emvdw's Reviews (341)

Peculiar little book
It's short (feels shorter than the 200 pages it is) but not necessarily a quick read. You could mull it over a lot, I think 
I had expected a 'cosy read' from the copy on the back, but it wasn't quite, I feel. Still nice but not very memorable for me

I really enjoyed this book.

The first act (Joscelin's training in the Cassiline brotherhood) is great, and I had been looking forward to it, knowing at how awesome Carey wrote about Khai's training in Starless (from the blurb: Khai is trained in the arts of killing and stealth by a warrior sect). And, in my opinion, this did not disappoint.

From the point he meets Phèdre, there's very little knew things we learn. Even though we're *in*  Joscelin 's mind, I think his character, thoughts and motivations are sufficiently developed in the Kushiel trilogies so no real revelations about his inner life are made.

I read a review saying that this would have worked better as a prequel novella, with just Josclin's training and that his perspective of the events of Kushiel's Dart did not warrant a full re-telling. I do not disagree: Phèdre's side of the story is just more interesting (and not because of the sex). For me however, that didn't really matter. I happily revisit old favourites and so I was happy to go over old ground again. And learning when exactly Josclin falls in love with her and what exactly Hyacinthe told him when their ways parted during the crossing of he Strait made missing out on Phèdre's glitz and glamour in Dart worth it. However, on future re-reads I may actually just read Jossclin's training, stopping at where he joins Delaunay's household and then continue with Kushiel's Dart.

Some other thoughts:
- I did think Carey did a good job at slipping in "new" background information about Josclin into the known storyline without anything feeling forced.
- I think this really is not a book for people who don't already love and know the world of Terre d'Ange. The political intrigue especially would be quite difficult to follow for a newcomer (I had trouble keeping everything straight, and Storygraph informs me I've read Dart four times....)

I think you're enjoyment of Cassiel's Servant will largely depend on how you felt about Kushiel's Dart and whether or not you mind that there's only a few tidbits of newness once Phèdre and Josclin meet.

 This was a vary uneven book for me. I loved the first act, and was gearing up for a good time, but once Baru arrived in Audwynn, too many new characters flooded the scene too fast and I just didn't care about any of them. Consequently, I has a hard time remembering who was who and lost interest in the plot bit by bit until I made it about 80% through and just powered through it to finish it and check it off my card. The final 50 or so pages however contain some revelations that cleared some things up for me, especially with regards to to Baru's motivations during her stay in Audwynn, making me want to give the next instalment a go. We'll see how I get on with it! 

I never watched any Nickelodeon shows, so was unfamiliar with McCurdy, but decided to pick this book up because I heard so many great things about it. And while it was very different from what I was expecting, I thought it was very good. 

It is a vulnerable account of McCurdy's relationship with her mother, acting, mental illness and manages to pair this, especially in the later chapters with levity and humour. Do check the content warnings for this one... 

The audiobook is particularly good too. 

I think I had the wrong expectations going into this book: I was expecting more Hidden Figures/The Calculaing Stars but the vibes are way more  Remarkably Bright Creatures. Once I figured that out and adjusted my expectations, I had a great time with this book. 

The premise is great, the characters - and their relationships - wonderful, and all the small things sprinkled throughout pay off nicely. If I had one qualm it is that the ending feels a bit too easy. 

Weird little book. It's very poignant. 

This is a very weird book. I don't quite know what to think about it. I liked the story, the mystery and it's resolution. The afterword was lovely. The writing is quite beautiful and extremely atmospheric. The setting is unique. 

However. It is very dark. It is also almost constantly gross, most of the time unnecessarily so... So be warned..