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theinquisitxor's reviews
804 reviews
Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson
4.0
Again, so freaking good! I liked The Gathering Storm more, but this was also very good with such an ending!
Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo
4.0
4/5 stars
I finished this book this morning, and I've had mixed feelings on this duology the whole way through. To start off, I enjoyed Rule of Wolves more than I enjoyed King of Scars. The 'set-up' is over and this book flourishes under the main plot and stakes of the duology. However, there are still some plot choices that I didn't love in KoS that continued in this book.
For an emotional impact, this book got me good. I definitely consider the emotional impact of a book when thinking about my rating/review. To me, I can overlook some pacing and plotting dislikes if the emotional toll is there. That is certainly the case in this book, and it works in advantage for me.
I enjoyed the first 3/4 of this book the most- not that the ending is bad, but some of the plot points in the last quarter were not my favorite. I know I'm in the minority when I say that I enjoyed Nina's perspective the most, but she shined the most for me in this series.
This book, especially, felt much more like an early 20th century era (like 1900-1918) while the other Grishaverse books seem more mid-late 19th century. Some of the technology advances seemed a little sudden for me, but I do think the different era is fresh when it comes to fantasy book. I'm glad for the set-up that this book gives up for a third Six of Crows, and I can say that I fall more into line with the Six of Crows books than the Ravka books.
Again, while this book was highly entertaining and enjoyable for me to read, there were some plot points that I didn't enjoy as much as I should have, lending this to be more of a 4 star book.
Now Leigh Bardugo, about the 2nd Alex Stern book...
I finished this book this morning, and I've had mixed feelings on this duology the whole way through. To start off, I enjoyed Rule of Wolves more than I enjoyed King of Scars. The 'set-up' is over and this book flourishes under the main plot and stakes of the duology. However, there are still some plot choices that I didn't love in KoS that continued in this book.
For an emotional impact, this book got me good. I definitely consider the emotional impact of a book when thinking about my rating/review. To me, I can overlook some pacing and plotting dislikes if the emotional toll is there. That is certainly the case in this book, and it works in advantage for me.
I enjoyed the first 3/4 of this book the most- not that the ending is bad, but some of the plot points in the last quarter were not my favorite. I know I'm in the minority when I say that I enjoyed Nina's perspective the most, but she shined the most for me in this series.
This book, especially, felt much more like an early 20th century era (like 1900-1918) while the other Grishaverse books seem more mid-late 19th century. Some of the technology advances seemed a little sudden for me, but I do think the different era is fresh when it comes to fantasy book. I'm glad for the set-up that this book gives up for a third Six of Crows, and I can say that I fall more into line with the Six of Crows books than the Ravka books.
Again, while this book was highly entertaining and enjoyable for me to read, there were some plot points that I didn't enjoy as much as I should have, lending this to be more of a 4 star book.
Now Leigh Bardugo, about the 2nd Alex Stern book...
King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo
4.0
reread: Summer 2021
I think my original review of this book still stands, although I enjoyed it more on this read than my first read of this book!
I have so many mixed emotions about this book that I'm not sure I can write all of them down. On one hand, I thought this was a very good book, but it did not have quite the awesomeness of a five-star book. I'm one of those people who liked SoC and CK better than the Grisha Trilogy and this book definitely falls into the category of a Grisha book, which is maybe part of the reason I did not love it as much as SoC. Secondly, many parts of this book felt fairy-taleish? And I did not care for that overall vibe. I enjoy the realistic parts of the Grisha world (which was mainly highlighted in SoC). I adored reading The Language of Thorns, and I feel like Bardugo drew heavily on the themes of those short stories for this book.
One thing that I did not mind is the plot pacing. I have seen a lot of people complain about how slow the book seems at some parts, but that did not bother me- but I usually like books with a slower plot anyways. Last two things that I did not really like: It felt a little like FanFiction? Some of the events seemed as if it came out of a really great fanfiction. Which I am kinda laughing at that thought, but it's true. I think Bardugo made it work, even if some of the ideas felt a little off. Lastly: I still do not know if I liked the ending at all. Again-it felt a little like Fanfiction. But I am curious to see how Bardugo continues this. I did really enjoy reading this and I am really looking forward to whatever happens next. The characters got me hooked and so did all the magic of Bardugo's writing and world-building.
I am going to put some spoilers under this (because I need to share my thoughts) :
I think my original review of this book still stands, although I enjoyed it more on this read than my first read of this book!
I have so many mixed emotions about this book that I'm not sure I can write all of them down. On one hand, I thought this was a very good book, but it did not have quite the awesomeness of a five-star book. I'm one of those people who liked SoC and CK better than the Grisha Trilogy and this book definitely falls into the category of a Grisha book, which is maybe part of the reason I did not love it as much as SoC. Secondly, many parts of this book felt fairy-taleish? And I did not care for that overall vibe. I enjoy the realistic parts of the Grisha world (which was mainly highlighted in SoC). I adored reading The Language of Thorns, and I feel like Bardugo drew heavily on the themes of those short stories for this book.
One thing that I did not mind is the plot pacing. I have seen a lot of people complain about how slow the book seems at some parts, but that did not bother me- but I usually like books with a slower plot anyways. Last two things that I did not really like: It felt a little like FanFiction? Some of the events seemed as if it came out of a really great fanfiction. Which I am kinda laughing at that thought, but it's true. I think Bardugo made it work, even if some of the ideas felt a little off. Lastly: I still do not know if I liked the ending at all. Again-it felt a little like Fanfiction. But I am curious to see how Bardugo continues this. I did really enjoy reading this and I am really looking forward to whatever happens next. The characters got me hooked and so did all the magic of Bardugo's writing and world-building.
I am going to put some spoilers under this (because I need to share my thoughts) :
Spoiler
I think that Darkling should have been left alone. I feel like he died, and he should stay dead, especially after all the Alina went through and the fact that she is still alive, all that she did seems worthless now. And the whole thing with the saints also was a bit too fantasy-like for my taste. I know this review may seem really negative, but I promise, I really did like this book! I continued to love all the characters. Nikolai was charming as ever, but we also got more of a feel of who he really is. I never had really cared much for Zoya in the other series, but boy I stan her now. And I had suspicions going into the book that Bardugo would try to pair up Nikolai and Zoya, which I was hesitant about, but now I am all for it. I adored Nina's story. I got so emotional when she was trying to say goodbye to Matthias and find a proper place to bury him. The way that she was still able to hear him broke my heart and I secretly wished that Nina would still be able to bring him back. And TRASSEL. That part also hurt, but I hope those two do eventually find each other. I am also very excited for Hanne and what she and Nina will do together to bring change to Fjerda (and hopefully get a little romance too!) Anyway, my rant is over but I am excited to see what happens in the next book!
The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson
5.0
THIS BOOK, this book, y'all, is the best thing I've read in long time.
Here is the breakdown of my opinion of the Wheel of Time books so far (the ones written by Robert Jordan):
Books 1-3: Pretty good and enjoyable. Primarily the set up for the rest of the series, and breaking away from some of the traditional fantasy tropes of the first book. Great worldbuilding and introduction of the main characters and some of the plots that are present throughout the entire series.
Books 4-6: The best of what Jordan wrote (in my opinion). A lot happens in these books, and the characters grow so much. Further worldbuilding and general amazinginess.
Books 7-8: I don't really remember what happened in these two books. I only remember vaguely, but they were fine. They weren't the best or the worst.
Books 9-11: The slowest and most difficult to get through. With the exception of book 9 (for me) these books tended to be quite long and somewhat boring. Some plotlines definitely could have been shortened. I can see why people refer to this as the 'slog', and while I can see that, these books were still generally good, just not on the same level as some of the previous books.
And now I just finished listening to book 12, and I really enjoyed how Sanderson picked up where Jordan left off and continued the process. I didn't feel a large shift in style, unlike some people, and I am glad the Sanderson pushed things along more and got the plots moving again. This is undoubtedly my favorite of the series so far, and that is saying something, because I really liked books 4-6.
I really can't find fault in this book. It took a main character who was one of my least favorites and made her a favorite again. This book was emotional, it was epic and I absolutely can't way to start listening to Towers of Midnight.
Here is the breakdown of my opinion of the Wheel of Time books so far (the ones written by Robert Jordan):
Books 1-3: Pretty good and enjoyable. Primarily the set up for the rest of the series, and breaking away from some of the traditional fantasy tropes of the first book. Great worldbuilding and introduction of the main characters and some of the plots that are present throughout the entire series.
Books 4-6: The best of what Jordan wrote (in my opinion). A lot happens in these books, and the characters grow so much. Further worldbuilding and general amazinginess.
Books 7-8: I don't really remember what happened in these two books. I only remember vaguely, but they were fine. They weren't the best or the worst.
Books 9-11: The slowest and most difficult to get through. With the exception of book 9 (for me) these books tended to be quite long and somewhat boring. Some plotlines definitely could have been shortened. I can see why people refer to this as the 'slog', and while I can see that, these books were still generally good, just not on the same level as some of the previous books.
And now I just finished listening to book 12, and I really enjoyed how Sanderson picked up where Jordan left off and continued the process. I didn't feel a large shift in style, unlike some people, and I am glad the Sanderson pushed things along more and got the plots moving again. This is undoubtedly my favorite of the series so far, and that is saying something, because I really liked books 4-6.
I really can't find fault in this book. It took a main character who was one of my least favorites and made her a favorite again. This book was emotional, it was epic and I absolutely can't way to start listening to Towers of Midnight.
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
5.0
Six of Crows is fun. It's a great heist story and really well written. But this book, THIS book, is on a completely different level. I enjoyed this reread so much and this may be my favorite book in the Grishaverse. This book sets the bar very high for YA.
I Am Still Alive by Kate Alice Marshall
4.0
This book has been on my tbr since it came out (in 2018?) and I was very intrigued by the survival story, albeit, a little worried that it would be 'too easy' or have everything be too easy for the main character. What I got was pretty realistic (in my opinion, at least) survival story, part revenge plot, and a format that I really enjoyed.
This book is about Jess, who has been severely injured in a car crash that killed her mother, and who gets sent off to her father who lives in the remote Canadian wilderness. To top all that off, her father had been mixed up with some bad men which leaves Jess with a burned down cabin in the wilderness with limited knowledge of survival and the threat of winter.
I felt like the aspects of Jess figuring out how to survive were accurate enough. She has learned some things, figures out other things on her own, but also has resources around her from which to learn as well. All of these combined make for a good explanation for her survival and don't make things seem 'too easy'.
I also really loved Jess's character growth throughout the book. The book flips between Before and After- which really highlights her character growth and how much she has changed. I really liked her character. There are several time jumps in the book, so you don't see all of her growth on page, but I think this was executed well.
Overall, this was an engaging and suspenseful read. It kept me hooked and reaffirmed my enjoyment of survival stories.
This book is about Jess, who has been severely injured in a car crash that killed her mother, and who gets sent off to her father who lives in the remote Canadian wilderness. To top all that off, her father had been mixed up with some bad men which leaves Jess with a burned down cabin in the wilderness with limited knowledge of survival and the threat of winter.
I felt like the aspects of Jess figuring out how to survive were accurate enough. She has learned some things, figures out other things on her own, but also has resources around her from which to learn as well. All of these combined make for a good explanation for her survival and don't make things seem 'too easy'.
I also really loved Jess's character growth throughout the book. The book flips between Before and After- which really highlights her character growth and how much she has changed. I really liked her character. There are several time jumps in the book, so you don't see all of her growth on page, but I think this was executed well.
Overall, this was an engaging and suspenseful read. It kept me hooked and reaffirmed my enjoyment of survival stories.
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
5.0
Finished my reread! Almost just as good as the first time, but a little more bittersweet. Can’t wait to keep on with my Grishaverse reread
Crossroads of Twilight by Robert Jordan
3.0
Definitely slower than all the previous books, and not much happens at all
Winter's Heart by Robert Jordan
4.0
What slump? I enjoyed this one quite a bit, and I think reading this series completely on audio is the way to go for me. Before, I was reading the books as a mix between paperback and audio, but this was the first book of the series that I read entirely on audio. 9 down, 5 to go!