themoonwholistens's Reviews (698)

i am weak i love it so much,, i love the way the characters are written

to no one’s surprise, this is the newest entry to my fave books of 2021

my expectations were met. And then some.

This had my favorite romance trope/s (best friends to lovers + forbidden romance + a mystery trope i will not be mentioning because it is a spoiler, even though we aren’t seeing the full extent yet? maybe?) in CC’s best execution yet.

[ let it be known that I think this book/series should be read after you have read every other shadowhunter series (TID, TDA, TMI) ]

I know we love the romances in this book, but we need to take a second to bask in the glory of the sibling relationships and how they were represented. All the sibling relationships had my heart sputtering with the actual romanes. I am now appreciating at how brilliant of a set up The Infernal Devices was to this book/series.

DYNAMICS. DYNAMICS. DYNAMICS.

“There is no better distraction in this world than losing oneself in books for awhile.”

cassie clare has officially turned into an expert and a genuis when writing character dynamics T_T I am incoherent right now but that’s okay. Do any of you really expect a proper shadowhunters book review from me anyway… I’m out here just ranting about how much I love the character dynamics and references, I’m always so unhinged (in the best way possible) after reading a book from this series but don’t we all just love that feeling? I was really not able to focus on anything else.

Bonus: Mr. Will Herondale in this book… basically all the parts… amused me to no end. A story hits different when you’re reading the children of characters you have previously loved. And simultaneously falling in love with their children too.

It took me so long to read this but it was worth every second that I waited.

I feel like CC covered a lot more holes in the character dynamics compared to every other of the shadowhunter series. I still think there is more to be done in terms of world building and detailed descriptions… if we’re being technical about it… but we aren’t because I just AM IN LOVE with the characters and how they interact T_T

They are all absolute perfection and COG character slander is not welcome here because they're all amazing:

James x Matthew
James x Lucie
James x Cordelia
Alastair x Thomas
Alastair x Cordelia
Alastair x Merry Thieves (I am in love with Alastair)
Matthew x Everyone

Anna x Matthew. I love them so much you guys have no idea. I already know what Matthew's secret is from the short stories and I just want him to have a happy life.

and ofcourse:

Cordelia x Lucie x Matthew x James IS THE INTERACTION WE ALL NEED

”She did not love James because he was beautiful: he was beautiful to her because she loved him.”

I would tell you who my favorite character is, but they’re all my favorite. Except maybe Grace but that’s irrelevant. This book made me yearn for that kind of love that comes from a best friend turning into your partner and find a little group of Merry Thieves and honorary Merry Thieves of my own… it's that’s just everything I want in a friendship group. Half of them are cousins and seeing them get into trouble just makes me feel alive.

It’s not even just between the main couple/s but all of their little group’s interactions with one another is just amazingly written and I feel like CC gets better with handling them every series. She always finds a unique way to put tropes into play and each of her twists HITS, making you feel that strong angst.

”He thought of her soft voice as he fell asleep, reading to him in a language he did not yet know.”

Something about the quote is so beautiful to me.

I absolutely loved the way the book is structured with the “Days Past” chapters and the PLOT. I’m going to be honest saying that CC’s writing and plot just fits the Victorian/Edwardian Era more, in my opinion. I just find it way more angsty and believable and the YEARNING hits on a different level that the more modern plots can’t achieve.

The pacing is so fast and this series is so easy to read while feeling like home.

After reading about Cortana with Emma, I got giddy every time I saw Cortana here, it felt like I was in on some kind of secret xD… which made me appreciate the way CC decided to order the publications of the whole shadowhunter series. And Corderlia is just a force of her own. We stan powerful women and that’s a fact.

↣ I don’t know what else to do aside from bombard the reader of this review with quotes but if you like character dynamics that will make you fall in love with everything in your life, will make you laugh, will make you cry, will make you addicted, and will make you want to hug a book and keep it in your heart forever…. that involve a demon hunting race of humans that are the definition of ANGST in different generations…. this series is for you. If you are already a fan of this series but have not started TLH, what are you doing with your life? Don't be like me with how long it took to read this.↢

“I never thought of friendship like that— as something that makes you more than you are.”

I could not stop smiling throughout this whole story.

— 4.75 —
⇢ content warnings//

Spoiler

Alcoholism, Death, Gore, Grief, Loss of loved one, Manipulation, Miscarriage (past), Sexism, Trauma, Violence

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the fact that I voted this for the Goodreads Choice Awards and haven't read it yet... is me manifesting how much trash I will be for James and Matthew

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I just realized that "Chain of Gold" and who exactly has gold eyes

This is a tragic book but is so well done on every level that I find addicting to read. It is definitely an epic adult dark high fantasy if I have ever read one but even with the heavy concepts and themes, it felt like I was flying through the pages every time I picked it up. Sci fi elements are also very central to the plot which I think helped make the very abstract magic system a lot more concrete to follow.

The humor did give the tragic events balance though.

— overall: 4.5 —
⇢ trigger warnings//

Spoiler

graphic violence, death of a loved one, physical and emotional abuse, polyamorous relationship, death of a child, child labor, misogyny, anorexia (implied), grief, tragedy

“For all those that have to fight for the respect that everyone else is given without question.”

↑ Doesn't that opening line just give you chills? ↑

Right off the bat I already loved the writing style. It’s told from a very unique POV style that leaves a lot to the reader to piece together. From way tenses are used to the chapter titles, I loved it.

The world-building takes some time in the beginning but I didn’t mind. It was intriguing to me and by the time my mind started dwindling around half way was when the action started so it was able to catch my attention again. Most of the magic system is explained later on in the book because the world-building took it's time.


It feels very adventurous and has this air of mystery and the feeling that you just want to see them all survive. But also it gave me the feeling of just wanting to survive, just like the characters of the world. With that, it kept bringing up the topic of how surviving isn’t always living.

I was pleasantly surprised at how prevalent the climate change aspects were even though I was aware of that going in. And the way that was woven and made into a sci fi-esque plot that makes sense with people that have powers to control these said seismic movements, was very unique and fascinating to figure out.

I do think we are going to get more of the magic system in the later books though because I feel like for the most part this book really focused on the characters.

“We aren't human."

"Yes. We. Are." His voice turns fierce. "I don't give a shit what the something-somethingth council of big important farts decreed, or how the geomests classify things, or any of that. That we're not human is just the lie they tell themselves so they don't have to feel bad about how they treat us.”

As usual in the high fantasy genre, there is a looming mystery that drives the plot forward. The dynamic and layered plot that I love in epic fantasies is there with very strong themes and commentary on prejudice, racism, and power.

There was a lot more lgbtq+ and gender non conforming rep than I expected. And the fact that dark/brown skinned complexions are what’s considered more common than lighter complexions made me a lil~ happy.

“There is an art to smiling in a way that others will believe. It is always important to include the eyes; otherwise, people will know you hate them.”

I don't know if I have to say this since it's a given that it's high-fantasy but be prepared to be learning new terminologies and lingo. I loved the complex character dynamics with basically almost every character relationship.

There are very strong family-like relationships that I absolutely adored

Spoiler

Syenite/Damaya/Essun and Alabaster

. And even though I expected the plot twist I was still giddy to see everything unfolding. Syenite and Alabaster are literally my favorite pair for just the reason that they aren't romantically involved... but also they kind of are.... but nevertheless they care about each other.

AND

Additional note: I forgot to highlight this because I only realized it, the reason I love (and perhaps for a lot of other people too) Juliette and Roma so much is because it never felt like Roma was Juliette's knight in shining armor. The romance felt like they were reliant on each other without ever making half of the couple showcase inferiority. They were both strong and vulnerable.

Miss Chloe Gong really said let’s put diversity, chemistry, and beautiful writing together and then write a book. ✨ I would make all of you read this if you weren’t all already

“Too many kind hearts turn cold everyday.”

THE WRITING STYLE. HANDS DOWN. ABSOLUTELY. GORGEOUS.

we live in a cruel world

megumi stans rise

Additional note: I wouldn't go into this expecting a plot as windy as ADSOM

If you heard that this book was about a girl falling in love with the devil... I suggest that you throw that out of your mind. Because (first) it's more complicated than that and (second) is it really about that?

I'm telling you this now: this is romantic. But it is not exactly a love story.

sad, sweet, heavy-hearted, emotional, and melancholic. I feel like a lifetime has passed since starting this book (in a good way)

The reason I kind of lowered my rating was because I was left so unsatisfied by the ending. Like, I get it, it makes sense.... but I expected so much more?? Nevertheless, this is one of those books that I will be thinking about a lot long after I have read it. The journey is worth more than the ending.

I will now direct you to my good friend Mary's playlist which upped my experience for this book by 10x (I suggest playing the song "I Love To Tell A Story" sometime in between chapters or after you've finished the book)

tw// sexual assault, suicide (mentioned), drug addiction

— overall thoughts: 4.5 —

First thing’s first: yes, the pacing is definitely a slow burn but every once in a while I enjoy the book for it’s atmosphere and Schwab delivered. That isn’t to say that I disliked plot because the looming, aching sense of dread was so well written that I felt heavy the majority of the time that I was reading it.

And then BAM!, plot twist drops and I suddenly feel awake (at least for one of the twists in the middle)

"There is a defiance in being a dreamer.”

this to me was about how the ideas and impressions we leave behind might not always be visible to us but they do leave a mark on people we meet over time. About freedom and the absence of it. And how we can inspire every person we come across even (or how strangers inspire us) even when we can't place a name or a face... Because we remember who they are, as a person.

There are times when I’m in a lyrical writing kind of mood but there are times when I just can’t stand it. Which was the reason I had mixed feelings about this at first. V.E. Schwab had a different take/tone with this book compared to her other books which is to be expected since she said it herself.

I felt the stretch of the years for Addie and just imagining everything that she was going through… I honestly don’t know if I would have lasted as long as she did. I felt addie’s own loneliness seep into me. And I get that if you aren’t the kind of reader who likes full on emotion-on-pages, this might just not be your style.

…But if you are, good news, time to stock up on extra hearts because it will surely break a couple of times.

"I am here with you, more often than you think."

I was very pleasantly surprised at the fact that I enjoyed Addie's relationship with Luc a lot more than with Henry. Her and Henry are cuteness overload don't get me wrong... but I live for complicated relationships. I felt that we got that more with her interactions and feelings towards Luc over the years.

I also wasn't as attached to Henry as I was to Luc (oops!) because there was more build up with Luc I feel. When Henry was introduced, I knew who his character would be right away and since he's so central to the plot... I thought I would have had more convulated feelings.

Spoiler

And I don't know if the 7th person she loves (for her seven freckles as per Estelle) is Luc or herself or someone in the future

“Blink, and the years fall away like leaves.”

The 2014 timeline felt so homey while the 1700s timeline felt like I was going to sob at every page.

Only Schwab has the power to make me finish and love a fully lyrical style book because I am now realizing that I like the idea of a whimsical and lyrical plot, but I prefer the writing to be more straightforward.

It takes some time to get into and since this is more contemporary/historical fiction/what ever genre this is than Schwab's other works, there is more emotional building than world building. I really loved the details that was in the art before every chapter, piecing them together was important to the story and I applaud the attention to detail.

take your time reading this because you only get to read it for the first time once. I actually reread the first 30% of this book because I needed more time to process the emotion.

“The evening is quite, and she is alone, but for once it is not the same as being lonely.”

Once again, this is a heavy book to read, having to process and imagine what addie goes through, is a lot. V.E. Schwab portrays it really well and always leaves something to think about.

Unlike ADSOM or Monsters of Verity, this isn’t an action packed kind of book and I would not approach this expecting the ADSOM kind of fantasy mindset.

V.E. Schwab’s aesthetic bleeds into her writing style every time. Even though this books is loads different plot wise from the other books I’ve read of hers, it still has the classic Schwab in the way she humanizes the "monsters" of her stories.

As a sucker for all themes astrological, I have once again sold my soul to the devil stranger worlds.

“Time always ends a second before you're ready.”

I really thought this would make me feel like I'm stuck in a dream state but I just feel sad haha, but we can't blame the book for that.

I signed up for this heartache.

↣ Save this book for when you are in the mood for atmosphere, slow burns, and something that feels like someone is telling you the story of their life around a fire place in an isolated countryside. ↢

I’ve heard people being mad at this book because it doesn’t feature a person of color in Addie’s 300 years and I’m going to be honest with you… I’d rather read about a person of color from an author of color. And those who go as far as saying there’s no diversity in this book? Henry and Addie are lgbtq+ (which is actively pointed out) so I really don’t understand. It's just not super prominent and is treated like a normal thing... which I love to see because that's how I feel like it should be in books that don't focus on those topics. Some people will really look for ways just to hate on a popular book.

It reminds me somewhat of The Afterlife of Holly Chase but make it a lot more emotional and whimsical. I would recommend TAoHC if you want something similar to this book but a little more light hearted and something to put you into a more Christmas-y mood.

It was so hard to write this review because my emotions are swirling but I'm done now.

*curtain close*

« my emotional journey in status updates: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 »

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Friends... I got to that part at the half way point and: *cries in french*

It's been a while since I've felt this way over a plot twist and you know what... I'M LIVING FOR IT

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PRE READ:

I want to read about this french woman so bad already

Something has been nagging me ever since I finished reading this and I finally know what it is:

1. the plot twists didn't surprise me because they felt sort of cliche. I guess I expected something more unique than a sort-of-but-not-really deus ex machina. But I do have to admit that I still think the metaphors of

Spoiler

how their powers works with these gods possessing them

is a different take on

Spoiler

another pyrokinetic

2. the pacing of part 2 and part 3 felt off to me with the tone change. Especially part 3 because I feel like the infamous chapter was just added for the shock factor? that I didn't get shocked. Certain aspects felt too abrupt.. but then again this is war so I have a feeling Kuang meant for it to feel that way.

Okay that's it. I still loved this book and this is just a reminder to not let the hype get to you.

——————————————
ORIGINAL REVIEW:

This book is Mistborn + Nevernight but make it historically asian inspired, then add about a dozen trigger warnings (this includes but not limited to: drug abuse, drug addiction, rape, genocide, animal death, misogyny, death of a loved one, ++) just so that you're aware and prepare because R.F. Kuang will write it without any sugarcoating of any kind

Which basically describes the writing style of this whole book: YA with no sugarcoating... so basically New Adult? Adult with YA characters?

— overall thoughts: 4.5 —
⇢ content warnings//

Spoiler

Abandonment, Ableism, Abuse (emotional and physical), Addiction, Animal death/cruelty, Assault, Blood, Bones, Bullying, Character death, Decapitation, Drugs, Fatphobia (unchallenged), Fire, Genocide, Gore, Hostages, Human experimentation, Infertility, Massacres, Misogyny, Mutilation, Murder (including children), Profanity, Racism, Rape (past, recollected), Self-harm, Skeletons, Torture, Violence (including against children), War

Very immersive, especially to someone like me who loves academy/military-esque settings that ends up building up to something more. At this point, the world is so alive in my imagination that it now has it’s own compartment in my head.

The fact that this was so well-researched bleeds into the prose and the writing. I don’t want to go into detail about the history because I could be very wrong in a lot of parts but I suggest that you do your own little research while reading or after you have read this book about the historical significances. (I highly recommend Tiffany's blog post: https://readbytiffany.com/2020/11/15/everything-you-need-to-know-before-you-read-the-poppy-war-by-r-f-kuang/)

You can of course just read it like any other high fantasy and you’ll be fine. I just appreciate it so much when an author takes the time to research on the finer details in historical fiction and it always shows in the book itself.

”But how does the existence or nonexistence of the gods affect me? Why does it matter how the universe came to be?”

“Because you’re part of it. Because you exist. And unless you want to only ever be a tiny modicum of existence that doesn’t understand its relation to the grander web of things, you will explore.

The fact that that quote could be interpreted both metaphorically and literally and still hit hard either way.

I loved how flawless the transitions were from scene to scene and from part to part. It's a very technical thing but it was executed so well in terms of storytelling. There is a whole lot of world-building going on, especially in part I and the rest of this series is us just kind of going through war through the eyes of Rin. I appreciated how much each scene was fleshed out without it ever being dragging. Dynamic.

The mix of different asian culture was also a huge selling point to me. Everything that went into the writing of this book was not in vain.

I am going to be honest that a big chunk of this still felt YA to me in terms of the plot and overall tone despite the very graphic/dark scenes. But I just might be immune to those at this point. Nonetheless, be warned if you are easily triggered. The themes are still very dark if you think about it and I have no doubt the levels will increase as the series goes on.

There were times when the writing tended to info dump and become more “telling” rather than “showing”. But there were still so many elements that made me keep reading (*ahem* Nezha) that I just kept absorbing the info dumps and storing it in my head.

"If there is a divine creator, some ultimate moral authority, then why do bad things happen to good people? And why would this deity create people at all, since people are such imperfect beings."

This quote spoke to me just because of how much it sounded like something that we have talked about in my religion classes. These are very common questions used in discussions in academic settings especially with those who study certain religions, like Catholicism. Particularly, in asian countries since a lot do believe in gods/God, which is a subtle touch that I really liked because of how prevalent it is in the modern world. Especially when you think about how this plays into the build up of the Lore of the fantastical kingdom in the book.

I love it when fantasy books are able to grasp the ideas of abstract concepts from real life, like religion and politics, and use it as a solid foundation in their world building (i.e. this book and Mistborn).

“Children ceased to be children when you put a sword in their hands. When you taught them to fight a war, then you armed them and put them on the front lines, they were not children anymore. They were soldiers.”

It took me some time to be attached to the other characters around Rin but the build up there is also just simply well thought out. I think we'll be getting more character dynamics and relationships in the next book though because this was mainly about Rin and getting familiar with the world (which was done to near perfection, I have quite literally run out of words to express my appreciation for this world building).


↣ Read this if you like dynamic epic fantasies, especially asian-inspired ones, that are rich in culture with a dash of historical fiction AND GODS. And of course, everyone's personal favorite: morally grey characters. ↢

I do think this is still building up to more things but at the same time I was just left feeling so empty (in a good way) that the only way I can fill the gap in my heart is by starting the next book.

“War doesn't determine who's right. War determines who remains.”

instagram | blog | ko-fi

Kuang is a ruthless Queen. Are you expecting closure? *evil laugh*

There are too many things to discuss and I am emotionally unstable.

You know what, I feel like I've said all I need to say for this series in my The Poppy War and The Dragon Republic reviews. Read those if you feel so inclined and still need a push to read this series or the other reviews because I need... err.. space.



— overall thoughts: 4.5 —

Admittedly, I had some problematic parts with the build up in the middle and how the Trifecta storyline was handled, but I'll look over that because of the character dynamics and execution of the the ideas that went into the series. Kuang achieved what she wanted to achieve.

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I haven’t finished it yet but you know what we should be talking about: THE PLATONIC LOVE CONTENT

2nd read: I will never not think that this was anything short of heart wrenchingly amazing.

“If you want to lead, you can’t wait for everyone to line up behind you.”

1st read:

“Out of small resentments, spring great wars.”

The way Fonda Lee weaves crime and gangster narratives into endearing family and brotherhood dynamics really is nothing short of clever. This is a brutal but politically dynamic and action-packed urban fantasy revolving around incredibly well designed fantastical and realistic elements. By the end of this book, I feel like Fonda Lee carved out 10 years off of my soul.



I never thought I would love geopolitics and economics in fantasy as much as Fonda Lee made me love them. And she did it so expertly that it was impossible for me not to be hooked.

This story exemplifies on a whole other level the cost, consequences, and machinations of war because it also so successfully portrays the complex characterizations and heart-felt family dynamics that go with it. Jade War expands everything we already knew and added even more scheming, betrayal, and political power plays.

If your selling point to read a book is “You will be destroyed”… this series is the epitome of that.

An underlying but potent theme of this story is in how Shae and Wen express time and time again the duality of what a “powerful” woman means. Crime and gangster type of stories is usually set in a very male-dominated society but the girlbosses women of this series were portrayed to have just the same (if not more) amounts of conscientiousness, passion, perseverance, diligence, and (sometimes) cruelty as their male counterparts without feeling the need to outright say it. Even then, it was able to show the expectations of being a woman in modern society, in both the No Peak and Mountain clans *wink*

At the end of the day they were able to show how freedom and strength lies in letting women (and people, in general) choose the role they want to uphold in the first place.

“There were so many things a Pillar could not accomplish solely with his own will and strength, that relied instead on other people, even in matters as personal as vengeance.”

Life is cruel and so is this book.



The pre-established relationships that we got to learn and love in the first book follows through in the second book in the most intense and heart-wrenching way that Fonda Lee has the power to ruin me at this point and I have consciously put myself in her hands to be destroyed.

The characters are definitely at the forefront and are leading factors of this story. However, it never feels like they’re being swept away by the plot no matter how complicated it gets. I love how certain actions and the meanings behind their respective interactions are nuanced enough that when you catch the underlying implications, makes it extra fulfilling. It feeds the complex character dynamics flowing while tugging you in with it. I never feel like the conflicts in this story are too heavy even though they objectively are about killers if we all take a step back and forget about how attached we all are to the Kaul Family.

“There’s a difference between a dog that picks garbage outside your house, and one that jumps through your window to still from your table. One is a nuisance you can ignore; the other is a problem and has to be killed.”

The way this book is written made me feel like I just lived through a whole life time.



What I didn’t expect for this series was for it to span years. Though the way the passage of time was written into plot points like helps you imagine the time skips without having the need to be told specifically how much time has actually passed. If I am not mistaken, this might be the first book that I have read from that wrote time skips so casually and flawlessly... genius.

The intriguing narrative is written in a way that shows perspectives of the social ladder from the bottom to the top, and everything in between. I honestly find it very intriguing and it creates a multi-layered feeling to the setting, especially since the perspectives we read from most of the time are from those at the top of the social hierarchy. I also love that we got to see how the conflict plays out even outside of Kekon.

One of my favorite aspects about this series is how well-done the multi-POV was especially given how fast the timeline goes. Fonda Lee said this in an interview and I agree: the beauty of the multiple perspectives is that you get to see how every main character has a view into every other main character. They had such a complete view of each other and as readers, we have a complete view of every one of them that leaves us invested in all of them…. down to the most minor of characters.

“If you're not sure you're in love, then you're not.”

For a little extra something: These books are one of the farthest things from a romance book there is but the romance sub plots are so well-written that if Fonda Lee comes out with a romance novel I’d read it to be honest.

This book was so easy to read but that doesn't mean anything was simple.

↣ It's vividly written, it's brutal, action-packed, filled with complex character dynamics and an immersive writing style. Pick up this series if you want to be destroyed. Let’s be destroyed together. ↢

I suddenly have the urge to reread the whole thing. Definitely a new favorite of all time.

”I know something of clan war, and one thing I know is that they're fought on many levels.”

— 5.0 —
⇢ content warnings// Ableism (minor), Abortion (off-page), Animal death (off-page), Blood, Body horror, Death (including parental), Gun violence, Homophobia, Sexual content, Sexual violence (mentioned), Suicide ideation, Torture, Violence (graphic)
⇢ representation: Gay main character, Bi/Pan main character, Asian-inspired setting and characters