aprilthebookqueen's Reviews (211)

I only recently read the Handmaid's Tale for the first time, so being able to go into the sequel almost right after was so nice. There were definitely some answers given in this, though a lot remained a mystery. 

Parts of this made me feel sick, but that's to be expected and kind of feels like the point. These are terrible things, and are meant to be thought-provoking. 

I enjoyed seeing different views, and watching them line up. I also enjoyed getting some depth to Aunt Lydia's character. 

I found the conclusion satisfying, though I do wish we'd gotten a bit more at the end. 

I don't often say this, but I was hooked into this book immediately. The concepts, the characters, the plot was all so intriguing that I found it really hard to put this down. 

I was absolutely shocked to learn this was his debut novel. This was absolutely amazing. My favourite thing about Sanderson novels tend to be the characters. They are multi-layered, and their journeys are often so interesting to watch. 

Raoden was such an interesting character, and I loved seeing that come through in his mission throughout the book. His arc was a lot of fun to read, and seeing it finally connect with the others was so satisfying. 

Hrathen was a complex character, and I gathered from the beginning that there was more to him than meets the eye. His storyline was the least interesting for me at first, but seeing his character development as he began to

question his beliefs

was an amazing arc to see play out. It ended how I thought it would, but it was still so satisfying. 

Sarene was my favourite character. She was clever, but still a bad ass in my opinion. Watching her plan and bring things together was so satisfying. Getting to see her and Raoden meet under interesting circumstances was great. Their interactions, and the way their relationship developed was really well done. 

I was so invested in this book, and then the last chunk of it kicked it into high gear. Overall, a very satisfying read with a satisfying conclusion. An absolute favourite. 

I had a fun time reading this one! I have heard this was a weak book in the series but I enjoyed it a lot, so I think if there are others that are better, I’m going to be addicted to this series. 

I love the main character. I love how he isn’t your typical tough male lead. He doesn’t shy away from admitting that he isn’t tough, and he mostly survives because he’s clever which I really enjoy. 

I found this storyline interesting and learning about all the different versions of werewolves was fun! Often stories pick one werewolf myth to focus on and this one brought a bunch of them into one world. 

The ending was sad for me, but I also found it satisfying. 

My main complaint is Murphy. She is so infuriating and annoying it did mess up my enjoyment a bit but I’ve heard she improves so I have hope. 

I really loved this book. I found it super intimidating to start due to its length, but I barely noticed because I was so invested in it. 

I felt so lost at first. This does happen with Sanderson novels for me it seems. I hurt my brain trying to understand the world as it’s presented in the first few chapters and it just doesn’t ever work. But when it begins to come together? It’s magical. 

There are three main pov’s in this one. All from different statuses in society which really allows you to get a good idea of how this all works. I also found myself invested in all three storylines. I’d have that moment of disappointed when they switched because I wanted to know what happened next but I’d get sucked into the next storyline so quickly and forget about it. 

I love seeing the different relationships explored, from father/son in one storyline and mentor/student in another and the found family in the third storyline. You really get to see these relationships develop. While father/son is already an established relationship beforehand, you get to see the challenges they navigate and what they learn about each other and how that changes their relationship. The mentor/student was a fun storyline to watch, though for obvious reasons if you read, I was anxious from the beginning how that would end. But the found family we see explored is what really I really enjoyed the most. Seeing things change from a feeling of “neutrality” as in, you don’t care one way or the other about another to the way it ended was amazing and well done. I find it more interesting to see a relationship go from indifference to what I’d define as a mutual respect and love. 

There’s a lot of themes explored in this one, and this would end up so long if I talked about them all. But I will say it’s a really thought provoking and interesting read. While it ends with questions and an eagerness for the next one, it also feels like it ends at a good enough point to feel satisfied with where it leaves off. (Which is good for me because the next one I’m reading in the Cosmere order isn’t the next one of these.) 

I honestly didn't expect to enjoy this book. I've often been referred to books considered "classics" and I just find them so boring I can't get through them

Despite the fact not a lot happened in this book, I remained intrigued throughout the whole thing. The writing style was nice and easy to understand, and the main character is interesting in a lot of ways. 

Firstly, she isn't the typical character you'd expect in a story like this. A hero. Someone who stands up and rebels. Her little rebellions are playing scrabble, and having a sexual relationship with Nick. She is timid and admits that she would tell anyone everything they needed to know if they tried to torture her. 

I know a lot of people hated this, but I liked it. It felt realistic. A lot of people want to be the hero in a story, but in reality, people are afraid. They do adapt and do things that you may not expect to survive. In this case, she played her role and took the abuse.

I found myself sick at points because I was so disgusted by what was taking place, and I had to take a break a few times. Overall, a very powerful and thought-provoking read. 

I received an ARC copy of this, and I meant to take my time reading it but I ended up pretty much finishing it in one sitting. 

Starting with the plot, it was pretty fast paced. It’s a huge part of why it held my interest because there was always something happening. I wasn’t completely a fan of where it all ended, but I’m curious and interested enough that I’ll definitely read the next book when it comes out. 

I’m a sucker for dragons, so they were absolutely my favourite characters and I wish we’d had a bit more of them. 

Sifa and Fhord were an interesting relationship to explore. Their chemistry was something I really enjoyed and I loved watching the development and I was happy with where things left off with them. 

An interesting concept, and a fun and quick read. I look forward to the sequel. 

This was a fun and quick read. I did predict the plot twist, but it was still done in an entertaining way. A couple points still caught me off guard, which was fun. 

I did find most of the characters annoying, but I still enjoyed the plot and pacing of this. 

Overall, a good read. I look forward to reading more of her books. 

 I loved this book. Despite some of the brutal descriptions of body horror type stuff, it felt like a really cozy read. 

The main character, Tress was so fun to read. She isn’t your typical heroine, and her character development and journey throughout this book was probably the best part. 

It didn’t feel like a whole lot happened plot wise but that was totally fine with me because I was so invested in the characters and that’s what it felt like mattered. 

The world itself was so intriguing and the descriptions were so interesting. The narration/writing style was also a lot of fun to read and a bit different in a good way. It definitely had a few moments where I laughed in amusement. 

I loved this book and stayed up way later than I should have to finish it. 

I really enjoyed this one! 
I thought I saw the twists coming but there were still a couple that caught me off guard completely. 

I don’t think I ever did understand the magic system for the breaths but it wasn’t what really stood out to me anyways. It was the characters. 

I really enjoyed getting to know all the characters. They were all interesting in their own way. I enjoyed the sisters and Lightsong the most. I think Lightsong was my favourite. And his story was so interesting. 

The plot moved a bit slowly at times but overall was a good pace. I found the ending a bit abrupt but overall a really great read!