The premise was interesting, but the story itself was long and meandering - I found it boring.

UPDATE 2018: I can appreciate some of the wordplay and turns of phrase better now, as well as some of the plot nuances, but the narrative is still pretty meandering and self-indulgent.

As with its predecessor, I enjoyed this book very much. Audrey Rose is a terrific protagonist, strong and independent but humanly flawed. The romance can be a little much at times, though I do adore Thomas and his flirtatious ways (and I greatly appreciate the lack of a love triangle! Also the fact that there's minimal unnecessary romantic angst in the vein of "Even though there's no real reason we can't actually be together, my morals/upbringing/feminine sensitivities won't allow it").

The plot is spine-tingling in the best way, the development and climax satisfying if not groundbreaking. An enjoyable take on Romanian legends/history (it's a thin line, after all), as told through the eyes of a relatable narrator.

Maybe 2.5 stars.

The exposition definitely set the tone — slow, leisurely, meandering. It took quite a while to get to the love part, i.e. the main plot. None of the characters were particularly interesting or sympathetic to me, and I really didn’t like the message that

Spoiler

persistance will wear down the most strong-willed woman and entitles a man to her love

.

This could be a pretty good book if you're into the sappy clichés (I honestly mean that a lot less sarcastically than it probably sounds; even I have times when I just want a predictable feel-good read), but it doesn't have much in the way of substance or memorable prose. It's wholly driven by Allie and Noah's relationship, which is again fine if that's what you're looking for — but I like a little more external conflict.

Still a fun read, though all the Improbability and Bistromathematics and circuitous timeline is starting to make my head hurt. Even at this point, the only character traits in the mains that really shine are negative or neutral ones, which is a little disappointing to me.

I think I need a little break from this series to appreciate the rest of it, but I'll be back eventually. Just like Marvin.

There was a point to this story, but it has temporarily escaped the chronicler's mind.

The above is the ending line of the epilogue, and sums up the book pretty well. All the usual Douglas Adams quirky worldbuilding and colorful metaphors, a fun time but not especially riveting.

To be fair it's been a while since I read the first four books, but I just don't remember them feeling so much like dude novels or the humor relying so much on pop-culture knowledge.

FRTC.

content warnings:

Spoiler

rep:

Spoiler

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CONVERSION: 5.6 / 15 = 2 stars

Prose: 6 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 2 / 10
Emotional Impact: 4 / 10
Development / Flow: 6 / 10
Setting: 5 / 10

Diversity & Social Themes: N/A
Intellectual Engagement: N/A
Originality / Trope Execution: 1 / 5
Rereadability: N/A
Memorability: N/A

Took a little longer to get into since so much of the original's appeal was the relationship between Shahrzad and Khalid, but oh boy did I get there. Just like its predecessor, this one put my heart through the wringer. I won't say that the plot progression wasn't fairly predictable, but it was made just the right degree of complicated and seemingly derailed. Some were also slightly sappy, flirting with the fine line between cliché and trope, including

Spoiler

Jahandar sacrificing his life to bring Khalid back after he'd killed him, seeing how much he'd hurt his daughter, as well as the HEA slice-of-life epilogue with their expanded family

but well-written enough to partially offset this. Love the changes we got to see in these characters and their relationships, too. All in all, a more than satisfying sequel and conclusion to this series.

This story is wonderful and terrible, dark and sensual, strange yet half-familiar. Masterfully crafted prose and colorful characters; the timeline loops and twists so that events happen in the exact order they must. Some inexorable force seems to drive the plot, loving and merciless and, well, deathless.