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my_corner_of_the_library's Reviews (320)
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I could write a very lengthy review of why I didn't like this book, but I dont really have the energy today. Instead I'll just wrap it up quick:
Basically the adult "viking" version of Twilight. As in: the vikings aren't really vikings, an incredibly abusive and controlling relationship is portrayed as romantic, and our characters fall in love in the matter of a couple weeks (at the absolute most) due to some weird soul mate situation.
Basically the adult "viking" version of Twilight. As in: the vikings aren't really vikings, an incredibly abusive and controlling relationship is portrayed as romantic, and our characters fall in love in the matter of a couple weeks (at the absolute most) due to some weird soul mate situation.
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It's May and I finally have my first 5-star book of the year...
Let me start by saying that I have never seen the movie, directed by Tim Burton. I've seen clips and I know its infamous reputation for giving even adults nightmares I've never felt the need to watch it. However, given that infamous reputation, I felt that I just HAD to read the book this terrifying children's movie was based on.
ABSOLUTELY WORTH IT! I have yet to read hardly any "scary" books that I actually found scary, but this children's book actually achieved that. While I don't think this is an unpopular opinion, I will say I'm not sure this is really appropriate for the target audience. A horror novel for children? Kinda weird...but I don't think it could have been written any other way. It's Coraline's child innocence combined with a child's unwarranted bravery that makes her the perfect protagonist.
Only a child can look at a situation like this and think that as long as they can win a simple game of hide-and-seek against what appears to be an all-powerful creature and think they can win. It also occurs to me how many of the little unsettling things would also be in an adult's nightmare. Things like a world that's being altered as we stand there, a forest whose end is the beginning, a deformed creature grabbing at you in a cellar.
Turns out, the best horror is the simplest.
Let me start by saying that I have never seen the movie, directed by Tim Burton. I've seen clips and I know its infamous reputation for giving even adults nightmares I've never felt the need to watch it. However, given that infamous reputation, I felt that I just HAD to read the book this terrifying children's movie was based on.
ABSOLUTELY WORTH IT! I have yet to read hardly any "scary" books that I actually found scary, but this children's book actually achieved that. While I don't think this is an unpopular opinion, I will say I'm not sure this is really appropriate for the target audience. A horror novel for children? Kinda weird...but I don't think it could have been written any other way. It's Coraline's child innocence combined with a child's unwarranted bravery that makes her the perfect protagonist.
Only a child can look at a situation like this and think that as long as they can win a simple game of hide-and-seek against what appears to be an all-powerful creature and think they can win. It also occurs to me how many of the little unsettling things would also be in an adult's nightmare. Things like a world that's being altered as we stand there, a forest whose end is the beginning, a deformed creature grabbing at you in a cellar.
Turns out, the best horror is the simplest.
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ultimately, I enjoyed this book. The audio version got me through three long days of driving and moving. But...I have so many...criticisms and cons that I'm not sure anything over 3.5 stars would be fair.
Let's start with the good:
Sazed:
Sazed was the star of this book. His POV was my favorite, and I love him more than I did in the first. When he was crushed and broken at the end, that was the most emotional downfall I've felt in a long time. He was wonderful and I really really hope we get to see a lot more of him in the third.
OreSeur:
OreSeur was sassy and witty and I really enjoyed him. I liked watching his and Vin's relationship grow. OreSeur made me laugh several times throughout the book and I loved his progression through the story.
Feruchemy:
One of my biggest complaints about the first book is that Feruchemy was not properly explained at all and made no sense. In this book, we got a much deeper look into the magic and it really helped make things make sense. It's actually a fascinating magic system, and I wish it had been better explained in the first book.
Elend:
I love Elend. I'm not a huge fan of the love story between him and Vin, but Elend is what every Disney prince wishes he was. A great, honest guy that wants nothing more than to be a strong honest leader for his people. I wasn't sold on him becoming king at the end of the first book. I still wasn't sold at the beginning of this one. I just don't believe anyone would have put him on the throne, and I stand by that. However, by being on the throne he grew into this amazing character that deserved it.
Now the bad:
Repetition:
I didn't feel this issue nearly as much in the first book, but in this one, we get the same information over...and over...and over again. We read Kwaan's account before each chapter, then over...and over...and over....and over....and over again while Sazed worked on it. Eventually, I got so frustrated that I didn't want to read any of it and wished there was a way to skip the bits before the chapter while listening to the book.
The Recap:
Generally, I read sequels back to back with the first because I have a terrible memory and will forget everything. However, I needn't worry about this book, because about a third of it was entirely recap. I felt like I could have skipped the first book entirely and not missed anything.
It Didn't Feel Planned:
Now, before anyone wants to come yelling at me that I'm wrong, let me start by saying I am well aware that the entire Mistborn Trilogy was planned out long before it was written and a lot of thought went into these sequels. However, that didn't change my feeling while reading this book that it didn't feel planned at all. The first book felt very final to me, with a rather...contrived ending with Elend coming to power. With this book starting a year after the end of the first and so much going on off-page without any real progress being made in the world, this book just didn't feel planned.
Unnecessary Sub-Plots:
Unpopular opinion, but I think this book was unnecessarily long due to an inordinate amount of subplots. For example, the Kandra-murder-mystery. This ended up being a COMPLETELY unnecessary subplot that kept being forgotten about that had no real consequence. This felt like something that happened with several of the subplots, such as Straff's poisoning.
The "Love" Story:
Maybe this is something Sanderson just isn't the best at in general, but...the romance just isn't there. In the first book, Elend and Vin fell in love over the course of 3 conversations and were suddenly willing to die for each other. Then they, apparently, have a lot of relationship growth off-page during the year that lapses between books. In this book, they are apparently close enough for Elend to have proposed during that lapse, yet we see nothing between the two. They hardly talk and when they do there is no chemistry. All of their time together is spent thinking about how they don't belong together. I'm sorry, but this love story consists of about 5 conversations over the course of 3 years, with no actual love shown.
Let's start with the good:
Sazed:
Sazed was the star of this book. His POV was my favorite, and I love him more than I did in the first. When he was crushed and broken at the end, that was the most emotional downfall I've felt in a long time. He was wonderful and I really really hope we get to see a lot more of him in the third.
OreSeur:
OreSeur was sassy and witty and I really enjoyed him. I liked watching his and Vin's relationship grow. OreSeur made me laugh several times throughout the book and I loved his progression through the story.
Feruchemy:
One of my biggest complaints about the first book is that Feruchemy was not properly explained at all and made no sense. In this book, we got a much deeper look into the magic and it really helped make things make sense. It's actually a fascinating magic system, and I wish it had been better explained in the first book.
Elend:
I love Elend. I'm not a huge fan of the love story between him and Vin, but Elend is what every Disney prince wishes he was. A great, honest guy that wants nothing more than to be a strong honest leader for his people. I wasn't sold on him becoming king at the end of the first book. I still wasn't sold at the beginning of this one. I just don't believe anyone would have put him on the throne, and I stand by that. However, by being on the throne he grew into this amazing character that deserved it.
Now the bad:
Repetition:
I didn't feel this issue nearly as much in the first book, but in this one, we get the same information over...and over...and over again. We read Kwaan's account before each chapter, then over...and over...and over....and over....and over again while Sazed worked on it. Eventually, I got so frustrated that I didn't want to read any of it and wished there was a way to skip the bits before the chapter while listening to the book.
The Recap:
Generally, I read sequels back to back with the first because I have a terrible memory and will forget everything. However, I needn't worry about this book, because about a third of it was entirely recap. I felt like I could have skipped the first book entirely and not missed anything.
It Didn't Feel Planned:
Now, before anyone wants to come yelling at me that I'm wrong, let me start by saying I am well aware that the entire Mistborn Trilogy was planned out long before it was written and a lot of thought went into these sequels. However, that didn't change my feeling while reading this book that it didn't feel planned at all. The first book felt very final to me, with a rather...contrived ending with Elend coming to power. With this book starting a year after the end of the first and so much going on off-page without any real progress being made in the world, this book just didn't feel planned.
Unnecessary Sub-Plots:
Unpopular opinion, but I think this book was unnecessarily long due to an inordinate amount of subplots. For example, the Kandra-murder-mystery. This ended up being a COMPLETELY unnecessary subplot that kept being forgotten about that had no real consequence. This felt like something that happened with several of the subplots, such as Straff's poisoning.
The "Love" Story:
Maybe this is something Sanderson just isn't the best at in general, but...the romance just isn't there. In the first book, Elend and Vin fell in love over the course of 3 conversations and were suddenly willing to die for each other. Then they, apparently, have a lot of relationship growth off-page during the year that lapses between books. In this book, they are apparently close enough for Elend to have proposed during that lapse, yet we see nothing between the two. They hardly talk and when they do there is no chemistry. All of their time together is spent thinking about how they don't belong together. I'm sorry, but this love story consists of about 5 conversations over the course of 3 years, with no actual love shown.
adventurous
dark
informative
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Of Crichton...I've never read a sci-fi fiction book with a full bibliography at the end, and it was fantastic! Do I have complaints? Sure. But would I even re-read this book? Absolutely.
Pros:
Kate and Marek - I LOVED Kate and Marek. If I could choose a list of book characters to ride into war with they would be on it. Such badass characters. When they were stuck in the tower and Marek started full-on taking names with that sword and Kate went full Spider-Woman I nearly cheered.
Research - As I mentioned before, the amount of research that went into this book was insane and showed. One of the things I loved is that Crichton clearly played into everything we know about that time, and RAN with the spots where we are a little iffy. As he wrote, so many people assumed the worst of that time: it was painfully primitive, colorless, and depressing. Was that totally false? No. But Crichton brought the world to life in a way that celebrated that time without glossing over or shying away from the darkness of it.
Pacing- This book was a marathon, and Crichton SPRINTED the entire way. Within 20 minutes of the team landing their entire plan had gone to shit and they were stranded.
20. Minutes.
Not 20 minutes of reading, but 20 minutes in the book. The amount of stuff that happened in a matter of 37 hours was insane. This brings me to my next pro...
The Countdown - I loved the integration of the countdown into the book. I felt like it immediately set a tone of desperation, and just as it would in real life, the more the time counted down the more intense the book got.
Now...
Cons:
Chris - Oh I hated Chris.....I'm not sure I can even properly express how much. I didn't care about his character development throughout the book because I was so pissed off about his pure existence in this world.
I was actively rooting for Chris to die and not make it back.
He was constantly ruining everything. While logically I understand that Chris existed as a plot device, Crichton wrote him so well that I'm not even mad at Crichton. I'm mad at Chris himself. Every single moment he could screw up, do his own thing, or just flat out be a dumbass? He latched on to his idiotic-ness and ran with it. I hated this character with a passion, and a few times I audibly GROANED because he had, yet again, fucked up.
Crichton didn't understand his time-travel theory - This is more of a nitpick than anything else, but I think it needs to be addressed. If you are presenting time-travel as really traveling to another separate universe then you cannot tell me that affecting the past will affect the future.
Crichton makes it very clear when explaining how the time-travel works that it isn't literally time-travel, it is traveling to another universe within the multi-verse that happens to be set in the time you are going to. That means that if you change something in that universe it should have NO effect on the present because they aren't related anymore.
Marek should have been lost to this other universe. The explanation given on how they address changes during time-travel affecting the present is that the chances of you changing anything so significant is small. That isn't how that works...
They should have died ten times over: Kate and Marek were absolute badasses that carried Chris through this entire story, but the reality is no matter how amazing they were, they should have died very early in their journey. The conveniences of this book were out of control. Did I love it? Yes. But I won't lie that it was incredibly convenient REPEATEDLY.
To immersed too fast - Let's make something clear, the time travel of this book takes place over 37 hours. And yet, during this time Kate, Marek, and Chris repeatedly talk about how the "real" world was slipping away from them and it was feeling far away. I'm sorry, but even under extreme circumstances, I have a hard time believing that you are going to become THAT immersed in this world in less than 37 hours.
Pros:
Kate and Marek - I LOVED Kate and Marek. If I could choose a list of book characters to ride into war with they would be on it. Such badass characters. When they were stuck in the tower and Marek started full-on taking names with that sword and Kate went full Spider-Woman I nearly cheered.
Research - As I mentioned before, the amount of research that went into this book was insane and showed. One of the things I loved is that Crichton clearly played into everything we know about that time, and RAN with the spots where we are a little iffy. As he wrote, so many people assumed the worst of that time: it was painfully primitive, colorless, and depressing. Was that totally false? No. But Crichton brought the world to life in a way that celebrated that time without glossing over or shying away from the darkness of it.
Pacing- This book was a marathon, and Crichton SPRINTED the entire way. Within 20 minutes of the team landing their entire plan had gone to shit and they were stranded.
20. Minutes.
Not 20 minutes of reading, but 20 minutes in the book. The amount of stuff that happened in a matter of 37 hours was insane. This brings me to my next pro...
The Countdown - I loved the integration of the countdown into the book. I felt like it immediately set a tone of desperation, and just as it would in real life, the more the time counted down the more intense the book got.
Now...
Cons:
Chris - Oh I hated Chris.....I'm not sure I can even properly express how much. I didn't care about his character development throughout the book because I was so pissed off about his pure existence in this world.
I was actively rooting for Chris to die and not make it back.
He was constantly ruining everything. While logically I understand that Chris existed as a plot device, Crichton wrote him so well that I'm not even mad at Crichton. I'm mad at Chris himself. Every single moment he could screw up, do his own thing, or just flat out be a dumbass? He latched on to his idiotic-ness and ran with it. I hated this character with a passion, and a few times I audibly GROANED because he had, yet again, fucked up.
Crichton didn't understand his time-travel theory - This is more of a nitpick than anything else, but I think it needs to be addressed. If you are presenting time-travel as really traveling to another separate universe then you cannot tell me that affecting the past will affect the future.
Crichton makes it very clear when explaining how the time-travel works that it isn't literally time-travel, it is traveling to another universe within the multi-verse that happens to be set in the time you are going to. That means that if you change something in that universe it should have NO effect on the present because they aren't related anymore.
They should have died ten times over: Kate and Marek were absolute badasses that carried Chris through this entire story, but the reality is no matter how amazing they were, they should have died very early in their journey. The conveniences of this book were out of control. Did I love it? Yes. But I won't lie that it was incredibly convenient REPEATEDLY.
To immersed too fast - Let's make something clear, the time travel of this book takes place over 37 hours. And yet, during this time Kate, Marek, and Chris repeatedly talk about how the "real" world was slipping away from them and it was feeling far away. I'm sorry, but even under extreme circumstances, I have a hard time believing that you are going to become THAT immersed in this world in less than 37 hours.
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
medium-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:
Yes
This book was good...fine, even. But that's it. Now, I understand fully that I went into this book while in a reading slump, and that is why I struggled to read it so much. I wish that hadn't been the case, because I would have enjoyed it more, but it is what it is.
Let's start with what I did like about this book.
Pros:
Characters:
I enjoyed the characters in this book. They all felt well developed, thought through, and uniquely their own. It didn't feel like we got a lot of the same between the characters. Though many of them were tropes, they were done well.
The Plot Twists:
Here's the thing...I wouldn't say that the plot itself was the most appealing to me. Political warfare just isn't my jam most of the time. But I think we can all agree: Sanderson knows how to do a plot twist. I will admit, I spoiled myself for several of the final plot twists, and yet that was my favorite part of the book because even though I knew what was coming I was still excited reading them. After all, it felt like there were plot twists within plot twists.
Cons:
Let's get into the cons of this book because while I understand there were many things I didn't enjoy because when I read the book there were simply flat-out flaws I couldn't ignore.
This might as well be a convenient store:
Man, was this book littered with conveniences. I understand that this was already a LONG book, and we needed some things to come easily, but some of it was just too convenient. People kept leaping to conclusions with no real reason to get there.
Need an example?How did Vin know about the weapons in the warehouse at the end of the book? Because...Kelsier liked to work near there? Seriously, how could you POSSIBLY get to that conclusion from that??
While this is just one example, how about another...
How about the fact that ANYBODY accepted Elend as their...king? I'm expected to believe that the spoiled young heir that didn't even want to lead his own house wanted to rule the entire nation, and then literally anybody backed him up? There was no reason for any skaa to believe that he or any noble would honorably rule them. And the nobility that was left had no reason to think that this kid, who wasn't even trusted by his father and had no interest in their politics, would be an effective leader. I'm sorry, but I do not believe that anyone thought this was a good idea, and that this was anything but a way to usher in the next book.
True love or desperation?:
Oh, the love between Elend and Vin. At first, I liked it. I was completely on board with the street-urchin-turned-noble falling in love with the sarcastic-noble's-son-that-hates-his-status. But then...then they ended up head over heels in love on what appeared to the reader to be their third meeting? Uh...no. Is infatuation a thing? Absolutely. But there was no reason for him to be spilling all his house secrets on their third meeting.
Fulchemy:
I'm sorry, but fulchemy doesn't make sense. I hope someone can explain how this works because the book doesn't. Even though it tries several times to (I assume because Sanderson knows it doesn't make sense).
Let's start with the basics, to see if I understand. Fulchemy is the process of storing...things...in metal. Such as memories, youth, strength, etc. Then...in a process that isn't fully explained the Fulchemist can use that metal. Except, in Fulchemy the thing being stored has to come from the use itself.
But...how? How does the Fulchemist put the thing they're storing into the metal? Magic. Ok. But how does it turn into metal? Let's say a Fulchemist is storing strength, the way Sazed did in the dungeons. It's coming from within him, right? But what is he storing it in? A metal within himself? And then he burns it from within himself?
So how does it get stored externally? What do the rings and jewelry have to do with literally anything if it's all internal? I don't mean to come off crass, but the only thing I can think is that they...poop out the metal that they store to turn into jewelry????? I'm so confused...because then let's talk about the fact that that isn't how it works. Because **spoiler** that's not how it works for the Lord Ruler. His bracelets are within his skin, and they seem to be there permanently, which means he isn't burning them to use them. So he's drawing their power simply by them being in his skin...it doesn't make sense.
Conclusion:
This was a good book, which I would ultimately recommend reading. But it isn't without flaws.
Let's start with what I did like about this book.
Pros:
Characters:
I enjoyed the characters in this book. They all felt well developed, thought through, and uniquely their own. It didn't feel like we got a lot of the same between the characters. Though many of them were tropes, they were done well.
The Plot Twists:
Here's the thing...I wouldn't say that the plot itself was the most appealing to me. Political warfare just isn't my jam most of the time. But I think we can all agree: Sanderson knows how to do a plot twist. I will admit, I spoiled myself for several of the final plot twists, and yet that was my favorite part of the book because even though I knew what was coming I was still excited reading them. After all, it felt like there were plot twists within plot twists.
Cons:
Let's get into the cons of this book because while I understand there were many things I didn't enjoy because when I read the book there were simply flat-out flaws I couldn't ignore.
This might as well be a convenient store:
Man, was this book littered with conveniences. I understand that this was already a LONG book, and we needed some things to come easily, but some of it was just too convenient. People kept leaping to conclusions with no real reason to get there.
Need an example?
While this is just one example, how about another...
True love or desperation?:
Oh, the love between Elend and Vin. At first, I liked it. I was completely on board with the street-urchin-turned-noble falling in love with the sarcastic-noble's-son-that-hates-his-status. But then...then they ended up head over heels in love on what appeared to the reader to be their third meeting? Uh...no. Is infatuation a thing? Absolutely. But there was no reason for him to be spilling all his house secrets on their third meeting.
Fulchemy:
I'm sorry, but fulchemy doesn't make sense. I hope someone can explain how this works because the book doesn't. Even though it tries several times to (I assume because Sanderson knows it doesn't make sense).
Let's start with the basics, to see if I understand. Fulchemy is the process of storing...things...in metal. Such as memories, youth, strength, etc. Then...in a process that isn't fully explained the Fulchemist can use that metal. Except, in Fulchemy the thing being stored has to come from the use itself.
But...how? How does the Fulchemist put the thing they're storing into the metal? Magic. Ok. But how does it turn into metal? Let's say a Fulchemist is storing strength, the way Sazed did in the dungeons. It's coming from within him, right? But what is he storing it in? A metal within himself? And then he burns it from within himself?
So how does it get stored externally? What do the rings and jewelry have to do with literally anything if it's all internal? I don't mean to come off crass, but the only thing I can think is that they...poop out the metal that they store to turn into jewelry????? I'm so confused...because then let's talk about the fact that that isn't how it works. Because **spoiler** that's not how it works for the Lord Ruler. His bracelets are within his skin, and they seem to be there permanently, which means he isn't burning them to use them. So he's drawing their power simply by them being in his skin...it doesn't make sense.
Conclusion:
This was a good book, which I would ultimately recommend reading. But it isn't without flaws.
dark
medium-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:
Yes
This book felt like the very definition of, "Thanks, I hate it!" So many things worked for me, but tooooo many didn't.
The Back Of The Book - This isn't really a gripe against the book and author, so it wasn't part of rating the book low, but just a general complaint at the marketing department. This book gave WAY too much away on the back of the book. Seriously, you could have ready the back and skipped to page 275, and you wouldn't have missed almost anything. And even then...read the back, guess what happens next and how it ends....your probably right. That is exactly how it ends. Congrats, you've read the book.
What I did like:
The Characters - I actually really enjoyed most of the characters. For the most part I just didn't like how they were written, which may seem confusing....let me explain. Each character seems to have depth and personality, which is something I love. They all seemed individual despite being very similar and there weren't very many that I straight up didn't like. However, often times things would feel off about the way the characters were written.
For example, I really liked Fiske and Eelyn as a couple. If I saw these two in another book where they weren't together, I feel like I would totally ship them. Their personalities meshed well and they definitely had chemistry. HOWEVER....many parts of their relationship were...weird. For one, it seemed like Eelyn went from loathing Fiske's very existence to finding him attractive then loving him very suddenly (not quickly). We hated him for a long time, sneering at the thought of his name...until suddenly we didn't. She was fine with him and saw the good in him...until suddenly she was in love.
Also...the scene were they do the thing the for the first time...that dialogue was truly disturbing. I can get on board with her going from slave to his equal and lover, but I feel like it needed to be addressed, and this was not the way to do it. Since she did literally belong to him at one point, the absolute WRONG response from him was, "Yes, you do." When she said, "I don't belong to you." She was trying to make a point and he was just horny.
What didn't work for me:
The Writing - There were many things off with the writing of this book. Often times it felt as though it was a translated book that just didn't translate well. For instance, the line: "...his eyes transfiguring from worry to fear." That's not the right word. Your eyes don't transfigure from worry to fear. They shift or change, but not transfigure. Things like this popped up all over the book and it just made no sense.
Also, often times it felt as though parts of the book were edited out that really needed to be there. Often times people would be talking, but there would be no clear dialogue tags and by the end of the dialogue you'd realize it was someone else entirely. For example, when Fiske takes her to the blacksmith's tent to get the collar removed. One moment she is speaking to the blacksmith and referring to him as 'him', then without any transition, she is using 'him' to refer to Fiske because now she's talking to him, without ever making that clear. It felt as though we were missing a line.
The Climax - This actually just pissed me off. So many things in this book were glossed over and NOT given the attention they deserved, but the climax shouldn't have been one of them. This impossible task took no time at all and all went down way too easily. Convincing the Aska to help? One conversation. Convincing the Riki not to kill the Aska? About 5 lines of dialogue and promises from inconsequential people. The big battle that they absolutely should have lost? 2 very short chapters and about 30 minutes.
The Back Of The Book - This isn't really a gripe against the book and author, so it wasn't part of rating the book low, but just a general complaint at the marketing department. This book gave WAY too much away on the back of the book. Seriously, you could have ready the back and skipped to page 275, and you wouldn't have missed almost anything. And even then...read the back, guess what happens next and how it ends....your probably right. That is exactly how it ends. Congrats, you've read the book.
What I did like:
The Characters - I actually really enjoyed most of the characters. For the most part I just didn't like how they were written, which may seem confusing....let me explain. Each character seems to have depth and personality, which is something I love. They all seemed individual despite being very similar and there weren't very many that I straight up didn't like. However, often times things would feel off about the way the characters were written.
For example, I really liked Fiske and Eelyn as a couple. If I saw these two in another book where they weren't together, I feel like I would totally ship them. Their personalities meshed well and they definitely had chemistry. HOWEVER....many parts of their relationship were...weird. For one, it seemed like Eelyn went from loathing Fiske's very existence to finding him attractive then loving him very suddenly (not quickly). We hated him for a long time, sneering at the thought of his name...until suddenly we didn't. She was fine with him and saw the good in him...until suddenly she was in love.
Also...the scene were they do the thing the for the first time...that dialogue was truly disturbing. I can get on board with her going from slave to his equal and lover, but I feel like it needed to be addressed, and this was not the way to do it. Since she did literally belong to him at one point, the absolute WRONG response from him was, "Yes, you do." When she said, "I don't belong to you." She was trying to make a point and he was just horny.
What didn't work for me:
The Writing - There were many things off with the writing of this book. Often times it felt as though it was a translated book that just didn't translate well. For instance, the line: "...his eyes transfiguring from worry to fear." That's not the right word. Your eyes don't transfigure from worry to fear. They shift or change, but not transfigure. Things like this popped up all over the book and it just made no sense.
Also, often times it felt as though parts of the book were edited out that really needed to be there. Often times people would be talking, but there would be no clear dialogue tags and by the end of the dialogue you'd realize it was someone else entirely. For example, when Fiske takes her to the blacksmith's tent to get the collar removed. One moment she is speaking to the blacksmith and referring to him as 'him', then without any transition, she is using 'him' to refer to Fiske because now she's talking to him, without ever making that clear. It felt as though we were missing a line.
The Climax - This actually just pissed me off. So many things in this book were glossed over and NOT given the attention they deserved, but the climax shouldn't have been one of them. This impossible task took no time at all and all went down way too easily. Convincing the Aska to help? One conversation. Convincing the Riki not to kill the Aska? About 5 lines of dialogue and promises from inconsequential people. The big battle that they absolutely should have lost? 2 very short chapters and about 30 minutes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Torture
Moderate: Violence
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm so sad that I don't love this book but...here we are...Like parents always say, "I'm not angry, I'm just disappointed."
Here's the thing: I get it. I really do. This was an amazing book. I loved the way it was written, with the way the POV's connect, I get where the avid love for this book comes from.
However.....there's two things that really knocked this book down for me. There are other parts of this book that really threw me off while reading, but once we got to the end I realized that many of these things really made sense and worked perfectly in the context of the book.
1. I'm sorry...but I was just bored.
I really felt like not much happened over the course of the book, and it wasn't really what was promised. I thought this was going to be a book about the Fifth Season and the end of the world...like the description said. But the apocalyptic part of this book played almost no part, even in the one POV that was set during that time.
2. This wasn't book 1, it was a prologue...
Here me out. This book/series is supposed to be about the end of the world, but by the end of the book we ended up right where we started: at the beginning of the end of the world. Which means that the entire first book was leading up to the end of the world, which makes the first book...a prologue, not book one.
I appreciate how unique and masterfully done this book was, but it wasn't advertised accurately at all and the ending was so unsatisfying that I'm not even sure I can really feel like this was a true 'book one.'
Here's the thing: I get it. I really do. This was an amazing book. I loved the way it was written, with the way the POV's connect, I get where the avid love for this book comes from.
However.....there's two things that really knocked this book down for me. There are other parts of this book that really threw me off while reading, but once we got to the end I realized that many of these things really made sense and worked perfectly in the context of the book.
1. I'm sorry...but I was just bored.
I really felt like not much happened over the course of the book, and it wasn't really what was promised. I thought this was going to be a book about the Fifth Season and the end of the world...like the description said. But the apocalyptic part of this book played almost no part, even in the one POV that was set during that time.
2. This wasn't book 1, it was a prologue...
Here me out. This book/series is supposed to be about the end of the world, but by the end of the book we ended up right where we started: at the beginning of the end of the world. Which means that the entire first book was leading up to the end of the world, which makes the first book...a prologue, not book one.
I appreciate how unique and masterfully done this book was, but it wasn't advertised accurately at all and the ending was so unsatisfying that I'm not even sure I can really feel like this was a true 'book one.'
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I felt so much nothing towards this book...I didn't hate it, I didn't like it. I'm not really sure there's anything I did or didn't like about it.
I felt like this book really wanted a plot, but since plot wasn't really the point, there wasn't a lot of effort put towards a plot. Instead Wells was more focused on talking about his theories in both evolution and human behavior. I appreciate his creative approach in delivering these theories, but ultimately...I didn't care. I wanted to read about an alien invasion, not what Wells thinks humans should have been (evolutionarily speaking) and his very grim attitudes towards society.
My favorite part of reading this book was learning how closely connected H.G. Wells, Aldous Huxley, and George Orwell were. Due to this realization I have concocted a conspiracy theory, with zero evidence, that Brave New World and 1984 were both written in response to H.G. Wells ideals for society. I stand by this theory, simply because it makes me happy, and not because there's any other real reason.
That is all.
I felt like this book really wanted a plot, but since plot wasn't really the point, there wasn't a lot of effort put towards a plot. Instead Wells was more focused on talking about his theories in both evolution and human behavior. I appreciate his creative approach in delivering these theories, but ultimately...I didn't care. I wanted to read about an alien invasion, not what Wells thinks humans should have been (evolutionarily speaking) and his very grim attitudes towards society.
My favorite part of reading this book was learning how closely connected H.G. Wells, Aldous Huxley, and George Orwell were. Due to this realization I have concocted a conspiracy theory, with zero evidence, that Brave New World and 1984 were both written in response to H.G. Wells ideals for society. I stand by this theory, simply because it makes me happy, and not because there's any other real reason.
That is all.