This was such a great finale to a series that ended up really growing on me. While the beginning definitely wasn't my thing, and it took me a while to actually understand what was going on, I ended up loving this series a whole bunch. I also just looved the colors and art style, especially as they went through all the eras one last time.

Spoiler

I also found this to be the most fitting ending, as they finally managed to get back to their own time while also keeping the friendship (or possibility of one) intact. While the ending has its melancholic caveats (Mac is still going to die too young, Mac + KJ don't remember their budding relationship, and all the fantastic stories and memories themselves are lost), it still carried the bright light of hope, that the friendship can reform. I just really loved it.

“I'm not too good when exposed to people”

I bought this book without a second thought when I heard it had a unique formatting style/was composed out of a collection of letters, files, and documents. I always have a soft spot for books that try to tell their story in unique ways, and this book definitely held up that trend!

Spoiler

I especially loved the reveal of this being a book put together by the daughter, with all the information collected by her and someone she thought to be 'evil', it was a great twist and adds another layer to the story itself.

I also loved how easily this book read. Once you started reading, you were just pulled along in the story, and suddenly you're another 50 pages further. It made it an extremely easy book to pick up and put back down frequently, which fit perfectly into my schedule at the time! I also enjoyed the way it was written as well, with varying voices and writing traits for each individual person. It made the characters really come together even though you only got to know them from letters and conversations had long before (except for Bee, of course).

The story itself was also quite beautiful. There was a lot going on in almost every character's life, and seeing the pieces puzzle together (or fight with each other to make space) lead to a multi-faceted read overall. However, the story that stuck out the most to me was definitely Bernadette's. I can't help but feel for her in every scene, even in the ones where she's acting extremely awfully. There's just something in the intense trauma in her past combined with her forcing herself in a life she never wanted that rung out. The ending only solidified my opinion of the whole thing, as it wasn't the perfect happy ending nor too sad and heartbreaking, but just a tough of both.

The missing star mainly comes from my lack of connection at some points to Bee, or to the novel in general, where I found myself accidentally skimming long section of Bee describing her life and her anger at the world. Something about her never truly clicked with me, even if I did like her as a narrator.

Overall, I recommend this as a quick yet deep read, and I can add this to my growing list of oddly formatted books that I love!

“You'll be a rumor. A whisper. The thought that wakes the bastards of this world sweating in the nevernight. The last thing you will ever be, girl, is someone's hero.”

This is a reread review

I've been waiting for book 3 to come out so that I finally have a reason to reread + continue this series, and the day has finally come! (Unfortunately, I'm still waiting for my copy to show up, so this reread and then finish the series plan didn't really work out at all). And while this is a reread, I found that I actually remembered nothing about this book at all besides a few key things

Spoiler

such as Ashlinn's betrayal, the Tric romance + death, and... yea, that's about it.

I loved this book just as much as the first time around. From the way it's narrated (a mysterious narrator + footnotes) to the flawed yet layered characters, this book sucked me all the way in just like the first time. Once it really got going again, I finished the rest of it in one sitting!

It's hard to comment on how well the plot was structured or the world was built in a reread review, as I feel like I'm covering bases I've already thought long on before, but I do still have to say that I love the world Kristoff's created here as well as the threads this story follows. There's enough balance between Mia's inner revenge story and intrigue about the outside world (such as the workings of the Red Church, Mia's Darkin abilities, etc). I was honestly wary of this reread at first since I haven't been clicking with Kristoff's most recent works, but this book still holds up!

Overall, I'm super excited to continue and finish this series (if my book ever arrives...), and this book (and Godsgrave) will always hold a special place in my heart, even if I don't like the conclusion or Kristoff's new works!

(Real rating 2.5 stars)

This was... okay. Wasn't a fan of any of it, plus it was suuuper predictable, but I am intrigued enough to continue at least