Julia
I loved everything about this book. The way the story is like a symphony, and the way that all these nonverbal experiences and feelings are described through music. I loved the vulnerability of the characters, the heartbreak and hopefulness they found in each other - the ultimate win of the human part of us over everything else. Such a lyrical 5-star gem 💎. Also, will be playing 2Cellos and BrooklynDuo on repeat for the next week. 😅
I mean...4.5 stars because I inhaled this in practically one day and I had other stuff going on! It's fun, it's bingey, it makes me wish the third book was out yesterday. Blake got under my skin and I want to know more. Aurora has grown on me despite constantly holding a scream she couldn't release for the entirety of 2 books. 😅 Philip was a FUN development. It all worked to keep me reading nonstop. I'm in, I'm in!
Starting out light and silly, this little book surprisingly rings out some impressive emotion towards the middle and end. A great light read for any Francophile!
3.5 STARS
Quick and engaging read that I finished in 1 day. I started this after reading a series that totally strung me out with angst, and it was a welcome relief. I agree with others that there's definitely more room for relationship development, but there's several more books in store and I'm hoping this is one where marriage is just the beginning of a more complex and organic dynamic between Persephone and Hades. Onto book 2...!
Loved this book growing up! I must have checked it out 4 times out of the library, at least. Looking forward to a re-read.
4.5 stars for all the twists and turns and sheer unputdownability of this last book in the M+J saga. Glad that references to “Deep South” and ridiculous generalizations about today's generation were kept to a minimum. Not so glad they were replaced with inaccurate and ridiculous references to feeling “schizophrenic” and that that somehow involves multiple personalities. Two VERY DIFFERENT conditions folks! Wish movies and books would stop doing this already. We have the internet - no excuse for ignorance here... But despite these irritations of which there were not a few - Mac and Jericho really brought it home for me. They truly save the series and have such a fun dynamic. World building was also pretty great and I loved some of the creative scenes involving illusions. Fun fun fun! So while it didn't have me fawning over the sheer brilliance in writing - I'm here for it - and will give the next few books in this world a chance too. I'm fairly certain that even with a few eyerolls, I'll have fun. :)
Amazing book that integrates the life of one woman into the lives of millions. Also, I think it should be required reading for all future research and medical professionals - it's definitely better than any HIPAA/ethics training.
Loved this conclusion to the Nightborn part of the series. Love the couple for sure - but what really sparkled for me in this second book is the processing of grief and the very complex parental relationship at the core of the book. It took my breath away and led to beautiful places of discomfort, acceptance, and understanding. So many different kinds of love showcased here - and for that
This was such a surprise - and not in a good way. 3 stars for a historically amazing series and characters I'm still invested in despite the mess this installment was. As many others, I have actually preferred the Sera and Nyktos saga over the original. It had fun developments, a witty and sharp main heroine, lots of stuff happening and many lovable characters. Here - Sera is transformed into someone unrecognizable. The dialogue is subpar with only moments that truly clicked, moved, or resonated. Most of the book reads like a summary of the previous two books without the action, just reminiscing on how things used to be and past events - and I can definitely relate! I found myself going back to the past two books just to make sure I didn't hallucinate that they were indeed great. What happened here? I just don't get it. So sad
Where to begin here? I finished it, and hence the 3 stars! Maybe I've been spoiled by incredible in depth character development and world building of Marie Rutkowski, Sarah J Maas, Leigh Bardugo, etc., but this story lacked any chemistry mostly because it felt like a sketch. The story bones are good, premise is intriguing, but the narration is so lackluster. I get so easily invested in stories, and honestly I couldn't care less about any of the characters because I didn't know who they were, what made them tick, what were their thoughts, their complexities, their conflicts. Things seemed so black and white. Bad guys were bad, good guys were good. No struggle aside from the main character, who at least had some page space to reflect on her inner demons. The writing was not bad but also not engaging on an emotional level, and it spent so much time telling me how things are rather than letting me come to those conclusions by showing me how they are. “They kissed passionately” vs going through the motion of actually writing a passionate love scene. Telling me the character is “conflicted” rather than discussing and showing me how they process that conflict. A lot of that resulted in me feeling very removed from this world and it's inhabitants. It's a shame because this is exactly the type of story I love to read and it had the makings of an instant hit. Sadly, it accomplished the rare feat of missing the mark for me, so I'll be wrapping up the series with this one.
Started the series a couple of months ago, and now on book 17.5....so I guess it's been absolutely terrible, and nothing to recommend here, and really really didn't like it...
Darker, and in some ways deeper, than the first. That comes with positives and negatives. I missed the playfulness, while the losses kept mounting. There's emotional payoff to counteract some of that, but at times that didn't feel enough. That said - it's an amazing story, the protagonists have become more three dimensional, while there's good understanding of how the villains may have become who they are. I'm pumped and feel we're VERY set up for a cataclysmic? apocalyptic? conclusion.....
This was an amazing debut! Sexy, funny banter. Strong female leads. The action is quick-paced and the dialogue doesn't hold back. Lou is someone I'd want to be friends with, even as she pushed all my buttons and my boundaries. Five bewitching stars!
Currently reading in installments on their blog....! What an awesome present every Friday. I'm shocked reading through some of the “reviews” that were based on a part of the chapter condemning it to some version of what they think it will be. Haha. Talk about jumping to conclusions...as usual, the Andrews' tale starts with a conflict you think you know and is slowly morphing into an intergalactic adventure. Prepare for new and old friends, family dynamics, Maud's backstory, Helen!, and incredible character development....put simply, everything we've learned to love about this series! And while the romance aspect is present given Maud's reasons for being there, that is definitely NOT the focus, which is very in line with how these books have been written. As in life, romance is only one of the storylines and there's a lot happening. Also, it shifts perspective, but the Innkeeper narrative really continues so I have a feeling we will be seeing Dina and company at some point soon!
Challenging, thought-provoking, inspiring. Though difficult to get through, doing so was both cathartic and life-reaffirming. The message that stuck with me: recovery is always possible, even when all you think that's left are ashes.
Update: 2/2023: Who knew that it would take me 5 years to actually get to reading this next installment of the series. Maybe it was the word “betrayal” in the synopsis that had me fearing for my Warnette duo & Co, or maybe it was the subsequent swell of negative reviews. In either case, it ended up taking me awhile to get back to this. Honestly, I wasn't sure what to expect given the general negative consensus from the Goodreads community as well as my trusted reviewers on here who tend to be very in sync with me. It's true - the world-building is nowhere to be found, and there's not so much a plot as much as an in-depth analysis of each character's mental state post-Anderson. I gotta say - it's a soap opera in here. The angst, the revelations, the deep burning passions of our band of misfits - all in here, and I was surprisingly into it. It's like the first 3 books are this sprint through finding each other and taking over the country, and these start to get into so what then? The mental damage, emotional instability, and general realization that they're teenagers who don't know what's up felt very real. The series is certainly taking a wild turn at the conclusion of Restore Me (which should really be named Transport Me into an alternate reality), so let's see how wilder it gets in the next book.
I read this for almost 6 months - not because I grew bored or frustrated, but because there's something about it that urged me to savor every chapter, every word before it ultimately slipped through my fingers. It's a beautiful tribute to art and love in all its forms, to connection and influence that survives even death. The lyrical prose, the symbolism infused into every line almost demands multiple resources to process. It's a dream I didn't want to wake up from, and one that had me thinking about the themes and experiences between each reading session. In the end, I cried not only for the loss of Patti's physical connection to Robert, but also for the end of this story, this chapter - for it truly “sings of God, and ultimately belongs to him.” 5 blue guiding stars.
I'm not sure what I was hoping for with this book. The premise was intriguing, I love foreign literature, and maybe secretly dreaming about the feeling I got after reading Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante when I stumbled upon it many moons ago in a bookstore and read the thing in one sitting. Maybe it was the translation, maybe the characters, maybe the writing style. I make it a point to finish a book I start, but after restarting it literally at least 12 times, and growing bored and frustrated each time, I've decided to concede. This book has beat me. The level of foreshadowing almost at the end of every other paragraph, the ruminative nature of the narrator, who is so self-deprecating, so very uncertain of her own voice and existence that it stretched the powers of my imagination, and the character of L., who should have been beguiling, but was interesting only by default because she was at least sure of who she was. I did like what de Vigan attempted to do here, playing with the truth and testing the boundaries between truth and fiction. That is compelling. I just wish the execution matched the stellar concept.
Here's what I learned - the most wonderful thing you can do for yourself in the series is give yourself a break between books 5 and 6. The ending of 5 is so intense and we've just spent our time learning and getting attached to so many characters that redirecting to Chaol's journey just seems impossible, even if you're not suffering from Chaol Hating Syndrome. I gave myself 6 months off between these reads mostly due to life, but it was a chance for the emotions to fade a bit and for me to regain perspective. I approached Chaol as a familiar but not triggering character - and it paid off so much. A tale of redemption, grief, perspective, and adjusting to love and loss - it was everything that Maas is so good at - character building, revelations, forgiveness, and attaching to a higher idea that we can get everything we need even if it doesn't come delivered in the package we expect, that we can make choices to forge a better world, a better self. Surprising bonus - Nesryn's journey! I loved everything about this parallel world, and now we're prepared for one epic reunion. 5 healing stars!! ⭐️
A completely delightful novella to bridge between the first three books and the next saga, reacquaint us with our favorite Court of Dreams, their wounds that have healed and those that have yet to heal. There's the obvious journey of Tamlin (hopefully towards redemption), Nesta (hopefully towards healing and reconnection), Cassian (towards unconditional love!), Elaine and Lucien ( and Az???), Mor (something tells me she's headed towards adventure and self-discovery - and maybe vengeance??) and an even brighter future for F&R.
This did not have the intensity of the first three books, but I'm not sure it was meant to. It's a bridge, and one I had a lovely time crossing.
Part Star Trek Next Generation, part Sherlock Holmes, this series is pretty magical. Dina Demille is Captain Picard with an edge. She's strong, she's witty, she's kind, and she knows what she wants - and the troubles and tribulations she gets involved in speak to greater world conflicts in a way that's humorous, poignant, and so very human. It's also an absolute pleasure to read - I don't remember the last time I cared about the characters so much and not experienced a crazy amount of angst. I'm now also an avid follower of Andrews' blog that posts chapters of this series weekly, and the next installment focuses on Maud. Color me intrigued and very occupied during my lunchbreak. 5 shining galactic stars!
Surprises continue, cringe-worthy references to the “deep south” continue but are thankfully offset by some amazing plot points. More Barrons please - the mystery of who/what he is has me at the edge of my seat and Moning anticipates every step and dispels all our boring conclusions. Just for that, two thumbs up! That ending - holy smokes. Basically on to Book 4 immediately...!