Short review, because I read this over a month ago. It actually took me forever to read it! I had this book out in ebook form from the library three tShort review, because I read this over a month ago. It actually took me forever to read it! I had this book out in ebook form from the library three times before I read it. They kept taking it away from me before I could work up the energy or desire. I finally caved and just bought a Kindle copy, and of course that's the one that ended up sticking, since I owned it forevermore and could read it any time I wanted, I went ahead and read it the next day. Sigh.
The quality of the book though didn't really match how long it took me to read. I pretty much just straight enjoyed it. This is book two in the Edge series, by husband and wife writing team known as "Ilona Andrews". I am the last person on the Ilona Andrews train, which everyone else boarded years ago. Our hero is William, who was in the first book as well, the wolf shifter who was passed over romantically by Rose for Declan. William is a spy for one of the Kingdoms in the Weird, and his work leads him to a section of the Edge (a place in between our world and the magical world) called the Mire, that's even dodgier than the rest of it: a giant swamp inhabited by feuding families. Our heroine is Cerise, a member of the large Mar clan, who are land rich and cash poor. Cerise's parents are kidnapped by a family they're feuding with, and Cerise is made de facto head of the family. Some stuff they're mixed up in leads William and Cerise to meet, and while they are attracted to each other instantly*, their road to romance is not smooth.
*Except for the portion of their journey where Cerise is disguised as a smelly, dirty hobo.
This book is actually more fantasy than it is romance, just like the last one. There is a lot of focus on the plot, on the feud, and how the magical kingdoms in the Weird are involved in it all. This is probably also why it was so long. It was almost 500 pages, and it just felt like a lot. I also got a teensy bit eye-rolly at the end when William just sanctimoniously decided Cerise was better off without him.
Overall, I liked it. I liked the characters, the atmosphere, the magic. Even though feuding families are supremely uninteresting to me most of the time, the authors make it work. Looking forward to books three and four, which I already own, so no waffling this time....more
I've been wanting to try out Martha Wells' other books that came before Murderbot for a while now, and I finally checked this one out of the library. I've been wanting to try out Martha Wells' other books that came before Murderbot for a while now, and I finally checked this one out of the library. I had no idea what to expect going in, and I hadn't even read the blurb. And I liked it! And it was weird. In a good way.
This book takes place on another world, nary a human in sight. The world is populated by "groundlings," basically wingless humanoid peoples, and creatures of various evolutionary origins who can fly, some of whom are sentient. Our main character is Moon, whose family died mysteriously, and who has been on his own for most of his life, not even knowing what species he was. He's gone from community to community trying to find a place that will accept him where he can feel safe and at home, and has always failed. He is also a shapeshifter. He has a groundling form, but he also has a fierce flying form in which he kills and eats, and feels the most like himself. He has to keep this secret because there are creatures called Fell who look very much like himself to an ignorant eye, and the Fell are capital-B Bad. They conquer, kill, and eat other civilizations. They engage in cannibalistic behavior, and they can also fly.
The story really picks up when two things happen: Moon is found out by his current community, who think him a Fell and try to kill him, and what appears to be another member of his species finds him and rescues him, taking him back their colony, which is having problems of their own with the Fell. From there, we follow Moon as he learns about his own species for the first time, and tries to fit into this colony. There are interesting political struggles, made more complicated by the behaviors of the Raksura, which is the name of Moon's species. He learns about them as we do.
I did have a bit of trouble at first wrapping my head around the new world, but that's something I'm used to with fantasy, and in the end, Wells makes it easy for you to know what's going on in her world, and to care for her characters. This does feel very much like a first book in the series, designed to introduce the world and the characters, to get Moon in place in the Indigo Cloud colony and set up a new normal. There are still mysteries left dangling at the end that I do want to know how they are resolved. I'm definitely in for reading the rest of the series, probably later in 2022. If you're curious about Wells' other stuff like I was, this might be a good place to start....more
I am a completionist, so I will be finishing this series, even though it is ALL OVER THE PLACE, all caps well dI have liked this book against my will.
I am a completionist, so I will be finishing this series, even though it is ALL OVER THE PLACE, all caps well deserved. But I put off reading this book for a long time because it seemed like SJM was taking me on a detour to a country I knew nothing about with characters I didn't know, and Chowl (who I really grew to dislike over the course of the first four books), and I was resentful about all of it. Plus, this thing is huge. It was supposed to be a novella originally. I think I got this book out from the library and returned it unread at least two times before I finally buckled down to read it. My thought process was basically, ughghhhhhhh, seven hundred pages of Choooooowl.
But then, I started it. And, I liked it? UGH. I did.
Even though SJM's writing was still out of control*, and her fucking characters still pair up like heterosexual lobsters**, her plot here surprisingly wasn't. It felt in control, and I was actually really interested in what was going on. (I did throw a mini temper tantrum, though, when I realized that there was going to be yet another romance between two characters who, in my opinion, would be perfectly serviceable as friends. But then I realized the whole book was actually centered around their romance, so I just gave up and gave in.)
*From one of my GR status updates: "I am overall enjoying this but some things still annoy me. For instance, the use of the word thrice. Why? And eyes cannot dance with shadows. That is not a thing. Also, SJM seems to think many people have the ability to convey complex sentences to each other with just a look. No. Use your words."
**There is a f/f pair of lovers in this book that play a minor role, so at least that's something. I think they might be the first ones, though. Is Aedion bi or am I just making that up?
I was even much less annoyed by Chowl by the end. He realized what a dickweasel he'd been, which his all I really wanted, but the realization scene was a bit underwhelming, and a lot overwritten, to the point that I wasn't really clear what exactly he was realizing, except about his having been a dickweasel and how he shouldn't do that anymore.
The last book is over a 1,000 pages, FYI.
[3.5 stars, rounded up because I read it in two days]...more
I just love K.J. Charles so much. She goes where her interests take her, and I love when my interests collide with hers even more. I know I'm always iI just love K.J. Charles so much. She goes where her interests take her, and I love when my interests collide with hers even more. I know I'm always in for not just a good romance with her, but good historical fiction. Here we've got a biracial purveyor of Victorian pornography reuniting with his childhood best friend from boarding school, a lawyer of Indian descent who has thought him dead for thirteen years. They meet again when Vikram, the lawyer, is searching for a missing young Indian boy and his search takes him to Holywell Street, location of many a filth peddler, where he finds Gil, who agrees to help him find the boy.
Charles packs a lot into this novella. Both men have good character arcs, there is a decent mystery plot, the romance between them is incredibly satisfying, and along the way she touches on a bunch of themes in a super skillful way, including the intersections of race, wealth, and class; British colonialism and its effects (specifically with regards to the Indian population that had migrated to Britain by this time); questions of morality vs. legality; and of course, the nuances of sex work and pornography, good and bad and in between.
I almost gave this book five stars, but I found myself wishing for a bit more, as it seemed to wrap up rather quickly just before the end, although I found the very end of the book extremely satisfying. I suppose it's better the book left me wanting than overstaying its welcome.
No question, this is the weakest book in this series by quite a large margin. Before I read it, I saw the sharp drop in the ratings for it, and I almoNo question, this is the weakest book in this series by quite a large margin. Before I read it, I saw the sharp drop in the ratings for it, and I almost couldn't believe it. The first two books were solid, what could possibly be so bad about this one? Well. Those ratings make sense now, because this book was aggressively incompetent. What were cute and comforting levels of predictability in the first two books became clichéd and eyeroll-worthy in this one.
The problem, I think, is that despite having a fairly good grasp on the in-world politics of Jaron's kingdom, etc, Nielsen does not know how to write about war, or tactics, or battles, at all. She also seemed to have no clue how to structure this book, where with the first two, the structure was sound, and part of the charm. The whole book was just Jaron running around getting himself captured, and then participating in battles or fights with questionable realism. I found myself constantly wondering, is that even possible? What just happened?
And then, as if to try and make up for the rest of the book where it felt like she was scrambling to bring the story to a close, she added in some beyond clichéd "reveals" that came out of nowhere (oh, by the way this character we've known for two books has a secret missing son! I wonder if he will turn up somewhere!). Character reversals make no sense, and the economics and logistics beyond all the countries invading Carthya are vague at best.
I suppose it was worth it to finish out the story, but I might recommend to other readers to just stop after the first book, which is the best of the three, and then you can just imagine the ending you prefer.
[2.5 stars, rounded down because the difference in quality is staggering]...more
This wasn't as purely fun as the first one, but it was almost as predictable, hence my 3.5 star rating, instead of the full four (rounding up, though,This wasn't as purely fun as the first one, but it was almost as predictable, hence my 3.5 star rating, instead of the full four (rounding up, though, because not as fun is still fun).
Spoilers for the first book below. Seriously, don't read any further if you haven't read it. I'm about to spoil a central plot point.
The Runaway King picks up a month after the close of the last book, with Jaron having taken the throne and left his false identity as the orphan Sage behind. Right away there are problems. No one seems to take Jaron seriously. His regents conspire behind his back, and refuse to believe him that a war is coming. They organize a vote to bring in a steward until Jaron comes of age. But Jaron is moved to action when an assassination attempt by fellow orphan Roden (who also competed last book to be the fake Prince Jaron). Roden does not believe that Jaron is the actual prince, and has taken up with the Avenian pirates to instigate war between their two countries. Jaron feels he has no choice but to find the pirates and solve both of his problems at once: forestalling war, and securing his throne.
I didn't know any twists going in to this one like I did last time, but it was fairly easy to figure out the author's endgame before it happened. (view spoiler)[I predicted pretty early that Jaron would kill the pirate king and take over. But there were still twists and turns along the way that made it not entirely predictable, like Roden killing the pirate king before Jaron can. And after that happened, I was pleasantly surprised. (hide spoiler)] But overall, even though I didn't like this one as much as the first one (it was way more stressful, and I kept getting angry at Jaron's court for not trusting him), I still read it super fast, and enjoyed myself while doing so.
I'm a little nervous about the last book, as it has the lowest ratings of the three, but I'm pretty confident that I'll at least get a little enjoyment out of it since I've liked these first two pretty consistently. ...more
Yet another book I don’t want to review because I put off writing the review so long that I’ve forgotten details of the book and what I wanted to say Yet another book I don’t want to review because I put off writing the review so long that I’ve forgotten details of the book and what I wanted to say about it, if I ever knew. Mostly I’m just mad I didn’t read this sooner, although now I don’t have to wait in between books if I don’t want to. (I don’t want to, but I can’t manage to fit the second book into my OCD color-coded TBR—don’t ask, it’s too complicated to explain—and also! I’m only reading spooky/murdery books in October so it can’t go there, either and life is hard wah these aren’t real problems.)
This historical fantasy book starts off in early 18th century Cairo, with our main character Nahri, who is a con woman and a grifter with no ties to her past and no knowledge of who she is, where she came from, or how she got these powers (mysteriiiiouuusss powersssss). When she accidentally calls up a djinn (excuse me, he prefers to be called a daeva) Nahri is dragged into adventure and politics and brough to a hidden city full of other people like her, but also full of history that she is woefully unprepared for.
I do remember that my one issue with this book is how complicated the political situation in Daevabad was to get a grasp on. I just sort of went with it and figured understanding would come, but it is very intricate. I’m betting that intricacy will pay off in the second two books. The worldbuilding here was incredibly imaginative and fun, and the book was a blast to read, even when I was confused. This is why I immediately went online and bought hardcover copies before I’d even finished this one. Here is an example of Djinn health problems, just to give you a taste of the book’s sly humor:
“Stripes were common in infants born during the darkest hour of the night . . . Sweating silver droplets was a constant irritation in the spring. It was possible to to accidentally create an evil duplicate, to transform one’s hands into flowers, to be hexed with hallucinations, or to be turned into an apple—an incredibly grave insult to one’s honor.”
The characters, by the way, were also excellent. I was sort of tempted to give this five stars, but I want to give myself some room if the second and third books manage to exceed this one.
Loved this! Just a straight up great fantasy book right here. Great, unique worldbuilding. Loved the characters. Loved the exciting, heisty plot. PerfLoved this! Just a straight up great fantasy book right here. Great, unique worldbuilding. Loved the characters. Loved the exciting, heisty plot. Perfect build up to the next book. I just loved it, okay!
I think I had this idea from just looking at the cover that this book was going to be kind of dark and dour, and it's not at all. It's clever and funny, and yes there are some darker places where the characters experience hardship, but it's also just a really fun book to read. There's a nice sense of lightheartedness as you read that contrasts really well with the darker elements of the book. Just, so well done.
I'm honestly not even going to try to explain this book to you, a) Because that would be hard, it's sort of complicated by the time you get to the end, and b) That would spoil it for you! I loved being surprised by this book. I really didn't know anything going in besides that it had heist elements and some sort of industrial magic. That's really all you need to know. Also, that it's very good.
I hope I can get to book two soon. I ended up having to buy this one in paperback because a hardcover edition (affordable) was hard to track down, and now I have to wait for two to come out in paperback before I get it, because I just do. I also hope book three comes out soon! In the meantime, I'm definitely checking out all this author's other books.
The movie did it better. To be fair, the movie always does it better than the novelization. Novelizations are nearly to a one marketing ploys. But aftThe movie did it better. To be fair, the movie always does it better than the novelization. Novelizations are nearly to a one marketing ploys. But after having read the novelization for Rogue One, I am now spoiled for all future movie novelizations. That book was fantastic. It was a piece of art all on its own, and I nearly liked it better than the movie.
This was not that. It was competent. Nothing was wrong. But most importantly, it didn't really translate; the big moments did not hit here like they did in the film. They mostly just zoomed by and no emotional impact was recorded. I'm thinking specifically of two of my favorite moments, the Kylo Ren/Snoke/Rey sequence, and Luke vs. Ben at the end. Fry wrote those two scenes, the whole book really, as if relaying what happened. There didn't seem to be any attempt to evoke the same feelings the movie did through different means. There was no art to it.
Still, it was a good enough reading experience. Like I said, now that I know that novelizations can be great, I will be holding all the rest of them to that standard. Rounding up from 3.5 though, because this was way better than The Force Awakens novelization, which was not great, and also because the "deleted scenes" were legitimately fun. Especially the prologue, which was an extended fantasy sequence into what Luke's life would have been like had he never gone to find old Ben in the desert back in the first movie.
This one was fine! I liked the ending much better than I liked the first third or so. It was just, it was a lot of dramadrama, lots of characters, couThis one was fine! I liked the ending much better than I liked the first third or so. It was just, it was a lot of dramadrama, lots of characters, court politics, feelings, like a fairyland prime-time soap opera, and there's a reason I don't watch those anymore. But I did get pulled in as soon as Jude and Cardan started to interact more in a real way, because I am nothing if not a sucker for well-done enemies to lovers, and that part of this book was very well done.
As others have noted, Taryn sucks. I couldn't understand the hate for that character when I was midway through the book, but by the end I got it. I mean, obviously (view spoiler)[fuck Locke, but she full well knew her sister was falling for the asshole and that she was betraying her by not telling her what was really going on. Plus why would you want to marry that guy???? Girls has terrible taste and is also kind of a doormat (hide spoiler)].
I probably would have rounded this 3.5 stars up to four if I hadn't done the audiobook. Maybe I would have liked it a full four stars worth. I didn't dislike the narrator, but I didn't like her either and I think that may have affected my perception of the story.
This is one of those books that probably when I re-read, it's going up to five stars. But it needs to settle a little in the old brain pan first. PaulThis is one of those books that probably when I re-read, it's going up to five stars. But it needs to settle a little in the old brain pan first. Paula wrangled me into an impromptu buddy read, and I'm glad she did because who knows when I would have finally gotten around to this otherwise. Everyone else seems to have read it in 2017 so I'm very late to this party.
This actually reminded me of one of my favorite books from this year, Liar, Dreamer, Thief, which also has a strong emphasis on the mental health of a lonely, unreliable narrator who doesn't always see reality the way other people do, and the compassion and kindness she receives from others. Only this book was a lot less unhinged. I mean, Eleanor gets a little stalkerish, but just a teeny bit, in the way of a lovelorn teenager, rather than the level that Katrina Kim (<3) is at. All that to say, I enjoyed this very much. I loved reading in between the lines of Eleanor's thoughts, and her journey, though fraught and sad at times, was ultimately a joyful one.
If you've somehow missed out on this one like I had, now's the time.
The audiobook, narrated by Cathleen McCarron, is also very good.
I have mixed feelings about this one. It's looking like Alyssa Cole is going to be a hit or miss author for me. I didn't fully enjoy An Extraordinary I have mixed feelings about this one. It's looking like Alyssa Cole is going to be a hit or miss author for me. I didn't fully enjoy An Extraordinary Union for the same reasons I didn't fully enjoy this one, I think, but I loved A Hope Divided. So I will keep reading her stuff and just know that going in the chemistry between her leads doesn't always work for me. Really, I didn't NOT like this book, it just didn't work the way it was meant to.
So, once again, I find myself in the position of loving her heroine, but not being fully on board the relationship said heroine is involved in. Naledi is *awesome*. She's smart and funny and kind, and she loves science, and she's lonely and isolated and has her emotional walls up. But she's capable! And ambitious. Her parents died in a car accident when she was four years old and no relatives could be identified, so she grew up in the system in New York City. Now she's a graduate student in epidemiology, and she's respected and good at what she does. She's also a little bit of a nerd. Her favorite website is Girls With Glasses (a website I'm thinking will be important in future sequels, considering it's run by the sister of Naledi's best friend). Her life immediately felt very real to me. And I was charmed by this book at first, largely because of her. She starts receiving these emails that sound like the most glorified phishing/social engineering scam known to man, telling her she's the lost betrothed of the prince of Thesolo, and she gets so frustrated by them she ends up sending off a colorful two word reply that kick starts the plot.
The problem for me is the prince in question. He felt so cliché and underdeveloped, especially compared to Naledi, who has a rich inner life, and interesting emotional conflicts running through her mind. I found Thabiso's story to be predictable, and not in the fun way. Every time a trope was deployed, I found myself being pulled out of the story, rather than becoming excited. When he decided to pretend to be someone else, I was intrigued at first to see how it would play out. I rolled my eyes when she started playing the trope that he was so sheltered he had no idea how to do a job capably, at the same time I appreciated seeing him fail (he fails HARD). But when he arranged to move in across the hall from Naledi, and kept not telling her who he was, and Cole kept playing the "he just wants to see what it's like to live a normal life" trope, I had to fight past my discomfort at it. He was acting like a stalker! Not to mention, he freely admits (as Jamal) to Naledi that he is rich and sheltered, and she never once questions why he was working a service job that first night. And if he's so rich, why is he staying in such a shitty apartment? I suppose it could have been worked around, but neither character ever even mentioned it, and it bothered me.
Mostly all of that is me pointing fingers and trying to figure out why it didn't work for me, but really the short answer is it just didn't. It felt constructed to me, rather than natural. Like, maybe it's because the rest of the novel was so carefully put together that Thabiso as a character just felt a little empty to me? I don't know. I wanted to like it!
I'm definitely going to read the rest of the series, though. Even though this wasn't a great read for me, I still enjoyed myself, and it was a fast read. I'm also intrigued to see what future books in the series have in store. The next book is about Naledi's best friend Portia falling in love with a secret Scottish laird, so. Yes, please, hope that works out! I would also bet money that future candidates for romance also include Thabiso's personal assistant, Lakotsi (who is an out lesbian) and Portia's sister (she of the website, and who is also in a wheelchair).
I did like how the book ended. It seemed realistic. And I was happy for Ledi, that she seems to get to have the best of both worlds going forward.
Read Harder Challenge 2018: A romance novel by or about a person of color....more
I read most of this book in a day. It was so charming and lovely.
In the vein of Uprooted, Spinning Silver is another loosely inspired retelling of a fI read most of this book in a day. It was so charming and lovely.
In the vein of Uprooted, Spinning Silver is another loosely inspired retelling of a fairytale, this time Rumplestiltskin. I'm honestly not sure which book I liked better. It's been a while since I read Uprooted, and this book is one of those that gets better in your head the longer you sit with it after you finish.
Our Rumplestiltskin is actually one of our heroines, Miryem, the daughter of a moneylender (a historically Jewish profession, as usury was against Christian beliefs, though that didn't stop them from borrowing money). Her father is too softhearted for his profession, letting his borrowers walk all over him and never pay him back, so one day Miryem takes it upon herself to do the money collecting, and soon they go from being incredibly poor to pretty well off. She gains the reputation of being able to turn silver into gold, and so catches the ear of the Staryk, a Russian folklore inspired sort of elven society, who are greatly feared.
The book also follows two other female protagonists, a drunkard's daughter, and the daughter of a boyar who wishes her to marry the cruel tsar.
The result is an empowering and magical trip through a wintery world that's half folk tales, half historical fiction. You root so hard for all three ladies, and the atmosphere the writing creates is so immersive. I read this at the height of summer, and I could practically feel the cold from inside the pages.
As usual, I'm finding myself at a loss for a book I really loved, because all I want to say basically boils down to, SO GOOD I LOVED IT.
Okay, so even if this is the first book of hers that hasn't made me drool with unbridled enthusiasm, I still really enjoyed it, and it's clear to me tOkay, so even if this is the first book of hers that hasn't made me drool with unbridled enthusiasm, I still really enjoyed it, and it's clear to me that Cat Sebastian is going to continue to publish books that I will enjoy reading. I think maybe I was just expecting a lot more from this than it was capable of giving? I don't know. It's also the first non M/M book of hers I read, but I don't think that's why I didn't enjoy this one as much.
So, the book. The first half of our couple is Robert Selby, nee Charity Church, a former maid who has been living as a man for the past six years. The real Robert Selby was the son of her employer, and when he decided Cambridge wasn't for him, he decided Charity should go in his place and pretend to be him. Charity thought this an excellent idea as well, especially when it turned out she liked acting and dressing as a man much better than she ever liked doing so as a woman. (The book isn't explicit on how Charity/Robert would identify today, but it's pretty clear by the end that non-binary is the appropriate term, which is confirmed in the author's notes at the end of the book.) Only when the real Robert Selby died, Charity kept on being him. For many reasons, really, but mostly because his estate was entailed, and that means his sister Louisa will be left out in the cold. Charity/Robert is determined to see her married before giving up the fraudulent identity of Robert Selby.
And the second half would be the man with the largest stick up his bum, Alistair, the Marquess of Pembroke. Well, actually that's not true. He's just very sensitive about propriety and money because his father ran their estate into the ground, and as Alistair sees it, flaunted his mistresses and illegitimate children around as if it were nothing. He is determined to be proper and responsible, and bring respectability back to the De Lacey name. If he really had a large stick up his bum, he wouldn't fall so hard for Robert/Charity/Robin, Robin being the name the former Charity Church starts to go by after meeting Alistair. Alistair has known for some time his liking for both men and women, and can't help but be attracted to young Mr. Selby. For obvious sexy reasons, Robin can't keep her secret for long.
I think what I've determined is the flaw for me in this book is that Sebastian skips the best part of the romance, which for me is all the interactions and things where they actually do the falling in love. She nails the initial attraction and flirtation between the two of them, but then sort of skims over the meat of the actual friendship/relationship building, so the next thing we know, they're ready to do it and stuff, and I'm like, WAIT! I want more of that other thing! I know she had to make room for the angst and the coming to terms with things, but dangit, I know she can do it all because she's done it in literally every other book I've read from her.
There is some angst here, but surprisingly the book does have a very HEA. Not entirely sure how historically accurate it is, but frankly, don't really care. It's nice to think it could have happened this way, even if it couldn't.
Now eagerly awaiting her next book being published in July.
Project: Catch Up On Review Backlog, review #2 out of 11
I didn't like this one as much as My Lady Jane (mostly because it wasn't as funny), but overalProject: Catch Up On Review Backlog, review #2 out of 11
I didn't like this one as much as My Lady Jane (mostly because it wasn't as funny), but overall I still had a really fun time listening to it.
I mean, really, the standards were ridiculously high, first of all because I do think the first book was just plain funnier, but also because a) They had to live up to that all that funny and maybe the story they were telling this time didn't lend itself as well (shifting as a concept is more hilarious by nature than ghosts?), and b) This time they didn't have the talents of the late Katherine Kellgren as their audiobook narrator, and she was sorely missed. Fiona Hardingham was great here, but you just can't replace all that sass in one go.
That said, I do think all three authors did their subject matter justice, and the loving fun they poke at their source material (Jane Eyre, mostly, but also the life of Charlotte Brontë) is GREAT. I almost died at how much shit they give Mr. Rochester (through the ghost of Helen, who acts as a ghostly chorus to Jane's life, and who also gets her due here, as opposed to how shit she had it in the original book). I was also so incredibly happy to see what they did with Bertha, who like Helen (and basically everyone who is a lady in the original book, including Jane), just has the worst life and the worst things happening to her.
A small note: It's not necessary to have read Jane Eyre in order to enjoy this, in the same it wasn't necessary for me to know anything about English history to enjoy the first book. But here, I do think you get some of the jokes a little more, and you appreciate all the reversed circumstances more. Like, no one who hasn't read the book will understand just exactly why it's so great that (view spoiler)[Helen screams unheard invectives at Mr. Rochester after he dresses up like a lady fortune teller to get Jane to tell him secrets (hide spoiler)], because honestly, Mr. Rochester, what the fuck?
As it's been a month since I finished this, and I have nine more reviews to write in order to catch up, I won't say too much more this time, but I'm sure I will be re-reading, as this book has cemented this series as solid, not a one-hit wonder. I'm very excited to see what they can do with Calamity Jane, who I know almost nothing about....more
Firstly, this book is bonkers. Secondly, Sarah J. Maas is maybe not the author for me, a 32 year old person. The prose is out of control overwritten tFirstly, this book is bonkers. Secondly, Sarah J. Maas is maybe not the author for me, a 32 year old person. The prose is out of control overwritten to impress and be MEANINGFUL. The characters pair up like lobsters and it is overwhelmingly heterosexual, which just makes me roll my eyes. Really, all these characters you just so happened to create just happen to find their soulmate or whatever and get together by the end? Really? This is the same thing that annoyed me out of reading Marissa Meyer by the end of Winter. It was just so CUTESY. Apparently I can't do cutesy at all anymore. Some of these effing people should still be single! Single people exist! There are dozens of us!
But also I still enjoyed reading this, because it was batshit, and there was a sex scene that literally set an island on fire.
Speaking of the sex in this book--which I am all for if it would have been a little less cringey, TBH--this is the most explicit YA book I've ever read, to the point where I'm thinking this is no longer YA. Which makes sense! The whole time while reading it, I just kept thinking that SJM obviously loves epic fantasy, but in my opinion doesn't have the writing chops to tell the kind of story it seems she wants to tell. I feel like she wants this to be sweeping and epic and a Story For All Times or whatever, but I could see her trying the whole time. It felt serious, and the more she strayed away from a more fun and fluffy tone, the less I liked her writing.
But also, more opinions that contradict themselves in my head!
Some of her plot twists I did not see coming, and she did things that kept me reading and interested, even as the style she was writing in made me roll my eyes. It just feels . . . messy.
But I'd rather read this hot messy book that she produced than the tepid blandness of the first two books, which felt like cookie cutter YA fantasy. More than anything, it feels like she bit off more than she could chew, changed her mind about what kind of story she was writing mid-series, and then just went for it anyway. This definitely doesn't feel like the same series as book one, for sure.
I will be reading the next two books in the series, and will also check out her other series, which I've heard is better and more assured, and also has better characters. It's interesting to read about Aelin even if you dislike her, but she is not the best character here, and when the best characters in your series are secondary ones, you have a problem.
In summation, this review is a mess, much like this book.
February 2020 Re-read: Combined re-read review of books one and two in spoiler tags. My original review of book one remains below. There aren't actualFebruary 2020 Re-read: Combined re-read review of books one and two in spoiler tags. My original review of book one remains below. There aren't actually any spoilers in the re-read review, so feel free to click through. I just wanted to keep the amount of text minimal.
(view spoiler)[This is a re-read review for the first two books in this series, which were originally written as one volume, and then split in two before publication. After reading them back to back for the first time, I can definitely say they work much better together as one story than they did the first time I read them, almost a year apart from each other. The arc of the story—the rising tension, climax, resolution—is much more clear and satisfying when they are read together.
My original intent for revisiting this series was twofold:
1. To make sense out of it, holy shit. And it did make more sense this time! But it was also still pretty dense (and yet still readable at the same time). 2. To prep for finally reading book three (and four, which is already finished but isn't coming out for some reason until 2021, why??).
I succeeded in intent one, but failed miserably in intent two. I did not pick up book three. I just sort of glided right by it in my reading order. I still have it out from the library and it's just sitting there taunting me. After all that emotional work I just put in re-reading, I don't know if I want to pick it up yet . . . I guess I'll just try and max out my library hold time and see what happens. Keep in mind, the first time I read book two, I couldn't even muster the energy for a real review, just threatened to call the police on the book instead (see below). I felt less attacked by the book this time because I already knew what was coming, but it was still emotionally taxing. I am talking around my trauma so as to avoid spoilers.
And after all that, I still don't know how to talk about these books, which I have raised up to five stars overall on this read (as standalones, I would still stand by my previous four star ratings). They are impossible to explain well without going on for hours or thousands and thousands of words, at which point I say, just go read the book yourselves. They are an intoxicating, frustrating blend of philosophy, futuristic science, dystopias disguised as utopias, musings on sex and gender, religion, love, what makes a community, secrets and betrayals, and the contradictions inherent in human nature.
If you like being challenged, surprised, and taken on an emotional rollercoaster by your books (and don't mind weirdness, or the feeling of being a little uncomfortable in a book before you really know what's going on, this series might be for you.
Despite its challenges, or maybe because of them, I find myself pulled towards this series, and upon finishing book two for the second time, I mainly wanted to start another re-read, because it felt as if I was just on the tip of being able to figure it all out. I'm not sure when I will be able to start book three.
I meant to actually write something about this series and its characters in this review, but instead I have said almost nothing about any of it. I guess I just think you should read it for yourself, and also I am not up to putting it into words myself. Maybe I'll be able to after finishing the whole series. (hide spoiler)]
February 2018: Just as a heads up, I will be calling the police at the end of this review to report a crime, because this book and its author tried to murder me. Does anyone know the legislation about this? Can I have a book arrested for assault?
Okay, but seriously, this book is a monster. There were several points where I nearly threw it across the room, I was so upset. And then I kept going and almost immediately it became clear why Palmer did that monstrous thing that I hated and that made me want to go to my bed and curl up with my cat and the warm blanket that my cat thinks is her boyfriend. It was like she was continually slapping my face, and then immediately turning around and being like, okay, but here's why I just did that! And it makes sense! And so you find yourself agreeing to your own assault.
CALL THE POLICE.
I am of course being (mostly) facetious here, but I am finding it hard to actually talk about this effing book without descending into hyperbole. It's clear to me that Ada Palmer is some kind of heinous genius who uses her powers for evil and writing books that torment me, and keeps me there with the promise of cool stuff and philosophical meanderings.
Also, all the talk about humanity and its relationship to war was legit giving me anxiety so by the end I could only read this book when the sun was up.
I actually ordered book three from my library when I was about a third of the way through this one, but that was before it betrayed me and stabbed my kidneys with knives and then dripped lemon juice on my open wounds. If you want intelligent discussion about this book, you can try Julie's review, or Erik's, because you won't find it here.
P.S. Make sure you read the Author's Note at the end, which is when she talks about the title of book one (and the epigraph for this one), Too Like the Lightning (a nod to a line from Romeo and Juliet:"Too like the lightning, which doth cease to be / Ere one can say 'It lightens.'") That is when her true evilness is revealed. I haven't had the title of a book sneak up on me like that since I read The Constant Gardener....more
January 2024: Honestly, this time I mostly just found this exhausting. The endless battle with the over-powered and unsubtle Osaron is just not intereJanuary 2024: Honestly, this time I mostly just found this exhausting. The endless battle with the over-powered and unsubtle Osaron is just not interesting to me in any way. The character interactions are what save the book for me. I'm also pissed that Kell never got an apology from the King or Queen.
[3.5 stars]
September 2017: I wish I would have written this review right after I finished the book. (I should get that printed on a t-shirt.) I finished it a couple of months ago now, and as always seems to happen to me when I do this, I put off writing the review in the (vain) hopes that time will make me smarter (or something?) and words will magically appear in the review space. This never happens. Instead, I am left trying to remember what happened in the book and why I liked (or didn’t like) it. Past Ashley is always making decisions that make Present Ashley’s life very difficult. If anyone has suggestions for making their past selves behave, I will be reading the comments fervently.
Okay, but the book.
First I just want to take the time to swoon over the cover. This whole series is impeccably designed and I give big applause to whoever designed it. The inside of the book is lovely, too.
Second, just to get it out of the way, I liked this whole series and it plays better as a whole, but each book has its own feel as well, and I thought A Conjuring of Light did an admirable job as a series-ender, as well as being an exciting adventure on its own merits. (Even though this isn’t REALLY a series ender. I guess she’s continuing in this world and we’ll be revisiting a lot of our favorite characters in a different storyline. But this first arc is over, so, whatever.)
I was happy with the fates of most of the characters, and most everything I thought should be wrapped up was. I’m still not feeling one of the romantic pairings, but the other more than made up for it.
My only real complaint here is that the rules/logistics of the “bad guy” were vague, and it was a bit frustrating to read about at times. I’m a big fan of magic systems that have clear, well thought out rules and stories that conform to them. I’m not saying the magic system in this book doesn’t, just that I was having a hard time pinpointing it exactly, and that made for confusion especially during tense action scenes (of which there were many). Also, when obstacles are overcome magically, it actually takes away from the tension if you’re spending time trying to figure out what just happened and why and whether it was actually possible, rather than just enjoying the twist for what it was.
Perhaps I shall write a better review when I re-read in future. Bottom line: This series wasn’t perfect for me, but I still had a really fun time with it, and it’s worth checking out both if you like fantasy, and as a fantasy intro....more
September 2023: Re-read in prep for Threads of Power! My thoughts are basically the same on this one, except that this time I will grudgingly admit thSeptember 2023: Re-read in prep for Threads of Power! My thoughts are basically the same on this one, except that this time I will grudgingly admit that the clues for (view spoiler)[a romantical connection between Lila and Kell are there, even if I personally don't see that kind of chemistry between them. They are obsessed with each other. (hide spoiler)] Prob won't get to my re-read of three until November bc of Spooky Season.
September 2017: Cliffhanger nooooooooo.
Except I really can't complain, because 1) I have the next book sitting on my nightstand and I can pick it up whenever I want (which will be after I finish the next two books on my TBR); and 2) It was a really well done cliffhanger! Just the right amount of "I need to find out what will happen next" and "I'm pretty sure I know what's coming next and it's going to be great."
I've seen several people note in their reviews that nothing really happens in this book, and I really can't argue with that. This is a table-setting book. "Gathering" is an apt title, because more than anything, it's just gathering in the pieces for the next stage of the game. But honestly, I really appreciated it. My main complaint from the first book was that it was just such non-stop action that there wasn't really any time for interiority and development. Long passages of time in narrative bear fruit, and A Darker Shade of Magic took place over the course of only a single week. If we're to extend my tortured fruit metaphor, in that amount of time, the flowers have only just begun to fall off the trees, and you can't even see the buds that will become the fruit yet. Thine tree is barren.
So yeah, did not mind at all that this book focused more on the interior development of the characters rather than having them all run pell-mell across various Londons blowing things up with magic. And for the most part, I think she did a great job with all three previous MCs, Kell, Lila and Rhy. Kell and Rhy in particular were the focus for me, as they both dealt with the ramifications of Kell having tied his life to Rhy's last book. I also have decided that I really like Lila as a character, even if she would drive me bonkers if I actually had to interact with her. She is incredibly flawed, and Schwab isn't afraid to have her do stupid and unlikable things. She walks a fine line there. I'm sure some readers found Lila unbearable, but for me, she was just the right side of fucked up but understandable.
I didn't even mind that the magical tournament that centers this book had no real narrative stakes, besides what it allowed the characters to discover about themselves. Though, I do wonder how obvious (view spoiler)[Schwab intended it to be that Lila was secretly an Antari. I mean, she has a glass eye, right where a black one would be . . . I'm hoping she knew most readers would guess long before it was actually "revealed" (it technically still hasn't been). (hide spoiler)]
And then there's Alucard, the dashing pirate Lila has barnacled herself to, and who turns out to have a past with Rhy and Kell. I liked him a lot, but I am generally suspicious of charmers both IRL and in fiction. Also, he's on my shit list for (view spoiler)[breaking Rhy's heart, how dare he. Even though that one scene between them was super hot and I will probably forgive him eventually if he promises not to hurt Rhy again. (hide spoiler)] It has probably become apparent to you that I have intense feelings about Rhy.
In terms of the other couple in this book, (view spoiler)[I'm still not completely sold on the Kell/Lila pairing. I didn't really get any romantical tension from them during the first book, and here for the most part they are entirely separated, even though they think about one another constantly, so it was a bit of a tough sell to buy into their connection at the end, just because we hadn't been treated to any interactions between them for so long. And another thing, it was maybe stretching credibility just a bit that both of them had been thinking so constantly about one another when they only knew each other for such a short time. But what the hell, I'll just go with it. (hide spoiler)]
So, mostly this worked for me very well, and I hope the next book combines the plot reveals and fast pace of ADSOM with the nice character work of this one. I guess I'll find out next week!...more
I feel like this series is just getting more confusing the longer it goes, and I am less and less interested. It also continues to be overly bleak witI feel like this series is just getting more confusing the longer it goes, and I am less and less interested. It also continues to be overly bleak with no humor at all to lighten it up. The art continues to be gorgeous.
I don't know, maybe it's just me.
It's been a couple of months (I think) between actually reading it and writing this review, but I seem to recall a pirate ship adventure, and nobody trusting Maika at all, and the monster inside her doing more damage, and then there was this weird island and a really old fox and some other fuckery. There was also this weird dude made out bones guarding that island, but I can't remember who he is or why he was important.
Basically nothing of import has stuck in my mind, and that's not a good sign.
I'm going to give this one more volume before I call it quits, though. I'm still feeling glimmers of my initial interest in it, though they're fading fast and causing me to become unnecessarily dramatic as I type this.
Seriously, though, the art is gorgeous. Look at this shit!
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