First read: March 2013. ★★★★

I didn't like it as much as the others, but the ending was perfect!

Second read: May 2020. ★★★★★

Read for Medieval-A-Thon: wardrobe, a book that has yellowed over time


Of all the terrible heartbreaks that happen throughout this entire series, of course it was the fucking cat that broke me. I'm not even a little bit surprised lmfao

My god I loved this. I'm so so glad that I decided to re-read this series, and completely surprised that I loved it even more now than I did when I was 15/16. This was such an interesting story, and I was weirdly invested in the characters despite the writing of them to be pretty simplistic. Reading this again as an adult who has refined my reading tastes over the years, I can see now that from a technical standpoint these books aren't phenomenal by any means. From the start of the first book you pretty much where things are going and have a rough idea of how they will eventually end. And while it wasn't entirely certain, you have some degree of confidence over who will still be alive by the end of it. But regardless this story is still so gripping, still kept me biting my nails and on the edge of my seat even though I knew exactly what was coming. So despite the lack of technical finesse, this series is still a huge success for me almost a decade after reading it the first time. I'm so unbelievably hyped for Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes now!