kaitlynisliterate's Reviews (466)

Pros
+ Having some sort of plot outside of the romance
+ Includes some technical details about F1 rather than just mentioning races in passing

Cons
- The mafia-esque organization came out of nowhere and doesn’t make sense in the context of the series.
- Completely unbelievable that a shady company would choose to put itself in the spotlight by owning an F1 team.
- Karl was deeply unlikeable, not just a ‘bad boy’ but an asshole for no reason

Neither POV character is likeable. And there’s so little F1 content, it’s sad.

Pros
+ I am truly shocked at the fact that there was an actual plot (even though the premise is extremely unbelievable)

Cons
- The premise of a secretly traveling oncologist makes absolutely no sense 
- Almost no actual Formula 1 action. All of the races are described in passing.

Pros
- The mythological creatures were fun 

Cons
- Sandy and Dennys are literally the least interesting characters ever. I have no idea why they were the main characters especially because they spend most of the book doing nothing. They have no plan to get themselves home despite them discussing it every chapter. 
- A lot of sex and sexualized characters/interactions but always using weird euphemisms (I guess to keep the book officially PG)
- So little happens and the pacing is terrible.

Sandy and Dennys spend the first 1/3 of the book recovering after being badly sunburned. And then the rest of the book is about them gardening and building Noah's arc.

- No resolution to the conflict with the nephilim even though it is the only interesting thing happening

Pros
+ The races get more than a few sentences of description (which is more than can be said about some of the other books in this series).

Cons
- The relationship feels rushed, especially

the kiss that happens when they first meet. It really just comes out of nowhere. Then, Noah suddenly decides that he wants to date Archie despite being extremely opposed to it earlier. They immediately declare that they love each other even though they barely know each other.

- The stakes didn't feel real at all.

Everything gets resolved so quickly when Noah randomly announces that he's retiring at the end of this season.

- Poor understanding of how team orders work in F1. Questionable or non-sensical decisions were being made solely for the purpose of creating drama

Pros
+ Refreshingly non-toxic relationship dynamics

Cons
- There's basically no conflict for most of the book and nothing to move the plot forward other than the passage of time
- The already-established relationship makes it difficult to feel invested
- The racing itself is pushed to the periphery and mostly described in passing

Pros
+ Very bold to set the third book so many years after the first two. Interesting to see Meg and Charles when they're older
+ Unicorn

Cons
- What happened to Meg? Why was she the POV character when she isn't really involved with the plot. Also, everyone is such a busybody about her pregnancy, it's wild.
- The alternate history is just so bad. Uses so many stereotypes of Native Americans and the emphasis on blue eyes is just cringe.
- The alternate politics is equally cringe. A Latin American dictator who is soooo crazy and going to nuke everyone. Not timeless and clearly reflects the Cold War mood of the 1970s.

Pros
+ Excellent worldbuilding (though it takes up a lot of the book. I enjoy that but ymmv)
+ Loved the political intrigue and character dynamics 
+ Great epilogue

Cons
- The main character, Nahri, is annoying. There’s really no other way to put it. She’s constantly lashing out at people, especially servants or people she has power over. And makes such terrible decisions (and others suffer the consequences, not her) especially in the latter half of the book.
- I personally found the romantic elements of the story unappealing especially because it's a godforsaken love triangle.

Pros
+ Excellent character dynamics
+ Great if you love dark academia. Captures the essence of insular elite education where small things seem huge leading to outsized reactions.

Cons
- James was underdeveloped, I never felt like I really understood why Oliver was so close with him
- The change in behavior for Richard was underexplored.

I assume its a mixture of academic and romantic jealousy but its almost never discussed.

Pros
+ Story pacing was good
+ Interesting plot twists, some that I didn't guess

Cons
- Resolution was a bit too easy, everything played out exactly how the main character wanted it to