paulaks's Reviews (171)

Keeping it sweet and short: The plot was SO good, definitely at its best so far, same with the writing. We followed four main plot lines, some more intertwined than others. The new characters and world building are (or seem) well developed. Besides that, the atmosphere was great and engaging. So far, so good.
Enjoyable read but it couldn't light that five-star-read flame. While Crown of Midnight was really emotional and intriguing (but with its own individual faults), Heir of Fire felt mediocre and "neutral" to me. I just wasn't THAT invested. Still excited to continue the series. 

Crown of Midnight is a long fast paced mess that needs some cuts here and there. Besides that I´m here for messy books. The plot and storylines get chaotic but very creative. While the first half reminds one of Throne of Glass, the second half develops a completely new plot. 
Finally, some characters get a good development while others feel inconsistent.

I start to enjoy Celaena more than in the second book and am curious about her being a Fae. Dorian stops being annoying and acts fairly civil while Chaol has hit or miss moments. Archer didn´t feel very fleshed out and acted very inconsistent. Lastly, Nehemia´s death was potential thrown out the window.

This book definitely shines with its emotional roller coaster but has weak points when it comes to the plot. 
Overall I had a fun but chaotic time reading and feel a bit intimidated but ready for Heir of Fire.

Out of the 101 essays I annotated 8 - meaning 8 essays felt memorable, authentic and inspiring to me. Well, maybe it´s quality over quantity but while reading I couldn´t stop thinking about the following: Brianna Wiest should have at least grouped the essays together by themes or should have used a different format for the whole book. 
She had a few good points that sadly didn´t really came across well since the essay and list format restricted her. A narration or text in some form would probably enhance the reading experience. She had to repeat concepts over and over again to underline her point which felt repetitive and uneccessary even though the concepts being interesting. Having an average text wouldn´t have made the book as viral as it went but probably help to defend and strengthen her beliefs.
I do value the 8 essays I annotated a lot and her effort to write 101 essays that were motivating and positive but have to say that some parts felt rather repetitive and boring especially at the end. 

A classic that is definitely a grower and worth a reread! It´s full of symbols, metaphors but to it´s core a boring novel. 
1) The perspective: The Great Gatsby is written and told from Nick Carraway´s point of view. This confused me a lot at the beginning but it´s well choosen. Nick is really judgy and his opinion and views stem from a middle-class perspective. Because of that, Gatsby´s and everyone´s wealth seems bigger and more important. The novel wouldn´t have worked otherwise.
2) A lot of characters and names: It took a while to understand which characters are important because there are so many of them which we meet in a chaotic order. Once you know them it gets fun. Everyone is pretty unlikeable but well thought out. 
3) Relationships: One of the most important themes explored. Wether it´s love, friendship, a fling, jealousy, obsession or pretending. It´s probably the most interesting topic to discuss since the dynamics are so complex and different. 
4) Status, wealth, privilege: Obviously. How do we behave having or not having money? Why do we crave it? Is it important? Why does Gatsby want and has it? Comparing West Egg and East Egg. That´s just a handful of questions but definitely my favourite theme to explore.
5) Stereotypes, gender roles and cars?: The women are a catalyst most of the time - especially the "holy trinity": Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker and Myrtle Wilson. They are also very stereotypical like they´re male counterparts. A fun addition are the cars. Did Fitzgerald like cars? I don´t know but they were used in way I haven´t seen before e. g. women driving cars or as a status symbol.
6) Metaphors or symbols, to mention a few: The green light, Doctor T. J. Ecklenburg´s eyes, ashes, West / East Egg and the Midwest, colours and clothing and the list continues.....
7) The author: While researching I stumbled upon a discussion wether F. Scott Fitzgerald actually wrote the novel himself or if his wife Zelda did. Just an interesting thing to keep in mind or research if you are interested.

While it is an iconic piece of literature I found myself bored and confused while reading it. 4 stars for now ;) 

Basically a 300 pages long happy end. If you are looking for a hopeful and lighthearted sequel go for it but be aware that it´s mediocre if not underwhelming. Definitely a cash grab and forgettable book. I might not be the best to judge since I didn´t remember a lot from the first book and am not passionate about it. 
Colleen Hoover added a few new plot lines to keep us entertained. My favorite and the only one I liked:

The dynamic between Atlas and the 12 year old Theo and Atlas bonding with his half brother Josh.

I don´t know, overall it just felt mid which is why I don´t have a strong opinion but I was entertained. 3 stars. 

Objectively this would probably be a 3 star at best but hear me out...

The Altas Six is an urban fantasy with a dark academia vibe to it, which is forced on to the story. This confused me at first but after watching an interview with the author I realised that she absolutely knows that. It´s just vibes and aesthetics. If you know that you can really indulge the experience.
Moreover, Olivie Blake chooses the hardest and most underground words from the English dictionary. As a reader with English as their second language this was just brutal. The vocabulary wasn´t needed at all and as a consequence slowed down my reading pace.
Talking about the pacing, I want to really praise Blake´s talents when it comes to pacing. Using shorter chapters at the end to create a rushed effect or using dialogue to loosen tension? Brilliant! Sadly, her strengths fell short in the long chapters and knowing when to describe or just mention scenes. For roughly 150 pages there was nothing happening that felt relevant or was well written, which is a bummer and made for a long reading journey.

Let´s talk characters: Just reading the synopsis knowing there will be 6 main characters should prepare you for the chaos and brain function needed to keep up with everyone. I´m gonna break them down for you and add my opinion:

Understanding all of that took me 200 pages minimum - it´s just way to much. Besides them, there are 4 more relevant characters which you can figure out yourself ;) I personally had a lot of fun with the characters even though I had trouble keeping Tristan and Callum apart, plus everyone is a walking stereotype.

Finally: Plot and story - Why the Atlas Six couldn´t convince me. I loved it though.  
The novel is perfect for diving into a new world and getting distracted from real life. It´s just so much drama and unnecessary mystery to keep you entertained because there is nothing else happening. Literally.
Everyone is studying for basically nothing but for the sake of studying. Besides that they are just existing and waiting to get into the Society. That is boring and dragged out for too long. Necessary context isn´t given, especially for the magic system. The end hits you unexpected but left me unsatisfied. Furthermore, there are many different beliefs and ethics questioned and challenged which felt appropriate. The potential was there but it could use some - if not a lot - rewriting. Suprisingly, I was still enjoying it most of the time.

Girl, what the fuck?! 
The first 50% were totally fine and average, kind of what I expected. Both Alex and Ava had decent manners and motives behind their action. The romance was steamy but still acceptable. But then, my jaw was on the floor the whole second half and not because of positive suprise... 
First Ana Huang drops the most under-developed plot I have seen in a while. It was a cocktail of every trope in weird fan fictions. As if that wasn´t enough we happened to have the basic third act break up. That could´ve been fine if Alex didn´t turn completely alpha male. 
Some advice for this man: You can´t "own" a person. A person isn´t an object. So if your EX girlfriend talks, I repeat, TALKS with a man, you don´t threaten him or say that she belongs to you. If you think that´s bad, it gets worse: You cannot start stalking your ex. STALKING. 
I don´t care if this is a spoiler but I need you to know that. To all the delusional readers out there: Stalking is never okay and implies that the stalked person did not consent these actions. You can´t excuse that behaviour. "They still liked each other and both knew that" well I don´t care, Ava still didn´t consent.  
Maybe I´m just too sensitive or take fiction to literal but you can´t romanticise a man that does this. Which was sad to see since both characters started well, I even liked them for a hundred pages. 
If you´re still interested I guess read it but for me this crossed a line. 

Ein witziger und informativer Sprachkommentar! Ich weiß nicht, was ich erwartet habe, wurde aber von einer Mischung aus einer Biographie und Sprachanalyse positiv überrascht. Wer alle Wortwitze verstehen möchte, sollte sowohl Englisch als auch Deutsch verstehen. Der Humor ist sehr im Jahr 2007 stehen geblieben aber viele Stereotypen und die deutsche Sprache selbst sind gleich geblieben. Gute Länge und humorvoller Schreibstil machen das Buch sehr unterhaltsam. Wer Interesse an dem Buch und der Thematik hat, wird nicht enttäuscht.

Ein starker Thriller! Ich würde es Lesern empfehlen die nach einem Buch suchen, dass...
...eine sehr mysteriöse und gruselige Atmosphäre hat.
...sich als Winter Buch eignet. Durch die einnehmende Atmosphäre und das Wetter im Buch hat es super in die Jahreszeit gepasst. 
...Themen wie Mittelalter und Conventions / Live Rollplay behandelt.
...sich indirekt mit der Psychologie und Werten von Menschen beschäftigt.
...einen schnellen und einfachen aber trotzdem guten Schreibstil hat. 
...sich zum miträtseln eignet.
...einen sein eigenes Verhalten hinterfragen lassen kann. 

Ein paar Kritiken von mir: Zu viele Charaktere! Manchmal hat man nicht mehr durchblicken können wer jetzt wer ist. An manchen Stellen etwas zu lang und ausschweifend, dafür aber ein zu knappes Ende inklusive gutem Plottwist. Außerdem gab es eine Storyline die etwas nutzlos war, sich aber in den Plottwist verstrickt hat und dadurch etwas.. komisch war? Ohne viel zu spoilern, hat es den Plottwist für mich etwas verschlechtert und war einfach ein unterordnender Plot, den man sich hätte sparen können.
Insgesamt lohnt es sich es zu lesen, ist aber kein allgemeines Highlight, eher eine Nichen Empfehlung. 

Archer´s voice had everything that makes a good romance book: loveable characters, logical turbulence, trauma, spice, heartfelt moments and of course making the reader giggle and kicking their feet. In my opinion this book had everything. Period.

Yes, there are some iffy things like over-traumatised characters and insta love. BUT the story is just so enjoyable and intriguing that you forget that. And that´s perfection. Coming from a reader who really picks apart romances. The trauma and healing just worked with Mia´s execution. 

It´s a story about unconditional love where both sides do their part to make a relationship work. This is not all sugar-coded and can be hurtful for both parties. Communication! Even though Archer doesn´t speak they are able to do that. Other romance authers WISH to be like that ;) 

The novel makes you envy their relationship, be angry and understanding and maybe even cry while still having a satisfying ending. 5 stars!