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path_through_pages's Reviews (267)
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So this one I'm conflicted on.
It's a modern story and for that I really liked it. I like the writing style and I liked all of the retelling through the book.
The systemic misogyny was so well written i was having physical reactions of anger and disgusting so big props to the author for that!
My issue with this book is unfortunately the issue I have with the majority of thriller and mysteries... I found it predictable. But that's probably just because I've thrown myself into so much of the genre over the years that the patterns have become obvious to me.
But I will say, it was entertaining and that's what matters!
No MC pregnancy tropes
It's a modern story and for that I really liked it. I like the writing style and I liked all of the retelling through the book.
The systemic misogyny was so well written i was having physical reactions of anger and disgusting so big props to the author for that!
My issue with this book is unfortunately the issue I have with the majority of thriller and mysteries... I found it predictable. But that's probably just because I've thrown myself into so much of the genre over the years that the patterns have become obvious to me.
But I will say, it was entertaining and that's what matters!
No MC pregnancy tropes
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I struggle with this series for a lot of reasons.
SPOILERS
Objectively the 3rd and last book is 4 stars because Mal finally has his shit together. It ended well in my opinion in terms of finding balance and the elimination of both light and darkness.
What I hate is that, once again, Mal is only supportive when Alina is powerless!!!! He finally had it figured out at the end but even then it was only due to this massive extreme need for sacrifice.
I almost wish that in book 1 Alina leaned into the evil and this was just 3 books of Alina and the Darkling conquering the world.
I love the things ended with an orphanage and stability but like... why, after everything, does she have to still feel empty and hollow inside???
Ugh I'm just... annoyed...
Objectively the book is still a 4 but I'm still allowed to be annoyed.
SPOILERS
Objectively the 3rd and last book is 4 stars because Mal finally has his shit together. It ended well in my opinion in terms of finding balance and the elimination of both light and darkness.
What I hate is that, once again, Mal is only supportive when Alina is powerless!!!! He finally had it figured out at the end but even then it was only due to this massive extreme need for sacrifice.
I almost wish that in book 1 Alina leaned into the evil and this was just 3 books of Alina and the Darkling conquering the world.
I love the things ended with an orphanage and stability but like... why, after everything, does she have to still feel empty and hollow inside???
Ugh I'm just... annoyed...
Objectively the book is still a 4 but I'm still allowed to be annoyed.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
So I'm conflicted with this book...
It was short, fast, easy to read, and had a fun, enjoyable plot.
I loved the side characters, especially since one was vocally childfree, which is extremely rare! I also love that the most powerful organization in the whole town was a group of elderly women who chose never to get married. It is also rare to show women happy and thriving without husbands, so just massive plusses there.
Here is the issue... the FMC.
She gave off such harsh 'pick me' vibes. It felt so 90s, trying to hard alt girl that at times it actually hurt.
You can be a feminist without needing to aggressively push off every concept of femininity.
You can also not like typically 'feminine' things without actively putting them and the women who do like them down. In my mind, that is not feminist. That's trying too hard to 'not be like other girls'.
Feminism is about choice and being able to embrace whatever makes us feel whole and empowered. That can be shaved heads and combat boots or hair extensions and pink dresses.
One is not better than the other.
Now the elderly women in town? THEY were bad ass feminists and I loved everything about them!
Will I continue with the series? I'm genuinely unsure, I think I'll only read more if i can be assured of the FMC's character development.
It was short, fast, easy to read, and had a fun, enjoyable plot.
I loved the side characters, especially since one was vocally childfree, which is extremely rare! I also love that the most powerful organization in the whole town was a group of elderly women who chose never to get married. It is also rare to show women happy and thriving without husbands, so just massive plusses there.
Here is the issue... the FMC.
She gave off such harsh 'pick me' vibes. It felt so 90s, trying to hard alt girl that at times it actually hurt.
You can be a feminist without needing to aggressively push off every concept of femininity.
You can also not like typically 'feminine' things without actively putting them and the women who do like them down. In my mind, that is not feminist. That's trying too hard to 'not be like other girls'.
Feminism is about choice and being able to embrace whatever makes us feel whole and empowered. That can be shaved heads and combat boots or hair extensions and pink dresses.
One is not better than the other.
Now the elderly women in town? THEY were bad ass feminists and I loved everything about them!
Will I continue with the series? I'm genuinely unsure, I think I'll only read more if i can be assured of the FMC's character development.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Okay so here is thing with this book...
You will love it IF:
- you enjoy detailed world building
- multiple POV
- multiple plot lines
- big build up to a chaotic ending
- cliffhangers
You will NOT love this book:
- if you just want to focus on the main plot and move along with the story.
There is always SO MUCH happening in this book but it rarely directs to the main plot. You have to look at this book as various elements, fully existing and developing on their own, merging together into an epic.
I personally loved it and can't wait to see what happens next!
Bonus: no MC pregnancy tropes!
You will love it IF:
- you enjoy detailed world building
- multiple POV
- multiple plot lines
- big build up to a chaotic ending
- cliffhangers
You will NOT love this book:
- if you just want to focus on the main plot and move along with the story.
There is always SO MUCH happening in this book but it rarely directs to the main plot. You have to look at this book as various elements, fully existing and developing on their own, merging together into an epic.
I personally loved it and can't wait to see what happens next!
Bonus: no MC pregnancy tropes!
There are plenty of reviews on here that provide great summaries, and the synopsis also does a great job, so I'm going to skip past that and just jump into it!
Pros:
-Sampson, like just love Sampson, I wanted to see so much more of him!
-Loved the world building! This was a unique world with a unique sci-fi system, and I genuinely wanted to see what happened next with the corruption and battles!
-Absolutely love Sages relationship with her nieces. It felt so genuine and heart warming, and I simply loved that!
-The entire concept around the Cells was super cool and unique, and I genuinely loved it!
Cons:
-Sage's crush on the prince seemed super out of place and out of character from the start. I feel like I needed more back story! Like we all have crushes, but to use your work connections to get an invitation to his birthday party seemed a bit much and super fangirlie given her character type. I think I just needed more of a build-up!
-Never been a fan of insta-lust. In general, it felt like Sage's actions just didn't line up with her personality. She would have these super fierce moments and then just completely swing in the opposite direction. It made it hard to really follow her intentions. She seemed almost manic in her inability to maintain her character type so dramatically.
-This might seem odd of me and it's probably a personal thing on my side but there were a few instances where it felt like the authors personal views came across in a not so great way through her main character. First, call someone a snowflake and then making reference to God when there had been zero mention of any other kind of diety other than the squids in the whole book. It just felt odd and personally a bit off-putting.
Regardless of all this, I am still looking forward to the second book and seeing how the author develops the story.
Thank you, Astrid Cole, for this e-copy in
exchange for an honest review!
2.5!
Pros:
-Sampson, like just love Sampson, I wanted to see so much more of him!
-Loved the world building! This was a unique world with a unique sci-fi system, and I genuinely wanted to see what happened next with the corruption and battles!
-Absolutely love Sages relationship with her nieces. It felt so genuine and heart warming, and I simply loved that!
-The entire concept around the Cells was super cool and unique, and I genuinely loved it!
Cons:
-Sage's crush on the prince seemed super out of place and out of character from the start. I feel like I needed more back story! Like we all have crushes, but to use your work connections to get an invitation to his birthday party seemed a bit much and super fangirlie given her character type. I think I just needed more of a build-up!
-Never been a fan of insta-lust. In general, it felt like Sage's actions just didn't line up with her personality. She would have these super fierce moments and then just completely swing in the opposite direction. It made it hard to really follow her intentions. She seemed almost manic in her inability to maintain her character type so dramatically.
-This might seem odd of me and it's probably a personal thing on my side but there were a few instances where it felt like the authors personal views came across in a not so great way through her main character. First, call someone a snowflake and then making reference to God when there had been zero mention of any other kind of diety other than the squids in the whole book. It just felt odd and personally a bit off-putting.
Regardless of all this, I am still looking forward to the second book and seeing how the author develops the story.
Thank you, Astrid Cole, for this e-copy in
exchange for an honest review!
2.5!
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was such a genuinely fun read!
It was funny, topical, relatable, and just a fun comedic dive into sci-fi!
For a book that's under 300 pages, it really packs a punch!
If you've been debating giving sci-fi a try, you can't go wrong with this book! The 'science' is awesome, the references to pop culture, and current events were great, and the overall vibe just made it an overall good time!
Also... where can I apply to work at KPS? Besides all the monsters and lifting, it genuinely seems like the most healthy corporate environment I've ever seen...
It was funny, topical, relatable, and just a fun comedic dive into sci-fi!
For a book that's under 300 pages, it really packs a punch!
If you've been debating giving sci-fi a try, you can't go wrong with this book! The 'science' is awesome, the references to pop culture, and current events were great, and the overall vibe just made it an overall good time!
Also... where can I apply to work at KPS? Besides all the monsters and lifting, it genuinely seems like the most healthy corporate environment I've ever seen...
adventurous
medium-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:
Yes
I'm so genuinely disappointed.
The fanfic aspect was vague if I'm being totally honest. I didn't get Reylo from this and I barely got any star wars at all.
The 'will they won't they' romance bored me to tears. Like just the dualogue and the interaction between them. The author tried too hard for a buildup and it just came across as repetitive.
The saving grace is the actual plot was extremely interesting. The universe was unique, I enjoyed the dynamics and the world building, but the boring dragging out of the romance genuinely ruined it for me. Like the book could have been an novella without it 🤷♀️
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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:
Yes
Pregnancy content warning: contains pregnancy, traumatic birth, and traumatic situations surrounding birth
As someone who hates pregnancy tropes I have to say, I am beyond pleasantly surprised by this book.
This is one of the few instances that given the time period, situation, and context that the pregnancy actually makes sense and adds to the story. I was initially disappointed at it's use since pregnancy is often an easy method for character and story development, but this one was so impactful to the ending I genuinely can't be mad at it.
I'm typically extremely critical of this trope so for me to be okay with it is actually saying a lot!
This was an easy to read, easy to follow, fun, twisting thriller that I genuinely enjoyed!
I've also never read a thriller where the ending felt so hear warming!
Absolutely recommend!