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Books with second-person POVs are either the best or worst books you'll ever read...sorry, I don't make the rules.
The Fifth Season is considered (at least from what I've seen) to be one of the best science-fiction/fantasy novels and a must-read for all SFF fans. I wasn't sure if I would enjoy it when I started, as I typically don't enjoy "classic" SFF books, and admittedly, it did take me a bit to get used to the prose. I think the most striking thing about this book is the worldbuilding. In a world where a select group of people can control the earth and cause major weather changes called "Seasons," there is also another class of humanoids called stone-eaters, as well as Guardians who monitor those with magic.
I'd like to introduce a new term that I think describes the plot: meandering. Books like this have characters who want to accomplish something, but along the way, they kind of "meander" through the story. The pacing was kind of slow, especially because two of the POVs didn't necessarily have explicit "goals" in a sense. Essun is a mother searching for her kidnapped daughter. Damaya must train in her power. Syenite must comply with the wishes of her superiors or face the consequences. The ending was interesting, and I'm excited to see where the story goes, but the plot definitely wasn't my favorite part.
I can't say much about the characters for spoiler reasons. My opinions on the POVs changed over the course of the novel. Essen's POV (which was in second person) was interesting at first but slowed down early on. Syenite's POV started slow but I think it ended up being my favorite. I really liked Damaya's POV as well. As for side characters, Alabaster grew on me a lot, and I also liked Hoa from his first introduction. Schaffa can die in a hole, please and thank you.
The Fifth Season is a masterfully written SFF novel with incredible worldbuilding, beautiful prose, and powerful women.
4.25/5
The Fifth Season is considered (at least from what I've seen) to be one of the best science-fiction/fantasy novels and a must-read for all SFF fans. I wasn't sure if I would enjoy it when I started, as I typically don't enjoy "classic" SFF books, and admittedly, it did take me a bit to get used to the prose. I think the most striking thing about this book is the worldbuilding. In a world where a select group of people can control the earth and cause major weather changes called "Seasons," there is also another class of humanoids called stone-eaters, as well as Guardians who monitor those with magic.
I'd like to introduce a new term that I think describes the plot: meandering. Books like this have characters who want to accomplish something, but along the way, they kind of "meander" through the story. The pacing was kind of slow, especially because two of the POVs didn't necessarily have explicit "goals" in a sense. Essun is a mother searching for her kidnapped daughter. Damaya must train in her power. Syenite must comply with the wishes of her superiors or face the consequences. The ending was interesting, and I'm excited to see where the story goes, but the plot definitely wasn't my favorite part.
I can't say much about the characters for spoiler reasons. My opinions on the POVs changed over the course of the novel. Essen's POV (which was in second person) was interesting at first but slowed down early on. Syenite's POV started slow but I think it ended up being my favorite. I really liked Damaya's POV as well. As for side characters, Alabaster grew on me a lot, and I also liked Hoa from his first introduction. Schaffa can die in a hole, please and thank you.
The Fifth Season is a masterfully written SFF novel with incredible worldbuilding, beautiful prose, and powerful women.
4.25/5
I don't like leaving negative reviews because I understand the amount of work authors put into their books, but this book genuinely made me want to DNF ... which I have not done in over 2 years.
I requested A Flame in the North on Netgalley when I first made my account, so I will take partial responsibility for my disliking of this book (I requested a ton of books initially that I didn't end up enjoying because I didn't fully read the blurbs). That being said...I really didn't enjoy this book. At 33%, I posted a poll on my Instagram asking if I should bother continuing. By the time I got the results (most of which said I should quit), I'd already gotten to around 61%, and so I decided just to power through it so I could add it to my yearly goal.
The biggest issue I had: where was the plot? Look, I understand that sometimes pretty writing can make up for a slower plot, but I didn't love the purple prose-y style of this book. Solveig is the daughter of a clan leader, and she has elemental magic of sorts. When her brother kills a member of an opposing plan, she is taken as weregild (blood tax). The description said she was a hostage, but I definitely didn't get that vibe. Literally no one talked to her, so the first half of the book was pretty much her leaving home, eavesdropping, and then getting lost in the woods for a bit. At some point, she realizes that maybe her "captors" have ulterior motives ... aka they want her to fight some big Evil Enemy for them. To be honest, I kinda skimmed the story past the halfway point, and I have, like, no recollection of half the plot points. Maybe it's my fault I disliked it, but I just couldn't get invested. After the halfway point, the story is just fighting, traveling, fighting, and then more traveling ... which would be fine if the main character was allowed to wield a weapon instead of hiding in a corner repeatedly.
I also didn't care for any of the characters. Sol was meh. Her internal monologue droned on after a while, and as I said, she's not allowed to actually fight because she's a witch, so she just sits there while everyone else saves her butt. Arn is her shieldmaid (aka bodyguard), and for some reason, I kinda expected Arn and Sol to be a thing, but they weren't? Arn saved Sol a ton of times and is loyal to her for no reason other than duty, at least as far as I know...but at least she was useful. I don't remember most of the supporting cast. I hate the name Bjorn, so I hated Sol's brother. There was some elf-y/immortal/magic-type guy whose name had a lot of vowels, and I thought he was somewhat interesting, but he didn't have a ton of importance.
The reason I gave this two stars instead of one is because a) I am taking responsibility for not reading the full description before agreeing to read this, and b) I've seen other positive reviews, so I'm sure there is some potential for enjoyment in this book. If you're a fan of Viking books and can tolerate slow plots and minimal worldbuilding/character development, then maybe you will enjoy A Flame in the North.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!
2/5
I requested A Flame in the North on Netgalley when I first made my account, so I will take partial responsibility for my disliking of this book (I requested a ton of books initially that I didn't end up enjoying because I didn't fully read the blurbs). That being said...I really didn't enjoy this book. At 33%, I posted a poll on my Instagram asking if I should bother continuing. By the time I got the results (most of which said I should quit), I'd already gotten to around 61%, and so I decided just to power through it so I could add it to my yearly goal.
The biggest issue I had: where was the plot? Look, I understand that sometimes pretty writing can make up for a slower plot, but I didn't love the purple prose-y style of this book. Solveig is the daughter of a clan leader, and she has elemental magic of sorts. When her brother kills a member of an opposing plan, she is taken as weregild (blood tax). The description said she was a hostage, but I definitely didn't get that vibe. Literally no one talked to her, so the first half of the book was pretty much her leaving home, eavesdropping, and then getting lost in the woods for a bit. At some point, she realizes that maybe her "captors" have ulterior motives ... aka they want her to fight some big Evil Enemy for them. To be honest, I kinda skimmed the story past the halfway point, and I have, like, no recollection of half the plot points. Maybe it's my fault I disliked it, but I just couldn't get invested. After the halfway point, the story is just fighting, traveling, fighting, and then more traveling ... which would be fine if the main character was allowed to wield a weapon instead of hiding in a corner repeatedly.
I also didn't care for any of the characters. Sol was meh. Her internal monologue droned on after a while, and as I said, she's not allowed to actually fight because she's a witch, so she just sits there while everyone else saves her butt. Arn is her shieldmaid (aka bodyguard), and for some reason, I kinda expected Arn and Sol to be a thing, but they weren't? Arn saved Sol a ton of times and is loyal to her for no reason other than duty, at least as far as I know...but at least she was useful. I don't remember most of the supporting cast. I hate the name Bjorn, so I hated Sol's brother. There was some elf-y/immortal/magic-type guy whose name had a lot of vowels, and I thought he was somewhat interesting, but he didn't have a ton of importance.
The reason I gave this two stars instead of one is because a) I am taking responsibility for not reading the full description before agreeing to read this, and b) I've seen other positive reviews, so I'm sure there is some potential for enjoyment in this book. If you're a fan of Viking books and can tolerate slow plots and minimal worldbuilding/character development, then maybe you will enjoy A Flame in the North.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!
2/5
Don't mind me; I'll be lying on the floor for a while, thinking about the inevitable outcome of Mata and Kuni's friendship and the angst of the allies to friends to brothers to enemies arc.
The Grace of Kings is a historical fantasy with roots in the history of Chinese dynasties, but with silkpunk vibes and on an epic scale. I added it to my TBR because the tropes between Mata and Kuni sounded interesting, but from the moment I picked it up, I was hooked. I don't think this book is for everyone; it can be messy at times (switching POVs multiple times a chapter, and you never know who is important or who will die by the next chapter). I've also seen reviews noting a lack of strong female characters, and while I noticed it as well, I didn't mind it too much? I'm hoping there will be more important women in the next book.
Because this book takes place over the course of nearly a decade, it encompasses a LOT of different plot points. The story mostly focuses on a series of rebellions, the first against an oppressive empire and the second against the rebel leaders. I don't really know how to describe it, only that there were a lot of plot twists, a lot of angst, and a lot of character deaths that made me sad. I will say that the pacing was mostly slower, but there were some sections that went by more quickly.
What really drew me into the story were the characters. The book focuses on two main characters: Kuni Garu and Mata Zyndu. Kuni is a thief turned rebel leader after he wins the hearts of the men who follow him. I think I liked Kuni better than Mata, but he had a lot of flaws that made me mad at him, too. Mata is a warrior hailing from a fallen house, and he rebels to restore honor to his family name. I liked Mata, especially with his character design, but he was very impulsive. Jia is Kuni's wife, and I thought she was very interesting, especially with her arc when Kuni is away with the rebellion. Lady Risana, Gin Mazoti, and Princess Kikomi were also super cool to me, so even though there were limited female characters, they were definitely my favorites. I liked the arc between Ratho and Dafiro as well, and I thought the few interludes with the commentary of the gods were neat, too.
The Grace of Kings is an enchanting historical fantasy about how power and corruption tie together to bring tragic ends to all involved.
4.5/5
The Grace of Kings is a historical fantasy with roots in the history of Chinese dynasties, but with silkpunk vibes and on an epic scale. I added it to my TBR because the tropes between Mata and Kuni sounded interesting, but from the moment I picked it up, I was hooked. I don't think this book is for everyone; it can be messy at times (switching POVs multiple times a chapter, and you never know who is important or who will die by the next chapter). I've also seen reviews noting a lack of strong female characters, and while I noticed it as well, I didn't mind it too much? I'm hoping there will be more important women in the next book.
Because this book takes place over the course of nearly a decade, it encompasses a LOT of different plot points. The story mostly focuses on a series of rebellions, the first against an oppressive empire and the second against the rebel leaders. I don't really know how to describe it, only that there were a lot of plot twists, a lot of angst, and a lot of character deaths that made me sad. I will say that the pacing was mostly slower, but there were some sections that went by more quickly.
What really drew me into the story were the characters. The book focuses on two main characters: Kuni Garu and Mata Zyndu. Kuni is a thief turned rebel leader after he wins the hearts of the men who follow him. I think I liked Kuni better than Mata, but he had a lot of flaws that made me mad at him, too. Mata is a warrior hailing from a fallen house, and he rebels to restore honor to his family name. I liked Mata, especially with his character design, but he was very impulsive. Jia is Kuni's wife, and I thought she was very interesting, especially with her arc when Kuni is away with the rebellion. Lady Risana, Gin Mazoti, and Princess Kikomi were also super cool to me, so even though there were limited female characters, they were definitely my favorites. I liked the arc between Ratho and Dafiro as well, and I thought the few interludes with the commentary of the gods were neat, too.
The Grace of Kings is an enchanting historical fantasy about how power and corruption tie together to bring tragic ends to all involved.
4.5/5
10th-grade Abby screamed so many times while reading this, and unfortunately, college sophomore Abby also screamed many, many times...at the same parts
Queen of Shadows was probably my favorite book of the Throne of Glass series on my first read-through, so I was super excited to read it again (and very angry when my Libby hold took far too long to arrive). In my opinion, this is where the series really picks up speed and becomes the "epic fantasy" that everyone claims it to be. I don't think I enjoyed this as much as I did the first time, but it's probably still my favorite in the series, aside from book 7.
Picking up where the last book left off, the story begins with Aelin returning to Adarlan. Aedion is the prisoner of the king and Dorian has become the puppet of a Valg prince. Most of this book consists of rescue missions for Aelin's various allies and friends, as well as some political maneuverings and rebellion stuff that made me question why I liked the book so much. Again, the multiple POVs really work in the book's favor, especially with the Manon and Elide chapters interspersed throughout to give the reader information about the "other" side of the war. The ending is ultimately what makes me really enjoy this book...it's so angsty but also like aesthetically "epic," if that makes sense? There are a few plot twists, most of which I did not remember, but overall, I think this book is one of the better ones in the series.
Most of my character opinions have not changed from previous books. Aedion grew on me a bit (I did not like him on my first read-through), but he still gives me the ick. Aelin and Rowan are fine, but they aren't my favorites. I could write essays about the complexities of Chaol and fan reactions to him. Asterin is one of my favorite side characters. I don't care much for Elide or Lorcan. Lysandra is way better than I remember (major Nina Zenik vibes...especially with Aedion as Matthias). Dorian is still my favorite, especially with all the angst in this book (which I think is why I loved it the first time).
Queen of Shadows is my personal favorite of the Throne of Glass series, but we'll see how I feel about the new three books on a reread (because my opinion might change).
4.25/5
Queen of Shadows was probably my favorite book of the Throne of Glass series on my first read-through, so I was super excited to read it again (and very angry when my Libby hold took far too long to arrive). In my opinion, this is where the series really picks up speed and becomes the "epic fantasy" that everyone claims it to be. I don't think I enjoyed this as much as I did the first time, but it's probably still my favorite in the series, aside from book 7.
Picking up where the last book left off, the story begins with Aelin returning to Adarlan. Aedion is the prisoner of the king and Dorian has become the puppet of a Valg prince. Most of this book consists of rescue missions for Aelin's various allies and friends, as well as some political maneuverings and rebellion stuff that made me question why I liked the book so much. Again, the multiple POVs really work in the book's favor, especially with the Manon and Elide chapters interspersed throughout to give the reader information about the "other" side of the war. The ending is ultimately what makes me really enjoy this book...it's so angsty but also like aesthetically "epic," if that makes sense? There are a few plot twists, most of which I did not remember, but overall, I think this book is one of the better ones in the series.
Most of my character opinions have not changed from previous books. Aedion grew on me a bit (I did not like him on my first read-through), but he still gives me the ick. Aelin and Rowan are fine, but they aren't my favorites. I could write essays about the complexities of Chaol and fan reactions to him. Asterin is one of my favorite side characters. I don't care much for Elide or Lorcan. Lysandra is way better than I remember (major Nina Zenik vibes...especially with Aedion as Matthias). Dorian is still my favorite, especially with all the angst in this book (which I think is why I loved it the first time).
Queen of Shadows is my personal favorite of the Throne of Glass series, but we'll see how I feel about the new three books on a reread (because my opinion might change).
4.25/5
Why does this feel like a game of Betrayal...if Betrayal involved Bridgerton-esque parties and everyone was a traitor instead of just one person?
For the sake of honesty, I picked up Shadows of Perl because I was invested in a singular character and also because it was available on Netgalley for free. I didn't love the first one, but I thought it was okay, and I figured I might as well read the sequel. It definitely has a handful of popular tropes (lovers-to-enemies, only one bed, quirky main characters, etc). I'd also like to mention again that I'm not typically a fan of urban fantasy as a genre, so my review might be more critical but should be taken with a grain of salt.
The multiple POVs definitely worked in this book's favor because I'm not sure if I could have taken a whole book narrated by Quell. There are three main storylines going on: Quell is still trying to find her mother, Jordan is trying to find and kill Quell, and the third one involves spoilers, but it's about breaking free from one's house. I found the third storyline to be the least interesting, simply because I wasn't sure how it would tie in with Quell and Jordan's stories. Quell had some interesting scenes, especially past the 70% mark, and I'm kind of hoping for a villain arc for her. Jordan's chapters were my favorite because they really worked to develop his character and backstory, and they simply had more action. There were some plot twists, most of which I didn't guess but weren't incredibly out of the blue. The book does end with a cliffhanger, so I'll probably end up reading the next one.
As I've shared before, I really only read this book for one character. Quell still reminded me of a bunch of other characters (there are literally so many young women who are thrown into a new world and end up embracing the power everyone hates), but since she's kinda giving villain arc vibes, that's what I'm hoping for. Jordan was fairly interesting, but his inner turmoil got a bit repetitive after a while. I still don't like Abby (mostly because we share a name). Yagrin was my favorite, and I'm not sure if it's because he can shapeshift or because he has a tragic backstory or because I just like his vibes, but he's the reason I keep coming back to this series...
Shadows of Perl is the second book in the House of Marionne series, and it definitely avoids second-book syndrome while also employing a variety of familiar tropes sure to intrigue readers of dark academia and urban fantasy.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!
3.75/5
For the sake of honesty, I picked up Shadows of Perl because I was invested in a singular character and also because it was available on Netgalley for free. I didn't love the first one, but I thought it was okay, and I figured I might as well read the sequel. It definitely has a handful of popular tropes (lovers-to-enemies, only one bed, quirky main characters, etc). I'd also like to mention again that I'm not typically a fan of urban fantasy as a genre, so my review might be more critical but should be taken with a grain of salt.
The multiple POVs definitely worked in this book's favor because I'm not sure if I could have taken a whole book narrated by Quell. There are three main storylines going on: Quell is still trying to find her mother, Jordan is trying to find and kill Quell, and the third one involves spoilers, but it's about breaking free from one's house. I found the third storyline to be the least interesting, simply because I wasn't sure how it would tie in with Quell and Jordan's stories. Quell had some interesting scenes, especially past the 70% mark, and I'm kind of hoping for a villain arc for her. Jordan's chapters were my favorite because they really worked to develop his character and backstory, and they simply had more action. There were some plot twists, most of which I didn't guess but weren't incredibly out of the blue. The book does end with a cliffhanger, so I'll probably end up reading the next one.
As I've shared before, I really only read this book for one character. Quell still reminded me of a bunch of other characters (there are literally so many young women who are thrown into a new world and end up embracing the power everyone hates), but since she's kinda giving villain arc vibes, that's what I'm hoping for. Jordan was fairly interesting, but his inner turmoil got a bit repetitive after a while. I still don't like Abby (mostly because we share a name). Yagrin was my favorite, and I'm not sure if it's because he can shapeshift or because he has a tragic backstory or because I just like his vibes, but he's the reason I keep coming back to this series...
Shadows of Perl is the second book in the House of Marionne series, and it definitely avoids second-book syndrome while also employing a variety of familiar tropes sure to intrigue readers of dark academia and urban fantasy.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!
3.75/5
If you need me, I'll be lying on the floor, thinking about how much emotional pain I'll be in when the next book comes out in two years.
Bringer of Dust is the second book in the Talents trilogy, and it definitely ups the "spookiness" factor while also introducing a handful of new and equally intriguing characters and exploring the world of the talents. I've been waiting desperately to read this, and I read almost 2/3 of it in one day (mostly in the privacy of my room so I didn't cry in public again). I'm trying to decide if I like this one better than the first, and I'm leaning towards yes...but the vibes in both are just immaculate.
Because of some certain emotionally damaging events from book one, the characters are on the hunt for a second orsine (aka portal to the world of the dead). Spread far and wide across Europe, the talents must find a way to open the orsine without freeing the rest of the drughrs. Once again, the multiple POVs helped speed up the pacing of the book. I also think there were more action scenes throughout the story, but I did find the ending a little underwhelming (although I'm scared to say that since there's still another book). I guessed a few of the plot twists but was surprised by others. I also teared up at the end for literally no reason, but I think, given the suffering everyone goes through, it's only fair.
The found family vibes were definitely present, too. I don't think Alice was as relevant in this book, but I still appreciated her chapters. Komako's POVs were the slowest for me, but mostly because she was on her own for a while. I really liked Jeta and her complexities, and I'm excited to see her arc in book three. Micah, on the other hand, can die for all I care. Oskar and Ribs grew on me, and I hope they keep getting more page time. Marlowe is still one of my favorites, but Charlie might have surpassed him. The poor boy has been through so much already and his character arc in this book was so depressing.
Fans of Umbrella Academy and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children will probably enjoy the Talents trilogy (and then I can have other people to cry with).
Thanks to Flatiron books for the free ARC!
4.75/5
Bringer of Dust is the second book in the Talents trilogy, and it definitely ups the "spookiness" factor while also introducing a handful of new and equally intriguing characters and exploring the world of the talents. I've been waiting desperately to read this, and I read almost 2/3 of it in one day (mostly in the privacy of my room so I didn't cry in public again). I'm trying to decide if I like this one better than the first, and I'm leaning towards yes...but the vibes in both are just immaculate.
Because of some certain emotionally damaging events from book one, the characters are on the hunt for a second orsine (aka portal to the world of the dead). Spread far and wide across Europe, the talents must find a way to open the orsine without freeing the rest of the drughrs. Once again, the multiple POVs helped speed up the pacing of the book. I also think there were more action scenes throughout the story, but I did find the ending a little underwhelming (although I'm scared to say that since there's still another book). I guessed a few of the plot twists but was surprised by others. I also teared up at the end for literally no reason, but I think, given the suffering everyone goes through, it's only fair.
The found family vibes were definitely present, too. I don't think Alice was as relevant in this book, but I still appreciated her chapters. Komako's POVs were the slowest for me, but mostly because she was on her own for a while. I really liked Jeta and her complexities, and I'm excited to see her arc in book three. Micah, on the other hand, can die for all I care. Oskar and Ribs grew on me, and I hope they keep getting more page time. Marlowe is still one of my favorites, but Charlie might have surpassed him. The poor boy has been through so much already and his character arc in this book was so depressing.
Fans of Umbrella Academy and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children will probably enjoy the Talents trilogy (and then I can have other people to cry with).
Thanks to Flatiron books for the free ARC!
4.75/5
Of all the things I could have taken away from this book...I learned that the author really, really likes the word lasso.
House of Marionne is one of those books that is considered "enjoyable" because it's filled with dozens of popular tropes. Dark academia, enemies to lovers, mentor and prodigy, a protagonist entering a world of magic she doesn't quite understand - it's all here. I've seen a lot of reviews comparing this to Shadowhunters, and I definitely got those vibes from it. Also, I feel it fit to mention that books like these typically aren't my favorite (and I knew that going into it), so my review may be harsher simply because urban fantasy isn't really my thing.
Quell and her mother have been living on the run for as long as Quell can remember, hiding her dark magic from the world because it's "poison" and "a curse." Then, suddenly, Quell ends up enrolled in her grandmother's boarding school, where she must learn magic and basically enter Victorian-era society (hence the Bridgerton references I've seen in other reviews). The basic gist is that Quell has to hide her dark magic while simultaneously learning new magic and etiquette to blend in. While it was definitely very trope-y, a part of me enjoyed making fun of that? There were a few plot twists at the end that made it more enjoyable, although they were relatively predictable.
The issue was mostly that I didn't like any of the characters. Quell is very much one of those "not like the other girls" quirky protagonists, and she reminded me a lot of Clary from the Shadowhunters series. On the other hand, Jordan reminded me of Four from the Divergent series, and I didn't find him particularly interesting beyond his backstory. I refuse to share a name with Abby; I do not relate to her at all. My favorite character (for some odd reason) was Yagrin, so I'm hoping maybe he'll be more relevant in the next book given the end of this one.
Fans of urban fantasy and romantasy genres will love House of Marionne thanks to its many popular tropes and intriguing dark academia side-plots.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free copy!
3.5/5
House of Marionne is one of those books that is considered "enjoyable" because it's filled with dozens of popular tropes. Dark academia, enemies to lovers, mentor and prodigy, a protagonist entering a world of magic she doesn't quite understand - it's all here. I've seen a lot of reviews comparing this to Shadowhunters, and I definitely got those vibes from it. Also, I feel it fit to mention that books like these typically aren't my favorite (and I knew that going into it), so my review may be harsher simply because urban fantasy isn't really my thing.
Quell and her mother have been living on the run for as long as Quell can remember, hiding her dark magic from the world because it's "poison" and "a curse." Then, suddenly, Quell ends up enrolled in her grandmother's boarding school, where she must learn magic and basically enter Victorian-era society (hence the Bridgerton references I've seen in other reviews). The basic gist is that Quell has to hide her dark magic while simultaneously learning new magic and etiquette to blend in. While it was definitely very trope-y, a part of me enjoyed making fun of that? There were a few plot twists at the end that made it more enjoyable, although they were relatively predictable.
The issue was mostly that I didn't like any of the characters. Quell is very much one of those "not like the other girls" quirky protagonists, and she reminded me a lot of Clary from the Shadowhunters series. On the other hand, Jordan reminded me of Four from the Divergent series, and I didn't find him particularly interesting beyond his backstory. I refuse to share a name with Abby; I do not relate to her at all. My favorite character (for some odd reason) was Yagrin, so I'm hoping maybe he'll be more relevant in the next book given the end of this one.
Fans of urban fantasy and romantasy genres will love House of Marionne thanks to its many popular tropes and intriguing dark academia side-plots.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free copy!
3.5/5
The Bjorn Curse strikes again! Apparently, 2024 is not my year for Viking books because I am really not vibing with them.
The Road of Bones is a fantasy adventure filled with romance, Vikings, and hidden magic. I think it originally ended up on my TBR because of the found family trope, but I honestly didn't love the found family in this one. Before I continue this review, I just want to note that although I did not really enjoy this book, I think there is a large audience out there who would (I'm just not a fan of smut or possessive romances).
The plot of the book was pretty decent. There are multiple POVs, but only one of them is really "different" (there's an assassin chasing the main characters). Silla's life is thrown into turmoil when her father is murdered in front of her, leaving her with only an address to find at the other end of the very dangerous Road of Bones. She meets the Bloodaxe Crew and convinces them to take her across the Road, but on the way, they are met with danger in the form of forest creatures, soldiers, and even their own relationships. I thought the plot was pretty well-paced, although there were sections that dragged. I did find the plot twists to be fairly predictable, especially the main ones (I only missed one, but I had considered it at one point). I thought the ending was okay, but I don't know that I will be continuing the series.
The characters were the part that made me not enjoy the book. Silla is portrayed as an innocent, naive, blushing maiden who hasn't cursed, got drunk, or had sex...and apparently, that's the hottest thing on the planet for the male leads. She refuses to even witness "violence" until halfway through the book, and I just found her to be annoying. Most of the "found family" was forgettable, although I would have preferred a book about them rather than Silla. I did not like Rey because I thought he was 40...and because he's just boring, in my opinion. I hated Jonas even more, though. I could rant about him and his toxic little behaviors for days (buddy was excited to find out that Silla was a virgin because that meant he got to take it from her...)
The Road of Bones is a fantasy adventure story that borders on romantasy and is filled with popular tropes sure to make it enjoyable for fans of the genre.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-copy!
3.25/5
The Road of Bones is a fantasy adventure filled with romance, Vikings, and hidden magic. I think it originally ended up on my TBR because of the found family trope, but I honestly didn't love the found family in this one. Before I continue this review, I just want to note that although I did not really enjoy this book, I think there is a large audience out there who would (I'm just not a fan of smut or possessive romances).
The plot of the book was pretty decent. There are multiple POVs, but only one of them is really "different" (there's an assassin chasing the main characters). Silla's life is thrown into turmoil when her father is murdered in front of her, leaving her with only an address to find at the other end of the very dangerous Road of Bones. She meets the Bloodaxe Crew and convinces them to take her across the Road, but on the way, they are met with danger in the form of forest creatures, soldiers, and even their own relationships. I thought the plot was pretty well-paced, although there were sections that dragged. I did find the plot twists to be fairly predictable, especially the main ones (I only missed one, but I had considered it at one point). I thought the ending was okay, but I don't know that I will be continuing the series.
The characters were the part that made me not enjoy the book. Silla is portrayed as an innocent, naive, blushing maiden who hasn't cursed, got drunk, or had sex...and apparently, that's the hottest thing on the planet for the male leads. She refuses to even witness "violence" until halfway through the book, and I just found her to be annoying. Most of the "found family" was forgettable, although I would have preferred a book about them rather than Silla. I did not like Rey because I thought he was 40...and because he's just boring, in my opinion. I hated Jonas even more, though. I could rant about him and his toxic little behaviors for days (buddy was excited to find out that Silla was a virgin because that meant he got to take it from her...)
The Road of Bones is a fantasy adventure story that borders on romantasy and is filled with popular tropes sure to make it enjoyable for fans of the genre.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-copy!
3.25/5
What a wonderful start to my semester: I've teared up over all three books I've read so far.
I read Gideon the Ninth to appease my mildly obsessed cousin, although admittedly, it's been on my TBR ever since I found out it's considered a locked room mystery. I didn't really have any expectations going into it, but I was not expecting to be as depressed as I am now, so...I guess that's something. I also just want to say that the aesthetic was really cool (I've always been a fan of bone/blood imagery).
The necromancer heirs to the Nine Houses are called to what is basically a magical competition to become immortal Lyctors for the Emperor. Gideon must go with her rival, Harrow, as a cavalier (aka bodyguard), but soon after all the heirs arrive, they begin to mysteriously die. I can't say much else without spoilers, but I will say that I managed to somewhat call most of the main plot twists (so maybe I don't need my detective license revoked?). The action and mystery were balanced quite well, so I didn't mind the pacing. I also annotated a LOT, which helped my enjoyment levels because I liked bullying specific characters. I'm interested to see where book two goes, especially because I already have theories and I'm hoping I'm right again.
There were a lot of characters, so I'll just run through them quickly. I didn't care for either character from the Second. I thought Ianthe was weird; I thought Corona was annoying; I thought Naberius was an idiot. I really liked Isaac and Jeannemary and wanted to see more of them. I didn't like Abigail or Magnus just because I'm a hater. Palamedes was my absolute favorite, and I also loved Camilla. I hated Dulcinea, also because I'm a hater. I liked Silas and Colum at first but quickly grew to hate them. I did like Harrow better than Gideon, but their dynamics are so good and I really appreciate the emotional vulnerability between the two of them.
Gideon the Ninth really is so much more than lesbian necromancers in space, and I will be reading the next two books soon (and hopefully, I won't cry).
4.5/5
I read Gideon the Ninth to appease my mildly obsessed cousin, although admittedly, it's been on my TBR ever since I found out it's considered a locked room mystery. I didn't really have any expectations going into it, but I was not expecting to be as depressed as I am now, so...I guess that's something. I also just want to say that the aesthetic was really cool (I've always been a fan of bone/blood imagery).
The necromancer heirs to the Nine Houses are called to what is basically a magical competition to become immortal Lyctors for the Emperor. Gideon must go with her rival, Harrow, as a cavalier (aka bodyguard), but soon after all the heirs arrive, they begin to mysteriously die. I can't say much else without spoilers, but I will say that I managed to somewhat call most of the main plot twists (so maybe I don't need my detective license revoked?). The action and mystery were balanced quite well, so I didn't mind the pacing. I also annotated a LOT, which helped my enjoyment levels because I liked bullying specific characters. I'm interested to see where book two goes, especially because I already have theories and I'm hoping I'm right again.
There were a lot of characters, so I'll just run through them quickly. I didn't care for either character from the Second. I thought Ianthe was weird; I thought Corona was annoying; I thought Naberius was an idiot. I really liked Isaac and Jeannemary and wanted to see more of them. I didn't like Abigail or Magnus just because I'm a hater. Palamedes was my absolute favorite, and I also loved Camilla. I hated Dulcinea, also because I'm a hater. I liked Silas and Colum at first but quickly grew to hate them. I did like Harrow better than Gideon, but their dynamics are so good and I really appreciate the emotional vulnerability between the two of them.
Gideon the Ninth really is so much more than lesbian necromancers in space, and I will be reading the next two books soon (and hopefully, I won't cry).
4.5/5
This is one of those books that I don't think it's fair of me to rate and review traditionally.
And just to put it out there before I continue: I have some very strong feelings about this book, so if you're willing to suffer through me ranting and rambling, buckle up.
My General Opinion
I'm going to be brutally honest here: I'm kind of underwhelmed. Let me explain.
Gideon the Ninth is a locked-room murder mystery of sorts with, quite frankly, one of the most epic endings to a book that I've ever read. Going into Harrow the Ninth, I knew a few pieces of information from scattered reviews I read (the most notable being that this would be written in 2nd POV, some sort of amnesia trope was involved, and that supposedly this was supposed to be incredibly mind-boggling), and I'm afraid to admit that I had extremely high expectations. Of all the books in the series, I'd heard the most about this one, and I was the most excited about this specific book. I just feel it necessary to mention this because when I have high-expectations for books, I feel bad when they don't always meet them.
I'll go into more detail later, but the first 70% of this book is confusing. It's meant to be confusing. As someone who gets easily frustrated when she can't solve problems, the first 70% really got on my nerves. The last 30%? Way more interesting. But, also, as I mentioned before, I had extremely high expectations, which were only heightened by the first 70% because I figured if everyone was saying this book was god-tier, there had to be a really good reason. I assumed the plot twists would be insane, and they were definitely beyond what I predicted, but I didn't really get that "aha" moment. I also just want to point out (for the sake of fairness) that I have not read anything post-epilogue in either book nor have I touched the novellas/short stories yet. If that's affecting my ability to experience this series as it's supposed to be experience, I'm sorry but after 600 pages of confusion, I wasn't going to read what looks like weird worldbuilding/dictionary stuff.
For this reason, I feel it is unfair for me to rate and review this book traditionally. My expectations got in the way of the experience, so I'm blaming my mild lack of enjoyment on myself and not the book.
I'm going to "continue" with my thoughts on the book in more detail below, and they WILL include spoilers.
POVs
Let's address the elephant in the room first: the second-person POV.
I want to first put it on the record that I do enjoy 2nd-person POV books. I've read a handful (two that I can think of immediately), and they tend to be some of the most interesting, well-written books I've ever read.
And I think the 2nd-person POV really worked in favor of the book. Again, this might be biased because I was pretty sure going into this book that either Gideon or Harrow would be narrating to the other one during the 2nd-person sections. And I was right. Harrow forgot Gideon, and Gideon was kind of coaching Harrow through the narrative. I really like that idea (and not because I guessed correctly).
I also want to address the third-person POV chapters quickly.
I didn't mind the sections written in 3rd-person, despite the non-linear narrative. I assumed it was either multiverses or time travel, and while neither was correct, I think I gaslighted myself into somehow understanding what was going on in those sections...kind of...
Characters (& Worldbuilding)
The next thing I want to discuss is the characters and I want to briefly touch on the worldbuilding, especially as it pertains to half the cast.
First things first, let's talk about the 3rd-person POV cast: my friends! Except literally none of my favorites came back! Am I glad that characters were re-used? Yes, I don't think my brain could've handled any more additions to the cast. That being said, am I happy about the characters we got to see? No. For some odd reason, I've basically declared a blood feud with Abigail. I don't know if it's because we have the same name or because she gives Aunt May from Spiderman vibes, but I just don't like her. I also did not like Dulcinea. Guess which two characters returned for this section of the book. I didn't hate them nearly as much as I did in the first book, admittedly, but I still wish we'd got to see more of the even houses and not the odd ones (why can't Four, Six, and Eight be relevant :( ) Ortus, too, was okay, but dude needs a hobby that isn't poetry...
Well, Abby, you might be saying, if you didn't like the old returning cast, perhaps you liked the new one? To which I would respond, not really.
Look, usually, I'm a fan of past characters meeting present characters. I love it when history practically comes to life. And, once again, I'll take partial blame for this one because I somehow failed to actually pay attention to their introductions, and so I felt absolutely zero connection to them. I liked Mercy's name, if that counts? In hindsight, the Lyctors are all fairly complex characters that I wish I had paid more attention to (the tragedy of them all killing their friends is just so good). But I didn't. And Ianthe? I genuinely don't know how I feel about her. Sometimes, she's the most interesting part of a scene, but other times, she just grates on my nerves. Also, the Emperor sucks. I don't fall for the fatherly, "I'm protecting you" act. Go die in a hole, loser.
And just to air out one of my biggest grudges ... can Palamedes stop freaking dying? Three times is enough. Please and thank you. I'm out of tears.
Plot
Now, finally, to address my grievances with the plot.
Firstly, I want to talk about unreliable narrators, which Harrow most definitely is. I have mixed feelings about unreliable narrators because, on one hand, they're really fun to read and write about...in moderation.
But I've been burned by unreliable narrators before. My mind goes to House of Leaves, but my bigger grudge is against Henry James (yes, I'm feuding with a dead guy) and The Turn of the Screw because I absolutely despise a mystery without an answer.
I still want to enjoy Harrow as an unreliable narrator, and I think I do, but I think the sheer amount of time the reader is left in the dark is what is really bothering me. It might be just a preference of mine, but I genuinely think the first section could have been much shorter...
As I'm writing this "review," I'm discovering that what my grudge with this book really boils down to is a lack of satisfaction with the plot twists.
More specifically, I think my issue is Harrow's "self-prescribed lobotomy." I like the idea. I really do. But when 70% of the book - told entirely through non-linear, mismatched POVs that contradict each other and the previous book - is that confusing...I think I was expecting a bigger reason. Again, this goes back to my extremely high expectations, but I just feel like for as big of a "puzzle" as the first 2/3 of the book felt like, the solution was so simple that it doesn't feel adequate. I'm sure if I went back and reread the first half, it wouldn't be a whole lot clearer to me, even knowing what I do now.
And I think this is true (at least for me) for a lot of the other plot twists.
Harrow's 3rd-person POV chapters are actually happening in a weird bubble in the River that is populated by the ghosts of the first cast of characters? It wasn't the answer I was expecting, but it didn't seem too crazy to me.
The ghost that's haunting Harrow is actually Wake, who is actually an Edenite, and all that crap? I still don't entirely understand what's going on. Maybe that's why I'm not too surprised by it.
Gideon's mom is Wake, and her dad is God? Cool. I knew her parents would be relevant eventually.
Looking back on it now, it almost feels like the issue with me being "underwhelmed" by these plot twists is that the stuff with God and Mercy and Wake...it's all connected. It doesn't feel like a series of plot twists so much as one long, connected history that was withheld from the reader. And I think that's the reason I was frustrated; I couldn't predict anything because the piece missing from the puzzle was so large that it was like I had the edges and the entire middle of the puzzle was missing.
Conclusion
I'm going to apologize one last time. I'm sorry I couldn't be blown away by this book like everyone else. It's a combination of the circumstances and my own personality that messed with my experience of it. Maybe someday I'll read it again and hopefully get a nicer opinion, but right now, I'm ready to take a break from this series, at least temporarily.
Will I continue? Yes, and not just because I saw Palamedes is in the next one. I genuinely am enjoying the series, this book is just a huge sticking point for me. Sorry for the long review/rant, but I didn't want to review this traditionally given...everything.
(Anyway, enjoy me referencing literally a dozen other books in my Kindle highlights)
And just to put it out there before I continue: I have some very strong feelings about this book, so if you're willing to suffer through me ranting and rambling, buckle up.
My General Opinion
I'm going to be brutally honest here: I'm kind of underwhelmed. Let me explain.
Gideon the Ninth is a locked-room murder mystery of sorts with, quite frankly, one of the most epic endings to a book that I've ever read. Going into Harrow the Ninth, I knew a few pieces of information from scattered reviews I read (the most notable being that this would be written in 2nd POV, some sort of amnesia trope was involved, and that supposedly this was supposed to be incredibly mind-boggling), and I'm afraid to admit that I had extremely high expectations. Of all the books in the series, I'd heard the most about this one, and I was the most excited about this specific book. I just feel it necessary to mention this because when I have high-expectations for books, I feel bad when they don't always meet them.
I'll go into more detail later, but the first 70% of this book is confusing. It's meant to be confusing. As someone who gets easily frustrated when she can't solve problems, the first 70% really got on my nerves. The last 30%? Way more interesting. But, also, as I mentioned before, I had extremely high expectations, which were only heightened by the first 70% because I figured if everyone was saying this book was god-tier, there had to be a really good reason. I assumed the plot twists would be insane, and they were definitely beyond what I predicted, but I didn't really get that "aha" moment. I also just want to point out (for the sake of fairness) that I have not read anything post-epilogue in either book nor have I touched the novellas/short stories yet. If that's affecting my ability to experience this series as it's supposed to be experience, I'm sorry but after 600 pages of confusion, I wasn't going to read what looks like weird worldbuilding/dictionary stuff.
For this reason, I feel it is unfair for me to rate and review this book traditionally. My expectations got in the way of the experience, so I'm blaming my mild lack of enjoyment on myself and not the book.
I'm going to "continue" with my thoughts on the book in more detail below, and they WILL include spoilers.
POVs
Let's address the elephant in the room first: the second-person POV.
I want to first put it on the record that I do enjoy 2nd-person POV books. I've read a handful (two that I can think of immediately), and they tend to be some of the most interesting, well-written books I've ever read.
And I think the 2nd-person POV really worked in favor of the book. Again, this might be biased because I was pretty sure going into this book that either Gideon or Harrow would be narrating to the other one during the 2nd-person sections. And I was right. Harrow forgot Gideon, and Gideon was kind of coaching Harrow through the narrative. I really like that idea (and not because I guessed correctly).
I also want to address the third-person POV chapters quickly.
I didn't mind the sections written in 3rd-person, despite the non-linear narrative. I assumed it was either multiverses or time travel, and while neither was correct, I think I gaslighted myself into somehow understanding what was going on in those sections...kind of...
Characters (& Worldbuilding)
The next thing I want to discuss is the characters and I want to briefly touch on the worldbuilding, especially as it pertains to half the cast.
First things first, let's talk about the 3rd-person POV cast: my friends! Except literally none of my favorites came back! Am I glad that characters were re-used? Yes, I don't think my brain could've handled any more additions to the cast. That being said, am I happy about the characters we got to see? No. For some odd reason, I've basically declared a blood feud with Abigail. I don't know if it's because we have the same name or because she gives Aunt May from Spiderman vibes, but I just don't like her. I also did not like Dulcinea. Guess which two characters returned for this section of the book. I didn't hate them nearly as much as I did in the first book, admittedly, but I still wish we'd got to see more of the even houses and not the odd ones (why can't Four, Six, and Eight be relevant :( ) Ortus, too, was okay, but dude needs a hobby that isn't poetry...
Well, Abby, you might be saying, if you didn't like the old returning cast, perhaps you liked the new one? To which I would respond, not really.
Look, usually, I'm a fan of past characters meeting present characters. I love it when history practically comes to life. And, once again, I'll take partial blame for this one because I somehow failed to actually pay attention to their introductions, and so I felt absolutely zero connection to them. I liked Mercy's name, if that counts? In hindsight, the Lyctors are all fairly complex characters that I wish I had paid more attention to (the tragedy of them all killing their friends is just so good). But I didn't. And Ianthe? I genuinely don't know how I feel about her. Sometimes, she's the most interesting part of a scene, but other times, she just grates on my nerves. Also, the Emperor sucks. I don't fall for the fatherly, "I'm protecting you" act. Go die in a hole, loser.
And just to air out one of my biggest grudges ... can Palamedes stop freaking dying? Three times is enough. Please and thank you. I'm out of tears.
Plot
Now, finally, to address my grievances with the plot.
Firstly, I want to talk about unreliable narrators, which Harrow most definitely is. I have mixed feelings about unreliable narrators because, on one hand, they're really fun to read and write about...in moderation.
But I've been burned by unreliable narrators before. My mind goes to House of Leaves, but my bigger grudge is against Henry James (yes, I'm feuding with a dead guy) and The Turn of the Screw because I absolutely despise a mystery without an answer.
I still want to enjoy Harrow as an unreliable narrator, and I think I do, but I think the sheer amount of time the reader is left in the dark is what is really bothering me. It might be just a preference of mine, but I genuinely think the first section could have been much shorter...
As I'm writing this "review," I'm discovering that what my grudge with this book really boils down to is a lack of satisfaction with the plot twists.
More specifically, I think my issue is Harrow's "self-prescribed lobotomy." I like the idea. I really do. But when 70% of the book - told entirely through non-linear, mismatched POVs that contradict each other and the previous book - is that confusing...I think I was expecting a bigger reason. Again, this goes back to my extremely high expectations, but I just feel like for as big of a "puzzle" as the first 2/3 of the book felt like, the solution was so simple that it doesn't feel adequate. I'm sure if I went back and reread the first half, it wouldn't be a whole lot clearer to me, even knowing what I do now.
And I think this is true (at least for me) for a lot of the other plot twists.
Harrow's 3rd-person POV chapters are actually happening in a weird bubble in the River that is populated by the ghosts of the first cast of characters? It wasn't the answer I was expecting, but it didn't seem too crazy to me.
The ghost that's haunting Harrow is actually Wake, who is actually an Edenite, and all that crap? I still don't entirely understand what's going on. Maybe that's why I'm not too surprised by it.
Gideon's mom is Wake, and her dad is God? Cool. I knew her parents would be relevant eventually.
Looking back on it now, it almost feels like the issue with me being "underwhelmed" by these plot twists is that the stuff with God and Mercy and Wake...it's all connected. It doesn't feel like a series of plot twists so much as one long, connected history that was withheld from the reader. And I think that's the reason I was frustrated; I couldn't predict anything because the piece missing from the puzzle was so large that it was like I had the edges and the entire middle of the puzzle was missing.
Conclusion
I'm going to apologize one last time. I'm sorry I couldn't be blown away by this book like everyone else. It's a combination of the circumstances and my own personality that messed with my experience of it. Maybe someday I'll read it again and hopefully get a nicer opinion, but right now, I'm ready to take a break from this series, at least temporarily.
Will I continue? Yes, and not just because I saw Palamedes is in the next one. I genuinely am enjoying the series, this book is just a huge sticking point for me. Sorry for the long review/rant, but I didn't want to review this traditionally given...everything.
(Anyway, enjoy me referencing literally a dozen other books in my Kindle highlights)