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779 reviews
Song of the Abyss by Makiia Lucier
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I intended to start this book yesterday and accidentally swallowed it whole.
I didn't love this one quite as much as Isle of Blood and Stone, but I've never met a Makiia Lucier book yet that wasn't effortless to read.
This was a lot of fun. Not a deep, complex, epic scale fantasy. It's a tightly-written story with focused scope and no unnecessary flab, and I enjoyed it a lot.
(Obligatory ghost cameo, check. Obligatory plague cameo, check.)
Reyna is a royal mapmaker on a voyage for St John de la Mar when disaster strikes her ship. She washes ashore in a foreign land, and from there adventures begin that end in uncovering a far bigger threat than just ordinary pirates. Reyna and Levi's romance was just at the level I approve of -- present, but not oppressive, and the story never lost my interest.
I always wish Makiia Lucier's books included more. Would it hurt us to spend a few chapters doing nothing to advance the plot, just learning more about the characters and world? But this is her style and it works well, so the only real weak spot I would point out is the ending.
Reyna simply spills her guts to a foreign king, and boom. Problem solved. It certainly makes one wonder why this couldn't have been done a lot earlier, and seems like a poor option to count on. The king had done nothing to make himself seem particularly kind, honest, or trustworthy. What if he hadn't been? This could have gone terribly for everyone involved.
Overall, though, this was a shot of compressed fantasy adventure injected directly into my veins, and it was great.
I didn't love this one quite as much as Isle of Blood and Stone, but I've never met a Makiia Lucier book yet that wasn't effortless to read.
This was a lot of fun. Not a deep, complex, epic scale fantasy. It's a tightly-written story with focused scope and no unnecessary flab, and I enjoyed it a lot.
(Obligatory ghost cameo, check. Obligatory plague cameo, check.)
Reyna is a royal mapmaker on a voyage for St John de la Mar when disaster strikes her ship. She washes ashore in a foreign land, and from there adventures begin that end in uncovering a far bigger threat than just ordinary pirates. Reyna and Levi's romance was just at the level I approve of -- present, but not oppressive, and the story never lost my interest.
I always wish Makiia Lucier's books included more. Would it hurt us to spend a few chapters doing nothing to advance the plot, just learning more about the characters and world? But this is her style and it works well, so the only real weak spot I would point out is the ending.
Reyna simply spills her guts to a foreign king, and boom. Problem solved. It certainly makes one wonder why this couldn't have been done a lot earlier, and seems like a poor option to count on. The king had done nothing to make himself seem particularly kind, honest, or trustworthy. What if he hadn't been? This could have gone terribly for everyone involved.
Overall, though, this was a shot of compressed fantasy adventure injected directly into my veins, and it was great.
Mercury Rising by R.W.W. Greene
Did not finish book. Stopped at 37%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 37%.
DNF @ 37%
The main character was unprepossessing. The language and prose was annoying, like a mix of trying too hard to be old-timey and just straight up obnoxious. The mystery of the Mercurians should have held my attention, but didn't. I felt zero desire to keep reading, so I didn't.
The main character was unprepossessing. The language and prose was annoying, like a mix of trying too hard to be old-timey and just straight up obnoxious. The mystery of the Mercurians should have held my attention, but didn't. I felt zero desire to keep reading, so I didn't.
Inda by Sherwood Smith
I had a GREAT time here, needless to say. I love Inda and Sponge, the friendships here, and the battle school politics. The loyalty dynamics are strong and top notch.
Another great thing I have to mention is the worldbuilding. This is set in the same world as Crown Duel, but much earlier in time, and you dive into the world a lot deeper. I do not know how the names work, who all these ethnic groups and nations are, and nor do I fully grasp all the subtleties of varying customs and traditions that are presented. But I enjoyed all of it, and I felt that it was all both fascinating and cohesive.
The plot takes a hard left turn at about the halfway point. We follow Inda in one direction, and the rest of the cast in another.
There is more seafaring here. I'm not generally a big fan of seafaring, and this became a little less fun because of that and Inda being separated from all his friends. The dip was minor, though, and overall I think this sets up a truly excellent, vast story that I cannot wait to see more of.
I finished the book and immediately wanted the next one, which is a great feeling. Emotionally, I would love to rate this book five stars. But then, there are the raisins.
The raisins: a whole lot of sexual content.
While the kids are kids, this is very minor. As they become teenagers, though, it starts popping up more and more. It's not smutty, but it's presented in a way that reminds me of if you turned Tamora Pierce up to level ten.
The exploration of sex is a part of the coming-of-age process and not graphic; it uses allusions, euphemisms, flowery metaphorical language and fade-to-black. I could have overlooked some of this as reasonable, but as I got deeper and deeper into the book the frequency started becoming oppressive.
We had to go through a sexual awakening for almost every semi-significant character, and it was just too much. Very uncomfortable. I really don't need to read about teenagers' erections, especially not what felt like every other page for a while. I think you could have accomplished the same thematic purpose with a lot more circumspection, and I'm really not sure how to rate the book as a whole because of this.
I LOVED the experience of reading this book. The experience was at times awkward and off-putting.
Those two truths contradict and coexist, so take that as you will.
I am going on to the next books very excited to see where they lead for Inda. I cannot WAIT for his homecoming. And I very much hope that, the characters no longer being teenagers, they will become a little less sex-obsessed.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This book was a delicious cookie, soft and warm straight from the oven, but tragically punctuated with raisins.
Our main character is eleven-year-old Inda, the second son of a noble family. His society is highly structured and organized around war; each child of the highborn families has a specific role they are expected to fill, and are trained from childhood for that position.
The story kicks off when Inda is sent to the capital city to attend the royal academy. From here, the vibe reminded me a lot of Ender's Game:
Our main character is eleven-year-old Inda, the second son of a noble family. His society is highly structured and organized around war; each child of the highborn families has a specific role they are expected to fill, and are trained from childhood for that position.
The story kicks off when Inda is sent to the capital city to attend the royal academy. From here, the vibe reminded me a lot of Ender's Game:
• Structured, harsh battle school-type environment with complex and violent social dynamics between groups of boys
• A larger political context in which the boys are pawns, while mostly not realizing it
• Inda, simultaneously sharp-eyed and naive, with inborn talents for command and team-building
I had a GREAT time here, needless to say. I love Inda and Sponge, the friendships here, and the battle school politics. The loyalty dynamics are strong and top notch.
Another great thing I have to mention is the worldbuilding. This is set in the same world as Crown Duel, but much earlier in time, and you dive into the world a lot deeper. I do not know how the names work, who all these ethnic groups and nations are, and nor do I fully grasp all the subtleties of varying customs and traditions that are presented. But I enjoyed all of it, and I felt that it was all both fascinating and cohesive.
The plot takes a hard left turn at about the halfway point. We follow Inda in one direction, and the rest of the cast in another.
There is more seafaring here. I'm not generally a big fan of seafaring, and this became a little less fun because of that and Inda being separated from all his friends. The dip was minor, though, and overall I think this sets up a truly excellent, vast story that I cannot wait to see more of.
I finished the book and immediately wanted the next one, which is a great feeling. Emotionally, I would love to rate this book five stars. But then, there are the raisins.
The raisins: a whole lot of sexual content.
While the kids are kids, this is very minor. As they become teenagers, though, it starts popping up more and more. It's not smutty, but it's presented in a way that reminds me of if you turned Tamora Pierce up to level ten.
The exploration of sex is a part of the coming-of-age process and not graphic; it uses allusions, euphemisms, flowery metaphorical language and fade-to-black. I could have overlooked some of this as reasonable, but as I got deeper and deeper into the book the frequency started becoming oppressive.
We had to go through a sexual awakening for almost every semi-significant character, and it was just too much. Very uncomfortable. I really don't need to read about teenagers' erections, especially not what felt like every other page for a while. I think you could have accomplished the same thematic purpose with a lot more circumspection, and I'm really not sure how to rate the book as a whole because of this.
I LOVED the experience of reading this book. The experience was at times awkward and off-putting.
Those two truths contradict and coexist, so take that as you will.
I am going on to the next books very excited to see where they lead for Inda. I cannot WAIT for his homecoming. And I very much hope that, the characters no longer being teenagers, they will become a little less sex-obsessed.
Age of Ash by Daniel Abraham
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Alright alright alright alright.
This was an all-around neat package. Characters well-made, nuanced and evolving. Worldbuilding distinct and present and intricate, but not overwhelming or burdensome. If anything, the story is the slow part, but I didn't mind that.
Kithamar is a harsh city in a harsh world, and the members of its disadvantaged ethnic group live a nasty, brutish, and short existence if they aren't skilled or ruthless enough to make ends meet.
Our first main character is Alys. She starts as the would-be hero, a slum rat and petty thief who sets out to unravel a mysterious shadow plot at the heart of the city and avenge her dead brother.
Our second main character is Sammish. She starts as a nobody, a person with no people and no place who follows Alys as her mindless shadow because she has a crush.
As we go on, the city's shadow plot became more interesting and creepier. Alys became someone I don't like, and then maaaaybe redeemed herself. Sammish went from nameless and faceless to being the strongest, most dynamic person here. Overall, the character arcs were impressive.
The plot mystery really doesn't take hold, in my experience, until more than halfway through the book. Up until then, you're just following the girls as they try to find their way in the world. When I started to see the threads of meaning come together, though, it was good. The creepiness here is compelling, and I really want to see what happens next.
We don't even find out who stole the knife in the first place, or if the prince took the throne knowingly or on accident, or what the demon monster IS. What will it do now!? Clearly the conspiracies here run deeper than we know.
The narrative tied off the girls' story in a way that seems neat, but left plenty of worldbuilding questions open, which I really liked. Making each book in a series feel satisfying enough that it justifies my time as a reader, yet leaves me wanting more is, I think, one of the highest authorly art forms.
I kind of hope the next book picks up with some new characters to take us further into the story.
This was an all-around neat package. Characters well-made, nuanced and evolving. Worldbuilding distinct and present and intricate, but not overwhelming or burdensome. If anything, the story is the slow part, but I didn't mind that.
Kithamar is a harsh city in a harsh world, and the members of its disadvantaged ethnic group live a nasty, brutish, and short existence if they aren't skilled or ruthless enough to make ends meet.
Our first main character is Alys. She starts as the would-be hero, a slum rat and petty thief who sets out to unravel a mysterious shadow plot at the heart of the city and avenge her dead brother.
Our second main character is Sammish. She starts as a nobody, a person with no people and no place who follows Alys as her mindless shadow because she has a crush.
As we go on, the city's shadow plot became more interesting and creepier. Alys became someone I don't like, and then maaaaybe redeemed herself. Sammish went from nameless and faceless to being the strongest, most dynamic person here. Overall, the character arcs were impressive.
The plot mystery really doesn't take hold, in my experience, until more than halfway through the book. Up until then, you're just following the girls as they try to find their way in the world. When I started to see the threads of meaning come together, though, it was good. The creepiness here is compelling, and I really want to see what happens next.
We don't even find out who stole the knife in the first place, or if the prince took the throne knowingly or on accident, or what the demon monster IS. What will it do now!? Clearly the conspiracies here run deeper than we know.
The narrative tied off the girls' story in a way that seems neat, but left plenty of worldbuilding questions open, which I really liked. Making each book in a series feel satisfying enough that it justifies my time as a reader, yet leaves me wanting more is, I think, one of the highest authorly art forms.
I kind of hope the next book picks up with some new characters to take us further into the story.
The Sacrifice of Sunshine Girl by Paige McKenzie
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This series was the definition of "alright."
The first book was deeply enjoyable. Creepy enough, dorky enough, with enough heart to be an overall excellent cheesy YA paranormal mystery.
The rest of this is just... here. The creepiness really is gone after the first book once we discover a little of the worldbuilding and the vibe devolves into a late-season Supernatural feel, which is unfortunate.
Everything else continues to be fine, but that's about it. Sunshine gets more annoying as we go and she refuses to grow beyond her "vintage uwu" shtick into a deeper, more complex person.
She's only sixteen, so on one level I get it. Really though, she referred to Jane Austen as "Victorian" MULTIPLE times in this book alone, when any Austenite knows we are actually talking about a Regency or Georgian time period before Queen Victoria was even born.
If you're going to be this irritating, Sunshine, git gud.
The first book was deeply enjoyable. Creepy enough, dorky enough, with enough heart to be an overall excellent cheesy YA paranormal mystery.
The rest of this is just... here. The creepiness really is gone after the first book once we discover a little of the worldbuilding and the vibe devolves into a late-season Supernatural feel, which is unfortunate.
Everything else continues to be fine, but that's about it. Sunshine gets more annoying as we go and she refuses to grow beyond her "vintage uwu" shtick into a deeper, more complex person.
She's only sixteen, so on one level I get it. Really though, she referred to Jane Austen as "Victorian" MULTIPLE times in this book alone, when any Austenite knows we are actually talking about a Regency or Georgian time period before Queen Victoria was even born.
If you're going to be this irritating, Sunshine, git gud.
Birthright: Recall by Dale Thomas Vaughn, Dale Thomas Vaughn
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
1.25
I've read some books in my time that were just painfully, offensively bad in every way.
This is not one of them.
There are books that just make you want to list in a tirade all the things that were blatantly wrong. And then there are books that seem outwardly healthy. They seem like they should be fine, if you look at them from a distance and squint. But something about them is just a bit... off. Soulless. Empty in a way that almost defies description.
Anyway, this book is about a boy raised on Mars when they suddenly receive a distress signal from the thought-to-be-long-dead Earth. This plot is almost too good to fail - the mystery! The drama! The space danger and adventure! How could you make that boring?
Unfortunately, this manages to make it very, very boring.
All the characters are oddly flat. You spend time in all of their minds, bouncing around in a way that seems very old-fashioned from a writing technique perspective. And yet, for all we know about them, they just seem unrealistic, unrelatable, and hard to care about.
The suspense that should have driven the story inexorably forward is completely just... not there. We know what's happening on Earth the whole time, and it's boring. Where I should have been compelled by the mystery and tension, I was actively turned away by the odd and uninteresting nature of the Earth perspectives.
The mechanics of this whole thing just defy my suspension of disbelief, as well.
For example: the very beginning of the book. Renny, our main character, is listening to the President of Mars announce the Earth signal on some kind of televised address projected across the whole colony. Then, somehow, he interrupts the president by screaming "I volunteer <strikethrough>as tribute</strikethrough>!" The televised address is, I guess, a FaceTimed address and the president has the ability to see and hear all the people who are seeing her on every screen around the whole colony?
First of all, how is this logistically practical. Second of all, the president stops her speech to <i>interact</i> with Renny and engage him in conversation. In front of the whole colony, which is watching on every TV screen. Except are they seeing Renny too, or just hearing the president's one-sided conversation? The whole thing is wack, except if this colony contains only like a hundred people.
The moments of awkward incredulity just continue to build up, too.
I don't understand how this colony is run, job and resource wise? Who grows the food, where does the power come from? Apparently nobody gets this, either, when the president literally has a conversation where she asks, "So solar power doesn't run the whole colony?"
Everyone we meet is somehow a college student who gets drafted into becoming an extremely powerful cog in the machinery of the interim government? Is there no one around who's actually competent? Why are all these nobody college students in charge suddenly?
How does the social structure work? A huge deal is made over Renny and his nonbinary sibling's parents' deaths, but it seems like nobody else has parents either? Why is no one who left on this possibly-a-suicide-mission worried about the loved ones they left behind?
These are the questions actually plaguing my mind, while the narrative tries and fails to woo my attention with some weird, failed alien political summit. There is nothing interesting going on here, except some very peculiar wording. Once someone's expression of wide-eyed shock is described as their "eyes growing double." What?
In summary, I would call this book a kind of odd husk. It resembles a great story like, under certain conditions, a scarecrow resembles a living person.
This is not one of them.
There are books that just make you want to list in a tirade all the things that were blatantly wrong. And then there are books that seem outwardly healthy. They seem like they should be fine, if you look at them from a distance and squint. But something about them is just a bit... off. Soulless. Empty in a way that almost defies description.
Anyway, this book is about a boy raised on Mars when they suddenly receive a distress signal from the thought-to-be-long-dead Earth. This plot is almost too good to fail - the mystery! The drama! The space danger and adventure! How could you make that boring?
Unfortunately, this manages to make it very, very boring.
All the characters are oddly flat. You spend time in all of their minds, bouncing around in a way that seems very old-fashioned from a writing technique perspective. And yet, for all we know about them, they just seem unrealistic, unrelatable, and hard to care about.
The suspense that should have driven the story inexorably forward is completely just... not there. We know what's happening on Earth the whole time, and it's boring. Where I should have been compelled by the mystery and tension, I was actively turned away by the odd and uninteresting nature of the Earth perspectives.
The mechanics of this whole thing just defy my suspension of disbelief, as well.
For example: the very beginning of the book. Renny, our main character, is listening to the President of Mars announce the Earth signal on some kind of televised address projected across the whole colony. Then, somehow, he interrupts the president by screaming "I volunteer <strikethrough>as tribute</strikethrough>!" The televised address is, I guess, a FaceTimed address and the president has the ability to see and hear all the people who are seeing her on every screen around the whole colony?
First of all, how is this logistically practical. Second of all, the president stops her speech to <i>interact</i> with Renny and engage him in conversation. In front of the whole colony, which is watching on every TV screen. Except are they seeing Renny too, or just hearing the president's one-sided conversation? The whole thing is wack, except if this colony contains only like a hundred people.
The moments of awkward incredulity just continue to build up, too.
I don't understand how this colony is run, job and resource wise? Who grows the food, where does the power come from? Apparently nobody gets this, either, when the president literally has a conversation where she asks, "So solar power doesn't run the whole colony?"
Everyone we meet is somehow a college student who gets drafted into becoming an extremely powerful cog in the machinery of the interim government? Is there no one around who's actually competent? Why are all these nobody college students in charge suddenly?
How does the social structure work? A huge deal is made over Renny and his nonbinary sibling's parents' deaths, but it seems like nobody else has parents either? Why is no one who left on this possibly-a-suicide-mission worried about the loved ones they left behind?
These are the questions actually plaguing my mind, while the narrative tries and fails to woo my attention with some weird, failed alien political summit. There is nothing interesting going on here, except some very peculiar wording. Once someone's expression of wide-eyed shock is described as their "eyes growing double." What?
In summary, I would call this book a kind of odd husk. It resembles a great story like, under certain conditions, a scarecrow resembles a living person.
Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I deliberately put off reading this book because I already knew I was going to love it more than life itself, and I wanted to save it until I needed it.
The time is now, and I was right.
The feeling I have right now is LITERALLY the reason I read. I love this book and this whole series, and every single slow scene and weird relationship counseling moment and argument about the meaning of personhood. Station's heroism was great. I would follow Justice of Toren One Esk Nineteen into the mouth of hell. All of it was show stopping, amazing, stupendous, incredible.
You can tell how much fun I had by how incoherent I am right now. Truly an incandescent experience.
The time is now, and I was right.
The feeling I have right now is LITERALLY the reason I read. I love this book and this whole series, and every single slow scene and weird relationship counseling moment and argument about the meaning of personhood. Station's heroism was great. I would follow Justice of Toren One Esk Nineteen into the mouth of hell. All of it was show stopping, amazing, stupendous, incredible.
You can tell how much fun I had by how incoherent I am right now. Truly an incandescent experience.
A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab
As you can see, we do not lack for good material. I was READY for the whole world to unfold after book one, and dive deeper into a well-crafted web of politics, magic, and relationships.
I genuinely don't understand why it all went so wrong.
WHERE it all went so wrong is clear, on the other hand. That would be the magic tournament, which took up almost all of book two for no real reason.
Book three suffers from... so many things. But most of all it suffers because it tries to give us
ALL AT THE LAST SECOND of the series.
And, on top of that, mostly through ponderous, navel-gazing flashbacks. The only marginally well-executed one here is Holland's backstory, because I can see why it makes sense that we got it now and not before.
The others NEED to have been at least laid as groundwork earlier. It's truly egregious that we waited to spare one shred of narrative interest in the king and queen as people and pushed off dealing with Rhy's angst regarding his raised-from-the-dead status to book three, when book two was RIGHT THERE. What were we doing all that time?!?! Nothing! Playing little gladiator games that didn't end up mattering a BIT.
A Gathering of Shadows was literally just an anime beach episode.
Because of this, we end up trying to shoehorn all of this unearned pathos and emotional investment into book three. It doesn't fit and just reads like the author beating you over the head with a cardboard sign that says YOU HAVE TO CARE ABOUT THIS THING.
You're too late, Ms. Schwab! I don't care!
The character development coming off as a sloppy afterthought to the Cool And Very Important Magic Fights of book two was the true, massive failing of this book -- but hardly the only one.
I have several other gripes.
First, I'm not going to talk about this too much because you all already know, but... Lila Bard is truly intolerable.
One of the worst characters I have ever had the misfortune to encounter. In book one she was annoying, but I was like okay! Great! She's growing, and we're going to see her become a person beyond her snarky little selfish thief persona... Nope. Book two regressed her right back to the beginning and she pretty much never changed again.
Only NOW she's a snarky little selfish thief with vast amounts of power. And somehow she's wildly capable in a way that the other Antari often fail to be, even though she's just discovered her power and they've been training for years. I love an overpowered character honestly, and I would love this if she weren't so ANNOYING in a way that makes me want to violently murder her.
Second, not only is Lila annoying but incredibly, almost every meaningful character interaction produces shockingly high level of nails on a chalkboard.
Lila's cartoonishly villainous hatred for Holland. Kell and Alucard's cartoonish rivalry. To a lesser degree, Kell and Holland's friction. Alucard and Lila's cartoonish "we talk violent to each other but actually have a deep and abiding bond" *wink* dynamic.
All of this seems like it was written to come off as witty and snappy and smart, but it's not. It's overdone, grating, and painful. Again, this feels like flash and aesthetic prioritized over meaningful character moments and interaction.
Third, the actual style of the prose.
I don't know if I have ever brought this up in any review ever before, and that's because I do NOT care. Under normal circumstances, the technique of the writing itself is just the cinnamon tography through which I consume the story. It's a background concern for me almost all the time.
The problem here was that I could not stop noticing it, even when I tried. The tryhard stylistic choices kept intruding on my attention like an irritating little chip in one of my fingernails right before I bite it off in a fit of rage.
The stabs at being lyrical and poetic. Like, I could SEE the sentence attempting to crank out a stirring John Williams theme. But you know when poetry just doesn't hit? You can see where it was going, but it just doesn't go there, and instead it misses "fresh and hard-hitting" and lands on "sappy and cringe"? It can be entirely a matter of personal taste and is such a fine line anyway, but for me this was definitely too far towards cringe.
In concrete terms, the worst offender was where the book would go:
*something shocking happens, a death or betrayal involving Character*
[Character] who [sentimental description 1].
[Character] who [sentimental description 2, slightly longer].
[Character] who [sentimental description 3, longest of all this time].
I only started counting about halfway through, but it was at least six times just in the latter half of the book. This setup is a little bit over the top in the first place, but once I would be fine with. Even twice you might be able to get away with it. But approximately A DOZEN times in ONE book?
No. Pick another trick, please.
Fourth and last, was just the number of plot threads and cool things that went absolutely nowhere.
The most offensive of these was Kell having the opportunity to solve the mystery of his past, and just deciding, Eh, don't really care that much anymore. This is a valid choice for Kell to make, but it did NOT feel satisfying or earned. If this had come as the conclusion of an arc built through book two or even the beginning of book three, where his adopted family confronted their issues and Kell came to find a confident and emotionally secure place among them, then this would have actually been great.
Instead, nothing was ever solved in the Maresh family, and this moment felt like a half-baked resolution because the author didn't have time to actually deliver on plot promises made in earlier books.
There were several other things that felt really random. Notably, the king's secret spell thing? He spent all that time being mysterious and planning something awesome that culminated in him taking up the mantle of his bloody youth and sallying forth in a moment as dramatic as Aragorn and Theoden's last ride at Helm's Deep... for that? Really? (view spoiler) This was a very record scratch moment, and seemed contrived for no reason other than to (view spoiler)
Honestly, as I write this I've literally just thought of two more annoying things to mention. But it's better to just end it here.
I know this book is extremely beloved, and I can see why this series stands out so much in people's minds. All the compelling dynamics and characters I listed at the beginning SHOULD have come together to create a truly unique, vibrant adventure. I'm glad that, for a whole lot of readers, they did and kind of bummed that I wasn't one of them.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
Reading this book was a mistake I made with my eyes wide open.
Book one was good, with a lot of potential. Book two was not good. Book three? I have only myself to blame.
The thing is, there is SO much here that I wanted to be invested in. For instance:
Book one was good, with a lot of potential. Book two was not good. Book three? I have only myself to blame.
The thing is, there is SO much here that I wanted to be invested in. For instance:
1) Kell and everything about him. He's got a mysterious past. Where did he come from? What secrets lie behind his amnesia?
He's got an immaculate aesthetic, which doesn't hurt, and a too-serious killjoy thing going on, which I'm always a fan of.
He's got a GREAT and extremely compelling relationship with his adopted brother. We could live for WHOLE BOOKS just on the strength of the Kell/Rhy bond.
And finally, we have the whole "adopted son of family never feels fully accepted" dynamic, which book two just lit a bonfire underneath with the king and queen's terrible treatment of him. I wanted to see them all face this unhealthy dynamic and work it out as a family. And I wanted to see the king and queen apologize.
All of this? Is PLENTY to work with and weave a compelling arc out of.
2) Holland. My BOY. From book one I was overly invested in this guy whose entire role had been, clearly, to just suffer. What is Holland's backstory? What drives him? Who could he be, if given the chance to break free of his (many) chains? Will he ever just go absolutely feral??? Inquiring minds want to know.
3) The overall worldbuilding and aesthetic of the series is truly on point. I really think this is the catalyst of its intense popularity, because just look at the covers. The only thing this series really does deliver on is the vibe and allure of the different Londons.
As you can see, we do not lack for good material. I was READY for the whole world to unfold after book one, and dive deeper into a well-crafted web of politics, magic, and relationships.
I genuinely don't understand why it all went so wrong.
WHERE it all went so wrong is clear, on the other hand. That would be the magic tournament, which took up almost all of book two for no real reason.
Book three suffers from... so many things. But most of all it suffers because it tries to give us
• Holland's backstory
• Rhy and Alucard's star-crossed romance
• The king and queen as actual, dynamic characters instead of cutouts
• Background on Rhy grappling with his and Kell's magical bond
• Literally any reason to care about side characters like Ojka, Losen, Kell's guard whose name started with an H, and Tieren
ALL AT THE LAST SECOND of the series.
And, on top of that, mostly through ponderous, navel-gazing flashbacks. The only marginally well-executed one here is Holland's backstory, because I can see why it makes sense that we got it now and not before.
The others NEED to have been at least laid as groundwork earlier. It's truly egregious that we waited to spare one shred of narrative interest in the king and queen as people and pushed off dealing with Rhy's angst regarding his raised-from-the-dead status to book three, when book two was RIGHT THERE. What were we doing all that time?!?! Nothing! Playing little gladiator games that didn't end up mattering a BIT.
A Gathering of Shadows was literally just an anime beach episode.
Because of this, we end up trying to shoehorn all of this unearned pathos and emotional investment into book three. It doesn't fit and just reads like the author beating you over the head with a cardboard sign that says YOU HAVE TO CARE ABOUT THIS THING.
You're too late, Ms. Schwab! I don't care!
The character development coming off as a sloppy afterthought to the Cool And Very Important Magic Fights of book two was the true, massive failing of this book -- but hardly the only one.
I have several other gripes.
First, I'm not going to talk about this too much because you all already know, but... Lila Bard is truly intolerable.
One of the worst characters I have ever had the misfortune to encounter. In book one she was annoying, but I was like okay! Great! She's growing, and we're going to see her become a person beyond her snarky little selfish thief persona... Nope. Book two regressed her right back to the beginning and she pretty much never changed again.
Only NOW she's a snarky little selfish thief with vast amounts of power. And somehow she's wildly capable in a way that the other Antari often fail to be, even though she's just discovered her power and they've been training for years. I love an overpowered character honestly, and I would love this if she weren't so ANNOYING in a way that makes me want to violently murder her.
Second, not only is Lila annoying but incredibly, almost every meaningful character interaction produces shockingly high level of nails on a chalkboard.
Lila's cartoonishly villainous hatred for Holland. Kell and Alucard's cartoonish rivalry. To a lesser degree, Kell and Holland's friction. Alucard and Lila's cartoonish "we talk violent to each other but actually have a deep and abiding bond" *wink* dynamic.
All of this seems like it was written to come off as witty and snappy and smart, but it's not. It's overdone, grating, and painful. Again, this feels like flash and aesthetic prioritized over meaningful character moments and interaction.
Third, the actual style of the prose.
I don't know if I have ever brought this up in any review ever before, and that's because I do NOT care. Under normal circumstances, the technique of the writing itself is just the cinnamon tography through which I consume the story. It's a background concern for me almost all the time.
The problem here was that I could not stop noticing it, even when I tried. The tryhard stylistic choices kept intruding on my attention like an irritating little chip in one of my fingernails right before I bite it off in a fit of rage.
The stabs at being lyrical and poetic. Like, I could SEE the sentence attempting to crank out a stirring John Williams theme. But you know when poetry just doesn't hit? You can see where it was going, but it just doesn't go there, and instead it misses "fresh and hard-hitting" and lands on "sappy and cringe"? It can be entirely a matter of personal taste and is such a fine line anyway, but for me this was definitely too far towards cringe.
In concrete terms, the worst offender was where the book would go:
*something shocking happens, a death or betrayal involving Character*
[Character] who [sentimental description 1].
[Character] who [sentimental description 2, slightly longer].
[Character] who [sentimental description 3, longest of all this time].
I only started counting about halfway through, but it was at least six times just in the latter half of the book. This setup is a little bit over the top in the first place, but once I would be fine with. Even twice you might be able to get away with it. But approximately A DOZEN times in ONE book?
No. Pick another trick, please.
Fourth and last, was just the number of plot threads and cool things that went absolutely nowhere.
The most offensive of these was Kell having the opportunity to solve the mystery of his past, and just deciding, Eh, don't really care that much anymore. This is a valid choice for Kell to make, but it did NOT feel satisfying or earned. If this had come as the conclusion of an arc built through book two or even the beginning of book three, where his adopted family confronted their issues and Kell came to find a confident and emotionally secure place among them, then this would have actually been great.
Instead, nothing was ever solved in the Maresh family, and this moment felt like a half-baked resolution because the author didn't have time to actually deliver on plot promises made in earlier books.
There were several other things that felt really random. Notably, the king's secret spell thing? He spent all that time being mysterious and planning something awesome that culminated in him taking up the mantle of his bloody youth and sallying forth in a moment as dramatic as Aragorn and Theoden's last ride at Helm's Deep... for that? Really? (view spoiler) This was a very record scratch moment, and seemed contrived for no reason other than to (view spoiler)
Honestly, as I write this I've literally just thought of two more annoying things to mention. But it's better to just end it here.
I know this book is extremely beloved, and I can see why this series stands out so much in people's minds. All the compelling dynamics and characters I listed at the beginning SHOULD have come together to create a truly unique, vibrant adventure. I'm glad that, for a whole lot of readers, they did and kind of bummed that I wasn't one of them.
Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments by T.L. Huchu
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I have absolutely zero concept of what happened in this book.
Ropa continues to try to make money and always fail in a way that is almost too pat, like Wile E. Coyote predictably failing to catch the Roadrunner. There wasn't much ghost-talking or client-taking at all, which was sad. I really enjoyed that in the first book.
Aside from that... I'm not sure I can even comment.
There were some magic fights, a lot of running around on a bicycle, some random posh kids in comas, some financial wangling, different banking institutions, Ropa doing a lot of low-level crime that it seems like she shouldn't need to based on her new position... But what did it all MEAN? I don't know. If anything, things hinted at in book one became even murkier here, rather than clearer.
I'm happy to listen to Ropa natter on using about 50% words I've never heard before. It's strangely mesmerizing, and I continue to like her character and personality. But yeah, plot? Never heard of her.
Ropa continues to try to make money and always fail in a way that is almost too pat, like Wile E. Coyote predictably failing to catch the Roadrunner. There wasn't much ghost-talking or client-taking at all, which was sad. I really enjoyed that in the first book.
Aside from that... I'm not sure I can even comment.
There were some magic fights, a lot of running around on a bicycle, some random posh kids in comas, some financial wangling, different banking institutions, Ropa doing a lot of low-level crime that it seems like she shouldn't need to based on her new position... But what did it all MEAN? I don't know. If anything, things hinted at in book one became even murkier here, rather than clearer.
I'm happy to listen to Ropa natter on using about 50% words I've never heard before. It's strangely mesmerizing, and I continue to like her character and personality. But yeah, plot? Never heard of her.
Calamity by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Done at last, and honestly better than expected. 3.5 stars.
This takes us to yet another city. The team is trying to figure out the final missing piece of worldbuilding and in doing so, figure out what to do about Prof.
I was invested at this point in the worldbuilding mystery. The whole time I am just raving to know WHAT IT IS that makes all this make sense. And also inexplicably, even though Prof exists more as a cardboard cutout than a real character, he's my favorite so I was interested in his storyline. This meant that I had the easiest time reading this book than either of the other two in the series.
The ending action and reveal(s) were good. There were an odd amount of things left just up in the air like, okay, I guess we're not explaining that. But this didn't make anything less emotionally satisfying, and I think it's fair, because I'm sure it would take at least three more books to get the full story. I'm glad there aren't three more books.
David was better here than ever, really, although Megan being back did up the annoyingness level. It objectively wasn't too bad, but I just had a long stretch in book two of their dynamic being blissfully absent, so I had forgotten how irritating they can be.
Overall, this book did what I wanted it to do, but this series remains my least favorite Sanderson work yet.
This takes us to yet another city. The team is trying to figure out the final missing piece of worldbuilding and in doing so, figure out what to do about Prof.
I was invested at this point in the worldbuilding mystery. The whole time I am just raving to know WHAT IT IS that makes all this make sense. And also inexplicably, even though Prof exists more as a cardboard cutout than a real character, he's my favorite so I was interested in his storyline. This meant that I had the easiest time reading this book than either of the other two in the series.
The ending action and reveal(s) were good. There were an odd amount of things left just up in the air like, okay, I guess we're not explaining that. But this didn't make anything less emotionally satisfying, and I think it's fair, because I'm sure it would take at least three more books to get the full story. I'm glad there aren't three more books.
David was better here than ever, really, although Megan being back did up the annoyingness level. It objectively wasn't too bad, but I just had a long stretch in book two of their dynamic being blissfully absent, so I had forgotten how irritating they can be.
Overall, this book did what I wanted it to do, but this series remains my least favorite Sanderson work yet.