Rant over. At least I'll always have Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom, my beloveds <3
The Silvered Serpents by Roshani Chokshi
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I am kicking myself that it took me so long to get around to this sequel, and simultaneously cursing the fact that I now have to wait for the final installment. That ending?? I wasn't ready.
This had everything that made The Gilded Wolves so great - a brilliant and diverse cast of characters whose identities and how they affect their interactions with the world are beautifully and sensitively handled by the author, as well as intricate and unique worldbuilding that somehow succeeds in combining mythology, history, and mathematics of all things to create an intriguing blend of puzzles and magic that help drive the plot. Speaking of which, the plot of this book is excellent - there was barely a dull moment in this book. A couple of the newer side characters got on my nerves at parts, but the way their role in the story developed kept me hooked.
I devoured this 400 page book in one day - something I haven't done in a very, very long time. If that doesn't speak as to how much I enjoyed this book, I don't know what does.
This had everything that made The Gilded Wolves so great - a brilliant and diverse cast of characters whose identities and how they affect their interactions with the world are beautifully and sensitively handled by the author, as well as intricate and unique worldbuilding that somehow succeeds in combining mythology, history, and mathematics of all things to create an intriguing blend of puzzles and magic that help drive the plot. Speaking of which, the plot of this book is excellent - there was barely a dull moment in this book. A couple of the newer side characters got on my nerves at parts, but the way their role in the story developed kept me hooked.
I devoured this 400 page book in one day - something I haven't done in a very, very long time. If that doesn't speak as to how much I enjoyed this book, I don't know what does.
1984 by George Orwell
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I mean, what is there to say about 1984 that hasn't already been said? It's a classic, and for good reason.
I went into this somehow having the impression that it would be a difficult read. However, having read Animal Farm and now this, I can say that one of the things I most admire about Orwell's writing is how clear it is, and how easy it is to understand his message while still leaving plenty of room for complexity, nuance and analysis. In fact, sometimes Orwell is a bit too straightforward here - the only reason I'm bumping half a star off is because of the lengthy, political theory infodump shoved into the middle of the book that serves no purpose except to spell out what anyone paying attention can already work out (even Winston notes at the end of it that he'd learnt nothing new!).
But overall, I'm glad I finally got around to reading this. I was already mostly familiar with the story, as much of the book's key phrases and images are pervasively referenced, and I've also somehow managed to see not one, but two stage adaptations of it in the past. And yet, despite knowing all the major "twists", it still gripped me and kept me invested until the very end. 1984 definitely lives up to its reputation as a chilling, yet important dystopian.
I went into this somehow having the impression that it would be a difficult read. However, having read Animal Farm and now this, I can say that one of the things I most admire about Orwell's writing is how clear it is, and how easy it is to understand his message while still leaving plenty of room for complexity, nuance and analysis. In fact, sometimes Orwell is a bit too straightforward here - the only reason I'm bumping half a star off is because of the lengthy, political theory infodump shoved into the middle of the book that serves no purpose except to spell out what anyone paying attention can already work out (even Winston notes at the end of it that he'd learnt nothing new!).
But overall, I'm glad I finally got around to reading this. I was already mostly familiar with the story, as much of the book's key phrases and images are pervasively referenced, and I've also somehow managed to see not one, but two stage adaptations of it in the past. And yet, despite knowing all the major "twists", it still gripped me and kept me invested until the very end. 1984 definitely lives up to its reputation as a chilling, yet important dystopian.
Hall of Smoke by H.M. Long
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
I really, really wanted to love this! And there were certainly good aspects to it - I think the conflict and history between the gods in this book could have made for a really riveting read.
Unfortunately, I just couldn't get myself invested in the characters or the story given here. I found myself coasting through this book, never really connecting with it. The main character's driving force in this book is the loss she experiences, however I felt like I was more being told about the emotional impact, and told why I should care, rather than actually being shown it. It's hard for me to mourn Hessa's family and community alongside her when we barely meet them, and they don't get much development through her flashbacks and internal monologue.
Ultimately, I think this might be a case of "it's not the book, it's me", because this does have a lot of very positive reviews, and I can understand why people would love this book! I definitely think its worldbuilding and mythology is it's strong suit, and I would be interested to read more from this world, even though this specific book didn't really work for me as a whole package.
Unfortunately, I just couldn't get myself invested in the characters or the story given here. I found myself coasting through this book, never really connecting with it. The main character's driving force in this book is the loss she experiences, however I felt like I was more being told about the emotional impact, and told why I should care, rather than actually being shown it. It's hard for me to mourn Hessa's family and community alongside her when we barely meet them, and they don't get much development through her flashbacks and internal monologue.
Ultimately, I think this might be a case of "it's not the book, it's me", because this does have a lot of very positive reviews, and I can understand why people would love this book! I definitely think its worldbuilding and mythology is it's strong suit, and I would be interested to read more from this world, even though this specific book didn't really work for me as a whole package.
Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
After absolutely loving Chain of Gold last year, I was greatly anticipating Chain of Iron. I have to say, I'm a bit disappointed. It wasn't that this book was bad, per se - it started off on a bit of a dull/slow note, then progressively got better in the second third, and then the ending had a lot of moments that just left me underwhelmed.
The biggest strength in this series is still the cast of characters for me - and in fact some of them, such as James and Grace, actually grew on me more in this installment. The relationships, interactions and history between all the characters is where this book (and The Last Hours as a whole) shines. I also love that they're all obviously living a rich lifestyle, almost Gossip Girl style where they can just decide to buy a new apartment and/or travel to Paris on a whim. Let me live vicariously through these crumbs of a frivolous and glamourous lifestyle for a minute!
However, some of the side characters feel too extraneous. I was fine with the big cast in Chain of Gold, which left room for many of these side characters to grow into the story, but now with only one book left some of them don't really feel like they've been given much of a justification plot-wise, which is a shame as the characters themselves are very well written. Take Christopher for example - he mainly exists to provide the occasional awkward/"funny" comic relief lines and... that's about it. I think his one plot relevant scene was setting up an unnecessary romance arc that I can already tell I am going to find extremely tedious in the third book.
Speaking of romance, I do find myself bored with Cassandra Clare's extremely predictable romance writing. It becomes so transparent as to what relationships are going to be endgame, and her habit of needing to pair pretty much every single character up doesn't help. Even as someone whowholeheartedly shipped Matthew and Cordelia in book 1 (and I know I'm a minority! That's fine!), they were given almost no development throughout and only came together at the end off of the back of a painfully trite miscommunication trope. I'm not going to pretend Cassandra Clare is a flawless writer, but I KNOW she is better than "character overhears an incriminating conversation and leaves in a huff before they can hear the rest of the conversation which provides very important context that would completely reverse their perception". It's just hard for me to be invested in Matthew and Cordelia when it's obvious that by the end of the final book, James and Cordelia will have reconciled and will be happily married once again and Matthew will probably be partnered up with someone else.
As for the twists in this book, they were a bit hit or miss for me, but overall I'm intrigued by the plot threads that have been left. I really enjoyed the Lucie/Jesse arc, and the continuation of this is probably one of the things that I'm most looking forward to in book 3. As for theLilith's paladin stuff, I'm on the fence. I thought it was a bit of a lame twist on first impressions, but I think there is a lot of potential to do some great things with it. I think it could go really dark, but somehow I doubt it'll really get to the level I'm hoping.
The biggest strength in this series is still the cast of characters for me - and in fact some of them, such as James and Grace, actually grew on me more in this installment. The relationships, interactions and history between all the characters is where this book (and The Last Hours as a whole) shines. I also love that they're all obviously living a rich lifestyle, almost Gossip Girl style where they can just decide to buy a new apartment and/or travel to Paris on a whim. Let me live vicariously through these crumbs of a frivolous and glamourous lifestyle for a minute!
However, some of the side characters feel too extraneous. I was fine with the big cast in Chain of Gold, which left room for many of these side characters to grow into the story, but now with only one book left some of them don't really feel like they've been given much of a justification plot-wise, which is a shame as the characters themselves are very well written. Take Christopher for example - he mainly exists to provide the occasional awkward/"funny" comic relief lines and... that's about it. I think his one plot relevant scene was setting up an unnecessary romance arc that I can already tell I am going to find extremely tedious in the third book.
Speaking of romance, I do find myself bored with Cassandra Clare's extremely predictable romance writing. It becomes so transparent as to what relationships are going to be endgame, and her habit of needing to pair pretty much every single character up doesn't help. Even as someone who
As for the twists in this book, they were a bit hit or miss for me, but overall I'm intrigued by the plot threads that have been left. I really enjoyed the Lucie/Jesse arc, and the continuation of this is probably one of the things that I'm most looking forward to in book 3. As for the
King of Ashes by Raymond E. Feist
3.5
Really enjoyed this - especially towards the end.
Between our two main POV characters, I loved Declan's story but had a harder time connecting with Hatu's, partly because he travels around a lot and I was struggling to work out where in the world a lot of the events were occurring. The map at the beginning of the book wasn't particularly helpful as a lot of the places mentioned within the story aren't labelled on it, so I spent a lot of time frustrated asking myself "where the hell ARE WE??".
Nevertheless, in the end this was a strong start to this series and I'm glad I already bought the second book so I can immediately dive in to the next part of the story!
Between our two main POV characters, I loved Declan's story but had a harder time connecting with Hatu's, partly because he travels around a lot and I was struggling to work out where in the world a lot of the events were occurring. The map at the beginning of the book wasn't particularly helpful as a lot of the places mentioned within the story aren't labelled on it, so I spent a lot of time frustrated asking myself "where the hell ARE WE??".
Nevertheless, in the end this was a strong start to this series and I'm glad I already bought the second book so I can immediately dive in to the next part of the story!