booksonmars's Reviews (670)

can’t believe she published this at eighteen but also i can really hear the seriousness and false certainty that eighteen year olds usually hold themselves to. both stories capture the headiness and dreaminess of 60s france in the summer, and i would definitely recommend for a beach read. 

loved the little easter eggs of nuance a script can give you. fleabag the original messy and misunderstood queen

this book was lovely sweet wholesome and soft but i still could not care less about baseball

i loved the writing in this, the fluidity of the prose and the richness in the details of 16th century italy. the author makes it starkly known through her writing of lucrezia how much of a child she is, from her stumbling through this world of politics to her desire of freedom and imaginative nature. there was much tension as the book wound towards the end, which i think fell flat towards the end. it took me a while to actually finish the book, mainly because it felt like the author chose flowery prose over true depth to the writing. it definitely satisfied the historical lover part of me though.

beautiful prose as expected from a poet of a writer. cyrus was such an interesting character to follow, mainly because of how human his ideas and desires were. to be honest the whole plot and cyrus reminded me of the john green books i used to read when i was younger. there was a simplicity to the prose but intricate depth too. i think it did get a little precocious, and i wasn't as absorbed or wowed like the general opinion. i still enjoyed it (the uk cover is atrocious though). 

my first han kang, and i love her prose. it melts into the atmosphere that this book creates, full of longing and the bittersweet feeling the winter gives you. the two main characters are suffering from a lack of increasing lack of senses, and throughout the book there’s a feeling of bereftness that infuses the reader too. i’m not particularly a fan of this type of writing, nor the ambiguous ending, but i did very much enjoy this book and look forward to reading more of han kang’s work. 

the first half of the book really pulled me in: i loved the dark academia atmosphere of it all, from the campus and its compelling studies to the lore surrounding the vampires. kidan is an interesting character to follow, particularly with her relationship to susenyos: their cat and mouse game fuelled by hatred was mesmerising to read, and indeed gave judecardan vibes, if not with more venom. 

the second half was what faltered for me. i think once the pair forged an uneasy alliance the development in their relationship felt rushed. not that it wasn't still engaging to read, but it did water down their previous emotions towards each other. the magic system overall is sort of vague, despite some detailed lore both on the characters and the mythology surrounding vampirekind. there were a few bits and pieces that i felt were underdeveloped, for example the house laws, we never really hear them mentioned by any other of the characters.

speaking of other characters, i did like the other characters, their backgrounds and personal history being very fleshed out. there's this ongoing theme throughout the book in which kidan sees life in a black and white way i.e. humans = need protecting, and vampires = innately evil. i liked watching her go on this journey where she navigates the grey area, where humans can do monstrous things, and monsters have redeeming qualities.

i love love love that there is a dark academia book with a mainly black ensemble of characters, and i'm really interested in the second book. i wish i could go to meet the author during her book tour but maybe next year for the sequel...?

the final book has made me remember just how much i love this series, and the world and its characters. there was so much space for the relationships in this book to flourish, and i'm so glad clary and jace finally got a break (relationship wise that is). you can really see how much clary has grown up and accustomed to the shadow world, how much jace has emotionally matured. because it's the final book following these characters we do get lots of beautiful and stirring words of emotion, and there were so many moments were i teared up. clary and simon will always be the bestest friends to ever do it. the easter eggs from the infernal devices and setting up the dark artifices were especially scrumptious. i just love this world so much! next on the reread is the infernal devices which i am not and will never be emotionally ready for.

we need more letter sending in this world 

probably one of the best prequels i've read. the haymitch in this book is starkly different from the one in the original trilogy, and this book paints a sad but clear picture as to why. there's so much boyish charm to him and the way he interacts with others like lenore, his family and the other tributes. it's very different to katniss, who had to grow up very quickly at a young age. reading him with all his innocence and youth just drives home how vicious the games are to these children. it's more heartbreaking because of the fact that there are twice as many tributes, but despite the number each of them all stood out to me, more than the first hunger games book. i loved maysilee and her headstrong personality; i think suzanne depicts the women of district 12 wonderfully, each with their own type of fearlessness. although it did feel fan-servicey from all the cameos, i am a fan and i liked the service!! i'm glad we got another book and i can't wait for the movie.