Reread this for the first time i years this afternoon. It was so nice to revisit this world. The first three stories are just short fun adventures. I found t he last kne about Grace's mother the one that added the most to the lore of the series.

Each story was illustrated by different people so they all had their own unique styles and I think the styles fit the characters and the lands well.

When it comes to OUAT books, this is defitnly better than the YA series when it comes to despuritng TV cannon and feeling like the original show. The images in the back of the costumes designs were so interesting and I enjoyed them. They're defibtly something that's missing from Behind the Magic.

4.5
This is one if the best self-published books I ever read. I adored it. I cannot wait for the sequel to come out. I will admit because I was so off and on reading it there were parts where I just wasn't giving it my attention and I generally like to plow through booms as I find I get the most enjoyment from reading that way and it's most likely effecting my rating of this book becuase it wasn't able.to jump into the 5 star best books ever category. I do reccomend this though, along with the free prequel you can get from the author's site. It's what drew me to this series in the first place and I'll have to remeber to reread this before the sequel comes out.

The defitnly suffers from middle book syndrome.

This book was decent. It's not 100% up my alley, however I enjoyed the premise and the characterisation. Victoria Schwab is clearly a talented writer and I can see why she gets so much hype. I will defintly be inclined to pick up some of her other books if I find one that sparks my interest.

I have no major issues with the characters or plot, yet I dont have any high praise for it either. I enjoyed the dynamic between the leads, which was refreshing as I have not with most of my recent reads.

The set up for the next book in the series was written very well as has me intrigued. If I can find the sequel at a library I will certainly pick it up.

4.5

Ok, so, I absolutely adored all of Cashore's previous works and there nothing has changed here. I think I'm a bit more critical of it and it did stray away from some of the things I liked about her other works. One thing I've learnt from reading her works is that she is a writer. Her books always feel like an exploration of what writing and worldbuilding can do and I feel to an extent an exploration of the author's personal feelings and opinions, pushing the envelope and I love it.

It was no different here where she strayed into an industrial esque setting. It was different to read about and some of the inner workings of the new lands were amazing and original. I would have liked to read about discovering Winterkeep and first contact and all of that instead of jumping right in, but the same thing happened in a way with Fire so I'm not that surprised. I do think a political fantasy would have been amazing though.

Next, this book has a heavy focus on Giddon. I never liked him in Graceling and while Cashore's amazing work of characterization made him more likable, I don't get behind him and Bitterblue as a couple. Also, if we're focusing on old characters I would have liked another Bitterblue centred book or something with Fire. This felt a bit like the other 2 books is a bit meaningless. I would have liked to see them tied in a bit more, or the consequences of Winterkeep felt in the Dells or the Realms.

On the note of the map, I do enjoy how it expands with each addition to the novel. The world doesn't just grow as characters learn more about it, but as different nations get in contact with others and learn of each other's existence. Like all other her works, it's very original.

I also enjoy how each kingdom system has its own version of magic. Gracelings, Monsters, and the blue foxes are all separate magic systems secluded to their kingdoms. I hope there's more overlap in the future books.

In all this was an amazing next installment. And while I hope it won't take half a decade for the next book to come out, of its of the same quality as the others I can't wait.

And I just want to mention Cashore actually spent time on a ship researching for this novel, her level of dedication is unparalleled.

I dont know why I waited so long to pick one of these up. I think I've always been skeptical, despite the fact that I read so many girly mystery books when I was younger. Especially The New Adventures of Mary Kate and Ashley.

This was delightful I loved the older language and tone, it ser a very nice mood to read and the mystery and characters were great. While its never going to be my davoruotw book, I thoroughly enjoyed it and will be reading the other three I found in the basement.

I wish I had read these when I was younger instead of being so jaded against the very idea of them. I must have hated yellow or something.

So far this is my least favourite Austin book. I wouldn't say it is a bad book, but I did find it boring and I don't know if it was the version I was reading or not but it seemed very different from her other book and I just didn't enjoy it. I did not find it interesting or captivating and I didn't like her writing throughout it. It has some good moments though.

Now my new favourite Auten book, beating [b:Mansfield Park|45032|Mansfield Park|Jane Austen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1397063295l/45032._SY75_.jpg|2722329] by a small bit. I think watching the movie helped. I thoroughly enjoyed ht movie and I found this gave much insight into Emma's thought process. I was fascinated with the colours and the humour of the movie, so I wasn't exactly sure if I would enjoy this just as much, however, I did. I found it very interesting, almost like reading interviews with a celebrity I've just gotten obsessed with and learning more about them. this might be one of the few times I say watch the movie first, as this book is long and dense and Austen's writing style isn't for everyone.

I've seen this compared a lot to [Book:All The Light We Cannot See] and I agree tenfold as my opinions on this are exactly the same.

This books is in no way "bad". It is not my personal preference in almost every aspect.

The writing is sweet and lyrical. The last chapter got me emotionally.

However, like with the previous book, it was slow. I did not like the pacing and it made this book a chore to read. Secondly, I just could not get behind any of the characters. I didn't feel connected to them and it wasn't until the 250 page mark that I started to care about the outcome of the events.

I wouldn't tell anyone not to read this if they think they might like it, but at tje same time I can't really get behind the hype.

I'm so muddled on my opinions for this book but after a lot of thought, I settled on this: 3.75 stars.

The writing was astounding. I have no problems in seeing why it was chosen to be short-listed for the Women's Fiction Prize. The writing was spectacular and engaging and so drool-worthy, it was even good enough to distract me from the dragging, slightly boring plot and the fact that I did not feel much for the characters. While the mermaid, or lack thereof, enticed me to continue, it was really all that kept me reading. I wasn't engaged in the characters' lives or really cared what happened to them, but I couldn't hate the book either because it was so well written. It outshone any sort of a drag. It wasn't a bad book, in fact, I quite enjoyed it, but the lack of plot and relatable/likable characters is what is preventing this from being a 5-star read.