don't talk to me about this book.
I hated every page of it.
It's worse than the sequel to from blood and ash.
I'll just casually forget i ever read this.
(i even went through till the end cause everyone was raving about it)
note to self: never trust booktok
basically this was an aliexpress/wish version of Nina and Matthias

Omg this book was epic !! I am so sad that this the end of this series ...but there still is the Trials of apollo that I should go start right away . My favourite character is Leo he is so funny !! a small anecdote : When I entered the metro (it is like a subway ) I could not find any place to sit so I leaned myself on a door . As I i kept on reading the metro got crowded and i had to squeeze my book into corner in order to keep on reading. In the chapter i had been reading i remember Leo Valdez saying a cringey ass line and i burst out laughing like a mad woman (everyone side-eyed me). To get me to have these kind of reactions IN PUBLIC is an exploit in itself.
[IC]From that day I freakin loved Leo

First Read
Simply ASTOUDING! i have no words to describe how immensely shook i've been left after reading this MASTERPIECE!!!
I could aspire to write as well as what R.F Kuang has created. From the characters to the word building, everything is just so IMMACULATE. The pacing is just so intriguingly absurd and engaging.
I picked this book up during my finals week, and i deeply regret doing so since i couldn't bring myself to put this damned book down. It was THAT addicting!!! Sorry for raving over this book without any arguments but like i plan or rereading it soon (or at least i hope to) and when i finish my second read i'll write an understandable review with actual paragraphs, introduction and conclusion. *sigh* How the hell am i supposed to find a BETTER book that this one?????!!!!


Second Read
I really enjoyed it once again. The reality of history combined with fantastical elements brings forth an amazing intrigue.
I'm about to read the sequel right away. A more independent review will be posted later on (maybe. No promises)

second time reading this (in french)
24/12/2021 to 27/12/2021
J’ai tout simplement adoré!! C’était aussi bien qu'à la première lecture même PLUS à vrai dire. J’ai véritablement éprouvé des choses qui me surprennent, je n’aurai cru capable de telle empathie envers des personnages fictifs, de mots et d’encres. Hélas, je me suis retrouvé en train de m’émouvoir à 2 heure du matin à côté de mon frère et un ami lorsque je lisais la terrible scène entre la protagoniste et l’amoureux du protagoniste.
Bon j’arrête un peu d’éluder le résumé:
Alors, ce livre nous raconte l’histoire de Némésis, une Diabolic, c'est -à -dire une créature génétiquement modifiée afin qu’elle puisse être utilisée en tant qu’arme pour la grandiloque du Vif Cosmos. Ça à l'air compliqué dit comme ça mais c’est très simple.
Némésis égale esclave de la noblesse, en d'autres termes d’une famille spécifique de la noblesse. Et cette famille c’est celle des Empyrées, une prestigieuse lignée de sénateurs qui a des tendances religieuses envers l’Empire. Le père de Sidonia notamment, la fille sous laquelle sert Némésis en tant que garde du corps, provoquent le mécontentement de l'empereur en s’alliant à des idéologies blasphématoires, telle que celle de la science et non de la hélio-religion-je-sais-plus-trop-quoi.
Bon un jour le père de Sidonia est allé trop loin et par conséquent sa fille, Sidonia est convoquée au Chrésanthium. Celle-ci l’en est empêchée par ses parents, qui veulent la protéger coûte que coûte ainsi ils désignent Némésis comme remplaçante pour Sidonia et l’envoie à l’autre bout du Galaxie pour imiter la sénatrice von Empyrée. Bon après y’a v’là les obstacles et conflits dû au rumeurs liant à la famille Empyrée donc y’a pas grand monde qui l’apprécie, et genre Némésis elle même n’aime personne d’autre que Sidonia. À ses yeux seule Sidonia compte, seule elle peut être sa raison d’exister. Ainsi au long du tome on découvre en même temps que Némésis qu’elle est dotée de particularités humaines qu’elle ne savait pas être capable de ressentir, comme par exemple la peur, ou même le chagrin, et même… de l’amour.????? Et ouiiiiii, Némésis va tomber amoureuse mais je ne dirai pas de qui car c’est encore qu’une revue et que ce serait spoiler à mon avis.
Anyways, fini les plaisanteries.
Laissez-moi vous rendre fous avec mes pensées tumultueuses qui me suffoquent depuis que j’ai lu le dernier mot de la dernière page du premier livre de la trilogie écrite par S.J KINCAID. Faut tout d’abord acclamer l’écrivaine qui à fait un boulot hors-norme sur le développement du protagoniste. Jamais je ne me lasserai de cette histoire et du voyage qu’entreprend Némésis lors de ses cours 500 et quelques pages.
ARGHHHH, les enfants!!! Si je peux seulement montrer à quel point ce livre m’a bouleversé!!! Et rendu heureuse!!!! Arghhhhhhh

29/12/2021: First Read
I'm done. I'm SOOOOO DONE! this book... THis-tHiS thing!!!!
Arghhhhh what did i just read i can't possibly put my thoughts into words. Since i turned teh last page only a minute ago. And my hands are TREMBLING from all the twists. SJ Kincaid has my heart and blood pounding. I NEED THE NEXT BOOK NOWWWWW!
But i'm still fearful. Because i just don't know what will happen next. Nothing can be anticipated even when you think you know what's going to happen that's when the author has you. Ughhh i think i can't speak or even properly articulate what i'm thinking. ME NOT KNOW WORDSSSS NO MORE

13/11/2022: Second Read
For fuck's sake! This book is tragedy in its purest form.

25/12/2023: Third Read
I will NEVER get bored of this book. The twists and turns and betrayals are all as impacting as the first time I read them.

DNF? DNF.
DNF...
*sighs* I REALLY really tried to like this book i even had bought this in different editions that's how much esteem i had for it. I was so READY to tackle this heart-wrenching stand-alone I've been only hearing GREAT things about. It was supposed to be exceptional. It was supposed to be enticing, riveting until the last page. It was supposed to be gut-wrenchingly dramatic and tragic AND YET!
And yet...
To me, when reading this, it felt like one of those unexpected plane crashes due to technical failure. It was bound to crash, no one expected it from the three first chapters and the plane couldn't be saved by anyone other than the pilot, aka the author.
This was my FIRST VE SHWAB book give or take; and I'm quite disappointed. Wait that isn't the right word.... CONFUSED!!!
I don't understand why this book got so MUCH hype from booktube AND tiktok. Like they just sang this book's praises and I fell for it.
THE most INFURIATING of factors (that isn't a spoiler) is that THERE IS NO DIVERSITY WHAT SO EVER!!!! Not oNlY tHaT, but our stale bread main character had 300 YEARS to simply EXIST and never thought to herself: "hey, I should probably go visit the other part of the world someday. You know the part that has been colonised and exploited by white people all the while i was lamenting about being lonely."
Oh also did i mention? oUR STale BreaD MC had teh AUDACITY to 'travel' but only to europe and the US. *Ahem* ma'am I think you forgot that the world isn't composed of colonisers. You're aware of that? Oh well, my bad.
Let's talk about actual CONTENTS of this book. The writing for example. It didn't seem flowery at all, like... AT ALL; It was AS stale as our maincharacter or even more. I know the author wanted this book to be all metaphorical and allegorical but DAMN she made every small thing seem like a HUGE ASS EVENT. Like calm down girl.
I feel like this review is more of a rant and i don't have the neural capacity to organise my thoughts just yet so this 'rant' will stay as it is: choatic and confusing. (just like the book! yay)
To wrap this all up with out spoiling anything let me just ask these questions...
Who is Addie Larue? Like really. WHO THE F*CK IS SHE?
Cause after 200 ish pages i just gave up.