Silviya
4.5 ⭐️
Ah, what a beautiful story!
- Interesting and funny characters;
- Mesmerising , yet creepy world;
- A romance that wasn't too brazen and complimented the story in a quiet and respectful way;
- Strangely realistic for what it is.
Please keep in mind that the magic system is extremely soft, so if that is something that bothers you, you might want to be aware before you decide to read it.
As far as Fantasy Romance goes, probably the best I've read so far.
P.S.: March and May are my favourite duo ever!
This.Was.Awesome!!!
I was on the edge of my seat the whole time! There were stakes, there was tragedy, there was mystery, there were amazing revelations, I hated Alisa with a burning passion again... In short, I had such a great time!
Can't wait to read book 3, I'm basically itching to pick it up!
If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would!
This story is magical and beautiful and funny and made me cry and I love it!
I shall re-read it every spring !
Everything that could be said about this book has already been said. Regardless, here's my two cents. The book is great both on its own and as a start of a series.
I first read it over 10 years ago and absolutely fell in love with it.
And re-reading it now, I can't help but wish I was reading it for the first time, so I could discover it all over again.
The author has crafter a truly magical world. A perfect story to get kids - small and grown-up, to fall in love with reading. The characters are so likeable, the details so well crafted, and the atmosphere is so engaging, as to make you almost believe it's actually true.
I highly highly recommend it.
3 - 3.5 ⭐️
For a fantasy that is less than 200 pages, this one did quite well.
This is a fairly standard (or so I thought initially) YA urban fantasy, about a girl that moves to a small town and starts to discover weird things. It gives Harry Potter for girls kind of vibes, though it is admittedly less developed.
Quite fast paced, with short chapters, most of which end on a cliff hanger, which makes you want to read more.
The world and characters seemed a bit underdeveloped and the writing style was a bit simplistic, but considering that this book is very short and the author's first one, I think it's understandable.
I did quite enjoy the story, it managed to surprise me and keep me interested. So, I will continue with the series.
A new unexpected favorite!
This is a fantasy book with a very distinct sci-fi feel (almost reminiscent of Jurassic Park), even though there is only hints of scientific approach in it.
We have some of the most interesting and fun to follow characters, which I felt as though I knew personally. And I can honestly say that Vincenza “Vintage” de Grazon is joining Jasnah Kholin in my dream crew!
One of the great things about this book (of which there are many) was the dialog and relationship building between the characters. Even the ones that were introduced later in the book and stood more on the background (such as Aldasair) still had my full attention and immense sympathy.
We have an amazing plot (seriously it's so SO good). It was unexpected and original and unfolded so spectacularly! I had not one moment of boredom or even slight disinterest.
The writing style is smooth, simple and soothing. It did all it had to without having to venture into the purple zone for it to be beautiful.
Overall, this book is fantastic and deserves a way bigger audience. Highly highly recommend!
4.5 Stars.
Great writing. Amusing characters. Good story.
The beginning was a bit slow, but once I got used to the structure of the book, it became quite enjoyable.
Loved the characters - almost all of them were rather memorable and distinct.
The plot was quite interesting and kept me guessing. There were happy moments and there were really really sad ones. I loved both.
The writing style is absolutely amazing (imo). The author is able to paint a beautiful picture, using beautiful (and foul) words, without confusing the reader. And he is FUNNY! The dialogues actually made me chuckle on multiple occasions.
I would say the ending was a bit underwhelming to me, but it was by no means bad.
I highly recommend.
3.5⭐️
A very interesting political sci-fi classic. I do mention political, because if you decide to read this book you need to be aware that there is more politics than science here. I did find the manoeuvring quite fascinating though and I think it was done quite well.
My criticism lies with the lack of challenge to the main driving theory of this book. Namely that science, combined with psychology, could predict the future. I don't think the author made the case for this being possible well enough - it was mostly presented as an axiomatic statement and then maintained all the way till the end. I wish that the author would at least attempt to question it. Because being that there is an infinite number of variables which could change the future from one moment to the next, creating your entire plot on the basis of that not being the case is a little naive, in my opinion.
The story was relatively interesting and has tons of potential.
I wasn't a big fan of the art. More specifically of the human character art.- they all looked like dry fruit (I have no better way of explaining it).
I will continue with the series as I am curious to know more.
HIGHLY recommend for anyone who is interested in the Cosmere. An absolute must!
It gave so much information and some of the stories were absolutely fantastic. There was one which i found rather lacking, which is why the book doesn't get 5 stars.
I liked this story and enjoyed reading it.
As far as Chick Lit goes, this one is quite good (in my ignorant opinion).
There was an amazing environment, interesting and inspiring premise, and several complex storylines
But I utterly disliked and couldn't understand the behavior of the main character at a few points. And the romance was just.... weird.
What a fantastic book!
It was so well done and as always with Agatha Christie, the characters we follow are super interesting to follow.
I now have to find the first book from the series and read it as well.
Safe to say, I found another classic mystery series to go to when I want a cosy page turner.
If you like greek mythology or want to like it, you will most likely enjoy this.
I read it first more than 10 years ago and after this re-read I remember why I loved it so much back then.
Of course, there were a lot of conveniences and the power balance wasn't very clear, but given that this is a middle grade book , I can forgive all this.
It was a great time and I can't wait to continue with the series.
It was okay, but I wouldn't call it groundbreaking.
The book is entertaining and uses some rather flashy language (as can be seen by the title) and while it isn't without merit, I found it shallow and at times contradictory.
Still, if you are feeling lost and looking for a read to borrow some good mood from, this might be it, as long you don't expect a clear and practical step-by-step strategy to deal with your issues.
A beautiful ending to a gripping story.
Couldn't have asked for more.
I don't have much specific qualifications to give; if you've reached this far in the story, you know what brought you here and whether it's worth to continue reading.
But I loved the story through and through, and I recommend you see it to its end.
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.
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.
4.5 ⭐️
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!
I absolutely adore this book! The characters, the twists, the world, the lore - perfectly executed, very atmospheric, gripped me from the beginning.
Оh, this was good!
This is an adult sci-fi that addresses one of my favorite subjects ever - finding mysterious things someone buried in the ground long ago.
It has multiple super interesting characters the majority of whom I alternately hated and loved (and one whom I hated passionately since the moment she showed up on page).
It has a very engaging plot packed with action, mystery and science.
But the most unique thing about this book is the format in which it's written - in the form of logs and conversation recordings. Basically, all dialogue.
How the author managed to create such a multilayered and engaging story with this format, I can't even begin to fathom.
I loved it all and I am so excited to continue with this series.
Please consider that I am in my mid-thirties and just read the book for the first time.
Somewhat of an interesting story with a very hard to like protagonist. And I don't mean hard to relate to. I mean hard to like.
The story: Ignoring some minor inconsistencies, the story was good. I liked the setting and the lore. I believe it will get even better when the world “opens up” more in following books.
The characters: There have been books where a young protagonist will actually entice me to read, as they are generally more eager and openminded. Not in this book. Eagerness was replaced by moody stupidity. Open-mindedness was replaced by stubbornness and being judgemental. Nothing and no one was ever good enough for Clary (the main character) and she treated absolutely everyone horribly. Tantrum after tantrum, showing no gratitude or empathy, being vindictive, being openly hostile to a girl just for being pretty, consciously using her so called “best friend”, slapping people for actually saving her life... The list goes on. There is a difference between being a badass independent young woman, and being an ignorant entitled edge-lord douche. Clary, sadly, belongs to the latter.
The rest of the cast was somewhat okay, though Simon was also rather unlikeable at times. I did like the Lightwood siblings. At some point towards the end of the book I started liking Jace as well. And I simply loved Magnus Bane.
The romance: Lukewarm at best. I detected no chemistry between Clary and either of the boys. Maybe there was a bit of it with Jace at some point (which is why I found the plot-twist at the end rather annoying), but honestly, all of it kind of bored me. And I don't mean that I wanted “steam” in this YA novel. I mean, I wanted to see bonding, connection of some sorts. I got pretty much none of that.
The writing style: I am no expert in writing, so anything I say here take with a grain of salt. I didn't mind it much, with the exception of the abundance of obscure adjectives and adverbs utilised in casual conversations between teenagers (assiduously, stringent, inimical, etc.).
In conclusion, had it not been for the main character, I would've liked this book way more.
2.5 - 3 stars, mainly for the story.
This author hates her characters and does everything she can to make you hate them too.
The plot is interesting and the setting amazing, but the resolution of every thread is frustratingly underwhelming. There is a great promise in the set up and no satisfaction at the end. Like biting into chocolate and tasting sauerkraut. It's the misery of A Game of Thrones minus the cushioning of wit and catharsis.
The main characters are stupidly hasty and impulsive when they should be patient and infuriatingly inert and indecisive when they should act. There is no one worthy of respect in this book.
It only escapes the 1 star because of the great world building.
Had a bit of a hard time with the writing style (again). But I did enjoy the stories and the world a bit more than the ones in The Last Wish.
It felt like a setup for something big. It had that tension feel like before a storm.
Can't wait to read the next one in the series.
Above 3⭐️ but not quite 3.5.
As with book one, I loved the characters and the world building, as well as where the story went ultimately.
But there are two reasons why I gave this book lower rating than the first one.
#1 The plot with Molly nearly drove me to roll my eyes out of my head. I don't like Molly - she is whiny, inconsiderate and selfish, and this thing with her was way too over the top melodramatic.
#2 The stupidity of the king and the king's people. A king must think of his people first and foremost. Before family and comfort. Nearly all that the Six Duchies went through could've been avoided if someone had taken the measures to stop Regal (by all means necessary) and I am sorry, but you have to be a halfwit to not see his game. Even Fool admitted as much, when he implied that Regal was doing all this to avenge his mother. So you mean to tell me that all this time you knew and didn't think to mention this to Chade or Shrewd? And speaking of Chade, he kept on yapping about the duty of the king's men, but forgot the most important one - to give sound advise and to warn his king when said king is endangering his people and one of his sons - the future king, because his other son is his favorite... All the big heads spent 80% of the book trying to convince Fitz that he doesn't know enough and the last 20% discovering what he was saying from the beginning was actually true. And don't get me wrong, I have no issue with characters being stupid, I just don't like it when they do, yet the author is trying to convince me it's otherwise. There is unavoidable suffering and there is unnecessary suffering. And, sadly, I am afraid there was quite a lot of the latter in this book.