I don't think I've ever had a Fantasy book have me laugh aloud, never mind guffaw every few pages. Absolutely love Carrot - what a sweetie, his letters are the best.
I really enjoyed Pratchett's wry writing style and his tongue in cheek commentary towards well worn Fantasy tropes. Very good, very funny. Looking forward to reading more!
I found myself liking Kenton, but didn't feel like there was enough that happened between him and Khriss to really warrant the bit of romance (her saying “I need you” for example). It felt super shoehorned in which was disappointing. The art for the series as a whole felt all over the place (I know there were different artists at times) and I can't help but think I would've liked this better in its standard text form. Also, why Aarik went super bad all of a sudden went way over my head. Oh well - at least I've discovered Khriss, the writer of the Ars Arcanum! Back to the rest of the Cosmere!!
his earnestness bled from the pages but despite my best intentions, I could not connect with his message, relate to his life experiences, or seriously consider practicing his spiritual suggestions. I was hopeful that this might be the book that would urge me into “connecting” more but it all felt so hokey. also I understand the importance of quotes from other sources for research and the purposes of appearing well versed in the material BUT there were so many that it felt distracting and all over the place.
but maybe that's just me projecting
i took Oakley's Learning How to Learn Coursera course a few years ago and bought this book at the same time, and i've finally finished the book lol. i almost feel as if it's even better than the course!
i really enjoyed it and wish i had it while i was in school. there are lots of anecdotes and the conversational style is very easy to read. i'm currently studying programming self-paced, so will take the lessons to heart! lots of really good tips, and i was called out on a bunch of “learning strategies” that i've been using for a lot of my life - rereading, rote memorization, highlighting, etc.
I super enjoyed this ride through the 3 (out of 4) Londons and their take on magic. Kell, Lila and Rhy were also interesting characters - I hope the latter makes more appearances in the next few books :) As I was nearing the end, I was afraid it was going to end on a cliffhanger somewhere as that would've been veryyy easy for Scwab to do, but was appreciative that she gave us a proper ending haha.
Lila was a breath of fresh air after seeing example after example of the competent-til-it-counts female protag. She actually held her own and I loved reading her exchanges with folks (especially with Rhy). There were points where I literally laughed aloud at their banter. There was a moment in the story which I wish almost every character with a nonsensical decision making process could be asked, where Kell outright demanded Lila: “What is wrong with you?” and prompted for her logic, which gave her an opportunity to be understood more by both Kell and the reader. By the end, I would've liked to have Lila repay at least one of her debts (since her Grey London friend had passed), and revisited the clothing merchant before taking off on a ship. It seemed like that would've been a nice bookend to her adventure there, but maybe that's going to happen in a future book.
Romance wasn't shoved down our throats, and Lila didn't let her connection with Kell tether her to the city, because that wouldn't have matched her hopes and dreams. Going back to the whole tropes thing: omg, it's a female character leaving a male character for once, for the sake of adventure - how refreshing! lol.
Schwab's writing is a treat to read, and I'm looking forward to devouring her other works!
what a sweet story!
with all that's been happening in ~2020~, it often seems like things couldn't get any worse. but... at least whole populations of the country aren't being shipped away to internment camps? not yet, anyway, despite the current administration's best efforts. i know, the bar is pretty low. it's so hard for me to believe that this was a thing that happened to americans not that long ago.
Really enjoyed this read! I didn't have a problem with the pacing as some others seemed to - I found it to be quite deliberate, and I liked how slow it was at first considering it's one of those stories that begins with the ending. Once it hit its climax, I had something like 3-4 chapters to go before finishing it, and I couldn't help but gobble it all in one fell swoop. I would've loved for more character development with certain characters (one in particular seemed a bit too perfect?), and I would LOVE if there was a sequel so I could find out what happens AFTER, but at the same time, there's value in leaving the rest of the story to the imagination. Thought provoking and sad, I would definitely recommend giving this one a read, and I plan to pick up this author's other works as well.
Oddly enough I liked Elantris more than Mistborn?! I found Sarene and Raoden more likeable and felt they had actually arcs compared to Vin and Keslier. I bonded with them more. Hrathen was a really interesting character too. The pacing was done pretty well but there were def moments where I was like: “why don't you just TELL them!?!?”
If I could give half stars I think I'd give Mistborn a 3.5 so that I can give Elantris 4 stars without guilt, lol.
Probably unfairly set my expectations high for Sanderson by starting with Way of Kings lol. By the time I started Mistborn I was kind of disappointed. I would've given it 3 stars if it wasn't for that ending.
- really obviously one of his earlier works, based off of the amateurish writing (especially compared to Way of Kings). Mistborn is his second book
- Vin's character seems to change really quickly. She falls right into her noble lady role with ease
- she is described as a thief but doesn't ever really steal anything???
- super typical that she should meet the city's most desirable bachelor her first night out and they just hit it off
- falls in love with him super fast... there weren't any scenes to show them falling for each other. It just happens
- was totally nonplussed after killing Shan: “at least some of it is noble blood. I got Shan pretty good.” Ok you 16 yr old former street urchin????
- Elend figures out Valette is skaa with no real explanation???
did matthias really need to die tho!?!?! :(
lovedlovedloved this book. wylan really came into his own in this one, and i really liked him. it did mean less time for matthias......... so it kinda felt like him dying wasn't as impactful as it could have been.
i was in tears for the last few chapters of the book. kaz buying that ship for inej! didn't see that coming because it's such a stereotypically romantic male thing to do - but i love that he did it. and her parents, oh gosh.
kind of disappointed with how nina just vanishes. wish there was a chapter with her in ravka so we know how things are going, or to get some closure, but maybe that'll lend itself to another spin off!? lol. one can hope!
Amazing. This was truly an epic, and I can't wait to read the other books. So excited that the fourth book is out on my birthday!
Admittedly I wasn't super into it at first, as it really throws you into the fantasy world without explaining anything right away. You kinda just have to keep reading and hope things are explained eventually - which most are. But it also becomes clear that even the characters aren't sure why things are the way they are.
I really love Clear's writing style. Is that his real last name?! Because it's extremely appropriate. Clear writes very plainly, with no preamble or fluff. He gives it to you straight. When he does that - gives you extremely simple, actionable steps that aren't convoluted or confusing - it makes you think, “yeah. It is that simple. Why aren't I doing this??”
Highly recommended.
I liked it. It was super easy to read, and quite a lot happens. However I didn't like what Kvothe ended up becoming after the Felurian - the book's pacing just seems to slow down for this part, probably intentionally to simulate the weird shifting of time in the Fae world - but I couldn't help but feel like my smart Uni boi became... well a literal fuckboi. Lol. I wanted him to be better than that. I wanted him to be loyal to Denna - even though like some readers I don't particularly like her. I'd much rather he was into Fela or Devi who are actually interesting characters.
Since I've read this book something like a decade after its publishing, hopefully that means I won't have as much time to wait as others before the final book comes out. If it ever does...
I'd give this a 3.5 if I could. The writing style felt a bit too trite and rudimentary. There was the typical “his cheeks were wet. Huh that's weird it wasn't raining” (44) “he was very serious. And then as she wasn't paying attention there was laughter somewhere in the tavern” (72)
What's with YA novels and needing to clarify everybody's age? What's that got to do with the plot? What difference does it make if someone is 15 versus 18? I guess it serves to try and make the characters seem relatable to YA readers.
Elisabeth's fear of Nathaniel is annoying. There's no real explanation of why they're so terrifying beyond other characters' reactions to them. Those other characters having some kind of conversation beyond “I bet he's a centaur” might make me more sympathetic to Elisabeth's terror.
As they inevitably became romantically involved, I wanted to like their relationship but the only character I really cared for was Silas. Out of the 3 he seemed to be the most fleshed out as a character lol. It just felt like there needed to be more interaction between Nathaniel and Elisabeth. It didn't really feel like they had many exchanges of dialogue.
Sweet somewhat cliffhangery ending though.