Micaela Pierce

Why is nobody talking about this book! I devoured it one night and wish there was more.

It's a fascinating and complex magic system based on principles of mathematics and software engineering. The plot artfully explores dynamics of oppression, inequality, and religious doctrines through the POV of the main characters as they struggle to understand each others' experiences and world views.

Other reviews describe the main character as unlikeable, but I personally found her to be beautifully flawed and relatable. She is an accurate depiction of an intellectual, driven, obsessive woman trying to make it in a male dominated field while balancing work politics, morals and her own identity struggles. I think career-oriented women will find her quandaries strike a chord.

The relationships are beautiful and unfold slowly and sweetly. It's imperfect and both characters hurt each other at times, but genuinely seek to understand each other, respect each other, and grow through their relationship. Their difference in class and belief systems offers the requisite relationship tension needed to carry the plot. So refreshing in a fantasy novel!

This will definitely be one of my most loved books of the year. Can't wait to see more from this author.

What a magical standalone from Brandon Sanderson. Tress is a different style of character from his usual personalities but feels natural and lovable. Her determination, grit, ingenuity, care for others and self-declared normalcy make you root for her from the beginning.

Readers who know Wit from Sanderson's Stormlight archive will enjoy his irreverent narration. If you find Sanderson's usual expansive style of epic fantasy slow, you'll enjoy this well-paced modern fairytale with its whimsical magical system of spores and moons.

Wanted to love this book but everything about it is obvious. The characters and magic system are underdeveloped and the plot and romance are painfully predictable.

After a stunning debut with Fourth Wing, this series continues to disappoint. Onyx Storm relies on Xaden and Violet's romance to carry it but repeats scenes and dynamics without developing the plot or either character. Sadly, both characters are reduced by their relationship and it subsumes all the complexity we loved about both of them. Xaden's personality becomes entirely about his obsession with Violet; his prior motivations to the marked ones - all the things that made him an interesting independent character- are superseded.

Violet's inner monologue about their relationship is obvious and cringeworthy. It's all telling and no showing- with none of the subtlety that is intriguing for a reader. It also quickly devolves into the overprotective male trope so common in fantasy... I may be alone in this but I think we can do better. Is it too much to ask for some complex, mature, real-life relationships?

Violet and Xaden pull their ‘power card' again and again throughout the book and fail to demonstrate any real leadership, ingenuity, maturity, or coalition-building. The casual arrogance from Xaden especially feels childish and petulant. Violet plays the ‘reluctant leader' unconvincingly. Others in supposed positions of power act indignant but helpless.

In so many other areas, this book has potential but fails to deliver. I wanted more development for side characters like Jessina, Ridoc, Aaric, and Bodhi, but the side characters are almost completely neglected until Yaros abruptly changes to multiple POVs at the end of the book narrated by characters the reader can barely remember. The emotion in these scenes feels unnatural and flat without any character development to anchor it earlier in the book. I would have loved multiple POVs and expanded storylines earlier in the book, but it feels rushed and inconsistent dropped in at the end.

The plot has so much potential intrigue- we meet an order of priestesses with Violet's hair, fascinating second signets start to emerge, the Irids make an appearance, we learn more about the Venin's power, Aaric is clearly has a mysterious role to play, and Violet's dad leaves her a literary mystery and isn't who he seemed. And yet somehow none of these plot threads have any satisfying development or connection.

Will be rooting for Rebecca to recover this series in the remaining books with better character and plot development. Hopeful that we can move past dragging out Xaden and Violet's romance and give some other characters a chance to shine.

Such a delicious second installment to Curious Tides! Stranger Skies delivers with even more intriguing, eccentric, imperfect characters and more delightful unraveling of mysteries.

The Characters

- Baz really comes into his own in Book 2 after coming to terms with some shocking realizations about his past and making peace with his Dad. With Emory off-screen, he gets his own main character energy this book. He finds himself at exclusive parties, is embarrassed to realize he’s starting to garner attention (kind of), and competes in the school’s infamous Bicentennial tournament. His surprise at his own rebelliousness, wonder at his power as he delves deeper into timeweaving, deepening relationship with Kai, plus his quirky traits like his meticulous coffee brewing make for THE BEST introvert hero arc.

- Emory finds herself back in a dynamic she’s grown out of when she’s reunited with Ro. It’s complicated but also satisfying to see our girl stand on her own. Her Tidecaller powers have some interesting interactions with the ley lines in new worlds and she enlists The Shadow to help her navigate them.

- If you loved Kai’s counterbalance to Baz in the first book- sarcastic, dark, witty, nonchalant, and impetuous, you’ll love him even more once you start to see some of his inner darkness and vulnerability in Stranger Skies.

- The side characters are also great… Nisha and Virgil are now team Eclipse, we meet Aspen in the Wychwood, and Vera is as badass as ever and along for the intergalactic ride. Emory’s mom makes an appearance and we’re thrown into the wild world of enigmatic Cornelius Clover in his glory days.

The Magic System

- The magic system evolves in such a satisfying way in book two. We enter the realm of the dreamworld or the ‘in-between’ space, the Wychwood where witches scry, and the Wastes where dragons are being tortured. Kai and Baz start to unravel unexpected truths about everyone’s favorite childhood novel and author. The Shadow makes his debut… suffice it to say, Emory is intrigued, we are intrigued and everyone is confused, but more than a little enthralled.

Plot

- The most delightful part of this series is the unexpected twists and turns in the plots. Heroes and villains are constantly turned on their head, childhood stories are not what they seemed, and history and myths are all up for questioning, more than ever in this second installment. Mysteries planted in the first book continue to connect and evolve and the constantly shifting debate of who has the moral high ground (the heroes, the gods, the Tides, the Shadow) continues.

The romances continue to keep us guessing but we finally get some satisfying match ups in Stranger Skies!

- Even though it mostly happens off-page, one of the best plot developments in this book is Jae starting to recruit and train a cohort of Collapsed Eclipse including a questionable murderous reanimator who brings people back from the dead. Hoping we get to see more of this in Book 3.

Anxiously awaiting the final installment! This is definitely one of the best series I’ve read this year.