This is my second DNF of a climate fiction book recently, so I think I'm just not in the right headspace. But I hope to return to this in the summer because the writing is fantastic! So both a soft dnf and a recommendation. It definitely has the potential to be a favourite when I'm ready to grapple with the subject matter.

I think I could enjoy this one day, but I've been feeling stressed and slumpy for weeks now so this slow-paced, grimdark book that's flipping between three different perspectives (and therefore losing momentum every chapter) isn't working for me. 

They have already made it pretty obvious they like each other, which means the book is going to be all about how they get together, and that is just not my thing. I need drawn out   ~yearning~   

Also wasn't into the idea of waiting for the

secret to come out and cause a breakup

. It was so obviously going to be the source of tension here, and it filled me with dread. 🙃

The last book I finished was The Left Hand of Darkness, and it was too much for me to go from Le Guin writing so intelligently about gender in the 60s to Jordan writing the fantasy version of Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus. I couldn't read another page of it. I own most of the books in this series, so I'll probably try again one day. They aren't ever going to be favourites, but they're decently entertaining.

Second attempt with this book, and I definitely got further in this time, but I'm still finding it hard to maintain interest. The worldbuilding is rich and the political manoeuvring interesting, but the characters aren't developed enough for me to feel uniquely connected to any of them. There are too many perspectives thrown in, which distracts from the main characters and stunts the pacing. I wanted to love it because the description sounds amazing, but I'm not thinking about it between reading sessions, and reluctant to pick it up when I sit down to read.

I can't explain it but I think I need to read this in physical format rather than digitally. Something about the slow pace and atmospheric nature aren't working for me on my e-reader. I'll try again in a few months 

Not nearly enough tension. They aren't physically attracted to one another, but it's clear from the moment they meet how their relationship will develop. I totally understand why this works for people - it's a wholesome and emotionally mature romance story - but I just need more "will they/won't they". This is more like...when will they. Not for me. 

Temporary dnf. I've been struggling to decide if I wanted to continue at this time, flip-flopping daily. It's not horrible, and I think I will enjoy the series. But the formulaic start + melodramatic/purple prose + angsty teen beginning for the protagonist is sending me into a slump.

Attempt #2 - I wanted to like this so badly, but I truly, TRULY hated it. The writing was overwrought and riddled with nonsensical word choices (at one point Had stumbles upon someone crying in a shower stall and it's described, among other things, as a "scuffling, snuffling" sound. Snuffling makes perfect sense, but unless it was a fairly active crying fit, scuffling was a bizarre choice. It may seem nitpicky but this is just one example of many). The flow of the story was unbearable as well. Things would happen to Hadrian that seemed to be setting him up for something, but then peter out to nothing. Characters would be introduced, but then die or seemingly disappear, so that in the end their impact on the plot, or on Hadrian's character arc, or on me as a reader, were nil. It was disorienting, and because nothing seemed to matter much, it was boring. I enjoy a slow pace - Robin Hobb is one of my favourite writers. But there still has to be something going on to push the story forward during the slow moments, and I didn't feel that was the case here. 

The final kicker was Hadrian himself. He's obviously modeled on characters like Paul Atreides and Kvothe, but wasn't nearly as eerie/unsettling as Paul, or as charmingly mischievous (/impulsively dumb) as Kvothe. I couldn't connect with him at all. 

I can imagine enjoying the overall plot of this series, but if I'm not enjoying the writing style or the characters, plot isn't enough to get me through these 800 page tomes. 

Least favourite quote from the book:
"I may be a lot of things, but left handed isn't one of them". 
😑

Started it, first chapter was fine, then got this horrible flu that is going around and was barely functioning for almost a week. I've watched a lot of RHOBH, feel dumber, and the sight of this book reminds me of feeling ill. Flu season casualty, I'm sure it's a great book. 

Going to skip this trilogy and move ahead in the series. No interest in what this is trying to do.