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the_midwest_library's Reviews (796)
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really loved this ending, it's not perfect but it's perfect to meeeeeee. There was a great resolution of all those threads of plot I was worried about. I wasn't fully on board with the reveal situation in this book at first but it really grew on me as the story unfolded.
I will never forgive SdC for what he did in this book, iykyk because how DARE you do that to our boy.
I want to go back to this world, read the new releases. I'm obsessed. It's hard to put my finger on why these work for me so well, these are fun like Gentleman Bastards level fun. They are grimdark and our main trio feel familiar yet not overdone/tropey in a bad way. The big bads feel believable for the world, and are insufferable to read. I love to hate them.
Overall I had a fantastic experience with this series and this world and I'm going to need 10 more books kthx.
I will never forgive SdC for what he did in this book, iykyk because how DARE you do that to our boy.
I want to go back to this world, read the new releases. I'm obsessed. It's hard to put my finger on why these work for me so well, these are fun like Gentleman Bastards level fun. They are grimdark and our main trio feel familiar yet not overdone/tropey in a bad way. The big bads feel believable for the world, and are insufferable to read. I love to hate them.
Overall I had a fantastic experience with this series and this world and I'm going to need 10 more books kthx.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If I rated with my heart on this one it would be a five but I'm rating with my head because while I am coming to adore this series and this world it is not without flaws.
This installment had such fantastic character growth, omg finally it's all coming to a head and we are forced to face our trauma head on. I loved that. I really loved the plot of this one too, I was skeptical but I thought the religious and fantastic elements blended so well with the already established political storylines. I think some of the foundational knowledge for the magic was a bit clunky but nothing egregious.
My biggest issue was editing and pacing. This one was great when it was great but slow and repetitive in between. It was like being break checked over and over for a hot minute there. I also think the ending could have been edited better. There were just some moments where I was like....well we could have ended this one here and I would be just as happy. But I'm being so nit-pickey. Honestly on a reread this will probably be 5 stars hahaha.
This installment had such fantastic character growth, omg finally it's all coming to a head and we are forced to face our trauma head on. I loved that. I really loved the plot of this one too, I was skeptical but I thought the religious and fantastic elements blended so well with the already established political storylines. I think some of the foundational knowledge for the magic was a bit clunky but nothing egregious.
My biggest issue was editing and pacing. This one was great when it was great but slow and repetitive in between. It was like being break checked over and over for a hot minute there. I also think the ending could have been edited better. There were just some moments where I was like....well we could have ended this one here and I would be just as happy. But I'm being so nit-pickey. Honestly on a reread this will probably be 5 stars hahaha.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this installment in the Greatcoats series, the character focused nature of the story is literally so well done considering how action packed and political the plot really is.
I do maybe have some ....side eye moments. I don't know that some of the things that our one MC goes through were necessary. There's some stuff happening at the end to one of our MCs and it's not the grimdark nature of the events that bothers me (but def check trigger warnings because oof) but what did bother me is what happened after those events. I just felt the way the MC recovered and some things were just sort of brushed off or repressed or not addressed cheapened the events.
I'm trying to avoid spoilers so iykyk. But overall I thought this was such a strong installment and I really love this series it's weirdly fun for how dark it can be.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is the first book in what I would describe as a classic fantasy tale with a grim dark twist. The best way to describe the tone of this book is if you put First Law, Gentleman Bastards and the Three Musketeers in a blender this is what would come out.
The King is dead and his "greatcoats" aka his traveling justices and some of the best swordsman and archers in the land have been branded as traitors for how it all went down. But they are all seemingly still loyal to their fallen king and seeking to make things right. This is a political powder keg with some of the Duchies being absolutely INSANE!!!
I adored our main trio of boys and the female MCs as well. There are some wonderful mentor/mentee relationships that I'm curious to see how those arcs ultimately pan out. I am kicking myself for not having picked this up sooner because for me it was an easy 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 five stars. I totally see why this wouldn't work for others, it's chaotic and insane and there's 500 plots that all seem half baked at times but truly it all comes together in a fabulous way.
Onto book 2 👏👏👏
The King is dead and his "greatcoats" aka his traveling justices and some of the best swordsman and archers in the land have been branded as traitors for how it all went down. But they are all seemingly still loyal to their fallen king and seeking to make things right. This is a political powder keg with some of the Duchies being absolutely INSANE!!!
I adored our main trio of boys and the female MCs as well. There are some wonderful mentor/mentee relationships that I'm curious to see how those arcs ultimately pan out. I am kicking myself for not having picked this up sooner because for me it was an easy 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 five stars. I totally see why this wouldn't work for others, it's chaotic and insane and there's 500 plots that all seem half baked at times but truly it all comes together in a fabulous way.
Onto book 2 👏👏👏
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It was mid. Compared to PHM and TM it just doesn't even reach their level at all. So it was a bit disappointing for that reason. Maybe if I read this one first I would have enjoyed it more but my expectations were too high. The story felt small, the MC felt tropey and overall nothing really exciting happened for me. Oh well!!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
So I saw the movie and thought it was excellent, read PHM and loved it and FINALLY am getting to the Martian. What a fun ride that was. I think my experience was a little less impactful because I saw the movie, which can really stand on its own. I loved this, I listened to the audiobook and thought Will Wheaton killed it.
I enjoyed PHM more, so that's my reason for not quite making this a 5 star read. I loved our MC, and his dedication to hating disco and trying to stay alive 😂😂😂
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
3.5 stars
So I did enjoy this, but I'm rating in the 3 star range because I didn't love it, and I didn't think it was quite as strong as book 1 which was a solid 4 star read for me. I think the additional POVs were interesting, though a few I could have done without. I also wasn't a huge fan of the additional romance arc it felt a bit forced to me.
The world is so interesting though, and the larger plot is super compelling. I'm chomping at the bit to learn more about this library and call me crazy but some of these characters who shall remain nameless remind me a bit of Jorg .....something malicious is afoot here my friends.
I think this could have been a bit stronger, it has a bit of middle book syndrome for me but I'm satisfied by this installment!!
So I did enjoy this, but I'm rating in the 3 star range because I didn't love it, and I didn't think it was quite as strong as book 1 which was a solid 4 star read for me. I think the additional POVs were interesting, though a few I could have done without. I also wasn't a huge fan of the additional romance arc it felt a bit forced to me.
The world is so interesting though, and the larger plot is super compelling. I'm chomping at the bit to learn more about this library and call me crazy but some of these characters who shall remain nameless remind me a bit of Jorg .....something malicious is afoot here my friends.
I think this could have been a bit stronger, it has a bit of middle book syndrome for me but I'm satisfied by this installment!!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I cannot believe this trilogy is over, vibrant, unique worlds that feels so rich and well developed. Focusing on a world inspired by pre-Columbian Americas this series grew into a really great character study of several MCs looking to define what makes a god a god and what one should do with unimaginable power.
I really enjoyed this final installment. This trilogy has been one of my top reads of recent years and I think it deserves so much love. There's fantastic representation throughout the series, and I found the story compelling from start to finish and refreshing as hell for the fantasy genre.
I'm excited to see what Roanhorse will release next in the epic fantasy space!
I really enjoyed this final installment. This trilogy has been one of my top reads of recent years and I think it deserves so much love. There's fantastic representation throughout the series, and I found the story compelling from start to finish and refreshing as hell for the fantasy genre.
I'm excited to see what Roanhorse will release next in the epic fantasy space!
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really loved this. I feel like I truly GET Dolly Alderton as an author. I adored Ghosts and this one was fantastic as well.
This is such a witty way to poke at male relationship stereotypes while exploring women's roles in them. The ending was, perfection! I don't want to spoil anything but what a clever move!
Dolly Alderton feels like an author writing literary fiction in the voice of a rom com in the best way possible.
This is such a witty way to poke at male relationship stereotypes while exploring women's roles in them. The ending was, perfection! I don't want to spoil anything but what a clever move!
Dolly Alderton feels like an author writing literary fiction in the voice of a rom com in the best way possible.
I'm putting my "I'm going to be nice" hat on for this review. Which you might be thinking, Cassandra how can this be when you rated it 2 stars....well I'm SO glad you asked.
Let's talk about the good, the concepts are strong and really interesting. Dragons are trapped in an almost mirrored world, unable to fully cross the veil back into the "real world" due to some confusing and not-so-well- explained reasons but the blame of this falls on the humans who betrayed them many years ago. The Dragons, being trapped in a dying world need to get back and it is up to one dragon who happens across a long forgotten bond with an unsuspecting human that can possibly make this happen. Oh and the human is like a hardcore thief, in a very classically fantasy way. Sounds cool right?
That's where the coolness ended for me. The further I got into this story the more I wish I hadn't. It's such a shame too because idk if it's a product of poor marketing, or weak prose but the story just didn't work for me. The book switches, very clunkily, from first person, to second person, and weirdly randomly third person a few times in there. The second person narration was rough for me, very repetitive and grating.
The worldbuilding had me singing Blink 183 because where are you ...where are we...what's going on in this world??? Gun to my head I couldn't tell you how the magic works in this place.
The author also spent a long time fleshing out this really cool concept of gender fluidity in the dragons, but really didn't explain why it matters, or why we should care, or how it works so it felt like a cheap party trick of representation for me.
I also found overall the dialogue between the characters to be very sophomoric, this book feels like it wants to be YA so bad. There's nothing wrong with that, but that's not what I expected or wanted from this. I wanted an epic fantasy.....not something Red Tower would publish.
Ugh idk guys, it wasn't for me, I don't recommend it and I'm just thankful it was short. And believe me, this was me being nice.
Let's talk about the good, the concepts are strong and really interesting. Dragons are trapped in an almost mirrored world, unable to fully cross the veil back into the "real world" due to some confusing and not-so-well- explained reasons but the blame of this falls on the humans who betrayed them many years ago. The Dragons, being trapped in a dying world need to get back and it is up to one dragon who happens across a long forgotten bond with an unsuspecting human that can possibly make this happen. Oh and the human is like a hardcore thief, in a very classically fantasy way. Sounds cool right?
That's where the coolness ended for me. The further I got into this story the more I wish I hadn't. It's such a shame too because idk if it's a product of poor marketing, or weak prose but the story just didn't work for me. The book switches, very clunkily, from first person, to second person, and weirdly randomly third person a few times in there. The second person narration was rough for me, very repetitive and grating.
The worldbuilding had me singing Blink 183 because where are you ...where are we...what's going on in this world??? Gun to my head I couldn't tell you how the magic works in this place.
The author also spent a long time fleshing out this really cool concept of gender fluidity in the dragons, but really didn't explain why it matters, or why we should care, or how it works so it felt like a cheap party trick of representation for me.
I also found overall the dialogue between the characters to be very sophomoric, this book feels like it wants to be YA so bad. There's nothing wrong with that, but that's not what I expected or wanted from this. I wanted an epic fantasy.....not something Red Tower would publish.
Ugh idk guys, it wasn't for me, I don't recommend it and I'm just thankful it was short. And believe me, this was me being nice.