Mike
7.5/10. Really fun and great read. Love how the science is explained abd the atmosphere of the book. The characters are kinda flat imo and I find the ending a tad abrupt but it's still a solid read
3.5. Love the world, loved the concepts, characters and ideas being discussed. Great final act. Reveals were cool
Disliked: the pacing, plot kinda gets stuck in places, characters become important then forgotten again. The ideas being implemented in the story are beaten over the head instead of conveyed by the characters or actions that take place.
Perfect. Loved it. Did everything I wanted to. The weight this series carries and how well Fonda Lee weaves her story arcs and characters is fantastic and top tier.
This one has to be my favorite book out of the series so far besides The Warlock. I love each character and the development of each one as well. This book still had the same pace maybe a little bit slower than the others but it was a fast read.
8/10 Loved it. Great conclusions and building the world. More like an extended epilogue for Dune. Onto Children of dune
75/100
While the last 50 pages of the book were really great. I struggled with the language and lack of understanding of this world for the first 2/3rds of the book. Which I feel is intentional but it made it difficult at times to understand what was going on or what was story or imagination. I feel rereading this after the series probably makes it a more enjoyable read but that doesn't make the first time any better experience. I'm very excited to see what is next though!
3.5 out of 5 rounded up. This book is a mixed bag of excellent moments and storytelling. But it's not perfect imo. Mostly overused exposition at times. I also wish we got more attached to some characters.
World building +
Fight scenes and tension ++
Diverse characters +
Exposition heavy -
8.5/10. Really loved this book but it is flawed. I can see where the sequel possibly improves on my issues. I do hope we get some better rounded secondary characters and the universe is better explored. I think this book is a bit too surfaced leveled when world building or it hyper focuses on on certain aspects of the houses then no new information for awhile. I did find the mystery well done and the last 50 pages were really fantastic.
3.5. It's a great start but not perfect. I think the 3rd act is pretty great overall and we do get some nice and surprising character developments.
85/100. I'm getting so much enjoyment out of these series and I feel it's full potential coming
7.5/10 Very easy and fast read. You don't get a lot of depth to the characters as I'd like but the emotional parts do hit. I think the biggest struggle for me is the tone of this book. It's very light but has darker elements but they don't feel as creepy or the tension isn't as high due to the conflicting tones. I did find the ending satisfying overall and it is a good read.
9/10 fantastic. While I don't necessarily say it's a perfect book. The promise of the 3rd book and what could happen is making this a fantastic read.
8.5/10 What I can say is I loved this world and story overall. It's very well done. I did struggle with how the story told and how perspectives change very quickly in the middle of chapters. And sometimes things are explicitly told to us rather than conveyed by dialogue, emotions or actions of character and it breaks the immersion for me personally.
7/10 really fun. Short story that really helps flesh out another part of Roshar. Lift is a fun character but I prefer her as a secondary character.
I found the way Bradbury writes in this book to be truly beautiful and at times. I just loved the vividness of his descriptions. Unfortunately at times. The narrative and story get lost in the mix and it comes across confusing and clunky at times. But I do feel like I was transported to this whimsical/haunting time. I just wish the structure was a bit better and I didn't struggle to understand what was happening at times in the actual story.
9/10. Loved having multiple POVS. Lots of action but does struggle with being a middle book and new series at the same time
3.5 stars. Honestly I have no clue what I read. I was enthralled at times and others wildly lost. It's definitely a book(series) you have to reread twice. And maybe I'll do it. But honestly I think I burned myself out of the books.
4.5 Great novel about an important and almost forgotten movement that happened. A bit long and the author does rehash a lot of information but that could because I work in a Radiation field but they do a great job of describing it.
8/10
Loved it. Enjoyed the characters, the world and how everything connects. I will say it's a bit of build up book, so not a whole lot happens in terms of plot, but more than makes up for in world building, characters and great writing
3.5/5
Maybe the most conflicted novel I've ever read. Theirs some aspects I loved. Like the writing, the characters and the ideas put forth. All well done. Nick cutter is so good at describing characters and horrific scenery. I love it. Reminds me of classic King.
My cons are pretty reader dependent. I didn't not care for the structure of this novel. It time jumps but you have the present story and just when things get ramping up. You have a whole middle portion that stops that momentum and starts over. The back story is good. But you keep wanting to know the other half going on in the present state.
Also. The parallels to Jonestown were a bit much. Obviously we got some supernatural stuff. That's excellent but the Jonestown stuff, you know where it's going.
Also. The ending. It's bleak. But I don't think it's earned. And it's kinda not as impactful as it should be.
I love a good chunky novel. But at almost 500 pages. This could've been trimmed. I love the ideas and overall story. I just didn't care for the execution.
