goutham
2 stars
I'm finally free of this series. I cannot listen to more cheesy YA romance jeez. Ok overall this series was alright for YA stuff. It felt cohesive and it juggled perspectives well but it dragged soooo much and felt very contrived + predictable
spoiler alert
The first half of this book felt like an eternity and it wasn't very interesting? It was a lot of characters learning about something happening and and then getting another character's perspective on the same thing happening. It felt super grindy and idk the angst was just a little bit too much. I also do like the characters but they felt very trope-y or they were summarizable by just a few words so their characters felt a lot less interesting. I didn't really comment on it in the past books since I was hoping for a better conflict in this one but it never really makes sense why Levana wants to be Empress instead of just using her powers or her forces to get her way. It felt like the whole marriage bit was oddly contrived as though marriage was the only way for her to get what she wanted. The schemes and plots from Cinder and friends were also really straightforward and didn't need that much setup when it ended up being a “just confront them” plan. I wouldn't say I'm dissatisfied since it met my expectations but it was just a 24 hr audiobook and it felt like I was listening to the same thing forever.
3.5 Stars
This book handles its various perspectives very very well. The momentum carries between different character's POVs and it works out really well!I found the climax really compelling though! Everything plot and world related worked really well for me. I think the middle of this book was a little dry and felt frustratingly slow. I think it led to a lot of romance and cute stuff but I'm not normally a huge fan of romance especially YA romance so I was just not super into it. I also found it annoying that Scarlet and Wolf were relegated to the sidelines and were left as plot devices even though we just came out of their book. For those reason Cress gets a 3.5
3.5ish stars
I liked this book a lot better than the first partly because there were less aggravating one dimensional characters but it didn't quite hit the mark. I feel like the focus on two characters showed the depth of the world but it meant that the plot moved really slowly and by the end of it, not much had really happened. It felt like there were like a few main events that took 400+ pages because of the alternating POVs. Still enjoyable to read and I like the characters but it was just a little slow.
Quality internal conflict and believable character development. Really gets into how to do show not tell with internal thoughts without making the character seem dumb. The character has a level of awareness etc. etc. Would be a 4.5 if it didn't have a really scuffed ending sequence that kinda made me go ‘aight ig'.
4.5 Second Time Around
3 The First Time
Spoilers Below
I didn't like this book as much the first time around because it was slower than The Final Empire but on the one year later reread, I found this book to be WAY better than I remembered. For one, the twist in this book is honestly the best twist I have ever read. Now that I know it, I saw the signs throughout the novel and they are so elegantly placed. I thought that Vin's struggle in this book was way more mature and well-handled than in the first book and Elend, though he annoyed me a lot the first time around, was really solid as another main character. The Zane plot still irks me as it lacks the subtlety of the rest of the book and the siege felt a little lacking. In addition, compared to Stormlight, the setting didn't feel entirely alive. The mists were amazing for setting the scene but apart from that, one part of Luthadel felt the same as the other. Other than that, it was so well done.
3 stars second time around
Mistborn was my first introduction to Sanderson and I loved the characters, worldbuilding, systems, and themes he created. That being said, after reading Stormlight Archive and coming back to this a year later, it feels far shallower than it did the first time. The world, though vivid and thematic with ash and mist, feels flatter than the Shattered Plains and the scope of Stormlight and the characters aren't as complex in my opinion. Vin and Kelsier are the standouts of the book but Vin's struggle to trust and Kelsier's battles felt more one-dimensional than any of the challenges the characters faced in Stormlight. That being said, the plot, conflict, and story are excellent and the book is a treat to read.
giga long book but i feel like i learned so much and thought so much while reading it – feels good to read a complex nonfic book
decent book in the vein of good omens/discworld with adult fairy tale but i thinn bsanderson just isnt as whimsical or funny or philosophical as terry pratchett tbh
3.5
its good fun although a lil dizzying at times. i really like the amount of dialogue and how its still super follawable without names
still thinking abt the book bit nona was so sincere i loved reading her POV although plot felt a bit filler overall
spoilers
god i dont like orion at all in any of these books but especially not this one and a lot on the last one (first was kinda fun with him tbh). on the reread of the last graduate i just found him super annoying and unlikable. not to say that characters should all be likable but it was really annoying for the first half of this book to be about him and how important it was to save him but it was such a drag. The series and this book really shine where its about El and her dealing with her anger and her morality when it comes to people who choose the lesser evil. All of the sequences regarding that were very fun to read as they were in last graduate as well. but man the ending and the politicking and the twists just fell short for me. sure they made sense but the buildup was never there and it never felt completely like a puzzle falling together. like why is the big bad mom lady so uninteresting as a villain
all in all a great series but the first book is by far the best because orion feels like a character and not a plot device and El has so much growth without the meandering confusing mess of the amount of characters and a clear goal.
4-4.5 somewhere in there.
there's a lot to think about and digest for this book. the area of academia as being innocent from the systems that it serves etc and the narratvies around breaking the system vs working in the system vs escaping an inevitable system are so well done and felt hella real during/after stanford research
my qualms are that it just kinda beats u on the head with the concepts but language is wonderful and the concepts are compelling so im more or less ok with it as a reader but rly vibed as a person.
all the spicy stuff happened in the end hmmm im interested in the next book because of the ending and the world but the mystery felt super long and winding but still fun
rf kuangs books are always entertaining – everyone in this needed to touch grass xd – didnt love the meta story and felt heavy handed and funhouse mirrory but an easy and enjoyable binge read lmao
3.5-4/5
havent decided rating but around here.
Reading fiction again after palo alto is so refreshing
i really liked some aspects of the characters and their arc but also some character sentiments felt really out of nowhere and out of character tbh – like esp Sadie when she finds Dov's note in the game and assumes that Sam read it and manipulated her – like i could see it if it was Sam overthinking it but it felt odd from Sadie – and then the long awkward phase of their friendship felt so stuck in that sentiment zzz
Yo what a fucking banger 4.5 stars. only reason its not a 5 is cuz i have a mental block against giving a book self described as “bloodsmut” a 5.
What a great popcorn book. It rly leaned into the vampire edgelord “empire of the vampire” giga trope and it was sick
