Sandra

Boring and anticlimactic

I was utterly bored reading all 382 pages. I get that it’s a YA book.

However… it doesn’t excuse how surface level everything felt and how lackluster it was. The relationship and how it was going to end was a predictable wannabe Romeo and Juliet situation. Every single character, both main and side lacked depth and personality.

The games doesn’t happen until page 211. Everything before that was just nonstop monologuing. When we finally get to the games and everything starts happening the whole thing just fails to invoke any sort of emotions. I felt no panic, pain, turmoil, anger, etc. I was just like “oh. Okay”.

After the games the tour happens, some deaths occur that were easily predictable since the first few chapters.

It’s okay… I guess.

… why does it get worse as we get more books. I’m calling quits it on anything else in this series and anything else by this author. It just wanted to see why it’s so popular with people.

It’s okay. I do think this is one of the better books in this particular series.

Mmm.

It could have been so good. To me, it feels underwhelming and underdeveloped

Mmmm.

It’s… can I say unseasoned and poorly executed. The world building is trash. The romance is at 40ish% and it was lame. The characters had zero chemistry.

I will release the full review near it’s release time.

However, it is such a good story. I’ve been looking for something like this for a while. It is well done, the characters are developed nicely, the plot is intriguing. And the art is absolutely beautiful.

Thank you for allowing me to be an arc reader.

…

The sentence structure is horrible.

The world building isn’t fleshed out.

The character development is worse than it was in Fourth wing.

The pacing was all over the place.

Iron fLame has no value and no depth.

I’m only reading this series to understand why it’s so popular with the masses. So far and two books in I have yet to see the reason.

Love it. Absolutely funny.

Overall rating: 4.5

I first would like to say that I received an ARC copy for an honest review. The second thing I would like to put out in the open is that I did go into Katabasis, right after finishing reading The Divine Comedy by Dante.

Now, let us begin
Quick synopsis of the book:Katabasis by R. F. Kuang is a modern story of a hero's descent to Hell. One night there was a horrible magical accident at Cambridge that caused the violent death of Professor Jacob Grimes. Which caused two students to embark on a journey to Katabasis. We follow the two heroes, Alice Law (Main Character) and Peter Murdoch (Second Main Character/Side Character), on the journey to bring Professor Grimes back.

Characters:

There are many characters throughout this book that we are introduced to. Some of these characters get a background story of why they are in hell, which could go on for a few pages. While other characters are...well... just there.

Alice Lawis the FMC that we follow through the journey of Katabasis. She is one of the students of Professor Grimes and is rather naive, timid, and does pretty much anything to get in the good graces of someone. Alice craves attention and validation from others. Throughout the story we see her grow and develop. We see her understand that every action has a positive or negative reaction. We experience her emotions about the events that have happened. This is all information I can provide without spoiling the book. But... in my opinion, she is well-written.

Peter Murdochis the MMC that travels along side Alice. He is both a primary and secondary character. Peter also knows Professor Grimes. Mr. Murdoch is... I would say, on the mysterious side but kind, loving, and loyal. He is smart and logical, whereas Alice is smart but does tend to act more on impulse/emotions. There is a point in Katabasis that made me cry but that is only because I enjoyed his company. Now, I can't say what because it might ruin it for you all. In my opinion, I believe that Peter's character was better written than Alice's character.

Professor Grimes is... well... a jerk. This is as nice as I can get for Grimes.

Now, there are other characters but I don't want to spoil the book for you all.

Overall, I enjoyed how the characters were written, how I got to experience their emotions, and how most of them developed throughout the story.

For those that request/require book trigger warnings. Here is the list I made while reading Katabasis:

Depictions of Death
Depictions of mutilation
Depictions of violence
Blood
Mentions of Suicide/thoughts of suicide
Snorthing Chalk

Plot & Pacing:

Personally, the plot was enjoyable and straightforward. It is a journey into the underworld, going through the 8 courts to accomplish a mission that the characters had set out on. It is that simple.

Now, there is this slight “romance” (if one wants to call it that) subplot that kinda occurs but it's no more than the typical elementary school kid saying “Oh, hey. I like you wanna date”. So, if you are going into this book for romance you might be disappointed. However, there was a point in the book where there was a flashback and Mr. Grimes was getting... handsy with a character named Charlotte and then Alice.

There are constant moments of character flashbacks. So, if that is something you don't like in books then this book might not be for you.
As for the pacing... it is up and down, slow then fast. The pacing is very much like a river. Parts of the story were calm and slow, while other parts moved rapidly.

Writing style:

This area has been difficult for me to articulate appropriately. There are times when the writing style is mature but then met with rudimentary/juvenile areas. At the beginning of the book, we have this philosophical monologue about the word Heap. Which... I found it highly annoying and maybe my usage of rudimentary is not correct. But... my thought during that time was “This is immature and basic”. However, we are then met with the adult-like mature writing style. And this pattern is throughout all of Katabasis. Once again it's like the river metaphor I gave during the plot & pacing section.

I also found the constant reiteration of Chalk, chalk magic, and everything else that had to do with the mentioning of CHALK utterly annoying.
I get it and I understood it within the first few chapters that talked about it.

But... with all that said I enjoyed the book even with its flaws.

In my opinion, one does not need to read a whole bunch of Classic books to understand Katabasis. However... I do think it might make the experience a little more enjoyable. And what I would recommend, is that y'all read The Divine Comedy before Katabasis. It will provide one with a general understanding of what R.F. Kuang is referencing throughout Katabasis.

I might not have been the intended audience for this book.

Water Moon was an okay read. The idea behind the book is what sparked my interest. However, it fell short.
The writing style and themes were a lovely idea but fell flat. This book was all over the place. The characters were one dimensional with an unnecessary romance. We go on this journey only for it to be anticlimactic in the end. It jumps around (not entirely bad).
I would say that this is a decent story for a teen to read.

I was pleasantly surprised on how much I enjoyed this. It did take me a while to finish but I wanted to make sure that I understood what was happening and being said.
Now, some parts did feel redundant and that bored me. However, I enjoyed the overall experience.

Final Rating: 4.75


Notes:1) I wish there was a name pronunciation guide because I feel as though I'm horrible sounding out the characters' names. Example 1):Teyerien. I have been pronouncing his name as "Tear-e-en". Example 2:Supesien. For him, I've been pronouncing his name as "Sup-see-en" or just calling him "Sup".2) 11 Chapters all relatively short3) a good amount of dialogue mixed with the right amount of plot and developmentChapter 1:The first few pages were rough to understand at first but after re-reading it. It became more understandable. There are many comas that, in my opinion, are not needed nor should they be there. Example:“Yes,” Teyerien said. Another reason why they were almost strictly forbidden from mingling too close with others outside the Guild. Susceptible to large amounts of heartbreak, and no doubt, revenge. “Well, you do you, I guess.”In my opinion, it would read cleaner if it was written like this. “Yes,” Teyerien said. Another reason why they were almost strictly forbidden from mingling too close with others outside the Guild. Susceptible to large amounts of heartbreak and no doubt... revenge. “Well, you do you... I guess.”The reason why I used the ellipsis or the three dots is a more flattering way to show a longer pause or for the reader to catch their breath when reading. Also, it can be used as an informal device to catch a reader's attention, often replacing a dash or colon. However, this is a personal opinion that can be disregarded.Now, overall Chapter 1 was a solid start. Chapter 2:This chapter was solidChapter 3:Solid, The plot is being developed nicely.Chapter 4:Solid all-around characters, plot, and overall development of everything.Chapter 5:Oo. very good. Chapter 6:Feels like the longest chapter of the whole book but no complaints. Chapter 7:I didn't take any notes on this chapter because I was invested after chapter 5.Chapter 8:Maybe this was the longest chapter? But it's good. Like real good.Chapter 9:I guess trigger warning for those that need it. This chapter and chapter 8 had depictions of violence and blood. Chapter 10 & 11:I 100% stopped caring about the idea of taking notes because I was enjoying the story and was sad to see it come to an end. But there is fighting and I am glad my boy Teyerien is good. I was about to lose my mind.

Overall, it's a fantastic story with, a good plot, dialogue, and amazing characters. The only issue I had was with chapter 1 and... that could have been a “me issue” and the possibility of entering a new book. I'm not sure. So, rating this is between 4.5 to 5. I still have yet to be 100% decided but I've sat on this rating and review for longer than what I would have normally done.

I will write a review at a later date

interesting

To each their own.

I'm utterly disappointed. I wanted that high-stakes and strong female lead but instead I got another love triangle, troped out book.

I miss fantasy when it was just fantasy and had little to no romance.

The writing is not my style. And... this was 500 pages too many.

It was okay.

I think romance is just not my cup of tea at this moment. Book is not bad.

I... don't even want to write a review for this because it could have been so good
The idea is what made me pick this book up from the library. The execution of that idea was... meh/lacking.

I'm going to go cry in the corner now.

I did enjoy Poppy War but I do feel that there are some flaws with Rin's character and this could be a “me” issue or the fact that the author is trying to remind the reader that she is a young woman. I say this because there are a few times that I felt that Rin acted rather reactive towards many situations/conflicts that logically doesn't make sense for military personnel (comes from experience).
The writing style is simple but engaging.
Atlan is trash
Overall rating 3.75 but round up to a 4.

I wanted to love this but it just didn't work out. I did almost DNF it at 80% because it just wasn't what I thought it would be.

I've always fancied Edgar's depth when it comes to his writing. It can come across simple but have such a deeper meaning if one analyzes his stories.

I can't keep reading this. It's so long and dry, for what reason? To bore me to death?

I'm not wasting anymore time on this book.

This took me way too long to get through.

So, a while back I got flack from many people for saying that I will skim and skip content that I feel is overly written or filler.
And... this book demonstrates that. There is some good qualities but a lot of it turns into being overly written and unnecessary content that can be skimmed entirely.

Maybe, I'm just over this whole fae thing? Maybe I'm just not the targeted audience?

4.5 ⭐️
6 hours and 30 minutes audiobook
I enjoyed War of the Worlds by H.G Wells. The plot is lovely for the time that it was written in. Granted, I find plot issues but I enjoyed how you have to fill in the some blanks instead of being told everything. Characters are done correctly for this story. Not over or under written.
The narrator Steve Parker did a wonderful job.

It gets no stars because it's that bad. Like... beautiful trees died for this book.

But...What Is this hot mess of a book??
Do people actually enjoy this??? because if so I never want to hear negative criticism of the romantic genre again. Between the unnecessary use of the r-slur to how horrible this is overall. This is the worst book I've read in my lifetime.

What to know what a self-absorbed person is like... then read this