Jai Sedai
3.50/5.00
A Crown of Swords is an interesting choice for the name of this book. I have mixed feelings about this book of the wheel of time. While there are some plotlines which had interesting developments, a few were downright confusing. Some great moments, some satisfying conclusions, some unsatisfying “conclusions”, moderate worldbuilding, and slowed down pacing. A Crown of Swords is a “meh”.
Plot -> I enjoyed the Nynaeve-Elayne Plotline. Nynaeve finally gets rid of her block! But I was so disappointed... Is that all ? So she just went to the brink of death and then suddenly she surrendered... After reading Theodrin's story of getting her block removed, I was expecting something more meaningful. I actually had this theory that Nynaeve's block will break if she cuts her braid.... lol. That would have still been better than what happened here. Mat's plot line was so much fun and so much horror! Very unexpected for a WoT book, but it was certainly interesting to read. Egwene plays a smaller role here.. pretty much pointless for her to be in this book. Moghedien's plot was fun. Rand was bonkers in this book. The power is getting to his head. I did not quite follow the whole Illian invasion thing. It looks like Rand sends the spears to Illian earlier in the book, and then suddenly the attack is failing cause Rand was unconscious, and then somehow he invades anyway.. I think the whole Illian plot line was poorly executed. Worldbuilding -> Not much of new worldbuilding here. I was hoping for more with the Sea Folk, but it kind of felt really flat. The Wise Woman worldbuilding took so many pages! So slow! The magic system does not develop much. I am disappointed that RJ did not provide any answers in this book. He started new plot lines and mysteries but he failed to answer at least some of the world building questions. Every WoT book has had some good stuff in it.. Not much Tel'aran'rhiod in this book, which is disappointing. Character Dev - > Mat wins this category, I just love him. Loved the Mat-Birgitte friendship, loved how he protected his friends no matter how badly they treated him. Rand goes through so much in this book, the PTSD, the clausterphobia! The corruption of all the power that he is amassing.. His never ending battle with putting women in danger (although I think this should be a lesson that he should have learned by now), and finally the self-loathing.. .which is what RJ is going for so job well done. Cadsuane was fun! Sammael is so confusing! I am disappointed with Lan. He is treated like a piece of meat in this book, by all the women who control his life. Why does he let Nynaeve treat him like that... Instead of thanking him for saving her ass from the river, she just hits and slaps him! What a horrible person (I agree with Mat on this lol, at least someone acknowledged how awful she is). There is not much Elayne POV here so I could not appreciate her very much. Prose -> The pacing is slowing down.. but there are some really good things in the book. RJ's writing is pretty much the same, but I think he fumbled the ending here. The Mat-Nynaeve-Elayne part was written very well. The Ending for Rand was not done well at all.. The battle for Illian was a let down. Emotional Impact -> mixed for me... I did really enjoy the moment where the bubble of evil attacks Rand and Cadsuane.... It was finally Aes Sedai and Rand working together. Elayne taking command of the Aes Sedai was good. Mat's POV in general was fun and the whole thing about his rape was weird when the way Elayne reacts to it! OMG!
4.50/5.00
Okay I was bawling my eyes out at the end. The science is spectacular, especially the dust storm moment! OMG!
A spectacular read, edge of the seat adventure, and raw science! I love it.
Plot -> a rather simple overarching story, but filled with brilliant plot elements and amazing science. It's simply astounding that this entire genre of science fiction is essentially reborn with this book. High stakes Adventure filled with intense science and yet totally approachable.
World building -> for a sci-fi book, the world building is rather limited to the nature of story, but Andy weir does an amazing job of what this book needs.
Characters/theme -> I'm rating on the basis of this book being hard sci-fi, which is more thematic than character based. Mark's character is so well developed, I love his humor. I wish there was a touch of sadness in him, at least in some instances, which would have been perfect. But he maintains his good humor interspersed by frustration throughout the book, which is a bit shy of perfection for me. Mark does reflect on his loneliness sometimes, and ponders the wonders of what he is doing, which is the best moment in the book for me. There were a so many good side characters, Lewis and Vogul topping that list.
Prose -> pretty normal everyday prose. Well written, super appropriate and keeps the book a page turner.
Emotional impact -> I cried. Bawled at the end. But otherwise the book was pretty good. I'd say project Hail Mary is better. Thematically this one is better.
4.50/5.00
Never have I read a story so perfectly written. In just 127 pages, Brandon Sanderson has managed to create two (or three including the Emperor) of the most fascinating characters I have ever read in Fantasy. I don't know if I want more or not, but I got what was perfect. Brandon created a beautiful and concise magic system, that is so well explained and developed in such a short story! This is my favorite story from the Lord Ruler.
This is the first and only book I have thrown a perfect character score.
SPOILERS!!
Story/Plot -> This is a short story, and hence the story is rather simple, but perfectly chosen for the concept. A little reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes in a heist story, but with perfect character flaws.
Worldbuilding-> For a short story the worldbuilding is good, the magic system is very well done, better than Elantris by far, which begs the high score here. If it wasn't for the “skeleton” soldiers, I might have given a higher score.
Character Development -> Shai is wonderfully flawed, and this is story is totally competence porn for this character. I loved the relationship between the Gao and Shai, I actually teared up when she mentioned her “grandfather” idea. It highlighted her loneliness, and how much she connected with him.
Prose/Dialogue -> Great writing, super competent and perfect for this story.
Emotional Impact -> I enjoyed it very much, nearly teared up a point. Great Short story! Except for the skeleton warriors.
4.50/5.00
Let the Lord of Chaos Rule!
I am going to sound like a broken record here, when I say that this book is exactly like the last two books. Incredibly complex plotlines, outstanding worldbuilding, satisfying character moments, and shocking twists and turns, while we have to suffer through terribly written romance and romantic drama. Character developments improves significantly from the other books.
Glory to the Lord Dragon! Hail the Asha'man!
Kneel to the Lord Dragon or you will be Knelt!Story/Plot -> Egwene's plot is the most satisfying in this book. The story surged ahead with for Nyneave, Egwene and Elayne (finally!). Rand-Taim is fun, Rand-Min is horrible, Perrin-Faile is barely readable and so boring. Some amazing twists, Alanna!, Nicola jumping in! Elaida's plan was pretty impressive. I enjoyed the plot and loved the ending, but there was so many parts of the book [all the romance] where it was not even readable... I could have tolerated Rand-Min. Egwene-Gawyn was actually good! But I cannot take another page of Faile and Perrin. DELETE DELETEWorldbuilding -> Great worldbuilding as usual! Healing, Travelling, Ter'Angreal, Asha'Man, The WHEEL of TIME and the DARK ONE! My god!!! But this one does not make the full 10/10, since I think books 4 and 5 did much better. Character Development -> Egwene steals the show here. The use of her learning Aiel culture, and her moment of clarity to speak the truth, the way she wrenches control from the Salidar Aes Sedai! So satisfying. Finally an Egwene book. I loved Nyneave's changing character. Not so much anger, more frustration and embarrassment, and her PTSD from Moghedien! Rand is truly the Lord of Chaos, so well done. I loved the chaos of Lews Therin in his mind, the Chaos of his battle plans, his choas of trying to install Elayne in Andor, and just Chaos everywhere. Love it! New fav character -> Mazrim Taim (who is probably Demandred)As usual, there are a ton of pointless characters I will never remember. Literally why is Berelain in this book? Just to antagonize Faile ? FAILE I want to DELETE! Prose/Dialogue -> Credit to RJ for toning down the Men-Women commentary here in this book, but it is still there... Romance and associated plotlines are still so cringe, but let's not talk about this again. Some very impressive writing, especially with the ending. Emotional Impact -> I am so confused how to rate this. There were part of the book which loved so much and other parts I could never read again. But the ending was glorious and I love glorious endings. But it also took so long to get there.. so much nonsense in the second half!
2.50/5.00
As a first book of Brandon Sanderson, Elantris is impressive. Evaluated on its own, Elantris is a disappointment. The book started great, setting up a predictable outcome, but failed to deliver on most of the promises. Raoden's character started out interesting, but became very predictable and one dimensional. Sarene was very strong-women tropy.. The worldbuilding was interesting, but when the mystery was releaved, I was kind of disappointed.
5.00/5.00 “Far Dareis Mai carries your honor, and you take ours away”.
The fifth installment of the Wheel of Time is rich in worldbuilding and filled with crazy twists and turns. As a welcome surprise, there is an excellent battle scene in the book, which superseded expectation and was woven beautifully in to the plot. However, Robert Jordan's writing is a point of frustration. His brilliance in writing a thematic and intricate plot, jaw-dropping twists, super-coherent and satisfying magic system, combined with incredible character moments, is dragged down by repetitive descriptions, innumerable pointless characters, cringeworthy romance and irritating character flaws.
I come out on the largely positive side for this book. The wheel weaves as the wheel wills. Glory be to the Lord Dragon Reborn! Hail Lord Mat!
Story/Plot -> Jaw dropping & unpredictable moments such as Birgette's return, Elayne bonding her as warder, Nyneave tearing Moghedien a new one, Rahvin being the final villain, the incredible battle, Mat killing Couladin, the amnesty and so much more! Even the Aviendha-Rand romance was enjoyable. I am really not enjoying the Elayne-Min-Rand part of this romance. I also cringed at the Elayne-Thom part, WTF was that. Remove romance from these books, and the story would be a perfect 10.Worldbuilding -> No need to rehash the extraordinary worldbuilding in WoT. It is outstanding as usual. The One Power and Tel'aran'rhiod is so well developed in this book, that it is mind blowing. I love how the story weaves around the magic system in such a wonderful way. Characters -> Rand and Moiraine steal the show here. Rand's madness, his relationship with Far Dareis Mai, with Moiraine is outstanding. The gut wrenching Moiraine death leading to Rand's character development is just heaven. I actually liked Galad? wow. On the other hand, listening to Nyneave's thoughts and opinions on men are just so vexing. If it wasn't for Rand and Moiraine, I would have dropped this score. And what a character moment for the Far Daries Mai leader Sulin! Dialogue/Prose -> I feel like the writing gets really bad in some places, but is decent overall The whole thing about Rand-Aviendha-Elayne-Min "romance" is just cringe worthy to read. Every time Rand is attracted to a woman, why does he have to talk about Min and Elayne ? I get what Robert Jordan is trying to do. He wants Rand to have three wives, a blonde, a red head and a brunette, which is just cringe for me. I would just go back and delete all romance from WoT books. And why does every female character think men are stupid ? Why do all the men think women are crazy? Why does it have to be stated and reminded every 5 mis ? Why is everyone so angry and violent ? Why do we need so much recap ? Why is every other female character described as "plump" (the only time to use this adjective is to describe a tomato!) ? Why do we care so much about necklines and dress colors ? I have decided to just accept this style of writing and adjust my expectations. I wanted to throw an above average score here, but I am going to give RJ the bonus for the dream world writing, the battle scenes, which are just excellent. Emotional Impact -> I really enjoyed the worldbuilding, the battles, the plot twists and the ending. I struggled with the writing here, but it didn't "bother" me as much as I just noticed the problems and wished it was better. Moiraine stole the show for me. This book scores high for her.
4.50/5.00
This is one of the most creative books I have come across. With its numerous quotable lines, beautiful and highly efficient prose, and yes some good humor, small gods is an excellent read. It is also my first entry into Discworld.
SPOLIERS!
Story/Plot
I cannot imagine a creative, inventive story as this one. The idea of a story of a god having a redemption arc and learning to be a better god is endlessly fascinating. The ending where a sort of Magna Carta is created with a God, not a King is just brilliant.
Worldbuilding/Magic System
This is an easy one. The concept of the discworld, the astronomy, the powers of gods and small gods.. so many great examples. I will say that the focus of this book is not Worldbuilding, but the satire, the social commentary and messaging and the story. But small gods did a fantastic job of what it needed to do.
Character Dev
I just loved the Om character, just loved him. He is funny AF. I didn't quite resonate with Brutha as much as I did with Om, but I appreciated him and the wonderful representation of an Autistic character, and he goes through a brilliant story arc.
Dialogue/Prose
Efficient, amazing, quotable, witty, humorous! no need to explain. Here is my fav line -> “like an atheist in a thunderstorm” lol.
Emotional Impact
I enjoyed the book, I did. I read through the second half in one sitting and it was a page turner. But, I was hoping for more humor that what I got, and I think this genre is not my most favorite.. but certainly enjoyable.
5.00/5.00
The shadow rising sets the standard for worldbuilding. The complexity and the intricacy of this epic is hard to believe. The book shocks and awes at moments, and fearlessly wades into places the first three books dare not venture. The book provides so many answers to the numerous questions raised so far, and somehow explodes with new questions. This is unquestionably one of the best fantasy books I have read so far.
WorldbuildingI am starting with an easy one here. My mind is in pieces with all the facts I learned in this book! Tel' aran'rhiod OMG, Rhuidean OMG, the bubbles, the history of Aiel is probably the best worldbuilding moment of the series. I don't know what could beat this. Plot/StoryComing in hot with the most complex and innovative plot lines! Finally a satisfying and interesting Perrin arc, a fascinating Nynaeve-Elayne arc, Rhuidean-Aiel-Rand is fascinating! so many things happened in this book, and I could not predict anything. I had no idea WTF was happening most of the time. I did actually enjoy the Perrin-Faile romance in this book, I though it was funny and it heartfelt at moments. Although I cringed at their romantic reunion at the end.. kind of killed the mood for the battle. But the Elayne-Egwene-Rand romance is hard to swallow, so I am docking a point for this. What a crazy moment when Rand tries to resurrect the dead child!Dialogue/ProsePerrin and Nynaeve's story arcs were written very well. However, I found Rand's story was lacking the necessary details and pacing. Rand's story was often hard to follow, as the sentence structure was weird in some places... I think Robert Jordan deliberately left things hazy.. so we can remain in the same level of confusion as the characters in the book. Maybe this is how it is to read Malazan lol. Also, it looks like Jordan has given up on writing poetic prose.. I doubt any of the books going forward will read like the Great Hunt. I will give RJ a higher score here, as I think the worldbuilding was handled so well. I am getting a tired of Robert Jordan's never ending commentary on the stereotypical behavior of women and men. I get that these books were written 30 years ago and we cannot expect any modern day ideas here.. but his comments are hard to read sometimes. But I see his good intentions. He writes about a world where women and men sharing the power, and how that is the best way to go. But people have character that are not defined or limited by their gender.... Character Dev Perrin easily takes this category. Followed closely by Nyneave. Rand is pretty fascinating too, but he is cloaked in mystery as usual. I don't feel as connected to Rand's character as much as other four. Egwene does a lot of good stuff in the book but takes a back seat along with Mat. The cringe part is the Egwene-Rand-Elayne romance meeting. OMG. So cringe. But I decided to accept this for what it is, a realistic look into how young adults would behave. Emotional ImpactThe book scores high here as well. Very satisfying read. Not quite the same as reading the ending of Great Hunt, but I really enjoyed the worldbuilding and the Nynaeve-Mohidean battle, as well as the story of Lord Perrin. The history of Aiel moment is one of the greatest fantasy chapters I have ever read. For that reason, this book scored high.
4.00/5.00
The Dragon Reborn is a journey of the characters, their self-discovery, their emotional growth, of adventure, and of learning their own power. It is in this part of the book where Robert Jordan has delivered an exceptional story. The worldbuilding/magic system development has some jaw dropping moments, just as I hoped. The story of Nyneave, Egwene and Elayne is the most interesting and the most satisfying, with Mat's character development being quite spectacular.
On the down side, Robert Jordan really cannot write Romance.... and I didn't get the glorious ending that I wanted, it was good, but not as glorious as the Great Hunt.
WorldbuildingThere is a ton of magic system development in this, balefire, the FUCKING quantum mechanics of Mat!, Black Ajah, dream world, tar-angreal... there is so much here! This book deserves the high score. Story/PlotWhile I think Nyneave-Egwene-Elayne and Mat-Thom story lines were very impressive, I think the Perrin plot is a big miss. It started off great but went into boring territory and slid into downright cringe moments where the Falcon romance started.. Ughhhh... Robert Jordan cannot write romance. And how many are we going to "kill" Ba'alzamon? And how many will we split and rejoin and try again ? Dialogue/ProseThe prose in this book is similar to the books before, but I didn't feel any particular example stood out to me. I also noticed a lot of repetitive descriptions..... I always enjoy Robert Jordan's painting a picture with words approach, and I get that he wants us to experience this story as we would if we were a third person observer of events. I am mostly okay with this.. but the writing could have been better.. the last couple chapters could have been more glorious and more poetic.. Character DevSolid character development for all character development for all! Even if Rand's POV is like only 3% of the book I though his state of mind and his "madness" was so well depicted. I loved the scene where he just attacks some people with a flaming sword in paranoia! I also totally get his anger and frustration at the end and how his defeat of Ishamael finally made him accept himself. "I am the Dragon Reborn!" MAT MAT MAT, I loved this character! no more words needed. Emotional ImpactI would say my emotional impact is a bit low, I was really thrown off by the Perrin storyline and the cringe-worthy romance, and the repetitive killing of Ba'alzamon... And I am a bit disappointed at how the last few chapters didn't really deliver the glory of the Great Hunt, but it could have!
4.50/5.00
Burn me, light burn me. After reading the eye of the world, I expected something simple and familiar from the wheel of time. Wrong, very much I am. The Great Hunt is a sprawling, massively world building, glorious beginning of the epic fantasy that is the Wheel of Time. I absolutely love Robert Jordan's writing, the words are so poetic and classy. I can't focus enough to write down any criticism.
The Wheel Weaves as the Wheel Wills. The Dragon is Reborn. The Lord of the Dawn will be our salvation.
That ending though!
WorldbuildingThe use of the many worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics in fantasy is the highest point of this book for me. The concept of a multiverse is admittedly a common trope, but I have never read this in epic fantasy before, and more importantly it was DONE SO WELL. It was complex, closer to science than many superhero-versions of this trope. There was a moment where Rand seems to be stuck in a time loop? Not sure what that was. Story/PlotThe best part of the story is the Seanchan and the Sud' Dam Damane elements with Egwene. So intriguing and unpredictable. There was so much story here, I just loved it. I didn't rate this higher because I thought some parts of the story were kind of unflushed. I did not like the children of light arc... it seemed underdeveloped. And did we just kill Ba'alzamon again ? Character Dev Okay this is a tough scoring category for the wheel of time books since character development is so spread out over the 14 books. Taking this into account, I think the character development was very well done. Nynaeve and Eqwane win this easily. Rand's progress is also pretty good, although not as good as the women. I still don't get Ba'alzamon.. he seems so bland.. Dialogue/ProseThe prose was absolute killer. So poetic sometimes. Here are two examples of my fav lines:"By ship and horse the stories spread, by merchant wagon and man on foot, told and retold, changing yet always alike at the heart, to Arad Doman and Tarabon and beyond, of signs and portents in the sky above Falme. And men proclaimed themselves for the Dragon, and other men struck them down and were struck down in turn." "Yet one shall be born to face the Shadow, born once more as he was born before and shall be born again, time without end. The Dragon shall be Reborn, and there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth at his rebirth. In sackcloth and ashes shall he clothe the people, and he shall break the world again by his coming, tearing apart all ties that bind. Like the unfettered dawn shall he blind us, and burn us, yet shall the Dragon Reborn confront the Shadow at the Last Battle, and his blood shall give us the Light. Let tears flow, O ye people of the world. Weep for your salvation."Emotional impactThis is a very satisfying read for me. I loved the worldbuilding, the lore, the epic EPIC final scene! Wowza.... I am stopping myself from giving a higher score cause I think WoT can do better, grander! We'll see.
3.50/5.00
Let me begin this review by stating unequivocally that I have not read the Lord of the Rings, and I have not read any classic-epic fantasy. I deliberately made the decision to start with The Wheel of Time, since the story is largely unknown to me (except for whatever was in the first 2 seasons of the show). as compared to LOTR.
This book was a wonderful journey. For the first time, I was inspired to create page marks as references for the lore. I loved the lore, the cultures, the history and the naming of places and people. I got to experience the breeze of classic-epic fantasy in a very satisfying way. The prose is very good. Robert Jordan had me searching the dictionary so many times! There was a “charm” to the dialogue and the prose that I don't quite find in modern fantasy (lot of doom and gloom and depression there).
The plot was okay, obviously derivative of the fellowship of the ring, but I enjoyed it either way. Character work is “okay” at best. Overall a great read, looking forward to more books. I am such a sucker for strong female characters and I absolutely loved Moraine Sedai, Moraine Aes Sedai!
The wheel weaves as the wheel wills! Awesome!
My fav character was Nyneave, but other than her, I didn't quite take with any of them. I found Rand to be quite bland, and being a boring narrator. I did like some of the comedic relief in the book, which was so rare that I was craving more. Loved Shienar, loved the moment when the gang reunites and there is literally a "mommy Moraine" moment when Rand is so relieved to be under here protection again.
4.50/5.00
I don't know what to say. This book tells me why Brandon Sanderson represents a new age in fantasy. He is unmatched in word building, his stories layered and wound in mystery, unwound in this final of Mistborn Era 1, with much satisfaction.
I still think he can do better with characters. With the exception of chapter 1, the first 40-50% of this book is hard to read as the story very slowly. TBH, I was never able to invest in the characters significantly, with some notable exceptions [TenSoon, Tindywl].
SPOILERS!
I was hoping that the Lord Ruler might return somehow.. and talk !! He is one of the most referenced characters in the book, yet he had the lowest page time. I think he is fav character! Would have loved to see his perspective.
The ending is great, but a little too reminiscent of Christian Mythology. I guess that is to be expected from authors who are of faith.
4.50/5.00
After reading The Well of Ascension, I realize that I have prematurely judged Brandon Sanderson, the Lord Ruler himself. I tired to scale him against others and this is a mistake. The Cosmere is a new chapter in the realm of fantasy literature, and this book, is its herald. The book continues seamlessly from its predecessor, the writing better, the story more character focused. And yet, the book entirely unpredictable. The mystery of this incredible world is exciting. The plot twist and turns, the lore amazes, the story leads with brilliance.
Brandon Sanderson is not a poet, but a brilliant storyteller.
4.00/5.00
This is my first dive into the cosmere. I have always wondered what the hype about Sanderson is, now I see it. This book blows my mind with attention to detail. The complexity of the magic system is the certainly the best part. Some of the action sequences were pretty good. A very satisfying read for fantasy lovers. Vin's character is pretty well developed.
However, the writing was overly simple, the dialogue is okay. I've heard many people tell me that Brandon Sanderson‘s writing has improved in his later books, so I am, hoping the next one will be better.
There were no glorious character moments that I enjoyed. There is one character moment in the book, which could have been amazing but I thought it kind of fell flat. Most of the cast seemed one-dimensional. Kelsier and Vin are properly done. The magic system is thoughtful, creative and spectacular just as you would expect from Brandon Sanderson. Emotionally. It wasn't very impactful, but this is the first book so I'm gonna give the benefit of the doubt.
8.05/10.00
This is book of two tales, of two civilization. One is novel, fascinating, almost fantastical in its plausibility. The story of Portia Labiata is filled with brilliant ideas, page-turning action and world building, science fiction at its finest. The story of the last remnants of humanity is less so. It is filled with a unimpressive narrator, few good ideas and un-investable characters. When the tales collide, the book ends with a satisfying crunch of surprise.
Some of the ideas in this book are simply incredible! The algae-ant satellite, the grey planet, the final nanoviral twist, the planetary dyson ring, the biological tech, the recurring spiders Portia, Bianca and Fabian through the arc of evolution! Brilliant!
4.50/5.00
What an incredible journey! The story of Darrow delights, thrills and touches one deeply. Light Bringer is not the story of the Reaper, not of the Sovereign, not of the Fear Knight. It is the story of Cassius and Darrow, Athena and Ares, Volga and Vagnar, Diomedes and Darrow, and unfortunately, Lysander and Atlas. The characters are real and busting out of the pages. Brilliant storytelling, glorious battles, martin-level dialogue and incredible character moments. Light Bringer is the perfect penultimate book of the red rising saga. Per Aspera Ad Astra.
5.00/5.00
What can I say about this series that I haven't said already? For those who are worried about this book being dark and hard to read. Yes, it's dark and gruesome. But it's entirely engrossing. In the last few chapters I could not sit down and read, I had to walk around and jump and scream as the final battle raged. Pierce Brown has done a spectacular job with dark age, his writing of action and battle is unparalleled.
The new POVs were much more enjoyable in dark age. Darrow-Lysander action is my favorite part of this book, it is better than any other battle in the red rising saga.
On the downside (as minor as it is), the political drama was less impressive than Iron Gold. IMO nothing beats the political scenes with Romulus (Iron Gold, Morning Star). Looking forward to more Moon Lord drama in Light Bringer. Virginia's POV does some of the political drama heavy lifting but it's just her going through stuff.
4.00/5.00
All right, I have an unpopular opinion here. This is the best I've read so far in the red rising saga. Morning star is great, but Iron Gold feels like a different level of greatness. The story matures the characters darker, the plot slowed down and deeper. I love the multiple viewpoints, the senate debates, the high drama of Io, the honorable slavers of outer rim, the complexity of real people vs the good vs evil of the trilogy.
And man, it was exhilarating! When Darrow cries Hail libertas and the gold veterans flip with a Hail Reaper! I was screaming. I haven't felt this rush even while watching action movies.
5.00/5.00
Morning star is an epic. One of the best books I have ever read. Action-packed with an incredible story world and characters. Peirce Brown kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end! And this book my goodman is a masterpiece conclusion to the trilogy. This book might just be better than the first one. The outer rim battle is made for blockbuster movie or TV.
My favorite scene: Roque's deathMy favorite political moment: Roque-Darrow-Mustang-RaaBiggest surprise: Cassius's "Betrayal"Best battle of the entire trilogy: Poet v Helldiver
4.00/5.00
Sometime you experience something and it changes your perspective. Red Rising changed my idea of what a good book should be. I now understand why so many people don't seem to appreciate some of the books I've enjoyed in the past. It's because they have read better, and your expectations rise. Normal does not cut it.
Red rising is powerful, poetic and captivating. I read the entire novel in a day and some change. The book is set in the future, it uses futuristic tech, but this story is about power, the human psyche and it's about humanity. Yes it's sci-fi, but it's more. Yes it's hunger games, but it's more. Yes it's game of thrones, but it's more. Despite all these things, it was wildly romantic.
This one makes it to my top 5 all time books.
6.90/10.00
Solid world-building, exhilarating romance, page-gripping action and a total twist cliffhanger. If could not put this one down. Lots of familiar tropes in the book but somehow reads new. Definitely better than SJM, because one can actually like the main character and she is the hero of the story.
I love that the book is so familiar and yet so completely unpredictable!
But yeah it's not good fantasy. Its Romantacy. Not for the sandarsonians, not for the wheelers.. but for people who were able to enjoy SJM books.
4.00/5.00
Alright so I totally expected this one to be a third book low. What strikes me most is the fact that the book suprised me again and again. Especially the amberson storyline.
But let's get to the good stuff. The final action sequence with rune and lady time was epic. Tower's death was a punch to the heart. I cried during when Rune screamed “Bring the Tower Back” and when he says “he was my father” and when he watched corbie's video. I love how there were so many precious moments between Rune and the Tower throughout the books. It was a wonderful experience to read through it. Not a lot of stories out there with father-son tropes when the son is gay (other than the ones about homophobia). Solid work, author (even though the tower is the most kill-offable character).
Addam and Rune is wonderful as ever. Brand is a hard character for me.. I'm not sure I like him so much.. but his role in the fall of the sun Thorne is quite the twist.
A great read, gripping story and lovable characters, and so emotional
4.00/5.00
What a marvelous piece of fantasy! The world building, the details, the unstoppable force of this story, the emotions! The drama in the arcanum was so elegant! This is better than most high fantasy. Stop reading SJM.. those books are just an excuse to write straight sex scenes. This is fantasy at its best.
4.00/5.00
I gave this one the full five stars.. it's among the handful of books I've found to be strongly rooted in the high-urban fantasy blend, while bringing out strong romance and friendship between characters. Great story world, lots of suspense and the action is clean enough to follow..
We need more quality stories with queer characters at the front. I will admit the story is more urban than high fantasy. The use of seers is a bit of a cliche.. but i thoroughly enjoyed this page-turner!