Selma
What disappoints me the most about this book/book series, is the slowness of the plot.
I really feel like things have been happening just to fill the story. And that the story has SO much unused potential..
I feel like the truly “big” plot happenes when she discoveres her own powers, and fuck it - realizes that she's an angel? Why the heck not. That's my theory at least. There's already been SO many hints that she's different. Her eyes glowed red when she had killed Ollith... She was HEALED by Ollie when she was in the Unseelie Court for the first time... And even Gil told her that she had different powers than a usual Nightmare...
I just can't keep up with the pace. It just seems so predictable, and I've been frustrated about this for the last 3 books.
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Secondly, something that also plays into the pacing of the books, is the endless possibilities with Oliver! Why is it JUST now (book 4...) happening something exciting? I waited for this in book 2.
Maybe, in one of their many encounters with the monsters in her dream, Ollie was injured and died, BUT she revives him with her overflow of feelings and powers. But what they hadn't known was that she revived him to live freely, as a person, outside of her dreams?! Then they could date like they were meant to be, all along. I like this so much more.
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Lastly, the thing that I was most frustrated about when reading this fourth book, was that Fortuna went back to Collith.. That's just wrong, completely wrong. Another person wrote a review about this earlier, and said that she felt like she was GUILTED into liking Collith. I couldn't have formed it better myself.
I wish either she would go with Laurie, or even more I wish she could get together with Ollie.
I've NEVER read to the fourth book in a series, not knowing if I managed to read the rest because all the books until now disappointed me... There's just so much potential that's not being used, at a way too slow speed.
'Dear old world', she murmured, 'you are very lovely, and I am glad to be alive in you'
I have thought hard about how to rate this book. I now know that it is definitely a 5-star read; I do just wish I read the physycal copy, instead of listening to the audiobook, because I know I would love it that much more. However, I very much look forward to the re-read, for Anne of Green Gables is the type of book which gives you the same feelings as seeing a dear friend.
These are my favorite quotes from the book:
“My life is a perfect graveyard of buried hopes”
“I can't eat. I can never eat when I'm in the depths of despair.”
“Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. It's splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world.”
“Why must people kneel down to pray? If I really wanted to pray I'll tell you what I'd do. I'd go out into a great big field all alone or in the deep, deep woods and I'd look up into the sky–up–up–up–into that lovely blue sky that looks as if there was no end to its blueness. And then I'd just feel a prayer.”
“I don't know, I don't want to talk as much. (..) It's nicer to think dear, pretty thoughts and keep them in one's heart, like treasures. I don't like to have them laughed at or wondered over.”
4.5 starts.
Action, plot twists (that I actually kinda didn't predict), drama, enemies to lovers, found family
I am giving this book 5 stars, despite being sooo near DNF-ing it. Again. (I know that's a sin to say).
I started reading Lord of the Flies some two years ago, and I quite quickly DNF-ed it... But I knew I had to come back to it at a later date. The themes on human psychology just seemed too exciting. So I was a bit more prepared this time. I knew it was suuuuperslow in the beginning. But I didn't think it would be as slow as it actually was.
I have some words on the writing:
I just don't think me and William Golding vibe very well together. I could read a paragraph several times, and still don't understand anything. And I feel like this type of writing weirdly reminded me a bit of Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor...? Which I had to force myself to read through 6 months.. I don't know why it reminded me of Strange the Dreamer, but maybe some of the descriptions of the island made me remember the “dreamy”, almost “uneasy” feeling I got from Laini Taylor as well. Now that I'm thinking of it, maybe this was exactly what Golding wanted, though. To give the reader this sense of stress that something awful was going to happen. So maybe I actually like his writing after all?
The last couple chapters were the best, in my opinion. But there were a lot of important scenes earlier in the book as well, contributing to the angst in the end. I had to put down the book a little bit during the end chapters, because I was afraid that I might get a heart attack or something from how hard it was beating.
This is just a ruthless story. That's how I have to describe it. And it scares me that I could've been any one of these boys, if I were stranded on an island like them.
Actually, I think I like Goldings writing after all.
Bare alt for sakte, alt for mye tanker og alt for mange av de samme tankene. Nesten ikke noe plott. Kan være de tankemonologene føltes lengre ut pga jeg hørte boken på lydbok, men er sikker på at hele boken kunne blitt kortet ned 2/300 sider bare på de indre monologene.. Altså, det var bare så obvious at Ash elsket Sera, man vet set liksom fra starten. Og så handler egentlig hele boken om at Ash skulle være ærlig om følelsene sine, og dette med hjertet hans som var skjært ut. Sera kunne gått igjennom Ascencion-en og blitt Primal myyyyyye fortere enn dette. Bare alt ble så innmari strekt ut, noen ganger fulgte jeg ikke engang med på lydboken, og fant ut at jeg ikke hadde mistet noe av importance uansett når jeg spolte tilbake..
«My greatest wish for humanity is not for peace or comfort or joy. It is that we all still die a little inside every time we witness the death of another. For only the pain of empathy will keep us human. There's no version of God that can help us if we ever lose that»
- From the gleaning journal of H.S.Faraday
This book was truly a wonderful discovery for me. I'd heard great things about this book by several booktubers, but I didn't think I would come to like a sci-fi action book like this as much as I did. I picked it up in Ireland, in need of something to read while still in a reading block. I had no idea what this book would give me in the aftermath; I have emerged with more questions and dilemmas than I arrived with. And in the strangest way I believe my thoughts and opinions have evolved.
I've never really thought much about death and life. I was content on living my life in the present. But this book challenged me. Severely. I couldn't seem to finish it. Took me a couple of weeks. It's just a really refreshing book compared to other YA/NA fantasy books I've read. And I thoroughly enjoyed it. Really, enjoy wouldn't be the right word. One doesn't really enjoy being challenged in their beliefs. That's what makes the book so special. I can't wait to read the full trilogy - although I suspect it might take me a while to finish. I have to read something more brain-dead in the mean time
It took me half a year to finish this book. Don't misunderstand me - it's a beautifully written, and extremely dreamy book. But it was just a bit slow. And I was having a hard time continuing.
There was a loot of info the first two thirds of the book, and then, after 80% of the book, things started happening. Very quickly.
I absolutely love the way Taylor writes. So poetic and dreamy - perfect for a book based on hopes, dreams, despair and death. A book which shows the harsh cruelties of the world, and how it can break even the best people.
It poses some interesting questions- about what it is to be truly good. Eril-Fane is depicted as a “great man, but not a good man”. It discusses love, and asks what one wouldn't do for it. And about regret: would Lazlo go back and save his love, while letting the city fall?
3.5 stjerner
Veldig mye SMUT, bra åpen trist ending.. HVORDAN skal jeg klare å vente til neste bok?? Dette er tortur...
Too much talking and thinking, not so much action imo. Not bad though. Looking forward to seeing her development in the next book, I hope she becomes strong.. I admit I have a pet peeve for helpless women mc's..
Veldig spennende, kanskje litt for lite action for min del, litt for mye “filler”, men det var necessary for poppy å bli kjent med de andre.
3.5 stars. This book had no business being actually that good. I thought it would just be smut smut smut, but it actually has a plot. And the plot is actually good!!
Can't wait until Scarlet in January
This book shook me. To my literal core. That ending, I was not expecting that AT ALL.
“ Naked, they faced each other in that garden beneath the sea. ”
- this has to be the most beautiful sentence in this book.
All the possibilities in the plot, and with the characters, SJM now has.. I can't wait.
There's nothing else I can say than - absolute perfection. The beginning 2/3 of the book went a little bit slowly, but we Needed those details for the upcoming books. It was all worth it in the end.
3.5 stars. Still pretty forgettable, like the other two previous books, but the action was a bit better here.
I feel like the big things are generally unpacked too slowly in these books, and random actions are used to “fill in” where the big plot is missing. I just feel like there isn't a motive, or a clear goal, everything just happen as it happens. And that makes it a 3 star series (this far) for me.
Btw. Absolutely more Laurie than Collie fan. I don't know if I'm wrong for that since my inner heart does love collie still.. Jeez maybe just go for Finn haha
I really loved that we got to see more of the history before From Blood and Ash, I now understand a looot more than I did when I finished Crown of Gilded Bones. During the three books (FBAA, KoFaF & CoGB), there was just sooo much info that I didn't understand. But now I get a lot more and I pick up at small details from the prev books.
However, a Shadow in the Ember was pretty predictable. Don't get me wrong there was at least one huge plot twist, and I absolutely loved that! (When Sera understood that the rot wasn't because of the deal). But I at the same time started predicting all the other stuff that came wayyy later in the book - that she was Sotoria, that she was the Primal of Life and that she had to kill the Primal of Death, Kolis.
Nevertheless, a truly good book, tying everything together from FBAA triology, and still leaving some questions up for debate.
This book shook me to my core, split me into pieces, and built me up again. The plot twists, the angst, is unlike anything I've EVER read. It broke me, and made me feel absolutely every feeling. At once. The ending was perfect, unlike a loot of books I've read that made me angry, this book's ending makes me speechless - in a good way. I'm just left utterly satisfied. I've never experienced this feeling. Of complete peacefulness and joy after a book/book series.
It was tough, the whole book series was tough to read. They've been through so much. But it was the best series I've read.
I can't wait until the fourth book in May.
Sure, people can say not a lot happened in this book. And it's true. But we needed to see all of Auren's thoughts and we needed her development. That's what makes this book so extraordinary. I don't care if people disagree with me. This is artwork. And it restored my love for reading.
I read it in ONE SITTING. Lost my SLEEP because of this book. And THAT is amazing. You have no idea how highly I value my sleep.
Book 1 was okay, gave it 3 stars. I wondered if I was even going to continue the series. But this book just took me by surprise. It has EVERYTHING I love in a book. Strong, complicated character development, action, fighting, slow burning romance. And it made me feel all the feelings - joy, proudness, shame, hate, love, fear. I've truly, never experienced this before, to this extent.
This book is perfect. Just utterly perfect. There hasn't been a single book I've read before this that captured me like this. There was not a single moment in this book that I didn't enjoy.
Utroolig bra plot, karakterer som man blir såå connected med, amazing slow burn med litt hete scener, sykt spennende plot twist omg.
4.5 stars, just wayyyy toooooo frustrating ahhhh. I'm just a sucker for happy endings, why are u torturing mee Peckham????
Spennende! Klarte ikke stoppe å lese! hatet Nesta i begynnelsen, men elsket hun til slutt, hennes development var bare så bra, psykisk helse var virkelig et sterkt tema her!!, likte ikke at hun var så sterk da, men litt av det gav hun jo opp til slutt for å redde Feyre og barnet, som jeg satt pris på. Elsket de smutty scenene og den frustrerende slow burnen med Cassian
Extremely fast-paced. A lot happened in just 300 pages, but I felt like it was a bit too hurried. The actions didn't feel as serious or important because it went so quickly.
ACTION, syk krig, og at hun ødela Spring Court, ødela Tamlin - jeg digget det. Smaken av revenge var søt. Såå trist på slutten når Rhys ofret seg. Elsker hvor sterk Feyre har blitt, alle kreftene hennes!