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hfjarmer's Reviews (394)
This series is an emotional rollercoaster for me, ratings are down up down, all over the place.
Heir of Fire is certainly a book with the primary intention of setting up future books and I think it completely accomplished that goal. We get just enough closure and just enough information to keep us guessing and wanting to read the next book, but (imo) not enough action to necessarily warrant anything more than 3 stars.
I grow to love Celaena/Aelin more with each book. Watching her evolution from scared assassin running from her past and family responsibilities to has been so exciting. You can just feel the self confidence build more and more with each page. She has always been a warrior, but now she is a true .
SJM introduces many new characters in this book. I really loved the concept of moving from one character's POV to the next, but in some ways I think her attempt to create a more complicated story line just led to a loss in momentum. There were quite a few moments where things were building up, and then suddenly we jump cut to a different story line, which mucked up the pacing, for me. Additionally, because she introduced so many new characters, I was a bit less emotionally connected to the story, since I was only getting my Celaena/Dorian/Chaol interaction every so often. I love love love Rowan (who doesn't?) and I am intrigued by Manon's story line, though I wish we got more information about them in this book. It was a parallel story line that will clearly lead into something for Queen of Shadows, but it wasn't necessarily interesting to me in and of itself. I'm excited to see more of the witches.
A lot of people say this is their favorite of the series, but I am personally not convinced this is the best it is going to get and am eager to keep reading.
Heir of Fire is certainly a book with the primary intention of setting up future books and I think it completely accomplished that goal. We get just enough closure and just enough information to keep us guessing and wanting to read the next book, but (imo) not enough action to necessarily warrant anything more than 3 stars.
I grow to love Celaena/Aelin more with each book. Watching her evolution from scared assassin running from her past and family responsibilities to
Spoiler
Queen Aelin, threatening Maeve and ready to reclaim her kingdomSpoiler
warrior QueenSJM introduces many new characters in this book. I really loved the concept of moving from one character's POV to the next, but in some ways I think her attempt to create a more complicated story line just led to a loss in momentum. There were quite a few moments where things were building up, and then suddenly we jump cut to a different story line, which mucked up the pacing, for me. Additionally, because she introduced so many new characters, I was a bit less emotionally connected to the story, since I was only getting my Celaena/Dorian/Chaol interaction every so often. I love love love Rowan (who doesn't?) and I am intrigued by Manon's story line, though I wish we got more information about them in this book. It was a parallel story line that will clearly lead into something for Queen of Shadows, but it wasn't necessarily interesting to me in and of itself. I'm excited to see more of the witches.
A lot of people say this is their favorite of the series, but I am personally not convinced this is the best it is going to get and am eager to keep reading.
A big fan of his later works, but this was a nice little insight into the more intimate musings of David's life, including his struggle coming to terms with his sexuality and his mother's cancer diagnosis. A short collection of stories, but I love the way David builds a narrative, I feel like a member of the family at this point.
3.5 ⭐️
A new, interesting take on a Greek retelling of the story of the labyrinth, Piranesi was a thought-provoking, though somewhat confusing, novel. The book follows Piranesi (if that even is his name…iykyk) a man in his mid-30s who lives in a labyrinth like house with an ocean “imprisoned” within. The house, in a way, is Piranesi’s religion, his god. The house provides for Piranesi and he deems himself “the child of the house”. Piranesi fills his days tending to statues, exploring the far reaches of the house, caring for the 13 dead (collections of bones he has located in his adventures) and carrying out scientific observations of birds, tidal patterns, stars, etc. He keeps a meticulous journal of his daily life in the house. Piranesi is not totally alone, and on scheduled days he meets with “Other”, as he is lovingly named. Other is carrying out his own “scientific” research in an attempt to unlock some great and magical truth about the universe.
The story was admittedly hard to follow, though this is intentional by the author. The reader learns more as Piranesi unlocks key memories and old journal entries that shake his perception of reality.
I was engrossed in the concept of the house and found the modern-ish day story line to be compelling, however due to the author revealing more about Piranesi’s life through old journal entries I felt the story lost momentum right when it should have realistically been picking up. There were a lot of moments when you are just reading blocks of biographies and while this is a good tactic for keeping the story brief, I think it really slowed down the pacing of the story, and a lot of the time I was bored of reading about this that or the other random character in his journal. Ultimately, it all tied together and was an enjoyable read, and I’d still recommend it to any lovers of Greek-retellings. However loosely.
A new, interesting take on a Greek retelling of the story of the labyrinth, Piranesi was a thought-provoking, though somewhat confusing, novel. The book follows Piranesi (if that even is his name…iykyk) a man in his mid-30s who lives in a labyrinth like house with an ocean “imprisoned” within. The house, in a way, is Piranesi’s religion, his god. The house provides for Piranesi and he deems himself “the child of the house”. Piranesi fills his days tending to statues, exploring the far reaches of the house, caring for the 13 dead (collections of bones he has located in his adventures) and carrying out scientific observations of birds, tidal patterns, stars, etc. He keeps a meticulous journal of his daily life in the house. Piranesi is not totally alone, and on scheduled days he meets with “Other”, as he is lovingly named. Other is carrying out his own “scientific” research in an attempt to unlock some great and magical truth about the universe.
The story was admittedly hard to follow, though this is intentional by the author. The reader learns more as Piranesi unlocks key memories and old journal entries that shake his perception of reality.
I was engrossed in the concept of the house and found the modern-ish day story line to be compelling, however due to the author revealing more about Piranesi’s life through old journal entries I felt the story lost momentum right when it should have realistically been picking up. There were a lot of moments when you are just reading blocks of biographies and while this is a good tactic for keeping the story brief, I think it really slowed down the pacing of the story, and a lot of the time I was bored of reading about this that or the other random character in his journal. Ultimately, it all tied together and was an enjoyable read, and I’d still recommend it to any lovers of Greek-retellings. However loosely.
2.5 Stars
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi left me with mixed emotions, making it an unremarkable start to my reading year. Let's delve into the positives first, which contribute to my decision to give it a 3-star rating. Amina, our FMC, breaks away from the typical fantasy mold by being in her 40s and retired, a renowned pirate of the Indian Ocean pulled back into action to resolve a "kidnapping" case with the promise of abundant gold in return for the safe return of Dunya, the granddaughter of a wealthy woman and the daughter of one of Amina's late crew members. It's refreshing that she's not a youthful heroine, and her physical imperfections add depth to her character. Amina's substantial build becomes a formidable asset, portraying her as deadly yet not conventionally delicate or flowery like many other fantasy FMCs.
The narrative is rich with cultural elements, deviating from the usual medieval England-based fantasies, a choice I found both invigorating and captivating. Chakraborty integrates Amina's Muslim faith and rich cultural background, emphasizing that her character, though not a "perfect Muslim," is a vital part of that world.
However, my enthusiasm waned around the 50% mark due to several shortcomings. While the initial setup was intriguing, the plot lost its coherence, leaving me confused and questioning the unfolding events. The secondary characters lacked depth, and the overall story felt lackluster. Amina's relationship with Raksh seemed underdeveloped, and his character's purpose ultimately remained unclear to me. The inclusion of magical systems later in the narrative felt messy and detracted from the core quest of finding Dunya and retrieving the sought-after artifact. The repetitive pattern of pursuing Dunya, losing her, and then finding her again became tiresome, tempting me to abandon the book around the 65% mark.
A final disappointment was the seemingly random attempt to incorporate a "queer" element into the story. While the ending of it just felt a little too random for me to really appreciate this aspect of the story. Like Chakraborty just happened to stick something in there about Dunya being trans/non-binary. Ultimately it just felt like queer-baiting.
I don’t feel like I will remember anything that happened in this book two weeks from now.
Overall, I think Chakraborty’s work is simply not for me, as I had a similar experience attempting to read the City of Brass series - enjoying the culture and unique setting and disliking much else.
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi left me with mixed emotions, making it an unremarkable start to my reading year. Let's delve into the positives first, which contribute to my decision to give it a 3-star rating. Amina, our FMC, breaks away from the typical fantasy mold by being in her 40s and retired, a renowned pirate of the Indian Ocean pulled back into action to resolve a "kidnapping" case with the promise of abundant gold in return for the safe return of Dunya, the granddaughter of a wealthy woman and the daughter of one of Amina's late crew members. It's refreshing that she's not a youthful heroine, and her physical imperfections add depth to her character. Amina's substantial build becomes a formidable asset, portraying her as deadly yet not conventionally delicate or flowery like many other fantasy FMCs.
The narrative is rich with cultural elements, deviating from the usual medieval England-based fantasies, a choice I found both invigorating and captivating. Chakraborty integrates Amina's Muslim faith and rich cultural background, emphasizing that her character, though not a "perfect Muslim," is a vital part of that world.
However, my enthusiasm waned around the 50% mark due to several shortcomings. While the initial setup was intriguing, the plot lost its coherence, leaving me confused and questioning the unfolding events. The secondary characters lacked depth, and the overall story felt lackluster. Amina's relationship with Raksh seemed underdeveloped, and his character's purpose ultimately remained unclear to me. The inclusion of magical systems later in the narrative felt messy and detracted from the core quest of finding Dunya and retrieving the sought-after artifact. The repetitive pattern of pursuing Dunya, losing her, and then finding her again became tiresome, tempting me to abandon the book around the 65% mark.
A final disappointment was the seemingly random attempt to incorporate a "queer" element into the story. While the ending of
Spoiler
finding out the scribe the whole time was (formerly known as) Dunya,I don’t feel like I will remember anything that happened in this book two weeks from now.
Overall, I think Chakraborty’s work is simply not for me, as I had a similar experience attempting to read the City of Brass series - enjoying the culture and unique setting and disliking much else.
After having read some of the other Goodreads reviews for this book, I am terrified of this fan base and hesitant to even write a review for fear everyone will come for my throat, but alas, I’m going to be brave.
Tolkein seems to take the title of “Father of Fantasy”. I certainly can understand how this book revolutionized or even was the genesis of the fantasy genre, and high fantasy in particular. The characters were detailed, the worldbuilding is (obviously) unmatched, to the point where I think Tolkein may have needed psychiatric evaluation. It is evident he saw this world so clearly in his mind that it would be impossible for it not to be written down and I think I could have read them just wandering through Middle-earth forever. I loved the characters in the Fellowship (largely because those are the only ones of which I could reliably keep track), they were each unique in their origin and in their respective utility to the group’s larger mission.
This was my first time reading a quest-based fantasy, as opposed to the typical, perhaps more modern, style of fantasy where there is clear exposition, rising action, climax, resolution. This proved to be a bit of a problem for me personally (shut up fans, I don’t want to hear it) as I found the lack of defined plot points resulted in a lack of momentum. I loved the first 50-60% of the novel and was happy to be on the journey alongside Frodo, however when we hit the council with Elrond, I was just eager to move on, and really feel that section of the book killed any momentum the story had. It felt like Tolkein had put on the emergency break and I was jolted from “movie in my head” to “words on a page” territory. I wanted more of a defined resolution, they didn't even complete their task and while I know it is a trilogy I still feel there could have been more of a "wrapping up" than we received.
As I mentioned before, it is evident that Tolkein had an unbelievable imagination and clear vision for the world he built, but as a reader I found the ways in which he portrayed this world to occasionally veer more into info-dump territory, and I think there were better ways to portray world building to the reader. He is declared father of fantasy for a reason, but I believe still that he could have benefited from a bit of editing that would have made the world more clear without sacrificing the depth of story. There were several times in my reading where I thought to myself “this feels like it’s more for him than for me”.
Lastly, there is so much sexual tension between Frodo and Sam and I really think the story would benefit from them “living happily ever after together to the end of their days”.
Fellowship of the Ring is a wildly impressive first book and even more so when you remember it is a first of it’s kind. I am extremely grateful to my Fiance for being knowledgeable enough about this series that I could ask him all of my clarifying questions. For that reason, I am excited to see what awaits in Two Towers, I am hoping it is Tolkein just a tad more refined!
Tolkein seems to take the title of “Father of Fantasy”. I certainly can understand how this book revolutionized or even was the genesis of the fantasy genre, and high fantasy in particular. The characters were detailed, the worldbuilding is (obviously) unmatched, to the point where I think Tolkein may have needed psychiatric evaluation. It is evident he saw this world so clearly in his mind that it would be impossible for it not to be written down and I think I could have read them just wandering through Middle-earth forever. I loved the characters in the Fellowship (largely because those are the only ones of which I could reliably keep track), they were each unique in their origin and in their respective utility to the group’s larger mission.
This was my first time reading a quest-based fantasy, as opposed to the typical, perhaps more modern, style of fantasy where there is clear exposition, rising action, climax, resolution. This proved to be a bit of a problem for me personally (shut up fans, I don’t want to hear it) as I found the lack of defined plot points resulted in a lack of momentum. I loved the first 50-60% of the novel and was happy to be on the journey alongside Frodo, however when we hit the council with Elrond, I was just eager to move on, and really feel that section of the book killed any momentum the story had. It felt like Tolkein had put on the emergency break and I was jolted from “movie in my head” to “words on a page” territory. I wanted more of a defined resolution, they didn't even complete their task and while I know it is a trilogy I still feel there could have been more of a "wrapping up" than we received.
As I mentioned before, it is evident that Tolkein had an unbelievable imagination and clear vision for the world he built, but as a reader I found the ways in which he portrayed this world to occasionally veer more into info-dump territory, and I think there were better ways to portray world building to the reader. He is declared father of fantasy for a reason, but I believe still that he could have benefited from a bit of editing that would have made the world more clear without sacrificing the depth of story. There were several times in my reading where I thought to myself “this feels like it’s more for him than for me”.
Lastly, there is so much sexual tension between Frodo and Sam and I really think the story would benefit from them “living happily ever after together to the end of their days”.
Fellowship of the Ring is a wildly impressive first book and even more so when you remember it is a first of it’s kind. I am extremely grateful to my Fiance for being knowledgeable enough about this series that I could ask him all of my clarifying questions. For that reason, I am excited to see what awaits in Two Towers, I am hoping it is Tolkein just a tad more refined!
Kate don't read this:
My honest review: BOOOOOOOO. Waiting three years for this book was a big disappointment, and honestly, *House of Flame and Shadow* feels like a cheap version of what we know SJM to be capable of. I had three major issues with this book. First, everything in the plot lined up way too perfectly. One page they need something to happen so that ___ can occur; the next page, that exact thing they need to happen somehow magically works out. I know it's a book, and books tend to have idealized plots, but this is not the same writing we see from SJM in *Throne of Glass* or even *ACOTAR*, where she plants the seeds early and often for the big payoff. Second, in addition to the plot lacking depth, I felt the writing was cheesy and rushed. Hunt and Bryce were on my last nerve; I honestly never truly liked them as a couple. I think they lack chemistry and emotional maturity, especially compared to the other main couples we see in SJM's other work. If I had to read that one or the other "swelled with pride" one more time, I was going to throw my Kindle across the room. So many things were just repetitive and old. How many times did we have to read about Perry’s cinnamon and strawberry scent? How many times did we need to be reminded that Ruhn, Hunt, Lidia, Tharion, and Ithan hated themselves or didn’t deserve the life they had or whatever they were complaining about? The book would’ve been 100 pages shorter if she had just stopped writing in circles. My third complaint is all the unnecessary side plots. None of it made sense or really had any bearing on the plot whatsoever. If she had cut some of that out, maybe we would’ve seen a better plot and more character development.
This is far from SJM’s best work. I must say I am curious about the next ACOTAR book’s release, seeing as *House of Flame and Shadow* Time will tell; I hope that it is better than this one.
My honest review: BOOOOOOOO. Waiting three years for this book was a big disappointment, and honestly, *House of Flame and Shadow* feels like a cheap version of what we know SJM to be capable of. I had three major issues with this book. First, everything in the plot lined up way too perfectly. One page they need something to happen so that ___ can occur; the next page, that exact thing they need to happen somehow magically works out. I know it's a book, and books tend to have idealized plots, but this is not the same writing we see from SJM in *Throne of Glass* or even *ACOTAR*, where she plants the seeds early and often for the big payoff. Second, in addition to the plot lacking depth, I felt the writing was cheesy and rushed. Hunt and Bryce were on my last nerve; I honestly never truly liked them as a couple. I think they lack chemistry and emotional maturity, especially compared to the other main couples we see in SJM's other work. If I had to read that one or the other "swelled with pride" one more time, I was going to throw my Kindle across the room. So many things were just repetitive and old. How many times did we have to read about Perry’s cinnamon and strawberry scent? How many times did we need to be reminded that Ruhn, Hunt, Lidia, Tharion, and Ithan hated themselves or didn’t deserve the life they had or whatever they were complaining about? The book would’ve been 100 pages shorter if she had just stopped writing in circles. My third complaint is all the unnecessary side plots.
Spoiler
Sigrid? Tharion getting married?? Lidia randomly having kids?? Ithan magically becoming Prime???? Hypaxia’s whole thing???This is far from SJM’s best work. I must say I am curious about the next ACOTAR book’s release, seeing as *House of Flame and Shadow*
Spoiler
tees up another potential storyline for Nesta. Given that *ACOSF* was also about Nesta, I will be surprised if she is the main character in a second book.
*The Bluest Eye* is a novel which, supposedly, follows Pecola Breedlove, a self-proclaimed “ugly” black girl, who grows up in a home with her abusive father and a mother who admittedly does not love her, despite her best efforts. All Pecola wants in the whole world are the “beautiful blue eyes” of a white woman. She believes wholeheartedly that blue eyes would cure her of ugliness, and make her somehow “clean”. This brings us to the central theme of Morrison’s novel - internalized racism and the injurious effects of a society which centers and reveres whiteness as good, clean, and beautiful. My favorite character in this novel was Claudia who, at the young age of 9, has already recognized the problematic centering of whiteness and so takes it upon herself to rebel against the idea that white equals beauty by knowing for a fact she is beautiful herself just as she is. We see this again when
Honestly, I am devastated to say I did not really like this book. I enjoyed Morrison’s poetic writing style which flowed together well in spite of the disjointed nature of the narrative itself. By dissecting the novel so the reader has to put the pieces together for themselves, Morrison takes away the reader’s ability to really connect with the characters. This is something Morrison herself points out in the afterward of her novel. I spent so much time trying to understand who was being talked about and why we are talking about them that I was unable to enjoy the story of it all. For a novel about Pecola Breedlove, we know nearly nothing about her, and are never given the opportunity to hear from her directly. While this could be seen as an example of a young woman robbed of her voice, I just think it was a poor narrative decision and I found it overall to be frustrating.
I have heard many wonderful things about Toni Morrison and I certainly don’t doubt them, but this one simply didn’t work for me. I will read another book by Morrison though, rest assured.
Spoiler
Claudia is discussing Pecola’s pregnancy with Frieda, saying “More strongly than my fondness for Pecola, I felt a need for someone to want the black baby to live—just to counteract the universal love of white baby dolls, Shirley Temples, and Maureen Peals.”Honestly, I am devastated to say I did not really like this book. I enjoyed Morrison’s poetic writing style which flowed together well in spite of the disjointed nature of the narrative itself. By dissecting the novel so the reader has to put the pieces together for themselves, Morrison takes away the reader’s ability to really connect with the characters. This is something Morrison herself points out in the afterward of her novel. I spent so much time trying to understand who was being talked about and why we are talking about them that I was unable to enjoy the story of it all. For a novel about Pecola Breedlove, we know nearly nothing about her, and are never given the opportunity to hear from her directly. While this could be seen as an example of a young woman robbed of her voice, I just think it was a poor narrative decision and I found it overall to be frustrating.
I have heard many wonderful things about Toni Morrison and I certainly don’t doubt them, but this one simply didn’t work for me. I will read another book by Morrison though, rest assured.
"Prophet Song" presents a poetic exploration of dystopian Ireland, embroiled in civil war following a tyrannical government's rise to power. Eilish, a mother of four, finds her life shattered when her husband is abruptly taken by the Irish secret police. As the conflict between government forces and rebels escalates, Eilish struggles to protect her family amidst the chaos. One of the novel's most compelling elements is Eilish's dual struggle: resisting the injustices of war while ensuring her family's safety. Lynch’s writing style is poetic and allegorical. He is descriptive and you come to see this war as a living breathing entity which has wormed it’s way into the lives of Irish citizens.
While I completely see the merit in this novel and understand why it is loved by many, I personally found its pace unbearably slow for a dystopian tale. The formatting, reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy’s *The Road*, with dense blocks of text and minimal page breaks, hindered my reading experience. Additionally, Lynch had many abrupt shifts in narrative direction, I often felt like there were three or four more sentences missing from each page break, we would just end up in an entirely new part of the story in the next “paragraph” leaving things feeling unresolved. While these narrative disruptions may be an attempt to emulate the disruption war brings to everyday life, it just felt like poor story telling to me.
"Prophet Song" may appeal to readers seeking a blend of literary fiction with a dystopian setting, ultimately it wasn’t for me.
While I completely see the merit in this novel and understand why it is loved by many, I personally found its pace unbearably slow for a dystopian tale. The formatting, reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy’s *The Road*, with dense blocks of text and minimal page breaks, hindered my reading experience. Additionally, Lynch had many abrupt shifts in narrative direction, I often felt like there were three or four more sentences missing from each page break, we would just end up in an entirely new part of the story in the next “paragraph” leaving things feeling unresolved. While these narrative disruptions may be an attempt to emulate the disruption war brings to everyday life, it just felt like poor story telling to me.
"Prophet Song" may appeal to readers seeking a blend of literary fiction with a dystopian setting, ultimately it wasn’t for me.
This just really wasn’t a good book. It had me in the first third. I was thinking ooOo historical romance, funny character names, a little mystery and intrigue, but then it shit the bed. I found the writing to be over simplistic and more in line with fan-fanfic of some kind than a published novel, the dialogue was too simple and the characters felt like they were being forced by the writing to seem more complex than they actually were.
This book does have smut in it, though it’s pretty tame overall. I’m sorry but the names Phoebe and Trevillion are just not sexy and reading them in the context of smut scenes just gave me the ick.
I did like the that Phoebe was blind, which sounds weird, but I thought it was a unique plot motivator and I did enjoy the way it forced the character to interact on a different level than more traditional romances. If nothing else, if you like virgin or one-bed-at-the-inn tropes, you may like this, or at least not hate it. Lesson learned, those books with the sexy covers older women read on the beach are not for me.
Spoiler
Three kidnappings is just entirely too many. The first gets the plot going and heightens the stakes, sure. The second one being the motivating factor for Trevillion to take Phoebe the hell out of dodge. But the third was just frivolous and stupid, beating a dead horse at its finest.This book does have smut in it, though it’s pretty tame overall. I’m sorry but the names Phoebe and Trevillion are just not sexy and reading them in the context of smut scenes just gave me the ick.
I did like the that Phoebe was blind, which sounds weird, but I thought it was a unique plot motivator and I did enjoy the way it forced the character to interact on a different level than more traditional romances. If nothing else, if you like virgin or one-bed-at-the-inn tropes, you may like this, or at least not hate it. Lesson learned, those books with the sexy covers older women read on the beach are not for me.