the_pale_woman's Reviews (542)

I was a little surprised by how much I enjoyed this story. I know it's been getting praise, but I never expect much from anything labeled YA. I would recommend that you lower your expectations as well because while this is a good read, it has flaws. I was able to look past them and just enjoy the ride. 

The book is kind of short for the type of world it's set in. The enchanted buildings and objects are fascinating. However, I wish there had been more of them. Just think, what if Harry Potter had been only two, less than 400 page books... the world wouldn't feel as magical.

On a positive note, I liked the historical-ish WWI setting. Then, being shown that from a journalism perspective felt unique. I don't know of any other fantasy where a war correspondent is the protagonist. 

It ends in a cliffhanger, but that can be forgiven since it's a duology and the sequel comes out in December. Since this is a new release, I can respect the turnaround. 

I would recommend this to urban fantasy fans. Or people who like epistolary novels. It isn't completely written in letter form, but the act of letter writing is heavily featured. 

This was much better than the second book. It's definitely the best book of the trilogy. It has some serious emotional moments that snuck up on me. 

The trilogy as a whole isn't the best fantasy series out there, but I can't say I didn't enjoy reading it. It could have been longer. I think some of the side characters got cheated out of an ending. Plus, explanations and follow-up were lacking in most areas. However, I just liked it. It was entertaining, and I was invested in the characters and plot.

I would recommend this to YA fans but also fantasy fans who enjoy an easy read.

I enjoyed reading Annihilation, and I thought Authority was interesting even if it was a step down from the first book. Acceptance, however, was a little too much for my taste. It was slow, boring, rambling, meandering, and was just trying too hard to be weird. Just like telling someone about that weird dream you had last night. No one cares. It's only interesting to you. Like a piece of art only you can see or experience. You'll never be able to fully share that with anyone or make them appreciate it in the way you do. 

This boom has the same creepy horror vibe, but the atmosphere can only bring so much to a story. I need more out of my books. This felt more like an experiment than a fully realized and executed concept. 

The description of this book suggests that it will provide at least a few answers and a conclusion. It fails to provide anything but confusion. There is so little story here. I'm surprised it managed to be as long as it was. Beyond the feeble story and overly meandering writing, I hated the change to 2nd person for the director's perspective. I might have excused the use of the form if it had a purpose, but if there was a reason, I was too annoyed to pick it up. 

I would not recommend this series. I think Annihilation was great, but I wish it would have ended there. 

This plot took too many unbelievable and ridiculous turns, in my opinion. I enjoyed reading the first book, and I was hoping the story would grow with each book. However, Flamefall took a turn into frustration. First, I'll never believe that a 18 year old is trusted in a position of power, especially by their peers. They spend most of their time insecure and oblivious. But beyond that, it was mostly the meandering plot. It felt like the pacing was off or that it was trying to tell the story from too many angles and not enough at the same time. The ending cliffhanger was disappointing. It felt too proposely chaotic. Then, to top it off, the only characters to build upon their relationship were Power and Annie, and we all know that's a throwaway. 

I did enjoy the new pov, Griff. His story and character really carried the rest of the book. 

I'm going to continue and finish the last book, but I don't have any expectations. Overall, it was an average book. Average read. I take back my earlier comment on the first book of this being one of the "good YA" books out there. It has many of the same problems I see in the genre. 

While this isn't the most spectacular dragon book I've ever read, it was more than serviceable. I enjoyed the read, and I'm enthusiastic about continuing the series. 

Out of all the YA I have read (which isn't a ton but more than you might think), I would consider this one of the good ones. I would recommend Fireborne to fans of the genre or fantasy readers looking for an easy read between denser stories. The audiobook was okay. I'm typically not a fan of multiple narrators, but this one wasn't too annoying. 

It is a rare book that is able to clearly express an idea with such powerful storytelling. I know that the characters and events depicted in this story will stick with me just as much as the message. It's the type of book you want to thank the author for writing. Nana, thank you for sharing these ideas with such passion and creativity. For that and so many other reasons, this is one of my favorite books of the year. I would highly recommend this to every reader. 

I get the sense that James Islington is a fan of all the same things I am when it comes to fantasy. I adored the Licanius Trilogy, and this new book didn't disappoint. His books get compared heavily to other popular series, but I think he does an incredible job of taking those influences and expanding it into something novel.

The Will of the Many is a fantastic start to a new epic fantasy. The way the plot slowly revealed itself was wonderful. While half of the book is set in an academic setting, it doesn't completely focus around that theme, which I appreciate. The world building is extensive, but there is obviously more to know and learn. It kept me guessing and engaged. Some of the characters could have been slightly more nuanced, but there was so much packed into this book that I'm not sure where you could fit more character development. Plus, more information about some of these characters would take away the mystery. I really enjoyed not knowing which characters to trust. I found the intrigue and betrayal extremely satisfying. 

All-in-all, I loved this, and I would highly recommend it. If you're a fan of fantasy, you should be reading Islington. 

The audiobook is great, but it's an audible exclusive, which is a bummer. I understand why some authors do this, but I don't like it. I wish that the author was fairly paid regardless of where I purchased their work. 

This book felt like a history lesson, and true crime rolled into one dense story. I had never heard of these events before picking it up. Stories like these, depicting corruption layered with inhuman racism, make me feel outrage and frustration. I am glad I know this story, but that doesn't mean I actually enjoyed reading about it. I mean, it was decent, and it did its job. I'm just not sure my soul was better for it. I guess it depends on what you want to get out of your reading experience. 

I liked it better than The Wager, a newer release from Grann. This surprised me because I thought I was more interested in sailing the high seas than an old murder investigation. Even though I found these events more interesting, it still had that detached storytelling I don't completely jive with. You do get a glance at the author's perspective to conclude the timeline. I just wish there had been more of that spread out through the book.

This was extremely mid for me. The beginning was interesting, but I lost that interest rather quickly. By the end, I didn't really care what was happening. I keep trying to think of something nice to say about it, but I just don't care enough. It's a very forgettable story, in my opinion. I probably won't read the sequel. 

I wouldn't recommend the audiobook because the names are confusing. Most of the character names start with numbers, and while I thought it was neat a first, it eventually turned into a negative. 

This would make an incredible anime or in a perfect world a Ghibli movie. To have an art, depicting an art, that is about art. Super meta.

I enjoyed this story from the start. I found it endearing and cozy. 

I'm left with a ton of cosmere questions, but I suppose that can't be helped. If everything was explained, then there wouldn't be more to RAFO. 

My only complaint would be some of the narration from Hoid. I never pictured him preaching about life lessons with dad vibes before these secret projects. Honestly, I think he occasionally gave off a sinister energy in other books. Having him tell these wholesome stories with commentary on how to be a good person felt off and a little cringe. I also wish I knew who he was telling this story to. Same with Tress. He's obviously telling these stories to someone (possibly on roshar), and I want to know who.