Silviya

This was somewhat of a mixed bag with the majority of the stories being great and some that felt flat, but all of them being morbid.
The author has an amazing imagination and ability to create atmosphere. I could feel the dread and instead of being scared I was curious to know more.

My favorite stories include Dagon, The Call of Cthulhu, The Colour out of Space, and The Whisperer in Darkness.

I can see how some of my favorite authors have been inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's writing and it felt special to finally read the original.

4.5 ⭐️

Yet again, I had an amazing time reading a book from this series.

We get to meet some new great characters and the stakes get even higher and the world more expanded.

I wish the authors would've focused more on the sci-fi part and less on the intrigue and action, and not because they weren't done well - I just looooove where they went with the protomolecule and what it created. I just want to know so much more.

I took away half a star because I found one particular plot point unconvincing. The forgiving of Claire. The woman killed a vast number of innocent people and put Holden's reputation in the gutter and the only reason why she was forgiven was basically nepotism. Tilly knew her since she was a kid, so she asked Anna, to help Claire. Anna agreed, because Tilly is her friend and asked Holden and his crew and because they owed her a favor, they agreed. I find it very hard to believe that had Claire been some random nobody, Anna would've lifted a finger to help her. And I don't like that this was used as a good enough reason to let a mass murderer (murderess?) get away with it.

Overall, I am quite excited to continue with this series.

I read this pretty much within a day.
I enjoyed the storyline - the stakes have been increased significantly by the end of it.
One thing I wish was different is the length of these books. Sanderson is packing full stories in 350 pages and I think his character work and world building are suffering a bit because of that. I believe the books would've benefitted by a bit more bulk to get the reader more invested in those characters and get us more grounded in this world.
Regardless, I enjoyed it quite a lot and plan on picking up the next book in the series as soon as I'm done with this review.

This is a re-read for me. I first read it over 10 years ago.

Loved the plot and the execution. And the fact that the characters don't annoy me, despite the fact that they are young and always act rash, is a testament to the author's skill!

5 full and well deserved stars!

From the first chapter this book was captivating and dynamic.

The characters and the plot were perfection! But more than anything, I loved the world the Brian McLelan has created!

If I had to compare the book to other works, i'd call it a combination 0f Mistborn, The First Law and the The Black Company.

I am rushing to buy the rest of the series and whatever else the author has written so far!

I was first asked to read this book when I was 10 years old and at the time I thought it was the most meaningless things I have ever seen.

Through the course of my life after that I have re-read this book a multitude of times and each time it seems to make more and more sense...

I dedicated the last day of the worst year of my life to reading the Little Prince once more and it brought me peace and even more understanding.

I will forever be grateful to the author for writing it and hope he found his little planet with his little rose at the end.

This is the most 5⭐️worthy book I have read in a long long time!

The book left me full of deep satisfaction, devastating heartbreak, desire to know more, thirst for revenge and justice... And most of all, the worst book hangover I can remember since I read Words of Radiance.
Amazing character work! I loved or hated all the characters deeply. I was never indifferent. To even the most insignificant ones.
Tremendous world building! I felt like I was there, I knew all the places, I studied the map with passion.
Gripping plot! The way the author wove the story, from beginning to end, through the different points of view, was absolutely masterful!
This book made me feel so many things. From its meaningful quiet moments, to the anxiety-inducing, nail-biting battles. All of it was just lovely!
Read it!!!!!11one

I knew Nathair was the worst as soon as he started yapping about empires.Veradis is an absolute fool. Or so I thought until I re-examined the information he operates under, and understood that I probably would be just as stupid in his place.I need Cywen to not be dead, because she had so much potential, and I can't believe the author would end her like this. Same goes for Kastell.Where is Corban's damn horse?? Who the hell did king Brenan save from Rhin??If Meical is not a Ben-Elim I shall eat this book, and the others in this series.

3.5 ⭐️

I really enjoyed the story and I think the author has created an amazing world.
But I didn't like the writing style - it was disjointed and vague, and it left too much unsaid to the point where I had to google what exactly was the outcome of certain scenes, because it wasn't clear from the narrative. Come to find out, I wasn't the only one.

I will give the next book in the series a try and if things don't improve, I will have to reconsider reading more from the author.

Out of the books in this trilogy, I liked this one the most.

As always, Leigh Bardugo's writing was flowing beautifully and was so easy to read - I'd sit down and read a 100 pages without even noticing.
The story had a very good pacing, such that even if not much was happening, it didn't feel so. Some very good emotional moments. And a few good twists.
The main characters were way more likeable and the friendships depicted were warming my heart.
The conclusion of the story was quite satisfying and set up the following series nicely.

Now for the things I didn't like - some things, particularly relating to the small science and merzost, were not properly explained and seemed rather convenient.
I didn't get how and why Iliya Morozova managed to make sure a bunch of random people would get sun summoner's powers. I understand that he liked otkazat'sya, but why would that make him want to turn them into summoners then? And how would he have known that there would be a need for such? There wasn't even a Fold at the time. Not to mention that in no way explained Alina's power.And even if the point was to ensure that if someone got too greedy with their power, it would be taken away from them and dispensed among normal people, why would you do that? You don't know if these people want the damn thing, and you don't know if they wouldn't become greedy as well. It just felt rather random.Additionally, the way Alina lost her power was a bit disappointing. I wish she would've rather given it up than just having it taken away from her. This would've given her agency and would've made her mourning its loss more tangible.

Overall, although it wasn't a perfect book, I'm quite satisfied and rather nicely surprised by it, and this series in general.

I don't know what to think of this book as it brought me both joy and frustration.

I was absolutely mesmerised by the story and the lore. So many secrets and lovely magic and small science. The book had a great pacing, which wasn't a surprise - the first book in the series also did. Every time I sat to read, I wanted to read more and more, and now that I read it all - I still want to read more. I can't wait to pick the next one.

The problem is that I cannot stand the main characters. Alina is outright stupid most of the time. Mal's insecurity and constant tantrums are exhausting and annoying. The Darkling... he is properly evil, and for the life of me, I couldn't tell why anyone would find him hot. Ever. The one saving grace for the characters was Nicolay, whose wit and general character were like a breath of fresh air. May he live forever.

Oh, and let's not forget the ridiculous use of Russian language in this series. I know it's nitpicky, but I am cursed with speaking the language and therefore can't avoid the cringing when reading this.

I give this book 3,5 stars.

4,5 stars

I beautiful story about a very interesting and multilayered character.
Ursula K. Le Gwin manages to create a complex world and a touching story. Overall, a great beginning to this series.

As far as novellas go, this one is pretty good.
The author has managed to pack a ton of character work and world building in this short story.
I really liked the magic system and the main character that we followed.
I hope we get to read more about those in future works.

This is a second re-read for me and I kinda want to start reading it again right away. Still the best first book in series ever.

World building, characters, plot and writing are exquisite! This book is an absolute masterpiece and the most 5-stariest 5 star I have ever read!

If this series never gets completed, it wouldn't matter one bit. I would be happy to re-read the already published books till my last day.

Every time she gets me!

I managed to guess one of the mysteries at 70% because of a single throwaway line the author had written in the beginning, which was awesome. But as for the murderer - she got me again. I loved reading this book!

Can you be disappointed by something you ultimately admire?

I think this story itself is quite meaningful, as well as surprisingly prophetic in some ways, given when it was written. And it could've been really interesting, except that it was ruined by one of its most admirable features (this sounds nonsensical, I know) - the writing style.

This whole story is written like a fever dream and though it follows a linear storyline, it often doesn't feel that way.

We have characters whose behavior is so erratic, that it feels illogical at times, which made me struggle to follow and understand their motivations.

The scenes were unfolding chaotically and the book as a whole had a very awkward pacing.
And I get it, this style is meant to represent the confusing neutered state in which humans have been trained to live in the new society. It was very impressive how precisely the author has managed to illustrate the general fuzzy reality and our main character's struggle to think through it. I get the intricacies and complexity this style carries and I am dully impressed.

But... I didn't like it still. Reading a full novel written in this abstract style is frankly uncomfortable and to me it was unpleasant. Trying to follow a storyline through the muddled half-thoughts and neurotic existential monologues of semi-lucid people was draining, and kind of made the story itself secondary. And as such, it killed both stakes and suspense.

I think had the book been written a bit more “conventionally” it would have made the story way more accessible and impactful. At least to me.

An amazing book!
An intricate plot, which offered multiple surprises revealed in the best ways. All of it set in a vivid world, full of details.
But where this book really shines is the character work. Every single one of the people we follow, as well as every single supporting character, is well worth the time.
The first time I read the book was back in 2019 and I rated it 4 stars. But only because at the time I mostly cared about Siri's storyline and paid very little attention to the rest.
Now, upon re-read, I loved Vivenna's storyline so much more. It was masterfully woven and offered not only an amazing character arc, but some very curious Cosmere nuggets.

I so wish the series would be continued soon!

You need to read this book!

It's the best and worst of humanity.told in a way that will touch your heart.
It's finding hope in the midst of despair.
It's zooming in on global tragedy to see the small suffering through it and endure.

And my heart broke for Afghanistan. For what it was, for what it could've been. May they endure and flourish again.

I cried like a baby and oddly enough feel more hopeful after it.

Okay, this was awesome!

At 25% I was considering a DNF and I am soooooo happy I gave it a chance!
The pacing is perfect and the action is sublime. The plot is absolutely amazing and so epic!
I took away a star because I see some unaddressed hypocrisy in the characters, which was a bit frustrating for me (and the reason for me considering to DNF).

Either way, I loved this book and even more excited to continue with this series!

That book was a ride...

I did not anticipate how dark it would go, and believe me, I am not easily made to clutch my pearls.
It was mysterious, and gripping, and quite morbid.
Great writing style and atmosphere.

This whole thing would've been 5 stars, if it wasn't for the absolutely abhorrent way the author handled the conflict between the two main characters.
Chapter 18 - worst “romantic” scene ever. I was so pissed, I had to take a break from reading. Made me hate the main character and from then on, I just wanted it all to end.

The only reason I didn't give it 1 star is the fact that, much as I hate to admit it, the author is good. Her writing style is on point and the banter in this book is top shelf. And because in comparison to all other “romance” books I read this week, this one actually was romantic and worked. Until chapter 18 that is.

Nice, short and easy read.

Definitely not what I'm used to when it comes to Mistborn, but I enjoyed it well enough.
Though I would've preferred it if there was no “cameos” from the first era - it felt slightly cheap.

So far the stakes were quite low, yet I enjoyed the action. I can also sense them rising in the future.

The whole time I thought (and hoped) that Marasi would be the bad guy. Don't know why, just felt right. I also love Steris, though we only met her briefly. I guess I have a soft spot for emotionless weirdos.

If I have to stick to technicalities of writing and plotting, I would give this book 4 stars.

But I don't have to and I enjoyed it so much that I couldn't possibly give it less than 5.

If you are a fan of fantasy at all, I suspect you will like this one.

A good second book, though part one dragged slightly. It took me 3 week to finish it, while part two I read within 2 days. I liked how much deeper the story got and how the author managed to pull some quite obscure characters into the main action and make them stand out. It's truly a skill to navigate such a big cast of characters.
There were a few things that I didn't particularly approve of. Like why did Royse and Handrian use their real names on the ship, for example? It didn't make sense.
And the lightning speed pacing of some rather important events. The main battle of part one took all of 2 pages. The final battle of part two was done off page.
And the endless sea jargon in part 2 which made it all but impossible to understand what's going on. Kudos to the author for doing his homework on the matter, but I don't appreciate having to become a sailor myself to understand the narrative.
Other than that, good plot twists, and a fun plot in general, as well as decent character work. Though I think the author lacks the patience and timing that would've made this book a masterpiece.

Great mystery in a cosy setting.
I really like how her author took her time introducing the characters to us, without being info-dumpy. I love her use of multiple POVs to paint the full picture while obscuring a few key details.
I wasn't a big fan of the exact execution of the twist - there could've been a better hint for who the killer was. There were also some rather cringy romantic moments, but that is probably just me.
Overall, I very much enjoyed reading this book and will continue with the series.

3.5 ⭐️

This was so much fun!
Mostly because of the Louisiana setting and the supporting characters. Big Dady Jake and the rest of the population of Bowen were hilarious. The coach misunderstanding had me laughing out loud.
I did love the mystery too - the villain pov chapters were some of my favorite!
I also liked the love interest - I think he is one of the few fictional men I could actually find attractive.

What I didn't much like was what I usually seem to dislike in Julie Garwood's books - the female protagonist. She has the tendency to write supposedly smart strong women, who turn into bumbling fools at the sight of an attractive men. I mean, I get it, we can all get a bit flustered around an attractive person, but the extent to which she gets the women in her books to act like clowns is damn right frustrating.

Other than that, I loved everything about the story and recommend!