Asta

There was a lot I liked about this book; Maia himself, the relationships he built and the struggles he faced were well told and kept my interest. Unfortunately there was also a lot I didn't like; the overly complicated language (I had to read some sentences multiple times and still not understand what was being said), the plethora of names that all sounded like each other and that entirely blurred together and the way Maia immediately knew how to be an emperor despite having been kept away from court all his life.  There were also some plot points that I did not understand at all, maybe because the story was relying on the reader being able to read nuance that I'd did not grasp, which is frustrating as in a lot of other things l found the writing to be telling way more that showing.

It's really not an usual book in it's construction, there was no great final battle, but the end felt satisfying all the same. I don't know if there's continuation to the story but I would happily read any there was.

Not as good as the first one, and felt often like things were happening just for the plot to get along. I didn't understand Justice of Torren's reasoning most of the time.

A very quick and easy read, though, and tackled the white saviour syndrome well.

Very confusing, not sure if it was me or the book!

I never thought I'd enjoy a book full of politics, but here I am! A Memory Called Empire would've been a five star read if there had been more about the characters, as the book is now I feel like I didn't really get to know them, and the things happening to them didn't touch me much because of it.

I found myself fascinated with the culture and history of Teixcalaan and enjoyed getting to know some it's depths with Mahit.

Based on how how I usually like my books more character-heavy, you'd think I wouldn't have enjoyed this one as much as I did. However, since there's also a good amount of simplified science, I ate this one up with the same enthusiasm I did Project Hail Mary a year ago. My biggest grievance with the story was the undeserved demise of Ian Malcolm and all the raptors that just wanted to have a good time and make some raptor babies.