This book was recommended to me, neither of us knowing about the Netflix show. However, my friend loved it, so I was excited to listen to it as an audiobook.

I had a lot of free time, so I was able to finish it up pretty quickly. At the same time, it was difficult to stop listening because thrillers usually are so hard to stop. I had to know what happened. I had to know the twist. I had to know what was going to happen.

Sadly, I was left disappointed by this book. I felt like the twist wasn't that exciting. I read some other reviews, and someone took the words right out of my mouth: this book gives too much too soon. It puts everything out there right from the get-go that you think "This can't be the answer." However, it is the answer, and that, in itself, is disappointing.

In addition, I wasn't a fan of the plot devices that were used. Maybe if I knew going in that this book had such supernatural elements, I would have been more forgiving or accepting, but I was expecting this to be tied to reality when it wasn't completely.

I want to watch the show, to see what it's like, but I'm giving the book a 3.5. I'm so sad that I was able to guess the twist.

This book was a pleasant surprise. I added some books to my waitlist on overdrive, and it recommended this one. I decided to give it a try without even reading the summary. None of my books were coming off hold for a while, so I had time to kill.

At first, I was having a hard time with the book because the main character was going through so much. I understood why, but it was beginning to get overwhelming. However, when the book started to pick up the plot, I really got into it.

This is my favorite book ever, but for what I wanted it for, it was perfect. It has a very likable main character, and her little brother is the best. The world is very interesting as well, and the way it ended broke my heart but my interest is piqued, and now I wanna pick up the rest of the series.

The book is just charming, and if you need something to read between some other books? Then this is definitely a book to pick up.

Most of my books come through the library, specifically, Overdrive. A lot of the time all the books I want to listen to are on hold for a very long time, so I randomly pick up a book to listen to while I wait for them to come off hold. Like the others, I had no idea what I was getting into. All I knew was the title. So I went in completely blind.

When I started the book, I was honestly bored with it. I didn't find it interesting and I didn't find myself caring about the characters. I was confused by motivations, which really gave me a hard time getting into the story. However, once I started understanding the motivations of the characters, specifically from one scene, I was so intrigued by this story.

Then comes the romance. I'm honestly in love with the romance in this story. The will they-won't there. The enemies to lovers to enemies. I seriously need more and I know what happens to the two main characters. There is so much against them, so I want to see if it breaks them or draws them closer. The other two books are already on hold, and I love that a random recommendation gave me a new obsession~!

I'm giving this book a 3.5. While I enjoyed it, I didn't feel like it was as exciting as the first book. So much was going on in the first book. It was full of excitement, while this one was charming, but not as action-packed. It was nice to get all the relationship building, but I felt like that was all that happened in this book. There were two big action scenes, and they were rather anticlimactic. It's even more disappointing because the first book was so good and intriguing.

While I'm satisfied with the end, I just wish the rest of the book was as interesting. I wish I had more to say in this, but the book was just ok, so I don't have a lot to gush about, and my complaints are already here. I'm not sure I'd recommend this series. I really want to because the world was so beautiful but at the same time, this book was just boring and nothing really happened. I guess, I suggest reading the first book and asking a friend what happened in this book.

Usually, 2nd books are always the weakest in the bunch, but I can't say that about this book. Everything I loved about the first book was kept going for this book. You still didn't know what to believe, and you questioned everything. Once you thought you know what was going on and what was the truth, something was thrown at you to question it.

This series is just so much fun to listen to. I love the twist and turns, and I love all the characters. The fact I'm always questioning everything keeps pushing me forward to find out what happens. I can't wait to read the final book to get the answers to all of my questions.

I'm honestly too pumped to really write a full review. I just want to get to the next book and see what happens.

2.5 stars

I can't say I loved the first book, but I enjoyed it enough to give the rest of the series a try, and this book killed all the motivation to complete this series. Then, what killed it more, were so many of my friends informing me that I simply do not enjoy "good" world-building, so that's why I didn't like this series. No.

First, Sanderson writes like he is being paid by the word. The longer the book doesn't mean it's a better book. While listening, I was actively cutting out sections to help take this snail's pace of a book and make it more exciting. It feels like Sanderson believes he's in the 1700s and being paid by the word, or, that somehow, more words meant his book is somehow better than anyone else's when it isn't.

He spends so much time "world-building" that he forgets he's writing a book, with a plot. I can't be expected to sit here and listen to hours and hours of wording building with nothing moving the book forward. I'm a BIG Tolkien fan, and even I have problems with the Silmarillion. Boring is boring.

Sadly, I was also not getting into this magic system. I was just rolling with it, but the more I read, the more I didn't like it. It was just so award. Eating the metals, though I understand why, was just too much for me. It was so odd and ended up grossing me out more and more. I love new ways to portray magic, but this was too much for me. I just couldn't get behind it. Maybe the other books will explain more on why metals hold magic, but I'm never going to read them to find out.

Another issue I had was the massive amount of rape in the series. Mistborn's are only born through a noble and a slave, which means all these women are constantly getting raped by noblemen to have a magical child, and that alone is too heartbreaking for me to continue. It made me so uncomfortable to know, and reading this book, knowing that Straff raped SO many women and CHILDREN? It made me too uncomfortable, and I can't read a series where an author is so casual about it. He "villainizes" it by making the people who do that the villains, but it's still there.
I'm a big fan of the TV show Community, and it has a big issue of making racist jokes, but it's OK because the racist character we're supposed to hate says it. That doesn't make it OK. I'm done with rape being a plot device, and rape is such an important part of this whole series.

Then comes the lack of diversity. There are just way too many white people in this series. Everyone is white. High fantasy with only white characters is over and done. The lack of diversity in this series is just disappointing. And more importantly, it needs to be brought up and criticizes. Sanderson needs to step it up in the diversity department. He's been writing for how long? People compliment his world-building as being the best around, but his world-building isn't that good when 90% of his characters are white. Add some PoC characters, then maybe I'll consider picking up a book from him in the future.

Sanderson is barely an OK author that I don't want to pick up. I'm sorry to all my friends that love him. I wanted to love him too, and I hate saying terrible things about something you love, but the fans pushing me and telling me that "You're not reading his books right," "You just don't enjoy complex fantasy," and acting that I'm so below them now because I couldn't get into this "work of art." If people want to insult me for not being able to enjoy a book as they did, then they can hear all the terrible things about their book. I was willing to call it boring and move on, but not anymore. The one thing I did enjoy I can't even enjoy it anymore because the fans ruined that for me too. Gatekeepers suck.

I honestly only ask for one thing when I read/listen to a book: to be entertained, and I was entertained with this book.

One thing I love about this series is all the twists and turns you go through to get to the end. Through books 1 and 2, you can never figure out what's real and what's a lie. It keeps you guessing along the ride, and I love not knowing what to believe. It leaves me hoping one thing is true, but never really trusting my gut. This series just lets you enjoy the ride, and I loved the ride.

Each book really came together for this one, and I'm so satisfied with everything.

It's funny when I don't like a book or series, I have so much to say to explain why, but with a book I loved, all I can say is that I loved it. I loved the characters, I loved the plot, and I loved the ending. And I don't know how to expand on it. Maybe the joy I'm feeling is too overwhelming to really get into it.

This book was just a fun ride, and I wish I could forget all about it and go on it again. I know I'm going to be telling my friends about this series as well.

Usually, the middle book of a series is the weakest of the bunch, but I really enjoyed this book. Unlike a lot of books that book orders are action, politics, and then action again, this series has been mainly politics, so there wasn't this tone shift when this book was more politics.

Kestrel is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters. Her struggles to love her father and follow her heart has been so intriguing. I love the fact that her strength isn't all fighting-related. So many authors take "strong female character" and make it mean they are actually strong and hold their own in a fight. Instead, she is smart. She tries to think 3 moves ahead of everyone else, even though she fails. Her heart is always in the right place. I just really enjoy her journey, and the end of this book makes me want to dive right into the next book.

This series has been such a wonderful surprise and I'm so happy I picked it up.

I've read this book before and loved it then. This is my first time going through the audiobook book, and I still love it. This whole series is just so charming and so heartwarming. I decided to give the books to my nephews and niece because I want them to have a chance to fall in love with this series as I did. While the first book of the series was more enjoyable, this book still holds up and holds a special place in my heart. I'm so happy I can revisit the series after all this time, and can't wait to talk to my nephew about Septimus Heap and his adventures.

While I don't think this is the most amazing book in the world, it was certainly fun and I remained entertained throughout the whole thing.

The best part about this book was all the characters. All of them are so well-rounded and interesting. I wanted to learn about everyone and their motivations. I also loved how inclusive this book was. There were so many LGBTQ characters, as well as POC characters. It really reflects the world we live in, only better because they were far more accepting than the world we live in now.
Another random bit I enjoyed was the fact the main character has her period. I know it's silly, but I've always wondered how people with uteruses handle their periods in these books. It seems like most, even writers today, never include this detail. Meanwhile, I'm left here wondering how do they handle it in their world? How do the characters handle it? And this book answered that. I know it's a silly little thing to enjoy, but it brought me so much joy to read a character in a book was also having their period.

There were so many twists and turns in this book that it kept me glued and intrigued. I needed to find the answers and I was very happy with them. I'm excited to continue the series and see what happens in the future with these characters.