the_pale_woman's Reviews (542)

Wow. I was enjoying this read, but that ending was on point. I loved all the plot twists. As well as the much anticipated confrontations and the dreaded yet still unexpected heartbreak. I thought this was a simple farm boy chosen one type story. I have been corrected. It's not a perfect series but I'm fully invested now. 

I can't wait to read the final book and I'm a little disappointed there's only one more. This series feels like it could easily be bigger and longer. That might not be a popular opinion but... 

I like big books and I can not lie. You other readers can't deny. When a book walks in with itty bitty text and a mound of pages your you face you get sprung 🎶

I'm finding it hard to settle on a star rating for this book. I thought it was an incredible read, but I'm not sure if I want to consider it one of my favorites.

There were a few scenes that I found unnecessary. Even looking past some of those scenes, I didn't like the way Follett wrote some of his characters. I could see some of these aspects of this novel being an issue for some readers. This is not the type of book that's going to be enjoyed universally. 

Personally, I thought it was compelling and memorable. Even though I find evil beyond reason to be frustrating. It can make the triumphs satisfying and justice cathartic. 

I've read two other works by Capote, Other Voices, Other Rooms, and Summer Crossing. Both were great reads with captivating writing. In Cold Blood combined that beautiful writing with a guilty pressure of mine... true crime. It was the perfect combination. It inferred opinions without overt statements. It made me question and want to read between the lines. At the same time, I felt transported to that little town of Holcomb. I'm not proud to say I enjoy reading this book, but I can't deny that I did. It starts out a little slow, but getting to know the victims adds the needed weight to the horrific events later described. I don't completely agree with how the book portrays these killers, but I think it helps if you see their story for what it is, unreliable. Even some tales and quotes from others in the book should be looked at with some skepticism. 

I would highly recommend this book to people who love true crime docs. Also, to fans of thrillers, southern literature, or the controversial.

It's been a minute since I've read a big chunky fantasy series, and I'm enjoying every moment. This is my jam. Enough said. 

I only recently read the shades of magic trilogy. I found it interesting and entertaining. Based on other reviews, it seems I'm the only one who wasn't satisfied with that conclusion. So I'm happy the story continues here. 

Initially, I was a little put off by the beginning as it focused on a few new characters, and it added another narrator to the audio. Michael Kramer and Kate Reading are the best reading duo out there, so adding a third seemed unnecessary or even borderline blasphemy. To her credit, Marisa Calin (the third narrator) starts out a little shaky but ends up blending in nicely with Michael and Kate. I would have preferred it without her, but by the end, I wasn't mad they added her. At least it wasn't a full cast audio. Those always kinda suck. Like a low-budget play. The amount of effort put into it is plapable, but you'll lose some of the magic of the original work. 

One of my favorite aspects of this series is the magical items, and this book really scratched that itch. It made the world of Red London feel more magical. I thought it was well done. 

One of my beefs with this book is the way time is handled. There are time jumps and flashbacks, and even events in other worlds. It made it difficult to keep track of one characters story in relation to another. Made the story feel a little rough. 

However, my biggest beef is the fact that the characters aren't even curious about what is happening in the other worlds. Yes, there is one character that mentions and thinks about this, but not to the extent it should be. After the events of the first trilogy, you would think that they would want to keep regular tabs on what these other worlds were up to. It's like they didn't learn any lessons. 

A simple and short tale about a boy following his dream. I was expecting more out of this than I got. I blame that on the excessive number of people that mark this as one of their favorite books or tout it as a source of inspiration. It's just a straightforward story told in an uncomplicated way. Where the journey was more important than the destination and where success was brought about by a higher power and belief. Maybe if I had read this when I was younger or at a more impressionable time in my life, I would have taken more of its teachings to heart. For me, today, most of these sentiments feel shallow. It didn't speak to me or inspire me to achieve a goal, but that's not the kind of thing I'm looking for in my literature anyway. Regardless, I'm glad to have read it. If only to better understand when referenced.

If you liked Vicious, then you'll love this sequel. I'll be surprised if this doesn't get an adaptation at some point. I wouldn't consider this a perfect book, but I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. 

Vengeful was simply entertaining. This gritty world, full of grey characters, easily kept my attention. I couldn't put it down once I was a third of the way through. I'm not sure what it says about me, that I love a book full of villains seeking vengeance. I think revenge is such a great motivation to give a character. I find it immensely satisfying, and this story does it in a multitude of ways. 

My favorite thing about this series is that each book has a good ending. It's left open just enough that I crave a continuation, but I could also be satisfied with the ending provided. 

I would highly recommend this to readers who love comics and superheros. I would also recommend this to any reader in general. Entertainment is universal. 

I'm waffling on how I feel about this trilogy. It had an acceptable first book. A surprisingly enjoyable sequel. Then, finally, this slightly disappointing conclusion. All were decent reads, but as a whole, they don't add up to much. Even though I didn't fall in love with this series, I could see other readers doing so. Sometimes, it's easy to connect with a story, and other times, the fit is off. 

The cliffhanger at the end of book 2 made the first part of book 3 feel like a climax. While that was unexpected, I didn't really enjoy it. I felt like the pacing was jerking me along. Especially when the story slows down and starts giving you random flashbacks for almost every named character. I appreciate the more in-depth information about the world and characters, but this method of storytelling made me feel like the book was disconnected from the first two entries. Or that it was trying to retcon aspects of the story. Either way, I could have done with less of these flashbacks or maybe flashbacks only from a few key characters. 

While I didn't connect with the story, I did like the characters. The snarky dialog is entertaining even if it's slightly repetitive. And the relationships are easy to root for. 

I liked it enough to read the continuation coming out soon, but I don't have any real expectations. In truth, that might benefit the read. 

I might recommend this, but really, there are so many other series out there that I like more. 

I'm happy to say that I liked this way more than the first book. I credit some of that to the audio book. Michael Kramer and Kate Reading are a fantastic team. Why isn't the first book narrated by this incredible duo? They add so much emotion and depth to the characters. 

Beyond the narration, the story itself was more interesting and cleaner than the first book. The characters and their motivation were more believable and fully flush out. 

My only beef is the cliffhanger ending. It just ends in the middle of the action. It's not the worst ending, but I could imagine how I would feel if I read this book on release. Having to wait a year or more to continue this story would have put a bad taste in my mouth. Luckily, that is not the case, and I can continue the story immediately. 

This book is for readers who love the fantasy genre. It's not perfect, and it's occasionally confusing. But what great fantasy series isn't described that way? All I can do is hope this gets better with each book. The first books in a big series are never the best. What I'll remember is how I feel about it after I finish the whole series. 

It had a large cast, and it takes it's time setting up the story. The vibes are classic, traditional fantasy. Complete with moody mentors and animal companions. Overall, I enjoyed reading it, and I'm excited to continue the story. I just wish I had connected with more of the characters. Also, I wish some of the characters had a more unique voice. In the beginning, I found it hard to keep track of people because they felt like the same person. 

I see a lot of comments praising how battles and duels are written by Gwynne. While I agree that he does a fine job of describing the action, I think it happens too often here. By the end, I was a little bored with it, to be honest. I especially find it annoying when a character has to fight the same fight again and again. Just kill the twats and move on. However, if you are a lover of fight scenes, you may enjoy it more than I did. 

I would definitely recommend this to fantasy fans, but I'm not sure if it would hit for other types of readers.