Silviya
3 - 3.5 ⭐️
This was a rather interesting read. It was nice to see the old characters and consider the philosophical musing of the author.
However, I must admit that the premise on which this whole book was built was quite shaky and while the situation was interesting, I ultimately couldn't take it seriously.
I did like how the author ended the story, though. Ambiguity is everything when it comes to stories like this and I loved how he maintained it, without leaving anything unresolved.
4 - 4.5 ⭐️
Another great entry in the series!
And this time, we had our guy play a rather interesting double game, which was so much fun to follow.
There were some masterfully done elements - like the setup, the action scenes, the little details about the location, the flashbacks, the pre-reveal of the twist... Many great things.
The thing I didn't like was the somewhat rushed ending. I wanted to know more about the villain and how he managed to survive these unsurvivable injuries and I wanted to see more of the fallout from the situation.
Nevertheless, reading this was a lovely experience - these books are long but quick to go through and I always feel like I want more after each one.
Can't wait to see what happens next!
Exquisite!
Politics, betrayals, scheming, melodrama, more politics, more scheming, and even love (if y0u can believe it).
I can't say I had fun reading this, but it sure evoked a lot of emotions and sitting on the edge of my seat.
This book demonstrated perfectly how, when it comes to politics, the nicer one is, the more hated he ends up being by everyone.
I loved all the twists and turns and the reveal we got at the end, though I still think there's more to that story than what we got.
Can't wait to read the last book in the series!
Another very good entry!
I especially loved the world building and the reveals we got in terms of the delvers and the Nowhere. That was honestly not what I expected thought some of my suspicions were confirmed.
There were some things that were missing, even if I can't necessarily put my finger on them - I know I didn't enjoy the book as much as book one, though I don't think there were anything specifically not okay with it.
I am pleased with Spensa's growth though, I think Sanderson has really done a good job with her arc.
I am so excited to read the last book in the series now!
Why did this took me so long to read, I will never know.
Yet another great, fast-paced entry in this lovely series.
The plot thickened and the cast expanded. I really liked where the story went and the things we learned.
I do wish the author had spend a bit more time on the outcome of the story, but other than that I had a great time.
Can't wait to get to the next book in the series!
P.S.: I really love the werewolves and am happy Butcher kept them in the roster!
I read this literally within a few hours.
This book is widely considered as one of the weaker ones by the author and boy, am I excited to read the rest of his works! I would like to point out (unrelated to the plot and the content of the book) that I picked it up because I was told that people who like Ruth Ware's writing hate Riley Sager and vice versa. And being that I somewhat detest Ruth Ware's books, I was curious. After reading this book, I can confirm that the above mentioned belief seems to be true. :))
The story is set in a very prominent landmark New York building and from the very beginning I was really interested. Because the atmosphere was right, because the main character was likeable and vivid, because the author made this ridiculous situation somehow seem plausible. Because I have been poor and know the feeling of having just a few bucks in your pocket, and not knowing where to go and what to do, and felt entirely defeated. And I think the author managed to portray that brilliantly.
I really liked the twist and the resolution, though I have to admit that I found the villain slightly too villainy, and that took away a bit of the believability. Which is why the book gets 4 stars and not 5.
This was a nice collection of stories and perfectly captured the spirit of a Poirot mystery.
But you simply can't execute an intricate plot and unfold it fully in so few pages.
Three stories in I was already feeling a bit fed up. So, this would be nice to read in several sittings, rather than all at once.
4.5 ⭐️
Oh, what a great read this was!
We have one of the most original and atmospheric (understand creepy) world, surrounded by danger and full of all kinds of weird science/magic.
The story follows a young assistant investigator (for the lack of a better word) who works under the supervision of a brilliant, if rather odd, detective (also for the lack of a better word). They get pulled into a very mysterious and horrifying murder case which takes them to the very dangerous borders of their empire and turns out to be masking a way bigger plot.
I loved every minute of this book. The pacing was perfect, the characters were illustrious and funny, the reveals were numerous, and the questions they raised even more so.
I took away half a star, because I found some of the reveals to have been slightly anti-climactic (but only some of them).
Overall, a great read and I can't wait for more books from this series to come out!
If you're a fan of Indiana Jones and/or Dan Brown's writing, this one is definitely for you.
It's a high octane action-adventure-thriller-mystery which focuses on religion, mythologies and secret societies. As well as a bit of science.
The author seems to have done a thorough research and compiled a plot so vast a twisted, It at times felt like I read a whole series rather than just one book. Which is also why I gave it 4 rather than 5 stars - it was simply too much at times.
Still, a good engaging read and I recommend.
What a lovely book this was! Probably my second most favorite Jane Austen work.
We have a second chance romance between two utterly sensible, kind and honorable people, which I am starting to understand is what I like in romance.
I particularly appreciated the fact that the main characters were more mature (if the age of 27 can be considered as such, and given the usual age range for historical romance heroines, I think it should be).
The story is quick and easy to read and as always features some rather illustrious characters.
Anne is definitely a lovely main character and Captain Wentworth was a suitable and believable love interest.
Loved this!
We have a fairytale inspired urban fantasy with a very nice art style and intriguing story.
It's essentially a murder mystery, but featuring a rather fun reimagining of some of our favorite fairytale characters and in a very unusual (for them) setting.
I had such a fun time and I am definitely continuing with the series!
This is an adult grim dark political high fantasy, which follows the First law series, as well as the 3 standalone written after it. Now, you don't have to read any of the other books I just mentioned before you pick this one up, but I'll advise you to have read at least the First Law trilogy prior. Because it will give you much needed context and will introduce you to some of the keyed secondary characters.
I didn't know what to expect from this book and when I initially saw the setting, I will admit, I was a bit disappointed. Not because of the place, but because of the time. To be frank, I was hoping for a smaller time gap and a bit more focus on magic.
Still, the more I read, the more I got into the book and I have to once again, applaud the author's fantastic writing style. He creates such bleak atmosphere and such vivid characters, and even better than that, he writes dialog that has me laughing out loud, and inner monologues that have me nodding along with how accurately they describe some elements of the human condition, which we sometimes struggle to define for ourselves.
There were many chapters I wanted to highlight but I will only stop at one - The Little People. This one is a great example of a device, if you can call it that, which the author likes to utilise in tense action packed chapters. Where he will switch rapidly between different povs and draw subtle, or not so subtle, parallels between them. He did that masterfully in this chapter and what made it even better was the fact that it featured almost exclusively random inconsequential to the major plot characters, some of which we would never see again. It helped level up the whole “reality” of the story and allowed for better involvement of the reader.
There's a lot I want to say about the surprises we were served and the theories I have, but I don't want to spoil anything for you, so I shall leave it here.
I gave the book 5 stars and I am so excited to continue with the series (especially what I am suspecting turns out to be true).
4 to 4.5 ⭐️
Oh, I am so satisfied with this read and so surprised!
First of all, I really liked how the series ended and the little cameos we got, as well as the tiny continuation of the Book of the Ancestor story.
My mind got so twisted around some of the revelations and I am brimming with theories, as well as some further questions, on the topic of the Missing and their “ascension”.
I think what I assumed after finishing book 2 is true namely, that the realm into which thye ascended is basically cyber space but still not 100% sure.
I am also now suspecting that Theus has appeared in earlier books by the author, which I just added to my TBR.
The one thing I didn't like was the (albeit tiny) focus on the romance and supposed love quadrant(?) we had, which was beyond unnecessary, in my opinion.
All in all, this was by far the best book in the series (mostly because of the setting, I think) and left me excited to read the author's backlist, as well as any future works in this universe.
This was just fine, but there was a bit too much romance and a bit too little of everything else.
Which I suppose was the point of a mid-series novella of this sort.
It was nice to see the characters again and the manor itself proved quite curious. It was a bit like a romantic Harry Potter.
It's not a must to read, but it was not entirely a waste of time either.
I can't express how much I love this series!
In this one Anne is a young woman already. The book deals with higher education, making friends, losing friends, and the first trepidations of love. It touches on a number of other subjects as well but is, as the previous two entries in the series, steeped in cosiness, dreams, and simple everyday “magic”.
I loved reading this book and I will remain forever grateful to L.M. Montgomery for writing it!
4.5 ⭐️
What a fun read!
This book featured some very interesting characters and an intricate and surprising plot.
I love Michael J. Sullivan's writing and sense of humor. It was so much fun to see how backwards our Riyria Revelations' characters had gotten the history (and I will advise to read this series after the Riyria Revelations).
Some of the themes were a little on the nose, which is why I took away half a star, but other than that I really enjoyed the book. Especially the 2 big twists at the end and the mystery with the door.
Can't wait to continue the series!
This was a very thorough and mostly satisfying ending.
I think it dragged a bit too much in the middle which made some of the conflicts resolution a bit anti-climactic. I also wish there was more of a gut-punch at the end, though there was a bit of that too. I just felt like it ended a little too hapilly.
Other than that, it was a great book and a very good conclusion to one of my favorite series.
What a massive disappointment.
The last book took a direction which I wish it hadn't. It became a sci-fi adjacent melodrama, where the focus is on, what I can only describe as navel gazing. The setting could've been so interesting, but all mystery, science and excitement were taken away and replaced with everyday minutia and a repetitive barrage of platitudes.
In combination with the deterioration of the characters, which were either useless or frustrating, or both, this book is a really disappointing ending to an otherwise amazing series.
Not bad but a bit disappointing.
We have a post-apocalyptic setting with a new version of the great flood, where it hasn't stopped raining for a few hundred years and the dry land is slowly sinking.
We follow a young girl, who has lost her father in a diving accident and is now taking care of the inn he used to own and her younger sister. They receive a guest at the inn who wants them to go with her on a treasure hunt and the story goes from there.
The premise seemed super interesting to me and I was very much looking forward to reading this.
What I liked:
- The representation of grief in the book spoke to me on a personal level and I think it was done quite well.
- I like the author's writing style - short sentences to the point is one of my favorite styles when it comes to action novels.
- There was quite a bit of knowledge divulged in regards to diving. It seems that the author knows his stuff when it comes to that. I like it when things are well researched.
- The atmosphere - it was gloomy and the author managed to create this sense of eternal humidity that made me feel cold even on warm nights. I liked how the circumstances people lived in were reflected in their culture and language. It made it feel more real.
What I didn't like:
- The characters and their relationships. If there's one type of person I hate to see propped up in a book, that will be the ignorant know-it-all. And in this book, we had just that in the form of Jin's little sister - Tara. A kid of 14 acting with no care and common sense somehow turns out to be right every time. Even though by all we are shown on page, she shouldn't be. I can't stand this type of nonsense. It's a nice fantasy to believe that everyone cares for you and it's good to have a positive attitude, but you also need to be acting with at least a minimal caution. And if your character acts like a dummy, but still always get on top in a non-ironic way, then I conclude that you have no idea how to write a proper arc.
Additionally, I hated the stupid love story between Jin and whats-his-name. It was so dry and unrealistic. Not to mention his actions later on and how we were supposed to interpret them at the end... there's no way in hell that makes any sense in all the world. It was stupid, I can't call it anything else.
- The execution of the plot - the whole thing was written in such a meandering way that it robbed the story of all suspense and excitement.
-The ending - It was so lukewarm and resolved close to nothing. Especially with the glass beads... Or the big dream Jin was chasing.
-The fact that this is marketed as a sci-fi. There's no science in this book whatsoever. There are a few words of speculation, which were thrown in kind of as an afterthought and that was it.
I feel somewhat lukewarm towards this story and I am giving it a low 3 ⭐️
This is a very detailed memoir which focuses specifically on the author's life while apprenticing and working as a steam boat pilot, and later on travelling on the Mississippi river (why does this thing has so many double letters???!).
When I say “very detailed” I mean VERY detailed. We get a large portion of minute facts and feelings related to the pilot job, as well as quite a few anecdotes.
I very much enjoyed the read, though I suspect it will likely be considered rather dry and boring by the majority of readers.
The author spares no effort to describe the river, the job, the people, the boats, the organisations... There is a good amount of the characteristic for the author sarcasm, which made me cackle quite a few times.
It was a good relaxing read.
A fantastic read!
We have the continuation of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians with an expanded cast and higher stakes (if that is even possible).
I loved the 3 main POVs we have (even more than I did the ones in Percy Jackson series). These kids are around 16, so slightly more mature and therefore a bit more easy to follow.
The mystery and the new arch-enemy of our characters were top notch.
I am so looking forward to continuing with the series.
4 - 4.5 ⭐️
This was a great second entry - we got way more revelations (some of which straight up crazy), way more character and relationship complexity and all things hit all the fans.
Beware though, this was a rather frustrating read at times, mostly because so many bad things happened in so many unexpected ways.
P.S.: Vincenza “Vintage” De Grazon is a saint and deserves way better!!!