I love these books. They’re inspiring and easy to get through, and provide great reminders of why you should advocate for yourself as a creative. Even if you do know a lot of the suggestions he offers on a mental level, it’s nice having such a clear, fun way to remember them and to drill them into our own heads when we come to a roadblock, or believe ourselves to be an imposter in the creative world. 
Again, the only reason this doesn’t get 5 stars is because I don’t think I’ll regularly pick it up and just read it straight through. But I’ll absolutely come back to it when I need it. 

A good conclusion to the quartet. Though I do feel like Zarya blatantly ignored enough signs during the first half of the book that it seemed like she’d suddenly become less intelligent, but I can explain that away with her desire to finally connect with her father. Most of it was predictable, and the final battle fell slightly flat, but the pacing still worked as things happily fell into place. 
But above all, Yasen may have to give way to Row being the real king of our hearts. Best dad ever. 
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Clearly written (not with flowery prose, and with a more observational style to it), and avoids many of the pitfalls of independently published books I’ve come across. It’s an intriguing retelling of the Eros x Psyche myth, with the promise of some big twist coming that may be utterly unrelated to the source material, but that’s part of what makes me want to read more. The progress in the romantic relationship feels unearned when it switches from makeshift enemies-to-lovers, but it’s probably to ensure the pacing remains on track. Some really incisive remarks regarding the way women are treated in society, and how things for us currently are, somehow, better than they used to be, even if it doesn’t always feel like it now.
Not the best book I’ve read this year, nor the most exciting Greek mythology interpretation, but I’m definitely going to move on in the series.

To sum up with some favorite lines from the book/whet the appetite of anyone interested in reading it:

I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did, even with all the rave reviews of it. It sounded a bit too dark for me, but it absolutely wasn’t. The romance was beautiful and spicy, and though I predicted both (all three?) “twists” early on, I still greatly enjoyed reading about the characters going through the motions of the game. That may also have a lot to do with the Dantean style of Hell depicted, even if it’s not precisely the same. But playing with mythology and delivering a really interesting fantasy world at the same time are two of the best ways to my heart in books. 
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This book starts out with some excellent, truly funny and poignant observations about humanity, and the premise of something very silly to come. Then it sort of devolves into an introvert’s nightmarish fever dream of encounters with petty people. It is not exactly a lull in the story, but things feel a bit contrived and thoroughly unrealistic. Towards the end it slips into something akin to a morality play, or at least a story with lines about how loving each other is all we need, and a break from reality is sometimes what we actually need beyond that. And that spite also gets things done. 
Overall, it was a nice, quick detour in my day. Very funny and makes some excellent points. But I fear it didn’t quite hit the mark for me overall. Three and a half stars for the humor and wit of the piece, as well as a thoroughly relatable main character, though it feels like at times he has absolutely no agency whatsoever. I’m not quite sure what that extra quarter star is for beyond the nice little lesson it provides, even though it feels undeserved. Still diverting, still gave me a bit of joy. And that’s all I needed from it in the long run. 

There are so many disquieting revelations you make with the main character through the story. Each twist completely changes your perspective on what is happening and how you, as a reader, should interpret the ever-changing story. It’s brilliant, if technobabble-y at times. It took me a while to get through, and the body horror elements did get to me, a little, but I was also largely prepared for them based on my initial assumptions during the beginning. I’m still a bit confused by the ending, but I think it generally ended well. I’m so glad I gave this book a try. It may send you into an existential or moral panic, but sometimes, I think that’s what the best science fiction does to us. 

I read it for school, but Kleon makes some truly excellent points. A lot of what he says resonated with me on both personal and professional levels, and I feel like I’ve gleaned a lot of helpful advice and reassurance about how I’m going about incorporating creativity in my life as a result of reading this. I think the only reason it doesn’t get 5 stars is because it’s not something I’ll just pick up and reread time and time again. But as a reference or to boost my mood/perspective on my creative work? Absolutely. 

I think I was predisposed to love this book. It was already clearly Star Trek-adjacent with the title and the premise, and the fact that it gets even more, mind-bogglingly meta? Excellent. I love the ending and codas, as well. They add extra layers of depth to the side characters that really offer the reader a kind of catharsis that is, while unneeded for such a great book, remains welcome and feels justified. So clever. I have to listen to Wil Wheaton read the audiobook now. That’s just… so good and even more outrageously meta. Bravo, John Scalzi, you’ve got such an awesome mind. 

This was by far my favorite of the trilogy. It’s so irreverent and silly, but deals deeper truths about our own humanity. The grammatical and spelling errors are really the only reason this doesn’t get the full five stars. It also needs to be said that the best part of the entire book is when the Oracle’s not-prophecy comes true. And in that vein,

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It’s slightly laughable how off-track the characters are from their original purpose, but it’s delightful. The names of things are still super odd, and there still really needed to be an editor (especially for multiple uses of “bare” instead of “bear” that annoyed me most), but the story and romance is so good. I can’t wait to know what happens next.