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spark_perez's reviews
61 reviews
Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
4.0
Another easy 4 star. This is a really good series. I was really excited to get to this after taking a break from the main story with Assassin’s Blade. Some of which pays off for the extended world building you get in this book, which finally takes place largely outside of Rifthold.
This book is a lot of… middle, I suppose. Starts off pretty quickly and spends a lot of time with a certain few plot threads. I am a sucker for a training arc though, and this one is earned. I just wish they’d not feel the need to always tease a potential romance? Some characters can just be true friends.
But the ending?? Yeah, Sarah knows how to end these books, and I know they’re just gonna gut punch you even more. Makes the work in the middle worth it, even if I personally think it could lose an hour or so. But that could also because of a lot of attention on certain PoV that is nearly all character build up. I found myself getting stilted at those chapters but I believe it will pay off.
This book is a lot of… middle, I suppose. Starts off pretty quickly and spends a lot of time with a certain few plot threads. I am a sucker for a training arc though, and this one is earned. I just wish they’d not feel the need to always tease a potential romance? Some characters can just be true friends.
But the ending?? Yeah, Sarah knows how to end these books, and I know they’re just gonna gut punch you even more. Makes the work in the middle worth it, even if I personally think it could lose an hour or so. But that could also because of a lot of attention on certain PoV that is nearly all character build up. I found myself getting stilted at those chapters but I believe it will pay off.
Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas
4.0
4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
So much happens in this book. Heir of Fire seems like a lifetime ago. But everything happens so quickly and it’s a fun ride. There were some things I just had to get through my head that I had to accept. And that did get increasingly easier to do, but may be the reason I feel like I can’t just give it the 5th start outright. But this book takes full advantage of the world that’s built out so well already. As well as bringing us back to the feeling of the early books.
There are so many good characters, but they’re exactly that. Good. No crazy stand outs save for our MC. I’m hoping that changes by the end of the series though.
The book feels like the end of penultimate season of a series, and there’s still so much in the final 3 installments, that I have no idea where we’re going. But I’m excited.
So much happens in this book. Heir of Fire seems like a lifetime ago. But everything happens so quickly and it’s a fun ride. There were some things I just had to get through my head that I had to accept. And that did get increasingly easier to do, but may be the reason I feel like I can’t just give it the 5th start outright. But this book takes full advantage of the world that’s built out so well already. As well as bringing us back to the feeling of the early books.
There are so many good characters, but they’re exactly that. Good. No crazy stand outs save for our MC. I’m hoping that changes by the end of the series though.
The book feels like the end of penultimate season of a series, and there’s still so much in the final 3 installments, that I have no idea where we’re going. But I’m excited.
Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
5.0
Easy, easy 5 star. I read this as an Empire of Storms/Tower of Dawn tandem read, and let me just say how beneficial that was for my enjoyment. The events that happen in one book, just for you to feel the ripples of or get new context for in the other is great. I was worried ToD would not be as enjoyable being a branched off story from Aelin, but when switching off I found myself excited to get back to where we left off from both of em. Never dreading leaving the other book. Which, after the EoS ending, was a great benefit to my enjoyment of ToD. It reads like a cohesive narrative even as two books. Fantastic.
Wow do they pay off all the world building from previous books. In both books. You get so rewarded for knowing the geography, the political landscape, Celaena’s previous adventures (don’t skip Assassin’s Blade you donkeys). And you get brand new revelations, world building and lore that pieces everything together.
And the action? Holy gods. The amount of times I yipped and pumped my fist. When you have so many characters that you’re ready to root for, be ready for each of them to be given their moment to shine. Empire of Storms is really the action centerpiece of this tandem, and while Tower of Dawn centers around mystery, intrigue and is more character driven, it still has its suspenseful action sequences and never made me upset to get back to it. Again, benefitting a lot from the tandem.
I’ve really grown to love that bonds between the plethora of characters that have been fleshed out, and I’m ready for Kingdom of Ash to rip my heart out. Just give me something epic while you do it.
Wow do they pay off all the world building from previous books. In both books. You get so rewarded for knowing the geography, the political landscape, Celaena’s previous adventures (don’t skip Assassin’s Blade you donkeys). And you get brand new revelations, world building and lore that pieces everything together.
And the action? Holy gods. The amount of times I yipped and pumped my fist. When you have so many characters that you’re ready to root for, be ready for each of them to be given their moment to shine. Empire of Storms is really the action centerpiece of this tandem, and while Tower of Dawn centers around mystery, intrigue and is more character driven, it still has its suspenseful action sequences and never made me upset to get back to it. Again, benefitting a lot from the tandem.
I’ve really grown to love that bonds between the plethora of characters that have been fleshed out, and I’m ready for Kingdom of Ash to rip my heart out. Just give me something epic while you do it.
Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas
5.0
Easy, easy 5 star. I read this as an Empire of Storms/Tower of Dawn tandem read, and let me just say how beneficial that was for my enjoyment (Especially for Tower of Dawn). The events that happen in one book, just for you to feel the ripples of or get new context for in the other is great. I was worried ToD would not be as enjoyable being a branched off story from Aelin, but when switching off I found myself excited to get back to where we left off from both of em. Never dreading leaving the other book. Which, after the EoS ending, was a great benefit to my enjoyment of ToD. It reads like a cohesive narrative even as two books. Fantastic.
Wow do they pay off all the world building from previous books. In both books. You get so rewarded for knowing the geography, the political landscape, Celaena’s previous adventures (don’t skip Assassin’s Blade you donkeys). And you get brand new revelations, world building and lore that pieces everything together.
And the action? Holy gods. The amount of times I yipped and pumped my fist. When you have so many characters that you’re ready to root for, be ready for each of them to be given their moment to shine. Empire of Storms is really the action centerpiece of this tandem, and while Tower of Dawn centers around mystery, intrigue and is more character driven, it still has its suspenseful action sequences and never made me upset to get back to it. Again, benefitting a lot from the tandem.
I’ve really grown to love that bonds between the plethora of characters that have been fleshed out, and I’m ready for Kingdom of Ash to rip my heart out. Just give me something epic while you do it.
Wow do they pay off all the world building from previous books. In both books. You get so rewarded for knowing the geography, the political landscape, Celaena’s previous adventures (don’t skip Assassin’s Blade you donkeys). And you get brand new revelations, world building and lore that pieces everything together.
And the action? Holy gods. The amount of times I yipped and pumped my fist. When you have so many characters that you’re ready to root for, be ready for each of them to be given their moment to shine. Empire of Storms is really the action centerpiece of this tandem, and while Tower of Dawn centers around mystery, intrigue and is more character driven, it still has its suspenseful action sequences and never made me upset to get back to it. Again, benefitting a lot from the tandem.
I’ve really grown to love that bonds between the plethora of characters that have been fleshed out, and I’m ready for Kingdom of Ash to rip my heart out. Just give me something epic while you do it.
Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas
5.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
6 stars. This much world and character building. This many entwining plot lines. A successful culmination of 8 books. This could only be 6 stars.
This is the epic needed to end this series. You really can see how far this story has come. You remember the beginning as something almost entirely different, but you can see how it leads here.
I am thoroughly surprised with how well Sarah J can write war and action. She makes every turn of the tide earned. Not perfect, not without head tilt moments, but you will be yipping and cheering. She'll pull on all the emotions appropriate for a climactic finish to a huge world.
So many characters I am sad to say goodbye to. So many of them had such great moments. Of victory and sorrow and love. And you felt attached to damn near all of them. So many resolutions I loved to see come to fruition.
Read this series. If you liked ACOTAR, you'll like this. It's very different, but obviously has Sarah's writing style. It's a story worth witnessing.
6 stars. This much world and character building. This many entwining plot lines. A successful culmination of 8 books. This could only be 6 stars.
This is the epic needed to end this series. You really can see how far this story has come. You remember the beginning as something almost entirely different, but you can see how it leads here.
I am thoroughly surprised with how well Sarah J can write war and action. She makes every turn of the tide earned. Not perfect, not without head tilt moments, but you will be yipping and cheering. She'll pull on all the emotions appropriate for a climactic finish to a huge world.
So many characters I am sad to say goodbye to. So many of them had such great moments. Of victory and sorrow and love. And you felt attached to damn near all of them. So many resolutions I loved to see come to fruition.
Read this series. If you liked ACOTAR, you'll like this. It's very different, but obviously has Sarah's writing style. It's a story worth witnessing.
The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang
5.0
I can see why Wang told us from the beginning to treat this as a standalone, because she has us clamoring for a sequel. This is a good and a bad thing.
To start with, this is a really really cool universe with a great magic system and super interesting lore. Makes you super engaged with this book. And makes you feel criminally let down for not having more stories to flesh out all the opportunities.
The characters are fantastic and well developed, to the point that some of my favorite scenes are literally just dialogue between people. There’s such discourse and reason for every conversation.
The action is also really good, if it doesn’t peak a little bit early and leave you wanting a little more.
But if you think you know where this book is going, you don’t. It does not follow the tropes you think it would. Which makes it all the more disappointing that these 31 chapters are what we get.
I am not anti-open ended conclusions. Leaving things up to your interpretation. But intentionally introducing plot threads and important world ramifications in the final chapters that seemingly serve no purpose but to make you wanna hear about a story that won’t be told? Quite a choice.
Still certainly worth the read as a standalone that will take you on a very cool journey, and end with you ranting on a Reddit post putting together a petition for a talented women to finish what she started.
To start with, this is a really really cool universe with a great magic system and super interesting lore. Makes you super engaged with this book. And makes you feel criminally let down for not having more stories to flesh out all the opportunities.
The characters are fantastic and well developed, to the point that some of my favorite scenes are literally just dialogue between people. There’s such discourse and reason for every conversation.
The action is also really good, if it doesn’t peak a little bit early and leave you wanting a little more.
But if you think you know where this book is going, you don’t. It does not follow the tropes you think it would. Which makes it all the more disappointing that these 31 chapters are what we get.
I am not anti-open ended conclusions. Leaving things up to your interpretation. But intentionally introducing plot threads and important world ramifications in the final chapters that seemingly serve no purpose but to make you wanna hear about a story that won’t be told? Quite a choice.
Still certainly worth the read as a standalone that will take you on a very cool journey, and end with you ranting on a Reddit post putting together a petition for a talented women to finish what she started.
The Fury of the Gods by John Gwynne
4.0
4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Talk about action. Wow. You can seriously picture just about everything fight scene and war scene just from some words on a page. And there’s lots of it.
The world has been set. The emotional stakes have been set. The conflict has been set. And the characters are ready for their vengeance. (No seriously, like every character is out to get vengeance for something). And Book 3 finally lets it all unfold. And boy are there some satisfying scenes. Perhaps so satisfying because of earlier scenes that really make you want to kill certain people. Both in this book and the previous installments.
It’s a lot of action. As you may have surmised by now. And it all makes sense, and is plotted and planned well. Is it groundbreaking? Probably not. Is it enjoyable? Definitely. And it does have a good message about “The Way of the World.” And there’s definitely a twist or two that might catch you off guard! If you want some satisfying endings to journeys, arcs and long awaited retribution, finish this series.
Talk about action. Wow. You can seriously picture just about everything fight scene and war scene just from some words on a page. And there’s lots of it.
The world has been set. The emotional stakes have been set. The conflict has been set. And the characters are ready for their vengeance. (No seriously, like every character is out to get vengeance for something). And Book 3 finally lets it all unfold. And boy are there some satisfying scenes. Perhaps so satisfying because of earlier scenes that really make you want to kill certain people. Both in this book and the previous installments.
It’s a lot of action. As you may have surmised by now. And it all makes sense, and is plotted and planned well. Is it groundbreaking? Probably not. Is it enjoyable? Definitely. And it does have a good message about “The Way of the World.” And there’s definitely a twist or two that might catch you off guard! If you want some satisfying endings to journeys, arcs and long awaited retribution, finish this series.
House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas
5.0
What a good book. Easily the best first installment of a Maasverse franchise. It certainly pays off to read this as the last of her series. The modern fantasy take is so refreshing and she really leaned into the adult writing style while not making it all about smut like some could say ACOSF was.
There are so many good characters. Bryce is an awesome and refreshing take on an FMC. A great foil to Feyre. Hunt is awesome. Ruhn is my guy. And even the side characters have such personality, you’ll attach immediately to at least a couple. The villains are menacing.
The world is so cool, and so well built out. Expansive lore, but easily able to follow after just a couple retreads. It felt very epic but you know there’s still a crazy world out there for the follow up books.
And the mystery story was very very engaging. Well foreshadowed. Some people could probably guess the twists, but I didn’t. And was very satisfied with the unraveling. And the ending really went full force, even for a first book. You might confuse it for something ACOMAF or Queen of Shadows level of hype.
I don’t know why the CC series doesn’t get nearly as much hype as ACOTAR or ToG, but I’m ready to be its advocate.
There are so many good characters. Bryce is an awesome and refreshing take on an FMC. A great foil to Feyre. Hunt is awesome. Ruhn is my guy. And even the side characters have such personality, you’ll attach immediately to at least a couple. The villains are menacing.
The world is so cool, and so well built out. Expansive lore, but easily able to follow after just a couple retreads. It felt very epic but you know there’s still a crazy world out there for the follow up books.
And the mystery story was very very engaging. Well foreshadowed. Some people could probably guess the twists, but I didn’t. And was very satisfied with the unraveling. And the ending really went full force, even for a first book. You might confuse it for something ACOMAF or Queen of Shadows level of hype.
I don’t know why the CC series doesn’t get nearly as much hype as ACOTAR or ToG, but I’m ready to be its advocate.
House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas
4.0
I will say, once again, I don’t know how the Crescent City series is so slept on. This book is good. I like that this series seems to go with mystery plots that have been well thought out. It lets your mind craft so many theories with the characters. Some you may get right. But others will definitely throw you for a loop. It’s a fun trip.
This book also gives you lots of insights from other characters, who all have different but real motivations to solving the mystery. It can definitely be a lot to keep track of, so do yourself a favor and make sure you keep the details straight.
It can be a bit convoluted, and a bit heavy on the reveals but who cares. I’m sold on it and it’s fun. The ending is a bit abrupt… but wow is it worth it.
I know CC3 is considered “the bad one” but I don’t buy it. I’m sold on the series and I’m sold on that cliffhanger. Let’s keep it going.
This book also gives you lots of insights from other characters, who all have different but real motivations to solving the mystery. It can definitely be a lot to keep track of, so do yourself a favor and make sure you keep the details straight.
It can be a bit convoluted, and a bit heavy on the reveals but who cares. I’m sold on it and it’s fun. The ending is a bit abrupt… but wow is it worth it.
I know CC3 is considered “the bad one” but I don’t buy it. I’m sold on the series and I’m sold on that cliffhanger. Let’s keep it going.
House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas
5.0
So people were saying this is the bad one, the controversial one at best. And just... why?? Do you guys not like fun? This book is everything coming together. Nary a thread goes unmentioned. It jumps around a lot yes, even midchapter. Valid criticism. But I just loved getting back to the good parts. Could we have toned down some of the Ithan/Therion stuff? A bit yeah. But for the amount of people putting this near the bottom of their SJM tier list? You read all those books and this didn't hit? Crazy.
A wonderful culmination of what brought us here. I care about all the characters. Bryce is a great MC, Ruhn was frustrating but still my guy. And the final battle was what we should've got from ACOWAR (I still love you though).
It's just rewarding for SJM fans. And yeah I'm a sucker for fan service. I'm a fan. Serve that shit up to me, please. Thank you. I love the character interactions. Give me more Ember and ***** and Randall and ******* please.
A bit weird to have such a feeling of finality while still leaving plot threads open that imply a sequel. I guess we're gonna get a ACOSF situation where we set up a whole new conflict and lore. But sure. Give it to me. Just don't make Bryce pregnant and make Hunt a stay at home dad, please.
This is ESSENTIAL reading for SJM fans, and put some respect on it.
A wonderful culmination of what brought us here. I care about all the characters. Bryce is a great MC, Ruhn was frustrating but still my guy. And the final battle was what we should've got from ACOWAR (I still love you though).
It's just rewarding for SJM fans. And yeah I'm a sucker for fan service. I'm a fan. Serve that shit up to me, please. Thank you. I love the character interactions. Give me more Ember and ***** and Randall and ******* please.
A bit weird to have such a feeling of finality while still leaving plot threads open that imply a sequel. I guess we're gonna get a ACOSF situation where we set up a whole new conflict and lore. But sure. Give it to me. Just don't make Bryce pregnant and make Hunt a stay at home dad, please.
This is ESSENTIAL reading for SJM fans, and put some respect on it.