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abby_ace_of_books
This was, quite literally, a masterpiece.
I'll be honest, this book was pretty far down on my TBR but my library recently added it to the collection so I put it on hold. I had low expectations because I don't usually enjoy adult fantasy, and the only other Sanderson books I've read are Skyward and Starsight .
This book surpassed all of my expectations. The moment I opened the book and saw the stunning character art, I knew I was in for a treat. The worldbuilding is absolutely spectacular (and every time I think I'm done obsessing over pirates, I find another book like this). I loved every single one of the characters. As for the plot...I had to force myself to put this book down. The witty style caught my attention from the beginning and this novel has one of my new favorite narrators of all time.
Needless to say, I will be checking the library to see how many more Sanderson books I can get my hands on.
I'll be honest, this book was pretty far down on my TBR but my library recently added it to the collection so I put it on hold. I had low expectations because I don't usually enjoy adult fantasy, and the only other Sanderson books I've read are Skyward and Starsight .
This book surpassed all of my expectations. The moment I opened the book and saw the stunning character art, I knew I was in for a treat. The worldbuilding is absolutely spectacular (and every time I think I'm done obsessing over pirates, I find another book like this). I loved every single one of the characters. As for the plot...I had to force myself to put this book down. The witty style caught my attention from the beginning and this novel has one of my new favorite narrators of all time.
Needless to say, I will be checking the library to see how many more Sanderson books I can get my hands on.
This is quite possibly in my top 3 books of all time. I could talk about it for hours, so brace yourselves...this review is going to be a long one.
The Story Itself
This is my second time reading Gemina, and I'm just going to start off by saying that everything hits differently on a reread. While there is a certain level of amazement that comes with the first read-through that can never be replicated, there are so many tiny details that hurt so much more the second time around.
As the second book in the Illuminae Files series, the story takes place at the Heimdall jump station (basically a space station with a wormhole in the center) that is attacked by the evil corporations responsible for the terrorism from the first book. We meet Hannah Donnelly, the captain's "perfect" daughter, and Nik Malikov, a boy with a criminal background, as they fight back against BeiTech Industries before they can kill thousands more. The plot twists are wonderfully done (I somehow forgot a bunch of them?), and the ending is just...you have to read it for yourself, but it is quite possibly the coolest thing I've ever read in a book, and I'm still not over it. The subplots and action scenes all tie together to form an entertaining and heartbreaking story of rebellion.
And the characters? I love each and every one of them (okay, not the BeiTech people). I love Hannah defying the stereotypes around her while simultaneously proving to be an incredibly strong character. I love Ella's snark and how she doesn't take pity from anyone. I love the relationship that the main cast has with Isaac Grant, which sets up for the last book as well. I like how AIDAN plays into the story, though, as I said before, I'm not as big of a fan of him as I was during my first read. Nik is my favorite, of course, because he's so complex, and also, the tragic backstory/sarcasm combination always wins my favor.
I will always recommend this story to all sci-fi and action/adventure fans or anyone looking for stories that mess with formatting because this truly isn't a book; it's an experience.
The Audiobook
So I'm currently rereading this whole trilogy with the audiobooks and physical books side-by-side, and I'm loving it. The sound effects and the voice actors do a phenomenal job of bringing the story to life.
As I said during my Illuminae review, I would not recommend reading the audiobook alone because there are so many visual elements that are skipped out, and I think that's especially true with Gemina, for reasons I'll explain in the spoiler section of my review.
Firstly, the sound effects. Amazing. The one firefight scene gave me literal chills with the sound effects combined with the combat instructions from the antagonists overlapping with pleas for mercy. It felt like I was really there, and the sound effects throughout the rest of the book gave me a similar feeling.
Now, for the voice actors. This section is purely subjective, and I just want to put it out there that I'm not a typical audiobook reader (I've only read the audiobooks for this series), so I apologize ahead of time. The actresses for Hannah and Ella really nailed their characters. They sounded almost exactly how I pictured the characters, and Hannah's actress did a great job at the super emotional bits. I also think Falk's actor did great at really bringing out the negative parts of his character. The two actors I struggled to adjust to were Jackson's and Nik's. Jackson is noted to have an accent in the book itself, so I shouldn't have been surprised that he was played by a British guy, but it sounded like he was straight out of the 1800s or something...I liked it by the ending, but it took a while to adjust. The same goes for Nik: his voice didn't match how I pictured him at first, and even though I liked the sound of it on its own, it took me a while to match it to Nik as a character (though I was definitely a fan by the end...especially with his dialogue with Hanna).
Spoilers
I usually don't do spoilers in my reviews, and I'm not officially using a spoiler marking, so read at your own risk. I just have a few things I really want to say that have spoilers in them.
1. Jackson's actor lost his accent halfway through? Spoiler alert: Jackson is actually the secret operative and he's evil and whatever...but after the reveal, he suddenly lost his accent and I don't know why, but it bothered me at first.
2. I have mixed feelings about the audiobook formatting with the parallel universe stuff. For the section where Nik and Hanna are both answering Kady's questions at the same time, the audiobook had Kady say her line and then Hanna answered, then Nik and I thought that really captured the parallel universe feel. However, at the big ending section with the side-by-side parallel universe stuff on each page, it read the left page and then the right. I think it would've been cooler to read the top lines of each page, then the next line, and so on (or split it into smaller sections) because it kind of ruined my immersion in the double universes.
3. This has very minor spoilers for Obsidio, so don't read on if you haven't finished the trilogy yet. The analyst with the 7213-0089 ID is canonically confirmed to be Nik reading. Two points about this: a) they still have an Australian guy reading it even though Nik's actor isn't Australian and b) ... Nik is narrating his own death (sort of). Looking back on it now and the sections the analyst narrates...Nik is literally watching his other self die in Hanna's arms...it hurts, okay? It hurts a lot.
Conclusion
Once again, I apologize for the incredibly long review, but I still think there are a dozen more things I could say about this book.
This series really is one of my favorites of all time, with this book being the highlight of it all, in my personal opinion. I will always recommend it to anyone who dares to ask for recommendations from me.
5/5 and a well-earned spot on my god-tier shelf
The Story Itself
This is my second time reading Gemina, and I'm just going to start off by saying that everything hits differently on a reread. While there is a certain level of amazement that comes with the first read-through that can never be replicated, there are so many tiny details that hurt so much more the second time around.
As the second book in the Illuminae Files series, the story takes place at the Heimdall jump station (basically a space station with a wormhole in the center) that is attacked by the evil corporations responsible for the terrorism from the first book. We meet Hannah Donnelly, the captain's "perfect" daughter, and Nik Malikov, a boy with a criminal background, as they fight back against BeiTech Industries before they can kill thousands more. The plot twists are wonderfully done (I somehow forgot a bunch of them?), and the ending is just...you have to read it for yourself, but it is quite possibly the coolest thing I've ever read in a book, and I'm still not over it. The subplots and action scenes all tie together to form an entertaining and heartbreaking story of rebellion.
And the characters? I love each and every one of them (okay, not the BeiTech people). I love Hannah defying the stereotypes around her while simultaneously proving to be an incredibly strong character. I love Ella's snark and how she doesn't take pity from anyone. I love the relationship that the main cast has with Isaac Grant, which sets up for the last book as well. I like how AIDAN plays into the story, though, as I said before, I'm not as big of a fan of him as I was during my first read. Nik is my favorite, of course, because he's so complex, and also, the tragic backstory/sarcasm combination always wins my favor.
I will always recommend this story to all sci-fi and action/adventure fans or anyone looking for stories that mess with formatting because this truly isn't a book; it's an experience.
The Audiobook
So I'm currently rereading this whole trilogy with the audiobooks and physical books side-by-side, and I'm loving it. The sound effects and the voice actors do a phenomenal job of bringing the story to life.
As I said during my Illuminae review, I would not recommend reading the audiobook alone because there are so many visual elements that are skipped out, and I think that's especially true with Gemina, for reasons I'll explain in the spoiler section of my review.
Firstly, the sound effects. Amazing. The one firefight scene gave me literal chills with the sound effects combined with the combat instructions from the antagonists overlapping with pleas for mercy. It felt like I was really there, and the sound effects throughout the rest of the book gave me a similar feeling.
Now, for the voice actors. This section is purely subjective, and I just want to put it out there that I'm not a typical audiobook reader (I've only read the audiobooks for this series), so I apologize ahead of time. The actresses for Hannah and Ella really nailed their characters. They sounded almost exactly how I pictured the characters, and Hannah's actress did a great job at the super emotional bits. I also think Falk's actor did great at really bringing out the negative parts of his character. The two actors I struggled to adjust to were Jackson's and Nik's. Jackson is noted to have an accent in the book itself, so I shouldn't have been surprised that he was played by a British guy, but it sounded like he was straight out of the 1800s or something...I liked it by the ending, but it took a while to adjust. The same goes for Nik: his voice didn't match how I pictured him at first, and even though I liked the sound of it on its own, it took me a while to match it to Nik as a character (though I was definitely a fan by the end...especially with his dialogue with Hanna).
Spoilers
I usually don't do spoilers in my reviews, and I'm not officially using a spoiler marking, so read at your own risk. I just have a few things I really want to say that have spoilers in them.
1. Jackson's actor lost his accent halfway through? Spoiler alert: Jackson is actually the secret operative and he's evil and whatever...but after the reveal, he suddenly lost his accent and I don't know why, but it bothered me at first.
2. I have mixed feelings about the audiobook formatting with the parallel universe stuff. For the section where Nik and Hanna are both answering Kady's questions at the same time, the audiobook had Kady say her line and then Hanna answered, then Nik and I thought that really captured the parallel universe feel. However, at the big ending section with the side-by-side parallel universe stuff on each page, it read the left page and then the right. I think it would've been cooler to read the top lines of each page, then the next line, and so on (or split it into smaller sections) because it kind of ruined my immersion in the double universes.
3. This has very minor spoilers for Obsidio, so don't read on if you haven't finished the trilogy yet. The analyst with the 7213-0089 ID is canonically confirmed to be Nik reading. Two points about this: a) they still have an Australian guy reading it even though Nik's actor isn't Australian and b) ... Nik is narrating his own death (sort of). Looking back on it now and the sections the analyst narrates...Nik is literally watching his other self die in Hanna's arms...it hurts, okay? It hurts a lot.
Conclusion
Once again, I apologize for the incredibly long review, but I still think there are a dozen more things I could say about this book.
This series really is one of my favorites of all time, with this book being the highlight of it all, in my personal opinion. I will always recommend it to anyone who dares to ask for recommendations from me.
5/5 and a well-earned spot on my god-tier shelf
"'What would friendship entail?' 'Well, on Wednesdays, we sacrifice a cat to Satan.'"
The Gilded Wolves has to be one of my favorite fantasy heist books of all time. It's angsty, it's funny, and it makes me feel stupid because I fail to solve literally every single one of their puzzles before they do...but I love it so much.
Books that feel like escape rooms are some of my favorites, which is probably why I loved this story so much. It's hard to explain the plot well because I honestly can't say I completely understand some of what happened but basically, it's a big heist story...except there's drama and intrigue and betrayals and a sort-of cult that wants to achieve immortality. Four POVs balance out the pacing with a fair mixture of drama, angst, humor, and action. There's always some puzzle being solved or some crime being committed. And the ending? Every time I think it won't hurt as much, and yet here we are. It just...it makes me so sad.
And I love the cast of characters as well too! Séverin is the leader of the gang, and he's bent on revenge in a Kaz Brekker sort of way...except I don't think he's as angsty? Similarly, Laila is sort of reminiscent of Inej and Nina from Six of Crows, but she's also so feisty and her backstory is quite interesting. Enrique is a historian with a great sense of humor and Zofia is an autistic engineer whose POVs are delightful to ready. I love their partnership so much. My favorite is Tristan because he's just an innocent, traumatized little bean and he just cares about his pet tarantula. I will say I don't love Hypnos because he kind of feels like a found family homewrecker, but that's just my opinion and no one agrees with me apparently.
If fantasy heists are your favorite or you're looking for an action-packed story about a found-family committing crimes, The Gilded Wolves is literally amazing.
4.75/5
The Gilded Wolves has to be one of my favorite fantasy heist books of all time. It's angsty, it's funny, and it makes me feel stupid because I fail to solve literally every single one of their puzzles before they do...but I love it so much.
Books that feel like escape rooms are some of my favorites, which is probably why I loved this story so much. It's hard to explain the plot well because I honestly can't say I completely understand some of what happened but basically, it's a big heist story...except there's drama and intrigue and betrayals and a sort-of cult that wants to achieve immortality. Four POVs balance out the pacing with a fair mixture of drama, angst, humor, and action. There's always some puzzle being solved or some crime being committed. And the ending? Every time I think it won't hurt as much, and yet here we are. It just...it makes me so sad.
And I love the cast of characters as well too! Séverin is the leader of the gang, and he's bent on revenge in a Kaz Brekker sort of way...except I don't think he's as angsty? Similarly, Laila is sort of reminiscent of Inej and Nina from Six of Crows, but she's also so feisty and her backstory is quite interesting. Enrique is a historian with a great sense of humor and Zofia is an autistic engineer whose POVs are delightful to ready. I love their partnership so much. My favorite is Tristan because he's just an innocent, traumatized little bean and he just cares about his pet tarantula. I will say I don't love Hypnos because he kind of feels like a found family homewrecker, but that's just my opinion and no one agrees with me apparently.
If fantasy heists are your favorite or you're looking for an action-packed story about a found-family committing crimes, The Gilded Wolves is literally amazing.
4.75/5
I don't care that it's cliche, you can pry the secret identity nemeses trope from my lifeless hands.
I think this is my third time reading Renegades, and it never fails to astound me how 550 pages can feel like 300 if you're deeply invested in a book. While book one is probably my least favorite in the trilogy, it sets up nicely for the rest of the series by establishing the tension that will only grow from here.
Nova is an Anarchist, determined to bring down the Renegades and prove that superheroes aren't all that they seem. Adrian is a Renegade with a new secret identity - the Sentinel - and he intends to find his mother's murderer and bring them to justice. When Nova infiltrates the Renegades, she and Adrian must conceal their secret identities from each other while also working towards their respective goals. There are a few plot twists (I don't remember how many I called the first time I read it), but the main strength of this book - and the series as a whole - is the tension. There are so many close calls that I'm constantly on the edge of my seat. I do wish there was a little less plot armor for the characters and a little more urgency, but considering I read it in about a day, those issues are obviously minimal.
I really like the cast of characters, especially with the conflicting dynamics between the two sets of "found families." I love the relationship between Oscar and Ruby in the background (it's so cute yet doesn't intrude on the story), and I like both of their personalities as well because they're just fun in general. Danna is the only character in that group I don't love, but she's also not super present. Adrian's power is super cool to me and I like how conflicting his morals are. I'm not particularly fond of any of the Anarchists, but I do find Winston intriguing (I think because of something in later books but I can't remember). I love Nova as a protagonist, and while she isn't anything particularly unique, she's enjoyable to read about and I like her contrast to Adrian.
Renegades is a YA sci-fi novel following the stories of superheroes and supervillains alike. (I'd also recommend this to those who are fans of the dynamics between Silco and Jinx from Arcane).
4.25/5
I think this is my third time reading Renegades, and it never fails to astound me how 550 pages can feel like 300 if you're deeply invested in a book. While book one is probably my least favorite in the trilogy, it sets up nicely for the rest of the series by establishing the tension that will only grow from here.
Nova is an Anarchist, determined to bring down the Renegades and prove that superheroes aren't all that they seem. Adrian is a Renegade with a new secret identity - the Sentinel - and he intends to find his mother's murderer and bring them to justice. When Nova infiltrates the Renegades, she and Adrian must conceal their secret identities from each other while also working towards their respective goals. There are a few plot twists (I don't remember how many I called the first time I read it), but the main strength of this book - and the series as a whole - is the tension. There are so many close calls that I'm constantly on the edge of my seat. I do wish there was a little less plot armor for the characters and a little more urgency, but considering I read it in about a day, those issues are obviously minimal.
I really like the cast of characters, especially with the conflicting dynamics between the two sets of "found families." I love the relationship between Oscar and Ruby in the background (it's so cute yet doesn't intrude on the story), and I like both of their personalities as well because they're just fun in general. Danna is the only character in that group I don't love, but she's also not super present. Adrian's power is super cool to me and I like how conflicting his morals are. I'm not particularly fond of any of the Anarchists, but I do find Winston intriguing (I think because of something in later books but I can't remember). I love Nova as a protagonist, and while she isn't anything particularly unique, she's enjoyable to read about and I like her contrast to Adrian.
Renegades is a YA sci-fi novel following the stories of superheroes and supervillains alike. (I'd also recommend this to those who are fans of the dynamics between Silco and Jinx from Arcane).
4.25/5
“The body holds the body. The arms hold the spear. And the spear cuts through water” (486).
Apologies to anyone who speaks to me in the next few days because you will be hearing about this book - it might be my latest obsession.
Everything about this book was beautiful and unique. It’s one of the few stories that isn’t just a book, it’s an experience and the reader is very much a part of it (page 410 had me squealing because it was so cool).
If you only read one epic fantasy book in your life, let it be this one.
Apologies to anyone who speaks to me in the next few days because you will be hearing about this book - it might be my latest obsession.
Everything about this book was beautiful and unique. It’s one of the few stories that isn’t just a book, it’s an experience and the reader is very much a part of it (page 410 had me squealing because it was so cool).
If you only read one epic fantasy book in your life, let it be this one.
Three words: Gaslight. Gatekeep. Girlboss.
Caraval is one of those guilty pleasure favorites of mine that definitely doesn't deserve the rating I've given it, but I still love it. The vibes as a whole are what make it so enjoyable for me; the first time I read it, I really loved the world and just wanted to be a performer. I still think it's one of my favorites, but again, it's kind of one of those guilty pleasure books where I understand that it's not a story for everyone.
The concept is fairly simple: Scarlett and her sister, Tella, are invited to attend Caraval, a circus-like performance with a magical competition embedded within. This Caraval is different: it revolves around Tella and her disappearance. If Scarlett wants to find her sister, she must play into Caraval Master Legend's hands and remember that it's all just a game. I honestly think the plot is one of the weaker elements in this book. There are some mysteries going on, and at the heart of the story, we're just watching Scarlett try to find her sister. Every time I read this, I think I confuse myself further, but it's still enjoyable and super twisty. I also think the pacing is quite quick, which makes the book easier to read.
I really like the cast of characters presented in the novel. I like that Scarlett is a protagonist who isn't just a "strong woman" stereotype and whose growth is not only interesting but well-written. Her banter with Julian is fun to read, and as a whole, I really like Julian as a character. He's not super unique (sarcastic dude with a mysterious backstory), but I didn't mind it because he was one of the first characters I ever read about with that archetype. I'm not a huge Tella fan in this specific book, but I'm starting to understand her more the more I reread this. The rest of the cast is unique, and while not entirely memorable, they serve to enhance the magic of the story as a whole.
Caraval is a magical YA fantasy novel that centers around the love between two sisters and a magical performance that might be more real than the stories say.
4.75/5
Caraval is one of those guilty pleasure favorites of mine that definitely doesn't deserve the rating I've given it, but I still love it. The vibes as a whole are what make it so enjoyable for me; the first time I read it, I really loved the world and just wanted to be a performer. I still think it's one of my favorites, but again, it's kind of one of those guilty pleasure books where I understand that it's not a story for everyone.
The concept is fairly simple: Scarlett and her sister, Tella, are invited to attend Caraval, a circus-like performance with a magical competition embedded within. This Caraval is different: it revolves around Tella and her disappearance. If Scarlett wants to find her sister, she must play into Caraval Master Legend's hands and remember that it's all just a game. I honestly think the plot is one of the weaker elements in this book. There are some mysteries going on, and at the heart of the story, we're just watching Scarlett try to find her sister. Every time I read this, I think I confuse myself further, but it's still enjoyable and super twisty. I also think the pacing is quite quick, which makes the book easier to read.
I really like the cast of characters presented in the novel. I like that Scarlett is a protagonist who isn't just a "strong woman" stereotype and whose growth is not only interesting but well-written. Her banter with Julian is fun to read, and as a whole, I really like Julian as a character. He's not super unique (sarcastic dude with a mysterious backstory), but I didn't mind it because he was one of the first characters I ever read about with that archetype. I'm not a huge Tella fan in this specific book, but I'm starting to understand her more the more I reread this. The rest of the cast is unique, and while not entirely memorable, they serve to enhance the magic of the story as a whole.
Caraval is a magical YA fantasy novel that centers around the love between two sisters and a magical performance that might be more real than the stories say.
4.75/5
I have read this before. I knew what was going to happen. I mentally prepared myself for this book but was somehow still blindsided by certain events and almost cried during band practice.
Ordinary Monsters is very similar to Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, but the vibes are entirely different. It's definitely very gothic, and it's also much more long-winded, but I didn't mind the length of the book. I really liked the narration style, and even though I've read this before, it felt like a new story (mostly because I forgot everything after chapter three).
The story follows a large cast of characters, but it focuses on Cairndale, a home for "talents," or children with special powers. Alice Quicke is a detective searching for two children (Marlowe, who glows, and Charlie, who heals) to bring them to Cairndale. Unfortunately, Jacob Marber - a former talent - is trying to find Marlowe as well. There are a lot of small subplots that all become relevant in the end, and although the story goes back and forth between the past and the present, everything ties together neatly. There are a good amount of plot twists, some of which are more predictable than others, and while there isn't a ton of action, I still thought the pacing was pretty good for as long as the book is.
As with most multiple POV books, I really love the cast of characters. Alice Quicke is so bold and yet so caring when it comes to Marlowe and Charlie. I also liked her relationships with Coulton and Mrs. Harrogate. Komako reminded me of Ephyra from There Will Come a Darkness, and I also liked Ribs and Oskar. I hope we get more about their backstories in the next book. Charlie is very stoic and also very protective of Marlowe, and I'm so excited to see his character arc progress. Marlowe was probably my favorite, probably because he's literally an innocent child who has never done anything wrong in his life.
Ordinary Monsters is the first book in a new gothic fantasy series about talented children and the adults who either want to protect or use them.
4.5/5
Ordinary Monsters is very similar to Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, but the vibes are entirely different. It's definitely very gothic, and it's also much more long-winded, but I didn't mind the length of the book. I really liked the narration style, and even though I've read this before, it felt like a new story (mostly because I forgot everything after chapter three).
The story follows a large cast of characters, but it focuses on Cairndale, a home for "talents," or children with special powers. Alice Quicke is a detective searching for two children (Marlowe, who glows, and Charlie, who heals) to bring them to Cairndale. Unfortunately, Jacob Marber - a former talent - is trying to find Marlowe as well. There are a lot of small subplots that all become relevant in the end, and although the story goes back and forth between the past and the present, everything ties together neatly. There are a good amount of plot twists, some of which are more predictable than others, and while there isn't a ton of action, I still thought the pacing was pretty good for as long as the book is.
As with most multiple POV books, I really love the cast of characters. Alice Quicke is so bold and yet so caring when it comes to Marlowe and Charlie. I also liked her relationships with Coulton and Mrs. Harrogate. Komako reminded me of Ephyra from There Will Come a Darkness, and I also liked Ribs and Oskar. I hope we get more about their backstories in the next book. Charlie is very stoic and also very protective of Marlowe, and I'm so excited to see his character arc progress. Marlowe was probably my favorite, probably because he's literally an innocent child who has never done anything wrong in his life.
Ordinary Monsters is the first book in a new gothic fantasy series about talented children and the adults who either want to protect or use them.
4.5/5