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lucybbookstuff's Reviews (373)
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is definitely a good and important story. Great & well-explored themes of female friendship, trauma, and how far one will go for their personal survival. Also always interesting to consider the lives & lifestyles of people in a time & place that did once exist.
But, I think I wanted just a little bit more from it.
The prose was very bare bones and the storytelling was very straightforward. There is nothing at all wrong with those things, and it made this incredibly heavy book surprisingly easy to read. But, for some reason, I was expecting richer prose, so this felt like a bit of a letdown. My own fault for expecting that for no particular reason, but I do still wish it had that.
That said, I still liked it, and the ending gave me more than one massive surprise, so I will definitely continue the series.
But, I think I wanted just a little bit more from it.
The prose was very bare bones and the storytelling was very straightforward. There is nothing at all wrong with those things, and it made this incredibly heavy book surprisingly easy to read. But, for some reason, I was expecting richer prose, so this felt like a bit of a letdown. My own fault for expecting that for no particular reason, but I do still wish it had that.
That said, I still liked it, and the ending gave me more than one massive surprise, so I will definitely continue the series.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
OH MY GODDDDDDD.
That ending has me FUCKED. UP. ððð
I don't know what I was expecting, but it was NOT THAT.
Omg. Anyway........
I liked this one a LOT more than book 1. Brandon wrote in the preface that he learned and grew a lot as a writer. "It... let me prove to myself that I could write about character and theme - not just some wacky magic system and setting." And I'm so relieved to report that he delivered on that promise. Mistborn: The Final Empire really was all world and magic. This book delivered on character work and theme exploration. While continuing to build on the world and magic.
Real quick, I have to say the one thing Brandon really bungled is any attempt at writing romance.Sazed and Tindwyl were quite sweet, but still a bit flat, and any romance involving Vin got nothing but eye-rolls out of me. Not an emotion in sight. I don't mind it, and I like the characters as individuals, but yeah... Brandon seemingly can't write a compelling romance.
As for what I did like...
Even though it was quite slow (and probably, again, too long), I really enjoyed all the court intrigue throughout this book. I also loved getting to know the characters more as individuals. Vin and Sazed most of all, but I was also happy to get to know the rest of the crew without Kelsier there to take up all the air in the room. I have also discovered that I really like an aftermath story. A rebuilding phase. It feels cheap when the bad guy gets taken down and then suddenly everything is perfect. So I very much appreciated that about this book as well.
I liked the air of mystery, particularly around the spy subplot. I was absolutely bamboozled and devastated by that reveal.Though, I will be confused if Zane's story is actually over. Too many unanswered questions about him. And the continuous mystery surrounding the prophecy. Which brings me to the ending... (unmarked spoilers ahead)
The building tension of the last couple hundred pages felt expertly done. I was so stressed leading up to the battle, but then that wasn't even the climax. I was not expecting them to find and use the well of ascension in this book at all (despite the name). So that whole sequence of Vin finding it and using it, intermixed with Sazed's unclear fears and doubts was SO TENSE. I had no idea what was going to happen and it was frightening and thrilling.
Safe to say I am fully on board now and so excited to read The Hero of Ages!!! After a quick break. Whewwwwww. ðŪâðĻ
That ending has me FUCKED. UP. ððð
I don't know what I was expecting, but it was NOT THAT.
Omg. Anyway........
I liked this one a LOT more than book 1. Brandon wrote in the preface that he learned and grew a lot as a writer. "It... let me prove to myself that I could write about character and theme - not just some wacky magic system and setting." And I'm so relieved to report that he delivered on that promise. Mistborn: The Final Empire really was all world and magic. This book delivered on character work and theme exploration. While continuing to build on the world and magic.
Real quick, I have to say the one thing Brandon really bungled is any attempt at writing romance.
As for what I did like...
Even though it was quite slow (and probably, again, too long), I really enjoyed all the court intrigue throughout this book. I also loved getting to know the characters more as individuals. Vin and Sazed most of all, but I was also happy to get to know the rest of the crew without Kelsier there to take up all the air in the room. I have also discovered that I really like an aftermath story. A rebuilding phase. It feels cheap when the bad guy gets taken down and then suddenly everything is perfect. So I very much appreciated that about this book as well.
I liked the air of mystery, particularly around the spy subplot. I was absolutely bamboozled and devastated by that reveal.
The building tension of the last couple hundred pages felt expertly done. I was so stressed leading up to the battle, but then that wasn't even the climax. I was not expecting them to find and use the well of ascension in this book at all (despite the name). So that whole sequence of Vin finding it and using it, intermixed with Sazed's unclear fears and doubts was SO TENSE. I had no idea what was going to happen and it was frightening and thrilling.
Safe to say I am fully on board now and so excited to read The Hero of Ages!!! After a quick break. Whewwwwww. ðŪâðĻ
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
This story could have easily been a full duology or more, and I would have eaten it all up! But it managed to still tell a complete tale in very few pages.
Loved the folklore (my first time with Polish folklore!), all the wonderful and accurate nods to Chicago, and the endearing characters. I would have loved to get to know them even better, I still got a good sense of them and came to really like them. Which is quite a feat for such a short book!
Really enjoyed this. I just want more. ðĨē The curse of the fantasy novella.
PS very glad I was warned not to read the description before jumping into this! It ruins an important twist!!
Loved the folklore (my first time with Polish folklore!), all the wonderful and accurate nods to Chicago, and the endearing characters. I would have loved to get to know them even better, I still got a good sense of them and came to really like them. Which is quite a feat for such a short book!
Really enjoyed this. I just want more. ðĨē The curse of the fantasy novella.
PS very glad I was warned not to read the description before jumping into this! It ruins an important twist!!
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Didn't need this to be a feat of great literature, and it definitely wasn't lol, but it was very good as a celebrity memoir and told the story quite well. I think that, even with ghostwriting and a different narrator, it really felt like Britney's own words, and her vibe came through for sure.
I was just very curious about the Britney lore and this delivered on that. I hope she didn't feel she HAD to tell all like this, but I get the sense that telling her story made her feel powerful. I really hope so. âĪïļ
One of the scariest things to me about all of this is the horrifying failure/abuse of so many different systems. (Though one could also argue that they were working exactly as intended. ð) Britney's parents should NEVER have been able to call a fucking SWAT team on her for literally nothing?? The legal system should have never agreed to the obvious sham of a conservatorship. The various inpatient programs should never have used their resources to facilitate this abuse. It's all so insane and infuriating.
I'm just so glad she's free and telling her story.
I was just very curious about the Britney lore and this delivered on that. I hope she didn't feel she HAD to tell all like this, but I get the sense that telling her story made her feel powerful. I really hope so. âĪïļ
One of the scariest things to me about all of this is the horrifying failure/abuse of so many different systems. (Though one could also argue that they were working exactly as intended. ð) Britney's parents should NEVER have been able to call a fucking SWAT team on her for literally nothing?? The legal system should have never agreed to the obvious sham of a conservatorship. The various inpatient programs should never have used their resources to facilitate this abuse. It's all so insane and infuriating.
I'm just so glad she's free and telling her story.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was everything I wanted, needed, and was hoping it would be ððððŧððŧ
This was candy, this was dessert (after the pizza that burns your mouth a little bit *cough* Happy Place). It was so wonderful. Had me laughing SO much and almost crying several times, too.
It might even be tied with Beach Read for the top spot. ð
Quarter star knocked off for the inevitable cheese factor (and some slightly confusing inner monologue at times), which I KNOW, it's just part of the genre. But I am who I am, okay? ðĪŠ These books are candy, but they still leave a little toothache.
I know Emily probably needs a break at some point lol but I'd be content for her to release a book every year for the rest of my life. ð They are always a highlight of my summer.
This was candy, this was dessert (after the pizza that burns your mouth a little bit *cough* Happy Place). It was so wonderful. Had me laughing SO much and almost crying several times, too.
It might even be tied with Beach Read for the top spot. ð
Quarter star knocked off for the inevitable cheese factor (and some slightly confusing inner monologue at times), which I KNOW, it's just part of the genre. But I am who I am, okay? ðĪŠ These books are candy, but they still leave a little toothache.
I know Emily probably needs a break at some point lol but I'd be content for her to release a book every year for the rest of my life. ð They are always a highlight of my summer.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is gonna be vaguely spoilery throughout. And very mean lol.
I had hope that this would improve on the lackluster book 1, but it managed to actually be worse. ðŽ
The way Powerless left off, I thought there was great potential for an actual enemies to lovers plot in book 2, rather than the boring instalust we got in book 1. But no. It did exactly the same thing as before, just with slightly higher stakes.
It certainly doubled down on the extremely tiresome repetition. I got so fucking sick of the endless "I hate you but I want you but I hate you but I want you"... and she/them getting caught and escaping over and over for the entire book... and Kai constantly brushing up against some actual character development only to completely ignore it, and Paedyn just letting him off the hook every single time when she should be pushing him!!!! We could have had an actual compelling story of her really challenging his beliefs and him slowly coming around, instead of the bullshit that we got. Barely scratching that surface until an all-too-convenient look at her father's plot device... I mean journal. (Speaking of which, why did she never look at that earlier?? ð)
I also just can't get over that these two never had ANY reason to like each other apart from lust. That is the foundation of their entire relationship, and it's pretty fucking flimsy. Yes, they got to know each other a bit more over time, but that doesn't change that they should have been ACTUAL mortal adversaries from the jump. But no. They find each other too hot to face reality. It's remarkable how this series managed zero spice for something based entirely around lust. And no, I'm not saying I wanted spice in this YA book. I'm just saying, it strikes the wrong tone.
And all of that is not to mention the, once again, atrocious grammar issues. Which at this point is just embarrassing, considering this one was trad pub from the start and had, apparently, SO many people working on it.
The prose was also beyond purple. ð Lauren was doing TOO MUCH all the time. This book was packed with cringey alliteration, ham-fisted metaphors, and many more of her signature "she really thought she did something here" one-liners. I just can't.
Lastly, I need to say that I predicted the twist ending. It had been a passing thought several times, and then I finally put two and two together to fully confirm it for myself a couple chapters before it happened. So I was not surprised or flabbergasted, BUT... gods help me, I do want to know what will happen. ð
Safe to say I'll be hate reading book 3.
End of year update (6 months later): I've decided to dust off the old 2 star rating for this one. It hurts, because 2 is my lowest rating I give, but honestly. If I can't give 2 stars to this garbage, what can I give it to?? It had value as a hate read, but made me feel absolutely nothing beyond that.
I had hope that this would improve on the lackluster book 1, but it managed to actually be worse. ðŽ
The way Powerless left off, I thought there was great potential for an actual enemies to lovers plot in book 2, rather than the boring instalust we got in book 1. But no. It did exactly the same thing as before, just with slightly higher stakes.
It certainly doubled down on the extremely tiresome repetition. I got so fucking sick of the endless "I hate you but I want you but I hate you but I want you"... and she/them getting caught and escaping over and over for the entire book... and Kai constantly brushing up against some actual character development only to completely ignore it, and Paedyn just letting him off the hook every single time when she should be pushing him!!!! We could have had an actual compelling story of her really challenging his beliefs and him slowly coming around, instead of the bullshit that we got. Barely scratching that surface until an all-too-convenient look at her father's plot device... I mean journal. (Speaking of which, why did she never look at that earlier?? ð)
I also just can't get over that these two never had ANY reason to like each other apart from lust. That is the foundation of their entire relationship, and it's pretty fucking flimsy. Yes, they got to know each other a bit more over time, but that doesn't change that they should have been ACTUAL mortal adversaries from the jump. But no. They find each other too hot to face reality. It's remarkable how this series managed zero spice for something based entirely around lust. And no, I'm not saying I wanted spice in this YA book. I'm just saying, it strikes the wrong tone.
And all of that is not to mention the, once again, atrocious grammar issues. Which at this point is just embarrassing, considering this one was trad pub from the start and had, apparently, SO many people working on it.
The prose was also beyond purple. ð Lauren was doing TOO MUCH all the time. This book was packed with cringey alliteration, ham-fisted metaphors, and many more of her signature "she really thought she did something here" one-liners. I just can't.
Lastly, I need to say that I predicted the twist ending. It had been a passing thought several times, and then I finally put two and two together to fully confirm it for myself a couple chapters before it happened. So I was not surprised or flabbergasted, BUT... gods help me, I do want to know what will happen. ð
Safe to say I'll be hate reading book 3.
End of year update (6 months later): I've decided to dust off the old 2 star rating for this one. It hurts, because 2 is my lowest rating I give, but honestly. If I can't give 2 stars to this garbage, what can I give it to?? It had value as a hate read, but made me feel absolutely nothing beyond that.
adventurous
dark
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Weeeeell I didn't dislike this, but I gotta say, I was expecting to love it!
I do think it was good. A solid introduction to both the trilogy and the Cosmere. I give it a lot of slack for being not only book 1 of a trilogy but also one of Sanderson's earliest books.
It has me intrigued about where the story will go and I will definitely continue. But I was expecting more from this book, and I'm really hoping the next books are an improvement!
The only thing this book can particularly boast about, in my opinion, is a very unique magic system. Allomancy was pretty cool, if a bit confusing. My eyes definitely glazed over trying to keep track of some of the fight scenes, but it was still impressive.Feruchemy, on the other hand, is still a complete mystery to me lol.
The plot felt both cliche and a bit of a drag. Looking back at the size of this book, I can't think of what all happened to justify it being 650 pages. Lots of repetition and unnecessary fluff. There was an interesting climax and a couple twists that surprised me, but I never really got excited.
Lastly, and most importantly for me, the characters were quite flat. I felt very little emotion while reading this book, and that comes down to characters that didn't inspire it. I like Vin a lot and I am interested in her trajectory, but I never quite fell in love with her. She definitely falls into a lot of Super Special Heroine cliches.
Elend was okay, but kind of disappointing. I really wanted more from him. And Sazed was cool, if a little too good at conveniently saving the day lol.
Kelsier I borderline disliked. Which I don't think was the intended feeling toward him. ð I found him an incredibly boring hero. And when he wasn't boring, he was annoying. He was just too good. Good-hearted, good-natured, good at allomancy (especially for someone who only Snapped a couple years ago), good at planning a revolution.Speaking of which, his secret plan would have been a lot more impressive if there had been a single hint dropped about it. Maybe I'm just dumb and missed them, but I think this comes back to the underwhelming plotting. Relatedly, I wish I cared when he died lol but I didn't bat an eye. If anything, I'm glad he's mostly gone. I think I'll enjoy getting to know the crew without him in it.
Anywho. That is a lot of complaints, but I do think it's a good story, and I'm looking forward to continuing. I just really hope it gets better!!
I do think it was good. A solid introduction to both the trilogy and the Cosmere. I give it a lot of slack for being not only book 1 of a trilogy but also one of Sanderson's earliest books.
It has me intrigued about where the story will go and I will definitely continue. But I was expecting more from this book, and I'm really hoping the next books are an improvement!
The only thing this book can particularly boast about, in my opinion, is a very unique magic system. Allomancy was pretty cool, if a bit confusing. My eyes definitely glazed over trying to keep track of some of the fight scenes, but it was still impressive.
The plot felt both cliche and a bit of a drag. Looking back at the size of this book, I can't think of what all happened to justify it being 650 pages. Lots of repetition and unnecessary fluff. There was an interesting climax and a couple twists that surprised me, but I never really got excited.
Lastly, and most importantly for me, the characters were quite flat. I felt very little emotion while reading this book, and that comes down to characters that didn't inspire it. I like Vin a lot and I am interested in her trajectory, but I never quite fell in love with her. She definitely falls into a lot of Super Special Heroine cliches.
Elend was okay, but kind of disappointing. I really wanted more from him. And Sazed was cool, if a little too good at conveniently saving the day lol.
Kelsier I borderline disliked. Which I don't think was the intended feeling toward him. ð I found him an incredibly boring hero. And when he wasn't boring, he was annoying. He was just too good. Good-hearted, good-natured, good at allomancy (especially for someone who only Snapped a couple years ago), good at planning a revolution.
Anywho. That is a lot of complaints, but I do think it's a good story, and I'm looking forward to continuing. I just really hope it gets better!!
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Overall, really funny and a great time! I'm very glad I listened to it, because I think a lot of his delivery was key for the full comedic effect.
I don't know if it was a him problem or a me problem, but the last handful of essays didn't hit quite the same. I wonder if there were just a few too many essays in this collection? ðĪ·ðžââïļ
It's a great collection, though, and I really enjoy Thomas's narrative voice!
I don't know if it was a him problem or a me problem, but the last handful of essays didn't hit quite the same. I wonder if there were just a few too many essays in this collection? ðĪ·ðžââïļ
It's a great collection, though, and I really enjoy Thomas's narrative voice!
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I DNF'd this in June 2024, picked back up and finished in October. Leaving up my DNF explanation for my records, will leave full review underneath that.
Soft DNF. I'd like to stick this out eventually, but I'm too excited about other things right now to wade through this clunky exposition.
I'm vaguely intrigued by the conflict and the characters, but I'm honestly struggling to care since I've been dropped in the middle of it, with no setup whatsoever before everything turned to shit.
And once it did turn to shit, all the setup has been extremely, as I said, clunky. It's already, at less than 20%, been so repetitive. The characters just keep putting themselves in and staying in ridiculously stupid situations in the name of info dumping and establishing very flimsy character relationships.
And for now, what little has been explained sounds very cliche and cheesy.
I do think that if I stick out this clunky beginning, the intrigue will pick up and I'll eventually like it. But I'm not in the mood to try right now.
(Just so I know, if/when I come back to it: I got through chapter 8.)
Full review:
When I picked this back up, I was reminded immediately why I had DNF'd it. That clunky storytelling never really went away, and neither did the cliche/cheesiness.
To be honest, for me, this book really coasted on its plot twists, which I concede were somewhat interesting and not always predictable. But it doesn't have much else going for it. I found the writing, the central conflict, and most of the characters incredibly shallow. A lot of the worldbuilding made little/no sense; nothing was explained very well. Just given to me at face value and I'm supposed to care. Spoiler alert: I did not. The main character especially was way too "good" and adaptable to the crazy changes in his life. The pacing was COMPLETELY off. And the writing at the line level was often awkward.
The one thing I really did enjoy was the introduction of the tragic sadboi love interest. ð Lol I do love me one of those.
I may eventually pick up book 2 for the promise of this romance alone. But it definitely won't be any time soon.
Edit a week or so later: downgraded from 3.25 to an even 3. Just felt right. ðĪŠ It's certainly not the worst book ever, but it really feels best suited to 13/14-year-olds.
Soft DNF. I'd like to stick this out eventually, but I'm too excited about other things right now to wade through this clunky exposition.
I'm vaguely intrigued by the conflict and the characters, but I'm honestly struggling to care since I've been dropped in the middle of it, with no setup whatsoever before everything turned to shit.
And once it did turn to shit, all the setup has been extremely, as I said, clunky. It's already, at less than 20%, been so repetitive. The characters just keep putting themselves in and staying in ridiculously stupid situations in the name of info dumping and establishing very flimsy character relationships.
And for now, what little has been explained sounds very cliche and cheesy.
I do think that if I stick out this clunky beginning, the intrigue will pick up and I'll eventually like it. But I'm not in the mood to try right now.
(Just so I know, if/when I come back to it: I got through chapter 8.)
Full review:
When I picked this back up, I was reminded immediately why I had DNF'd it. That clunky storytelling never really went away, and neither did the cliche/cheesiness.
To be honest, for me, this book really coasted on its plot twists, which I concede were somewhat interesting and not always predictable. But it doesn't have much else going for it. I found the writing, the central conflict, and most of the characters incredibly shallow. A lot of the worldbuilding made little/no sense; nothing was explained very well. Just given to me at face value and I'm supposed to care. Spoiler alert: I did not. The main character especially was way too "good" and adaptable to the crazy changes in his life. The pacing was COMPLETELY off. And the writing at the line level was often awkward.
The one thing I really did enjoy was the introduction of the tragic sadboi love interest. ð Lol I do love me one of those.
I may eventually pick up book 2 for the promise of this romance alone. But it definitely won't be any time soon.
Edit a week or so later: downgraded from 3.25 to an even 3. Just felt right. ðĪŠ It's certainly not the worst book ever, but it really feels best suited to 13/14-year-olds.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was such a delight!!
This really scratched the Regency itch I got from watching Bridgerton season 3. But managed to be completely its own thing and do a lot more than your average Regency romance.
This had all the typical whimsy and fun of a Regency romance, while also providing some biting commentary on the frivolity and more sinister undertones of the era and of the English nobility. I really liked that.
Not to mention the faerie of it all. That's always so fun and strange. I'm glad it went the more folkloric, Cruel Prince-ish route with the faerie folk, rather than the popular but wholly inaccurate sexy fae.
I loved the main character so much, andI'm so glad she didn't have to get "fixed" in the end to be loved. The romance was so lovely and the witty banter was A+++. I'll be honest, I was expecting some spice (I thought I'd heard that it is spicy), so I was a little sad when there was NONE lol, but the book didn't need it and neither did I. :)
This really scratched the Regency itch I got from watching Bridgerton season 3. But managed to be completely its own thing and do a lot more than your average Regency romance.
This had all the typical whimsy and fun of a Regency romance, while also providing some biting commentary on the frivolity and more sinister undertones of the era and of the English nobility. I really liked that.
Not to mention the faerie of it all. That's always so fun and strange. I'm glad it went the more folkloric, Cruel Prince-ish route with the faerie folk, rather than the popular but wholly inaccurate sexy fae.
I loved the main character so much, and