Nichole
Series 3 of the year complete.
I have a lot of conflicting thoughts about this book and trilogy as a whole. For starters, I'm absolutely obsessed with Laini Taylor's writing. She has a way with words that draws you right in and keeps you hooked. The prose and imagery she weaves with her words is perfection and I cannot wait to read anything and everything else she publishes.
That being said this book completed suffered from trying to do way too much. This book introduced so many new complexities and layers to the world that I think Laini took on too much with this final installment. There were so many instances where this book dragged and seemed to have no true direction. I felt like this book had even more info dump than the first book.
So while I love the world and the characters and was eager to see what would happen to them, this book was fairly unsatisfying for me. I think there was just too much going on and not enough conclusion for me. This book definitely left the door wide open for a sequel or spin-off and I'm not sure how I feel about that with how disappointing this final installment was.
So basically, I love the writing in this book and I love the characters, but the plot was just too much for me. The story seemed to go in too many different directions for my taste. This trilogy as a whole was still really good though, this final book was did not live up to the other two books.
I actually enjoyed this one a lot more than Breathe. I think it is because I could relate more to the two characters (Marcus and Low) more than Jax and Sadie. This series is still your typical New Adult romance and is beyond predictable and cheesy at times, but they are great when you are in the mood for some fluffy romance. I've been reading a lot of fantasy and dense books lately, so I flew through this lighter read.
I definitely cannot wait to start the next book where we get to see Cage. I also really hope we get to see more of the other couples as we move through this series. Sadie and Jax had a few appearances but not as many as I would have liked. But the cast of characters in this series is huge so I understand why it focuses almost entirely on the main couple.
4.5 StarsThis was a great retelling of some of my favorite characters, Sherlock and Watson. I really enjoyed Brittany Cavallaro's take on these characters using their descendants as the main characters. This was a really well done debut novel that I basically read in one sitting. I've lately really gotten into Sherlock retellings reading [b:Jackaby 20312462 Jackaby (Jackaby, #1) William Ritter https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1410170969s/20312462.jpg 28147221] and [b:Lock & Mori 24885790 Lock & Mori (Lock & Mori, #1) Heather W. Petty https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1435188368s/24885790.jpg 26757948]. This book definitely kept me enthralled and invested in these characters and their quest. The writing in this book was really well done and there were a lot of great witty phrases. For me the best part of the writing was the dialogue. It was so well done and made the story. The only real issue I had with this book was the pop culture references. I only mind them because it dates the book and makes it relevant now, but potentially not in the future. However, I cannot wait to read more from these characters and see what Jamie and Charlotte get up to next, I believe this is a trilogy and I'm already eagerly awaiting the next installment.Completely, unrelated but the epilogue to this book is spot on. It really tied the entire story together and made it that much better. It also helped to really sum up Charlotte and Jamie's relationship. Also can we please get more Charlotte POV in the next book, I would love to see things from both of their perspectives rather than just Jamie's.
I have finally finished this series (I'm not counting Fairest or Stars Above when I say series)! And I'm only really 4 months late for this one!
I have a lot of conflicting thoughts about this series as a whole, it definitely had its ups and downs and grew on me as I completed each book. That being said, this book was a beast all on its own. For starters, it is massive at over 800 pages. Going into the book, I'm not sure what I was expecting, but the story and plot really seemed to drag for me. We were leading up to this epic revolution and fight against the Queen, but I felt like there was a lot of filler and just unnecessary drama and kidnapping.
So while this book dragged and I lost interest at times, I still really love these characters. I don't think I had enough time to really get to know Winter and Jacin, but I still feel like they are an integral part to this cast that I have come to adore. Cress and Kai continue to be my favorite people in the gang, but each member has their peculiarities that I love.
I'm so in love with this book. I loved the writing, the characters, and the story. A Tale of Two Cities is one of my favorite books of all time and Sarah Rees Brennan has crafted this amazing retelling of the classic story. She definitely made it her own with amazing characters, doppelgangers, and magic.
Even though I knew how this was going to end and I knew I was in for a world of hurt, I still was not prepared for just how horrible the ending was going to be. And I say that in a completely positive way. This story still managed to shock me in every way and I truly felt for the characters as they went through their own Revolution.
This story really gets at who you are and what you are willing to do both for your beliefs and the people you care about. Lucie, Ethan, and Carwyn each had complex backstories and situations that lead them to this story and how everything unfolded. There were so many choices that led to what unfolded and how it unfolded.
That being said, while I knew how the general story was going to go, there were still many twists and turns that kept me guessing as to how exactly things were going to unfold. I'm so lucky that I got an ARC of this book and I cannot recommend it enough to people. Especially fans of A Tale of Two cities and fantasy books. Plus this book has amazing writing and so many gorgeous quotes throughout. I have so many post-it notes lining my ARC in places where I loved the writing.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 Stars
So the short part of this review is that I loved this book. Now you might be asking yourself, if you loved it why did it only get 3.5 Stars, so let me explain. This world and these characters are are so complex and flushed out and Demetrios's writing made the real to me. I was able to fully immerse myself in the world of the Jinni and the Dark Caravan. This book kept my full attention and I hated the times I had to put it down to study, sleep, or go to class. But I'm also glad I was able to take my time when reading this and have time to think about the world and characters outside of actively reading.
That being said I had a few issues with this book. The world is incredibly complex and while there was a glossary of sorts at the beginning that still was not enough to truly accustom myself to the world and the culture. The first 40-50 pages of this book were pure info dump, I love complex worlds with great world building and this world definitely needed that. Instead, I felt like all this information was being shoved down my throat and I did not retain half of it. I instead relied on the characters and the plot to help piece together what I missed in the info dump.
If I did not have such a problem with this first 50ish pages of this book, it would have been a 4.5-5 star read, but I really cannot overlook how much the beginning irritated me.
Another thing I want to mention is the whole slave/master thing that is going on with this. There are times were it is disturbing and I questioned where Demetrios was headed, but I was confident that everything would be handled correctly. It still was a little bothersome in some places, but overall I think we always knew that Nalia was in control and making her own decisions given her circumstances. I also am very intrigued to see how this whole working with Malek thing is going to go moving forward. Especially with Raif's presence clearly there.
I cannot wait until my copy of Blood Passages arrives so I can continue to follow these characters on their quest and see where it leads them. I'm expecting more surprising reveals and more connections being made and cannot wait to see where the story goes.
I finally finished this. And I continue to be super impressed by Laini Taylor's writing and world. There are so many layers to both the world and the characters that I'm constantly in awe of how it all comes together.
This book was definitely slow and not as action packed and exciting as the first book. This book focused a lot on preparations and setting up what I expect to be an epic finale. I think I may start Dreams of Gods and Monsters right away, just to finish up the trilogy and not leave another series unfinished.
I wanted to give this book 5 stars, I really did. But I honestly cannot since I figured out the thing half way through the book. I also am not a fan of the continued love triangle throughout the book. I guarantee it will heat up even more in the second book. Other than those two issues though, this book was amazing.
There was so much world building and history to the world and I enjoyed every second of it. Sara Raasch did an amazing job immersing us into her world and the characters' lives. It was fascinating to learn the history of the different kingdoms and how everything came to be the way it was.
I also really loved the characters in this book. Meira, Mather, and Theron were each unique and struggling with what the world handed them and I really liked getting to know them and how they dealt with everything in their own way.
This book was a great mix of world building and action all woven into this great fantasy world. I devoured this book reading it basically in one setting. And I cannot wait to continue on with the series in Ice Like Fire.
I'm flying through these books and I have to say, this one has been my favorite so far. I really love this cast of characters and all the connections between them. Cress has definitely moved up there though in terms of favorite characters in this series. I also really love all the interactions between Cress and Thorne and how their relationship developed.
I also really love how Winter was introduced in this installment before we focus on her in the final book. I need to finish a few other books, but then I will definitely be getting to Winter so I can finish this series and see how it all ends.
I definitely enjoyed this more than Cinder, but I really am not a fan of Scarlet. She is just a little bit too much for me. She grew on me a bit toward the end of the book, but for the most part she is very self-centered and only focused on one thing. That being said, Captain Thorne is a great character. I really loved his friendship with Cinder. Those two definitely made this book really enjoyable.
I really liked how expanded the world became in this book. It was not just Cinder and Kai we were following, now there are a bunch more characters that all connect somehow.
I'm really hoping to marathon this series and read and finish Cress and Winter right away, but not sure that will actually happen.
This was such an entertaining book. While it took a bit for me to fall in love with the characters and the world, once it did I was hooked and loved every second. Since this is the first book in the series, there is a lot of character development and world development. I think the plot was a little thin in terms of excitement and a true mystery to be solved. However, I loved the relationships that we saw and how they changed, especially with Alexia and Lord Maccon.
I cannot wait to start the next book and see what the pair get up to next. This book was definitely full of supernatural, witty humor and amazing characters.
There are so many times were sequels do not live up to the previous books, this was not one of the instances. This book was amazing, even better than the first in many ways. This trilogy is shaping up to be one of my favorites of all time. There are so many characters that I have fallen in love with and need to know everything about.
This book dived further into the world, plus we got expansive information on the origin story of the Tearling. It was fascinating to watch the story unfold and reveals to surprise me, but also make perfect sense. Kelsea never ceases to amaze me as she fights for her people.
That being said, the fact that I have to wait almost an entire year now for the final book is killing me. I still have so many more questions and need so much more from this world. I can honestly say, I have no idea where this series is going, but I'm stoked to find out.
Finally, I need to know who Kelsea's father is. I was convinced at two different points in this book we were going to find out, but we did not.
I've heard so much about this book so I was super excited to finally get my hands on it (Thanks EJ!). And I have to say this book was not what I was expecting. It was very slow and methodical as we came to know the world and the characters. I am a huge fan of political intrigue and politics especially at court, so the majority of the plot was fascinating to me.
However, I feel like I did not get to know the characters as much as I would like. Laurent is still a huge mystery to me and there is so much more I want to know. The one thing we do know is that Laurent and Damen are both strong-headed guys who are beyond snarky. There interactions were spot on and constantly had me smiling to myself. We all know this is a romance and it is clearly a very slow-burning one. They still have so much to learn about one another and have only made a small dent in their relationship.
I'm definitely looking forward to the rest of this trilogy, especially with how this one ended. I also have heard that Prince's Gambit is even better than this one which is exciting.
3.5 Stars
This was a very predictable story but it was also a very addicting read. Jax and Sadie were so stupidly adorable together that I flew through this book. This was basically the first new adult book I have read and I have to say I enjoyed it for what it was. These books are not amazing pieces of literature, but they are nice light reads when you are in the mood for them. I definitely will be reading more in this series.
4.5 Stars
Initial Thoughts: This book was amazingly well written and had great characters. I really appreciated how this story progressed and how we came to know more about Karou and Akiva. I appreciated the changing POVs since it really helped bring the two characters' stories together. This book ended with a huge cliffhanger so I'm glad I have the next book to immediately start reading to see what happens next to Karou and Akiva. There is still a lot to find out about the Chimaera and Angels. I'm really looking forward to diving further into this world and read more of Laini Taylor's amazing writing. I love her writing style and love how descriptive and imaginative she is.
I really love this series. While not every installment is amazing, the depth and complexity of the series as a whole is amazing. I'm obsessed with this world that Sherrilyn Kenyon has crafted and each installment of the Chronicles of Nick makes me want to pick up the Dark Hunters series. This installment was shorter than others in the series but it still contained a lot of information about what Nick was facing and foreshadowed what is to come.
Again this book focuses on a single day in Nick's life, it is interesting how much can happen to Nick in a single day. I'm sad we did not get to see much of Thorn, Kyrian, or Archeon in this installment, but we did meet a few new characters that I'm looking forward to learning even more about in the coming books.
Initial Thoughts: This was such an important book after the way things were left in Winger. This book was definitely darker than Winger, but it still had the quirky Ryan Dean that I have come to love. I think Stand-Off had a bit more substance in terms of plot since Ryan Dean was dealing with a lot in his senior year. Another aspect of this book that I truly loved was Sam Abernathy. Right from the beginning you knew he was going to be a great edition to Ryan Dean's life. Sam definitely added a lot of laughs to the story even when it was juxtaposed with Ryan Dean's difficulties.
So this was my second Brandon Sanderson book, and I would love to compare it to The Final Empire, but I find that I cannot. The Final Empire is a completely different beast. Truly the only similarities are the author and the nonstop action. It does not take long at all to get into this book, right from the start you are thrown into the battle against the Epics and the story of David and the Reckoners.
The cast of characters in this book is great. Each one had their own quirks and abilities that added to the team. Together, their created this epic group that I loved reading about. To me the characters are what really made this book so great to me. While I loved the plot and the premise, I really enjoyed the characters and their stories. David is a great main character. He is nerdy (but not really), impulsive, dedicated, and inventive. It really was the heart of the team and kept everyone hopeful that they would succeed.
This book had a lot of twists and turns that I was not expecting and that kept me glued to the pages. This book also was had a very nice conclusion to it. It still left me wanting to know what happens after, but there was a sense of resolution following the book's events.
Overall, this is a fantastic fantasy book about your anti-heroes and it was written extremely well. Brandon Sanderson has a way with words and crafting stories and characters that leaves you satisfied but still wanting more. I cannot wait to pick up Firefight and see what David and crew are up to next. Especially with that title and knowing what we know at the end of the book.
Initial Thoughts: This was such a well thought out book. There were so many intricacies to it and so many plots and subplots, twits and turns. I really loved Barrie and Eight, they were the focal point of this great cast of characters on Watson Landing.
I also really appreciated that the book ended with a true ending, while I know there is more to the story, there was at least a partial conclusion with this first installment.
This was an amazing book. While it started off fairly slow and I was not sure where it was going, once it really got to the plot and what was happening, everything clicked and I loved every aspect of the story. This book is highly unique in how it tells the story of Kady and Ezra. I loved how every page was filled with something different, whether it was a chat log, video transcript, email transmissions, or readouts from an AI. This was a great reading experience unlike anything else I have ever read.
That being said, the first 150 pages or so of this book were a struggle for me. I felt that we were place in this world with little background and immediately were thrust into this story about this evil corporation attacking a hidden colony. It took me a while to come to love the characters and understand them and what their goals were. But let me tell you, once that happened I did not want to put this book down.
I have no idea where the rest of this series is going to go moving forward, but I'm excited to see what happens next with this characters and this unique storytelling. This book is also massive which may scare you when you see it, but just remember it is not your typical book with words covering every page completely. Since it is chat logs and other documents, it is a quicker read than most books. The size of the book should not at all factor into your choosing to read this.
Finally, I just want to comment on the plot and the story itself. I have no idea how you would classify this book other than saying it is an epic space adventure. There are so many aspects to this book, whether it is the survival aspect, the science fiction space aspect, or the technical computer aspect. There were so many layers to this story and how it was told. I'm not the most technical person, but I had no problem following some of the more technical aspects of this book. I think this was mostly accomplished through the dossier style of the book and the idea that the documents would need to be simplified for that.
I'm very conflicted on how to rate and review this book. But for now I'm going with 3.5 stars. This may change after I have some some to digest and write a full review. But I will say that while the plot was lacking and abrupt in many ways, the messages throughout the book were extremely important and made this book that much more.
I really enjoy Lindsay Smith's writing style and her vision when it comes to stories. This book had many parallels to Sekret in terms of spies and espionage, but this book was a political fantasy espionage book whereas Sekret was more paranormal/magical realism espionage. Dreamstrider was full of amazing imagery and fantastic characters. There was a slight lack of world-building, but for a standalone fantasy book, this is almost expected.
Our main character Livia was so refreshing compared to many other YA heroines. She was flawed in so many ways and not the best or brightest, but still did things herself and attempted to be independent. I also really enjoyed the other characters around Livia, including Vera, Brandt, and even Professor Hesse. They each added to the story and helped explained both what was currently happening and past events. I also appreciated that while there is romance in this book, that is not the focal point (and bonus points for no insta-love). This was more about Livia learning about herself and about protecting her home country.
Other than the deficits in world-building, I did not have any major issues with this book as a whole. The ending seemed a little rushed, but again that is somewhat expected in a standalone. And I know that is not a good excuse but there are so few standalones, especially in fantasy and paranormal genres, that I really do appreciate the books that are.
That being said, I would love another book in this world. It doesn't even have to follow the same characters. I'm just fascinated both by the idea of dreamstriding and the different cultures we are exposed to in this world. You have the Tunnelers and the Barstadt Empire, along with the two neighboring kingdoms.