andat's Reviews (467)

Given my record this week, I didn’t have high hopes for this one. The early 2000s YA covert art wasn’t helping either. Surprisingly this was a fun read. Anyone that’s gone through the Crowns of Nyaxia novels, you know Carissa Broadbent’s style. It’s action-oriented and easy to fall into. This was no different but you can tell it’s her early work. Some of the same phrases and tropes are present but refined in Nyaxia. It doesn’t feel tired or repetitive though. I do wish there was a little more energy, however you can tell it’s a set up for further books. Nothing earth shaking but it’s solid and well-executed. I also recommend the audiobook, if only for the “visitor”. The voice is phenomenal that they use for it! All in all, not a bad read to pull me out of my DNF streak. 

It’s right there in the title. Yet somehow I was still surprised that the act happened on the first two pages. What follows is her capture and travels with an elite mercenary who may or may not be on the run, who hopes to turn her in for the million dollar bounty on her head. 

I can’t quite figure out where this is going. Anji is a typical young, arrogant, and annoying character who is now stuck with this aging mercenary who doesn’t seem to have a lot of people skills. The banter is well-written, and Anji does typical stupid stuff that you’d expect from someone yet to experience the world. I’m content to just follow the ride right now, but I really hope we see a point to this long travel scene and development of Anji as more than a caricature for arrogant youth. 

So I’m at the halfway point and it’s the only point I can find. There’s more mercenaries and they snake her from the first one. And…I’m not loving it. I don’t know WHY all this is happening. There’s not enough character development to keep me interested. It’s a DNF at 50% for now. I might come back to it later but I’m struggling to keep myself invested. 

I’m starting to think the problem is me. I struggled to get into this one for about 100+ pages. It picked up a bit with the Teek islands and then… dropped again into a lot of back and forth between the jaguar, the firebird and the crow. (Deliberately being obtuse so there are no accidental spoilers.) I switched to audio to see if I could get the vibe and flow back. 

Ok, the audiobook helped. But… everyone feels like they’ve been body snatched. The Teek who are wary of any and all outsiders are throwing a feast for multiple ships arriving they didn’t plan on. (It did not end well.) Xiala took no shit and now she’s timid and quiet. Iktan is making mistakes, almost fatal ones. Serapio is now okay with human sacrifices just to further his reign. The energy and fire from the first book is gone. Everyone is going through the motions and it’s coming across on the page. This was not the book 3 I was expecting. Maybe I’ll try again later but it’s a DNF right now at 55%. 

I’m ready but I’m not ready. 

Random impressions as I read (and listen):

Y’all. I am tired. I’m not even fighting in this war and I’m exhausted. The double backs, double crosses and plotting. Gods save me from privileged   men and their ideas of perfection and governance.

Overall, it was okay. I didn’t knock my socks off like the first three books. It felt long and dragging in parts. I was hoping we would be closer to a resolution but it’s starting to feel like that game of monopoly that never ends. It’s a good thing book 7 (?!?!?) isn’t coming out for another year. I need a break from fantasy that’s too close to reality. 

I don’t have any words. I really don’t. It’s the perfect ending. It’s not a fairy tale ending. It’s the right ending. It’s the ending that fits El. (I’m not crying. You’re crying. Shut up.)

This one took me a minute to dial into. I didn’t realize this is the same world as Ember in the Ashes quartet. I think if I had, I would have waited to read it since I’d just finished the series last month. I was reluctant to go back, even knowing that my favorite characters were in it still. I’d put them away for now, it felt odd to trot them back out again so soon. (Yes, I realize how unhinged this sounds. They are not real but my brain is just weird, ok?)

We get to see Quil (nee Zacharias) nearly grown here, along with a certain famous duo’s son as one of his best friends. There’s an attack and Quil is sent by Helene to retrieve the only thing capable of stopping it. We also follow two other storylines, Aiz who is looking to find her purpose and her lost god and Sirsha who is tracking a dangerous murderer of children. It’s a tried and true formula for Sabaa Tahir and it does not disappoint. As I said, this one did take a bit to get into, however after the 100 page mark we start to see the threads coming together. The only thing that threw me through a loop was figuring out it wasn’t just character storylines that jump, but it also seems to be timeframes. Reading back, things start to take on a new meaning and I’m completely wrapped back into Tahir’s incredible writing. (I’d be jealous if I didn’t love her books so much!)

That ending though! She got me. Again! And now I have to wait for the sequel to come out. Argh! When will I learn!?

This was such a sweet little interlude. A chance to see another side of the lives in the main novels. I love how close the friends are, and that Nesta is trying to bridge the gap. Even if she can only frown at it so far. And Elain - her gift to Az. Why could t she have been mated to him? So cute. 

Random thoughts as I read. (I know, just what you wanted, right?)

I blame this book entirely for my new life goal of packing up everything I own to become a sea witch off the Amalfi Coast. So there’s that. This book is everywhere right now so I won’t belabor the point here. Sea witches, sunken ships, treasure, hot Italian romance, and a two timeline story. If that doesn’t sell you, well… that’s on you fam. 

Read it!

Ok, that’s it. That’s the review. 

I know what you’re thinking. This is a road well-traveled. What could possibly be new here? Joke was on me I guess, because here I am raving about a time travel book to you all!

The Third Rule of Time Travel has a little bit of everything. Sci-fi (obvs), a little horror (those nightmares- whew!), and a heavy dose of thriller (corporate espionage, big tech, and greeeeeeed). Scientist Beth Darlow has found the key to time travel. It’s not quite what you’d imagine but its potential could have huge ramifications on how we think of time, negative energy, and our own memories. I won’t spoil the science or the mystery here, but I will share that I didn’t think another book on time travel could surprise me. Especially with so many TV adaptions of it, including multiverses, butterfly effects, well you get the idea. This one though, explored an unusual angle. The idea of flashbulb moments in our past that marked high emotions, in short how trauma marks our memories and brains. If you’re wondering what tf trauma has to do with time travel… well, you’re going to need to read the book to find out. Follow the breadcrumbs to the end. 

I wasn’t expecting much from this book, but Philip Fracassi schooled me. Rightly so. There’s still time travel concepts we haven’t exhausted and I’m damn glad he found one.