Mairin
Darker and darker with each book
The tale Of Tomas Pioty continues to fascinate me. I love how he's stuck in a bind, a man surviving from war and not a great person. Yet I love him. Yet, while he isn't the best person he doesn't abide cruelty and I love the harsh dealing of justice In this!
As a dark tale, there are some light themes. Friendship
At the front . But, like Tolkien I like seeing how these characters struggle with battle shock, the aftermath of war. It brings a lovely crash of humanity onto the pipes men, making them appear more human other than just killers.
Again, the narrator sold this book to me. Far better than reading the physical!
They have conquered death.
Thus, the first Scythes were born
Citra and Rowan are opposites of characters and I loved following their views as they take on an apprenticeship with a Scythe. But, the droning on and on about the learning was getting to me. I listened to this on high speed on audible which helped.
The strange politics with the Scythes was odd, and wasn't really explained in depth. The villain was the typical revolution madman and it was clear what was going to happen to him.
Also, how the co where'd death etc was left a little underwhelming and also not explained in the depth I wanted. I had questions but, I could let them slide.
However, the tension that lacked through the first half of the book disappeared for the second. Tensions were high but I didn't feel as attached to the outcome as I should be.
It was nicely written, and book 2 I have high hopes for.
3⭐️
Warning, rant review.
What the fuck is this series? And this book?,
The author writes women so poorly, sexualises them and don't get me started on the child assault! But oh the child if fine with it because it's gay. Piss off.
The more I think about this book the more angry I get. I love the concept and the first book was okay. Not great. I wasn't a fan of the short stories but I had high hopes for more and from what everyone was saying, it was going to be great
Oh, how wrong I was.
I've read omniscient. I like it. But each character has a point, it in this it's takes pages and pages to get one point across and then we don't see the character again. The dialogue is odd, but I can let that slide as he is a Polish author.
But what is the point of this plot? Book 1 and 2 could have been mashed together. There's an odd coup, Ciri gets lost and wondered the desert for fucking ages and then she's captured but not. The fight scenes come across as a blow by blow. I was bored. Not understanding the reasons why characters have theses points, the time jumps are odd and honestly, the writing style is so strange.
I've tried the audible, tried the physical and honestly I'm starting to hate this more than curse child.
And the CHILD ASSAULT
A page turn of events that have me in the edge of my seat.
So much happened in this book.
From highs to low Kuang doesn't pull her punches.
Rin progresses further down a mental struggle, fighting battles as numerous people seek to use or kill her. Gods and shamans, the turn of an age, dream are made and sacrifices.
The characters continue to grow and I fell in love with them all over again. Even the bad ones.
This book will leave you utterly horrified, hopeful, and in floods of tears.
Such an amazing end to a brilliant series.
For a hyped series this book falls flat.
I loved the first two books, but within this instalment it story's of big, right where AKOFAF leaves off. It's packed with action and twists until after the first 30%. Then it slows drastically and drags. Things are explained that don't need to be and the strange purple monster things that appear seem to be there to break the sag in the story and that's it.
And OMG all the TALKING!
Within this sagging middle things are repeated of what happened in AKOFAF which isn't needed. Meeting a god was cool but also pointless. The sex was meh.
And for those wondering. There is no JOINING! Which I was really hoping for.
Then the last 15% picks up. But the “big plan” fails and it's obvious it fails because the plan is so STUPID.
The ending I predicted. Snd I'm honestly that that afraid for a certain character? As she could never harm him because of readers love.
Honestly it was meh for me.
I really want to like it but after talking with book clubs my review has decreased. I can't just like a book because of Hawke, even though he is a massive factor to my love for theses books.
I hope book four is going to have more of a story structure this lacks one.
When a book opens with the word, C*unt, you know it's going to be a good book.
I loved it. There isn't much more to say than that.
For this book I listened on audible and I highly recommend it, as the narrator did a perfect job of nailing the MC Tomas Pioty. It brought to life his character and was an experience I want to enjoy every time I open a book
Tomas Pioty is a gang leader and a Priest. Returning home from War, he tries to reclaim the streets that were once his, while being shackled by the Queen's Man at his side.
Tomas is an interesting character. People call him cold, uncaring but underneath his mask is a man who cares perhaps a little too much for those he calls his friends. Loyal and harsh, I loved following him on his journey .
This book deals with some hard topics as PTSD from War, coming to terms with sexuality, and sexual abuse. As I listened to Tomas describe what happened I was horrified.
It was well done.
The relationship between Tomas and his brother is interesting and brings to life a backstory of pain. The two brothers deal with their pain and suffering in vastly different ways, and from Tomas's POV, I love how he handles his brother. Underneath the pain, there is a fierce love for him.
Overall, an excellent read and I would recommend. But, beware of the hard topics in this book as it wouldn't be for everyone.
4.5 stars.
The idea of this book is amazing, brilliant and I wanted to love it.
But, I have so many problems with this book.
The writing style was bland. There was no emotion from the MC, and I wanted to DNF at page 100, but as this was a buddy read, I pushed through.
Never can I regain those moments back in my life.
First we have the Akeli, who can't die but can only if they receive a true death. Akeli are always women and they have to do a ritual of purity, when they reach 16, they cut themselves with a knife to see if their blood runs gold.
The theme of this book is pretty dark, I'd call it Grimdark and yet the characters, bar one, are happy and jolly naïve girls. It doesn't add up with the original theme. And, the author decides to tell us these bad things that have happened, with an empty attempt at trauma afterwards, instead of show. I understand it's a YA, but unless it's a MG book, which you wouldn't put these themes in anyway, it doesn't add up.
The pacing is so rushed I was left feeling like I've been in a bouncy castle and thrown around. It's jarring, not the smooth fast paced it was meant to be.
Characters.
The story is told from Deka's POV and the author made a terrible choice. It should have been told from Belcalis POV as she has the trauma, the motivation to go through with this revolution. Deka is doing as she's told and downright a BORING piece of fish.
I HATED Britta. The way she wrote her speech, as the only one with a farmgirl's tone, was jarring. I don't need you to remind me every damned time that she speaks that it's in an accent. Plus her personality is being loyal. That's it.
The side characters were there simply to get Deka out of trouble and I hated it.
Belcalis is the only character that held my interest but we don't see much of her.
Deka, boring, bland, but also her personality is all over the place. One moment she is piously religious, the next she renounces but then she's back to being religious again. She says things and is told things but later she conveniently forgets because of PLOT!
Honestly, I felt like I was being treated like a dump little kid who couldn't add up 1+2.
PLOT:
The whole POINT of this plot was to for White Hands, (the fuck is that name? ) to keep a secret from the other Aleki when she COULD HAVE TOLD THEM FROM THE BEGINNING!
‘I can't tell you now, you aren't ready'
BULLSHIT!
There was absolutely no reason for that to be kept a secret as, from their vantage point in the desert, where they are being looked after by a band of boy warriors they are training with, and a bunch of Shadow assassins (which are women and in this society the women can't have any say so that's contradicting) it's a far better position for the revolution instead of killing their own kind to have this big battle/showdown with the Emperor.
Talking of the Emperor. He let White Hands out of her prison to use her, was foolish and stupid and only served the plot.
Honestly, White Hands shouldn't have been needed in this story.
WORLDBUILDING;
It was bland and I wanted more. Not to mention the animals were weird and we're given no explanation. If Deka knew of this stuff, I understand and we still need an explanation, but if she didn't we still need an explanation and her curiosity.
This book would have served better in 3rd POV
SubPlot;s. The author set up a subplot with the Deathshrieks and I expected more from that, but it was just left to the wind.
Some of the scenes were pointless, if not downright stupid and only to serve an emotional connect which I never felt as it was done so poorly. Like Kieta was sent away only to be caught by the Emperor. STUPID!
And the Love Interest. She tells us they hang out, ‘embraced' is used way too much but she never meant she kissed him. Then the kiss scene arrives and she has a severed head and the way it's described...
‘Sparks fly across my skin'
Fucking WERID. Who does that?
And the Love interest was forced. Kieta was there to serve plot, there was no connection because we weren't shown. One moment he hated all Aleki, as everyone does, the next it's just gone? There is no explanation for it.
I could have looked past the Chosen One Trope if for the fact that she didn't put in a resurrection trope, and Britta just comes back alive because she commanded it? I hate it soooooo much!
THE ENDING;
What the hell was the ending? The character's captured for ‘emotional connecting and conflict' were swept away almost instantly so what was the point in that? And the battle. Apparently the emperor can now move really fast? And he beat Deka, but then she rose up and just killed him? WTF? It was over so quickly. And everyone just stood by and watched? I expected much more.
But again, THIS WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN NESACARY IF WHITE HANDS HAD TOLD THE FUCKING TRUTH IN THE FIRST PLACE.
There are so many problems with this book. The themes handles, like sexisms', torture, rape were done so poorly and brushed to the side, I can't imagine what people who have suffered through that would feel.
I really do not recommend, and if I could give it minus stars, I would.
This needs a whole new round of edits to make it even flow nicely.
DNFed midway through.
I messaged a friend and she told me the rest of the plot and let me just say, it was weird, doesn't make sense or add up.
What bugged me the most about this book is the lengthy descriptions lasting more than an paragraph to a whole page, about places and people we only see once. It wasn't engaging snd I zoned out for most of it, but towards the end I skipped.
Oh and the fantasy names! I really struggled with some of them, so my review is going to be the names I ended up giving them in my head.
Naus — AKA the Celena Sardothian of this book. She was bad ass, an immortal in a mortal body and downright rude. I liked her at first but other than trying to force the character to be the stereotypical badass female character “I'm not afraid of anything” there was nothing to her personality.
Aleco— the most wet wipe of a character there has been. No backbone (yet she can sneak into a club?) let's people push her around and ugh I hated her. She's 18 and still lets her mother ground her. Like wtf? She's 18!
Alrau... something. — as a quiet broody character he was fine. Could be better but fine.
Vehan — on the best one out of them all! Decisive, confident and determined to find who's behind the deaths. I just LOVE LOVE LOVE! But what really pissed me off that all the issues between Al and Vehan could have been resolved if I don't know they actually spoke to one another?
Arthurian legends?
Badass female characters?
A seductive and chaotic demon?
COUNT ME IN!
This book is such an eye opener. It deals with racism and speaking as a white girl I can't begin to imagine what's it's like but I felt that there from Bree.
Mental illness and grief is dealt with spectacularly in this book. Bree is forced to come to terms with losing her mother and what she did (by shoving it down and away) in a way that comes across as she's healing and not healed. Some authors like to make their characters be healed instead of continuing to struggle but on their way upward.
I am a sucker for Arthurian legends and Merlin. This took low fantasy to a knew level and I loved every second of it. The magic system was thought out enough that I understood it, the characters were well fleshed and Sel is an interesting and complex character which is why I love him
I did predict the ending to a point but there were two twists that took me by surprise.
Filled with emotion and relationships romantic and platonic, this book is a brilliant ride and one of the few I wanted to read again once I'd finished.
The author didn't pull any punches and Bree's reactions to the stress and grief old and new where genuine. The writing was well thought snd everyone needs to read this book.
I cannot wait to continue with Bree's adventure.
Where do I start?
Okay, don't go into this book expecting a lot. The plot is weak and it's pretty much all smut. I'm not exaggerating, it's all just them f*cking.
Nesta lost her characteristics from the beginning. She wasn't the badass character she was in the previous books and I understand she's going through trauma but it felt like she lost what her characters was.
The way she dealt with Nesta's trauma felt as if she pushed it to the side a bit. There was no real explanations and the one there was, was weak.
I liked the Cassian POV but by the characters arcs with all the characters felt flat. Where was Cassian's humour? And Nesta's snarkiness ? They were all like Elain, wooden dishcloths.
The ending was flat. The subplot with Feyre and Rhys took away from Nesta and Cassian and honestly, it wasn't needed. I could see right through it to what would happen at the end and I was correct.
There was a lack of emotional connection with all the characters. I went along for the ride without feeling a thing and I was left disappointed.
I did drift between shipping them and not shipping them but, because the ending fell flat I ended up hating them together. Partly because they lacked banter. Where was it? There was no enemies to lovers no banter and spark between them. The sex scenes were poorly written and I was waiting for it to be over. It felt forced. Not to mention they're romance arc was exactly like Feyre and Rhys! To me that came across as lazy writing. Everyone could guess what was going to happen.
There was one moment where she hinted at Az and Elain and I'm so PISSED because If that comes about I will hate it. Why do all the boys and sisters have to be together? Ugh!
This book is 400 pages too long. To get to the plot points where it starts to move from just sex all the time, takes about 2/3 of the book.
I will add if anyone is going for the audible the narrator didn't grasp Nesta's sharp snappy voice which is why I switched to the ebook.
I'm highly disappointed that a writer like SJM, problematic aside, wrote something so poor.
I'm left confused...
this book is the Bi-polar of the Fantasy Genre. one moment it's dull and boring, then next there a bit more interest, then it falls flat and boring again. Honestly, It was like I was riding a roller coaster with no emotional investment.
first off, the book could have done without half the cast of characters, some who appeared only to die a scene later. it provided nothing to the story. second, the fluff at the beginning could have been shortened by 300 pages. it would have made a better book.
the story was okay. as a debut, it wasn't John Gwynne blow-your-mind debut, but it was fine. okay.
it did feel like a slog most of the way through. and I read a lot of high fantasy, so it's not the genre or the length of the book.
the characters fell a bit flat. Victor, Malichai and Anastasia were fleshed out enough, but to the point that I didn't really care if they lived or died. Kurkas on the other hand, I loved. I didn't mind Calenne, but I don't think we needed a POV from her. or half the others. I think that was one of the major problems with this book. The author took on too big a cast than he could handle.
one of the good things from this story, is Joseri's arc and Melenna's story. now SHE was an interesting character. and I loved Malitriant. I know I shouldn't, but as it always happens in a lot of stories, the villain's are better characters and it was true here.
some people have said this is like game of thrones and I don't find that at all. apart from the multi POV and the politics, its nothing like game of thrones. there's no real big war, no high stakes.
I can't put a finger on it, but it didn't engage me.
the ending was one of the good bits and I read the last 200 pages in one stint. and the confusion throughout the book, when I finally decided on what this book was actually about, as the small war between the southshires and the Hadri didn't feel like the ‘real' plot, but a cover up, fell so far down the cliff it's still rolling.
like. WHAT?
I'm left with more questions than I have answers. it seemed the author has tried to accomplish a plot twist, but failed as I don't understand what the twist is. some of his descriptions and way of explaining things just didn't sink into my brain, but, maybe I'm just an odd one.
Will I read the next instalment? maybe. but, I suggest the Author works a little more on his next book, and tries not to make it such a big cast with useless characters, and shortens the book.
I was going to give this a 3.5 but, on more thought, it's a 3*
Very minor spoilers below.
First time I read I DNFed. Then I'm reading as a readalong for the show annnnnd... my thoughts have changed when I was a little girl reading this for the first time.
First off. I hate the mc! But I am IN LOVE with the DARKLING.
Never have I been rooting for a villain before!
And the best friends to lovers but the guy was a dick because it took the girl to get beautiful trope? Can f-off.
And the whole ‘oh I'm not pretty but actually I am”
The age of kings is dead... and I have killed it.
If that doesn't hook you onto this book I don't know what will.
Set in a revolutionary type world, similar to the Tv programme Sharpe, I knew I would love this. And I wasn't wrong!
At first, I began listening to this on Audible, and I struggled with the two similar names, Tamas and Taniel. I set it to the side and picked up the hard copy months later, and I can't believe I didn't read this sooner!
Civil war on the brink, old legends coming alive and a magic system centred around guns; what more do you want? I loved the step away from Medieval Fantasy into new ears of technology.
The Fight Scenes were a bit bland, but his characters had depth, and I fell in love with Olam. As a side character and protector of Tamas, he really leapt off the page. Tamas and Taniel's relationship is interesting, and I can't wait to see where this is going to go. Tamas's determination to survive and his ruthlessness but also kindness is something I didn't expect.
The ending didn't have me on the edge of my seat, but it wasn't so over the top or under-done that I felt unsatisfied. Ca-Poal's part in this story, as a character who can't speak, shows so much expression I wish more authors would go this route and have disabled characters.
McClellan's writing style is simple and draws me into the story. I can't wait to see where this series leads!
I could probably go on and on about the characters in this book, and while they don't seem to have a drastic growth, apart from Matthias, they've all grown in ways that make them better people. I love how LB deals with mental illnesses like PTSD, abuse, and the impact hate has on others. The ending with Matthias, just when he realised what he'd been taught to believe was wrong and was taking action to combat it, was cruel, but I felt it fitted. I'm not a big fan of him, but oh, I felt tears start in my eyes. The writing on the scene was brilliant!
I would have loved to see an ending with everyone happy and together, but I think I prefer the way it ended, with Inej and Kaz especially. LB understands that mental illness can't go away overnight, and sometimes it takes years, and even then, sometimes people still struggle in moments.
The best part in the book, and the worst, has to be with Jesper and Kuwei. Oh, I had anxiety all day after listening to that scene! Secondhand embarrassment is horrible, and I really felt for Jesper then.
I loved how Jesper's dad waltzed into the story. Most of the fantasy books I read have absent parents, or dead parents, and this makes a delightful change.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend.
Out this series I loved this book the most. But Taryn and Liri I cannot stand! The other characters I love from Braon to Newhawk and especially Jack Myst! I loved the battle and how the commander had to sentence people to death makes me feel like it was really a war and what our heroes went through. But I found Taryn incredibly stupid and his relationship with Liri was just so cheesy! And I also found that every character had to be with someone and everyone will live and be happy ever after which is not what war is like.
Truthfully I probably wouldn't have read this book if It didn't have Jack Myst in it. Now that is a character!
