Tyler Sparr

While there were definitely some big events that happened that are key to moving the plot along, this overall felt like more of a setup book. Still enjoyable and I’m looking forward to continuing, but not my favorite entry.

This was a really cool world that is unfortunately filled with really forgettable, wooden characters, frustrating pacing, and some really uncomfortable situations. Still kept my interest, but maybe a case of its reputation coming by way of being first rather than actually good.

What a cool start to a new series! Obviously Will Wight is no stranger to writing about powerful characters after Cradle, but wow does this one just come out punching! Part sci-fi, part magic, all entertaining. Looking forward to reading this whole series!

Having never read the book before and only seen the movie, I wasn’t super sure what to expect from this and largely chose it due to length. Turns out the movie was pretty close to the book. Fun listen and Scarlett Johansson did a good job of doing all the voices.

While this is set in the Halo universe, you really don't need to be familiar with Halo at all to appreciate the story on offer which is an incredible take on the morality and ethics of true AI. A very short read that was well worth it.

I don’t know if others were aware, but I definitely expected this to finish the series off. Maybe if I didn’t have that expectation going into the end, I would have enjoyed it a bit more rather than constantly trying to figure out how everything was going to come together. Overall, a solid entry. Better than the others for me as we’re now mostly done world building and into the plot the whole way through.

I’m not too sure what I just read. It really wasn’t much of anything. It wasn’t bad or good. Just…was. At least it was short.

This book was a wild ride from start to finish and generated so much discussion amongst our group. It’s probably best to just go in as blind as possible and experience the story for yourself.

Like most book 1’s, there’s a lot of info-dumping going on, but it’s done in a way that feels relatively natural. The storyline itself feels familiar while having its own unique spin. My only minor grip is that the magic system is so soft that it’s really hard to say what everyone’s capable of. Maybe that’ll firm up in the sequels, but regardless a great start to a new series.

The second book in a series disappoints so often that it's almost taken as a given when going into it. This book does not dissapoint though. If anything, it's quite a bit better than the first. Getting to see more of the world and the lore around this world was very satisfying and I felt like I was able to connect with the characters much more. Really looking forward to seeing where this series goes.

This book is needlessly long, spends way too much time on inane plot points, and is just generally drug out due to the way web serials work. That being said, it’s almost addicting to read. You’re always being drug forward and shown something new and crazy. I’ll keep reading every one until it’s all over. Truly a hallmark of the genre.

Once again, there’s just so much going on in this series with the focus jumping all over the place. Every time you think answers are just around the corner, new questions are added. As long as all the questions have a somewhat satisfactory conclusion, it’ll have been worth the journey.

I don't know that there was anything inherently wrong with this book, but it just didn't grip me the same way the first couple in the series did. There was some cool lore going on and some interesting scenarios, but I just wasn't fully engaged. Still a fun read.

Not much to say about this one. It’s a good entry in the series, but like all the recent entries, things are happening without it really changing much overall. Still fun.

This is just cozy fun at its best. There’s very little stakes, but it still tells a story and leaves you feeling warm and fuzzy throughout.

Very solid entry in the series! Lots of plot progression, world building, and insight into the world. Really can’t ask for a whole lot more.

This was just… bad. There’s really no way to sugarcoat it. The plot’s a mess, the characters are unlikable, and even the dragons aren’t enough to rescue what’s ultimately a very flawed book. I’ll unfortunately probably continue this series just to see where it all ends up, but do yourself a favor and get out now if you’re able.

Every book in this series is just such a fun treat. It’s got to be commended for having very few unnecessary plot points in a genre filled with meandering nonsense. I’ve definitely lost the thread of what makes sense when it comes to power scaling, but just a joy to read. Seems like the serious is drawing to an end and I really hope they stick the landing!

I wish I liked this more. The story is incredibly epic and there’s so many cool things going on, but there’s just something about the writing style that doesn’t quite click with me. I’m sure this is a 5-star book to many and I think it’s well worth a read, but I probably won’t be pursuing anything else from John Gwynne.

This book is the truest definition of a journey. Finishing a 1300 page book and coming away wanting more story takes a special kind of magic and Brandon Sanderson just has it. Worth every second.

I honestly had no idea this was the last book in the series and I was pretty disappointed to learn that. It’s probably good I didn’t know though or else I probably would have enjoyed this book a lot less. It felt like this could have gone on for quite a bit longer and the ending just felt rushed. I like what was done, but I could have stood for a lot more description. Overall a fun, readable series though.

I wanted to like this book a lot more than I actually did. A lot of formalities, unique words, and old styles of phrasing pulled me out of the story. The story itself was really engaging and interesting, but I was bouncing off from the prose so hard. I don't recall if the previous books in the series were written the same way, but if they were on it could easily just be a mood thing.

There's just really nothing not to like about this book. It's got some problems and I'm certainly not qualified to know if the science actually makes sense, but it's presented in such an easily digestible way that makes it all so fun. This time I listened to the audiobook which was really good, but I'm not sure I fully buy into the "it's better than reading it" narrative. Overall, just as fun as I remembered!

Overall, I liked this book and it was well written, but I just wanted more from it. There was a lot of talking about things happening and very little of it actually happening. That aside, the plot was interesting and the characters felt fully realized. Worth a read.

This book was truly a masterpiece of slow burn horror. It probably could have stood to be just a little bit shorter with some snappier pacing in a few parts and some really crucial scenes were much shorter than expected, but still probably the best example of this genre I’ve ever read. Absolutely worth the read.