Take a photo of a barcode or cover
theravenkingx's Reviews (336)
This book can be treated as a companion book to Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. If Sapiens has failed to convince you that living conditions all over the world are improving than you should really pick this book up. Hans Rosling takes the same idea propounded by Mr. Harari in his book and present it in a more digestable format and writing. Rosling is a professor and his writing really shows that aspect of him. He knows how to deal with different opnions and how to transform those opinions without coming across as smug and arrogant.
After reading Sapiens and Homo Deus, I have realized one thing about Yuval that he writes very blunty. His efforts in connecting with the readers are very minimal. He is only interested in stating the facts. Rosling, however, is more empathic towards his readers and to their preconceived notions. He attempts at transforming those beliefs and opnions without disrespecting or dismissing them. He acts like a friend who wants to hold your hand and take you on a journey of self-transformation. His writing reflects the humbleness of his personality.
We humans collectively share a very negative view of the world that Mr. Rosling attributes that to 10 basic human instincts inherited from our ancestors--mainly hunter gatherers--that keep us from seeing the world factfuly. He describe how these instincts can put a veil on our eyes and what we can do to see through the fabric of our blindfolds.
The first and the profound thing is the framework that Mr. Rosling has enunciated in this book for how to see the world. He has divided the world into four different income groups (with the majority of people living in level 2 and 3). This is important because we are programmed to divide the world dichotomously--rich & poor, develop & developing, us and them--completely ignoring the categories that lies in between.
When we divide the world into rich and poor, it becomes almost impossible to pick up on the progress we have made and we start seeing everyone who doesn't have a certain lifestyle as poor. Rosling describe this phenomenon as looking down at a city from the tallest building. When we are at the top our perspective becomes a little hazy and we begin seeing all other buildings as short irrespective of the fact that some building are taller than the others.
Rosling's framework helps us see the progress humanity has made over the years more clearly. For example: contrary to popular belief, today only 1 billion people live under extreme poverty while majority of people lies somewhere in the middle and are slowly moving towards level 4 i.e. high income group.
This book contains a stupendous amount of charts, tables, graphs and other statistical data that gives a better picture of today's world.
The most fascinating topic that Rosling discussed was about the world population. The world population will reach 11 billion by 2100, but It won't be because of new borns. The people currently breathing will increase the population of adults in the coming years. The children population will remain the same (2 billion.) This hard to grasp concept is explained beautifully with the help of a chart.
There are other great lessons like how certain numbers can send us in panic mode, and how comparisons of these very same numbers can paint a hopeful picture. For example: when we hear that 10% of Brazil's population holds 41% of the total income, we immediately start imagining rich people stealing resources from all the rest. This number is definitely alarming, but when we compare this 41% of today with 51% of 1989, we see how much progress Brazil has made and how the gap is slowly shrinking.
By this we can rightly assume, the world can be both bad and better. This is the main theme of this book and the one that is missing from yuval's books. I always say that progress is a double edged sword and we are just displacing our problems. Insufficient is being replaced by excess. Technological advancement, efficient production is giving rise to global warming. Antibiotics are creating new health problems and so on.
Rosling professes that the world has become both better and bad. He doesn't force us to see the world as perfect, he just highlights our tendency to exaggerate the bad and completely ignore the good.
There is always a gap between our real experiences and data. Therefore, we cannot completely rely on data. We must use both our experiences and data to understand the world better.
In the last chapter he mentions 6 problem that need our immediate attention but not our urgent action.
1. Extreme Poverty
2. Climate change
3. Global pandemic
4. World war
5. Financial collapse
6. Unknown Risks
We are far from achieving utopia but the WORLD isn't as bad as it seem. It's an interesting read. Highly recommended.
Rest In peace Mr. Rosling and thanks for leaving this gem for us.
After reading Sapiens and Homo Deus, I have realized one thing about Yuval that he writes very blunty. His efforts in connecting with the readers are very minimal. He is only interested in stating the facts. Rosling, however, is more empathic towards his readers and to their preconceived notions. He attempts at transforming those beliefs and opnions without disrespecting or dismissing them. He acts like a friend who wants to hold your hand and take you on a journey of self-transformation. His writing reflects the humbleness of his personality.
We humans collectively share a very negative view of the world that Mr. Rosling attributes that to 10 basic human instincts inherited from our ancestors--mainly hunter gatherers--that keep us from seeing the world factfuly. He describe how these instincts can put a veil on our eyes and what we can do to see through the fabric of our blindfolds.
The first and the profound thing is the framework that Mr. Rosling has enunciated in this book for how to see the world. He has divided the world into four different income groups (with the majority of people living in level 2 and 3). This is important because we are programmed to divide the world dichotomously--rich & poor, develop & developing, us and them--completely ignoring the categories that lies in between.
When we divide the world into rich and poor, it becomes almost impossible to pick up on the progress we have made and we start seeing everyone who doesn't have a certain lifestyle as poor. Rosling describe this phenomenon as looking down at a city from the tallest building. When we are at the top our perspective becomes a little hazy and we begin seeing all other buildings as short irrespective of the fact that some building are taller than the others.
Rosling's framework helps us see the progress humanity has made over the years more clearly. For example: contrary to popular belief, today only 1 billion people live under extreme poverty while majority of people lies somewhere in the middle and are slowly moving towards level 4 i.e. high income group.
This book contains a stupendous amount of charts, tables, graphs and other statistical data that gives a better picture of today's world.
The most fascinating topic that Rosling discussed was about the world population. The world population will reach 11 billion by 2100, but It won't be because of new borns. The people currently breathing will increase the population of adults in the coming years. The children population will remain the same (2 billion.) This hard to grasp concept is explained beautifully with the help of a chart.
There are other great lessons like how certain numbers can send us in panic mode, and how comparisons of these very same numbers can paint a hopeful picture. For example: when we hear that 10% of Brazil's population holds 41% of the total income, we immediately start imagining rich people stealing resources from all the rest. This number is definitely alarming, but when we compare this 41% of today with 51% of 1989, we see how much progress Brazil has made and how the gap is slowly shrinking.
By this we can rightly assume, the world can be both bad and better. This is the main theme of this book and the one that is missing from yuval's books. I always say that progress is a double edged sword and we are just displacing our problems. Insufficient is being replaced by excess. Technological advancement, efficient production is giving rise to global warming. Antibiotics are creating new health problems and so on.
Rosling professes that the world has become both better and bad. He doesn't force us to see the world as perfect, he just highlights our tendency to exaggerate the bad and completely ignore the good.
There is always a gap between our real experiences and data. Therefore, we cannot completely rely on data. We must use both our experiences and data to understand the world better.
In the last chapter he mentions 6 problem that need our immediate attention but not our urgent action.
1. Extreme Poverty
2. Climate change
3. Global pandemic
4. World war
5. Financial collapse
6. Unknown Risks
We are far from achieving utopia but the WORLD isn't as bad as it seem. It's an interesting read. Highly recommended.
Rest In peace Mr. Rosling and thanks for leaving this gem for us.
Big Magic is a phenomenal read that inspires you keep doing what you do despite your fear of failure. It's encourages you to be brave but not fearless. Elizabeth describes the former as our ability to keep working despite our fears, and later as the absence of fear in our heart that forces us to take uncalculated risks. Fear can be a good thing and how we deal with it makes all the difference. she also talks about passion and curiousity, and how passion can be counter productive to progress. She shares very interesting thoughts that are both helpful and strange at the same time, like her claim that ideas are like ghosts wandering around until they find a suitable host that can help them come to life.
In a nutshell, Big Magicaims at helping you be more creative and productive. It's a book that can be enjoyed by anyone who is feeling trapped and doesn't know how to get out of their self made cage of fears and insecurities.
In a nutshell, Big Magicaims at helping you be more creative and productive. It's a book that can be enjoyed by anyone who is feeling trapped and doesn't know how to get out of their self made cage of fears and insecurities.
2.5 stars
I don't know what to say about this book. The best way to describe this book is that it's an elaborative wet dream of some pornstar. I just couldn't fathom the reasoning of the author to create such a horrible world. It was disturbing as hell to read about humanity at its worse. The author tried to romanticize slavery and failed miserably at it. It took me a while to get into the story and once I was in it, I was like f him already and get over with it but that never happened and the story was dragged till it became excruciatingly painful to read.
I don't know what to say about this book. The best way to describe this book is that it's an elaborative wet dream of some pornstar. I just couldn't fathom the reasoning of the author to create such a horrible world. It was disturbing as hell to read about humanity at its worse. The author tried to romanticize slavery and failed miserably at it. It took me a while to get into the story and once I was in it, I was like f him already and get over with it but that never happened and the story was dragged till it became excruciatingly painful to read.
In love we find out who we want to be, in war we find out who we are.
Heartbreaking.
Excruciating.
Distressing.
Sad.
Disturbing.
Painful.
Harrowing.
Haunting.
Tragic.
Upsetting.
These are the words, I will use to describe this book. It was the hardest book to read and probably why it took me so long to finish it. I could only read a few pages at a time, 'cos I knew reading more would drown me in tumultuous, inescapable waves of emotions and my heart would break irrevocably.
Nightingale is the story about the unsung heroes of world War II. People who sacrificed and fought with everything they had even when the world around them seemed bleak and hopeless. It's about the people who kept loving when all they could see around them was hate. It's about the power that comes from being afraid for your family, your children, your friends and your community. It's a story about courage.
Wounds heal. Love lasts. We remain.
This book follows a powerful story of two estranged sisters finding their way back to each other in the midst of a war; all the while saving children and soldiers from the brutality of the monsters that lurk outside.
Vianne is the older sister. When her husband gets taken away by the nazis, she is forced into a hellacious situation where she has to manage everything on her own while ensuring that there is food on the table for her and her daughter - Sophie. Vianne and Sophie are barely surviving when an uninvited Nazi soldier knocks at their door, forces himself in and starts living with them.
Isabelle, the younger sister, doesn't agree with the passive lifestyle and the idea of watching the world burn. Unlike her sisters, she doesn't want to just survive the war, she wants to help in defeating the Nazis. Isabelle's rebellious nature and her ambition takes her to a dangerous path, and she ends up becoming an important member of the rebellion group.
This book is a fiction but not entirely. Isabelle's characters is inspired from Andree de Jongh - a nineteen year old girl who saved 118 soldiers from nazis during world War II. This book highlights the important and often overlooked contributions of women during the war.
It doesn’t hurt, it’s just my body. They can’t touch my soul.
3.5 stars
Shadow and bone is one of those book that you can read when you are in mood for some light and entertaining read. It easy to get into as it's a blend of all popular YA troupes and doesn't require an active brain to understand what's going on in the book.
This book reveals the journey of Leigh Bardugo and how much braver she has become over the years in her storytelling and character development. She has went from writing a typical formulaic book to writing an outstanding and unique book - six of crows. Shadow and bone series and six of crows duology, in my opnion, aren't the two sides of the same coin, but they are two completely different coins. The Grisha world is great and Leigh has beautifully expanded it in six of crows.
Synopsis
shadow and bone is set in a medieval Russia inspired world called Ravka. West and East Side of Ravka is divided by a shadow fold - a mysterious impenetrable darkness containing dangerous beasts called Volcra. it is said that the Shadow Fold was created by a power hungry black heretic hundreds of years ago. Nobody knows his identity or how to destroy the shadow fold.
The story begins with Alina Starkov journeying with his childhood friend and potential love interest through the fold to reach west of Ravka. Alina is cartographer and she is being sent to west Ravka on a cartography business. However, things go sideways inside the fold, and she ends up discovering that she is a Grisha, more specifically a sun summoner.
She is then taken up by The Darkling who tells her about the fold and how her rare ability that can be used to destroy the fold and save millions of lives. But can she really trust this mysterious guy?
Characters
☀ ALINA ☀ She is the most annoying character in the book and makes tons of mistakes over the course of this book. She is a damsel in distress who can't make any decision on her own, and her only motivation to do literally anything is her love interest - Mal. She can't even digest her food without thinking about him.
⚫ DARKLING ⚫ I have yet to form an opnion about him. One thing is for sure that I don't understand why people love him so much and compares him to Kaz Brekker. He is nothing like him. I am not gonna lie tho Darkling definitely has an intriguing personality, and I am really looking forward to see more of him.
👣 MAL 👣 He is not a Grisha but he has a talent of his own. He is a human dog who can track almost anything, however, his specialty is tracking Alina from miles away. He is insecure and often treats Alina like she is some piece of trash. If I had to choose between him and darkling, I would choose darkling without any doubt. Mal is stupidly handsome, like most potential love interests are in YA books, and every girl in Ravka has had wet dreams about him. We talk about how writer promote certain beauty standard for women in books, but we hardly ever talk about the unrealistic portrayal of men in books, which is equally bizzare.
💄 GENYA 💄 She's a comic relief in the book and probably the best character. I really enjoyed her and want to see more of her. She is complicated, fun and a great ally to Alina. If it weren't for her, Alina would have thrown herself in the ditch cos she has peanut for a brain.
💃 Zoya💃 No educational institute is complete without some mean girls. Zoya does nothing other than to bully Alina and remind her of her insecurities.
Plot
Plot was easy to follow. There was nothing great or unique about it, but it was enjoyable. First 40% of the book is slow and is mainly used for info dumping and World building. However, I am still not sure how the magic system works and what powers three orders of Grisha - Materialki, Corporalki, Etherealki - actually possess, but i really like the idea that it's not completely magic. There is a scientific explanation to Grisha powers. Ending was pretty anti-climactic where characters used there emotions instead of their brains.
Anyway, it's not terrible. It just don't have anything new to offer.
I still want to read rest of the series mainly for the new duology that is coming out.
The problem with wanting is that it makes us weak.
Shadow and bone is one of those book that you can read when you are in mood for some light and entertaining read. It easy to get into as it's a blend of all popular YA troupes and doesn't require an active brain to understand what's going on in the book.
This book reveals the journey of Leigh Bardugo and how much braver she has become over the years in her storytelling and character development. She has went from writing a typical formulaic book to writing an outstanding and unique book - six of crows. Shadow and bone series and six of crows duology, in my opnion, aren't the two sides of the same coin, but they are two completely different coins. The Grisha world is great and Leigh has beautifully expanded it in six of crows.
Synopsis
shadow and bone is set in a medieval Russia inspired world called Ravka. West and East Side of Ravka is divided by a shadow fold - a mysterious impenetrable darkness containing dangerous beasts called Volcra. it is said that the Shadow Fold was created by a power hungry black heretic hundreds of years ago. Nobody knows his identity or how to destroy the shadow fold.
The story begins with Alina Starkov journeying with his childhood friend and potential love interest through the fold to reach west of Ravka. Alina is cartographer and she is being sent to west Ravka on a cartography business. However, things go sideways inside the fold, and she ends up discovering that she is a Grisha, more specifically a sun summoner.
She is then taken up by The Darkling who tells her about the fold and how her rare ability that can be used to destroy the fold and save millions of lives. But can she really trust this mysterious guy?
Characters
☀ ALINA ☀ She is the most annoying character in the book and makes tons of mistakes over the course of this book. She is a damsel in distress who can't make any decision on her own, and her only motivation to do literally anything is her love interest - Mal. She can't even digest her food without thinking about him.
⚫ DARKLING ⚫ I have yet to form an opnion about him. One thing is for sure that I don't understand why people love him so much and compares him to Kaz Brekker. He is nothing like him. I am not gonna lie tho Darkling definitely has an intriguing personality, and I am really looking forward to see more of him.
👣 MAL 👣 He is not a Grisha but he has a talent of his own. He is a human dog who can track almost anything, however, his specialty is tracking Alina from miles away. He is insecure and often treats Alina like she is some piece of trash. If I had to choose between him and darkling, I would choose darkling without any doubt. Mal is stupidly handsome, like most potential love interests are in YA books, and every girl in Ravka has had wet dreams about him. We talk about how writer promote certain beauty standard for women in books, but we hardly ever talk about the unrealistic portrayal of men in books, which is equally bizzare.
💄 GENYA 💄 She's a comic relief in the book and probably the best character. I really enjoyed her and want to see more of her. She is complicated, fun and a great ally to Alina. If it weren't for her, Alina would have thrown herself in the ditch cos she has peanut for a brain.
💃 Zoya💃 No educational institute is complete without some mean girls. Zoya does nothing other than to bully Alina and remind her of her insecurities.
Plot
Plot was easy to follow. There was nothing great or unique about it, but it was enjoyable. First 40% of the book is slow and is mainly used for info dumping and World building. However, I am still not sure how the magic system works and what powers three orders of Grisha - Materialki, Corporalki, Etherealki - actually possess, but i really like the idea that it's not completely magic. There is a scientific explanation to Grisha powers. Ending was pretty anti-climactic where characters used there emotions instead of their brains.
Anyway, it's not terrible. It just don't have anything new to offer.
I still want to read rest of the series mainly for the new duology that is coming out.
"Once upon a time, there was a human girl stolen away by faeries, and because of that, she swore to destroy them.”
I don't understand the hate for this series. It's really good in my opnion. Maybe not the best but highly engrossing and entertaining. I love the writing and the world it is set in.
Jude and cardan are both written as unlikeable characters. I hardly cared about them. I think one of the reasons for my detachment was their always unclear and suspicious intentions. I could never tell what was going on in their minds (which is a good thing, and probably the most interesting part of the book.) Cardan, is the most untrustworthy character I have ever read. He seem harmless and adorable in one moment and totally psychotic evil in the next. It's always hard to tell where his loyalties lie. Then we have Taryn. I never liked her and never will. She is like a sweet poison. Locke and Taryn deserve each other. The only character I actually really like, and think is grounded and realistic, is of Vivian's. I loved how torn she was between her life in faerie land and in mortal world, and the dynamics between her and her father - Madoc. However, this book didn't have enough of her and that bothered me but not enough to lower my rating for the book.
The most incredible part of this series Is its plot. I was dismayed by the amount of plot twists, and shades of personality each character had.
"Kiss me until I am sick of it."
Romance part was not as cringy as I was hoping it to be, and it actually helped in the progression the plot (something that we don't see often in YA books.) The love-hate relationship between cardan and Jude was interesting and intriguing. I was unsure the whole time if wanted to ship them or save them from getting into each other's claws. I couldn't guess if their insociant behavior towards each other was because they were scheming or because they were in love and afraid to admit it. Climax wasn't as dramatic as it was in the first book, but it was shocking and unpredictable nonetheless and ended on a big cliffhanger. I don't know how long I can hang on to this cliff. This might be the death of me. lol
I highly recommend this book.
I don't understand the hate for this series. It's really good in my opnion. Maybe not the best but highly engrossing and entertaining. I love the writing and the world it is set in.
Jude and cardan are both written as unlikeable characters. I hardly cared about them. I think one of the reasons for my detachment was their always unclear and suspicious intentions. I could never tell what was going on in their minds (which is a good thing, and probably the most interesting part of the book.) Cardan, is the most untrustworthy character I have ever read. He seem harmless and adorable in one moment and totally psychotic evil in the next. It's always hard to tell where his loyalties lie. Then we have Taryn. I never liked her and never will. She is like a sweet poison. Locke and Taryn deserve each other. The only character I actually really like, and think is grounded and realistic, is of Vivian's. I loved how torn she was between her life in faerie land and in mortal world, and the dynamics between her and her father - Madoc. However, this book didn't have enough of her and that bothered me but not enough to lower my rating for the book.
The most incredible part of this series Is its plot. I was dismayed by the amount of plot twists, and shades of personality each character had.
"Kiss me until I am sick of it."
Romance part was not as cringy as I was hoping it to be, and it actually helped in the progression the plot (something that we don't see often in YA books.) The love-hate relationship between cardan and Jude was interesting and intriguing. I was unsure the whole time if wanted to ship them or save them from getting into each other's claws. I couldn't guess if their insociant behavior towards each other was because they were scheming or because they were in love and afraid to admit it. Climax wasn't as dramatic as it was in the first book, but it was shocking and unpredictable nonetheless and ended on a big cliffhanger. I don't know how long I can hang on to this cliff. This might be the death of me. lol
I highly recommend this book.
3.75 - 4 stars
Surprisingly, I liked this one better than SAB. This installment did a better job of capturing my attention than previous one did. This book literally started with a bang and ended with a capital BANG! It's splendid and everything from writing to pacing of the plot was much, much better compared fo SAB. It was almost perfect. Few characters that I hated in the last book became bearable. However, there were still tons of characters and troupes and scenes that I utterly, extremely felt disgusted by, especially the Romance between Mal and Alina that progressed into a epitome of cringe.
The Darkling was even less impressive here than he was in the first book, partly because he's hardly present in the book, and partly because of what went down when he was present. And I still don't get it how can someone possibly like him, especially after what he did to..... some important poeple. He is irredeemable and pure evil. Even as a villain he isn't that great. I mean Nobody can be as evil as him or as pure as Alina. Those who ship Alina and Darkling need help.
Nikolai is my new favorite character. Reading him made me so very thirsty for King of scars duology. Nikloai is cunning, smart, charming, self-depreciating, and a badass with proclivity for manipulation and deception. I think he's the one who really made this book interesting for me. I wanted more of him. I would have devoured this series, if he was the main lead.
I'll be starting Ruin and Rising right away.
The problem with hiring a man who sells his honor is that you can always be outbid.
Surprisingly, I liked this one better than SAB. This installment did a better job of capturing my attention than previous one did. This book literally started with a bang and ended with a capital BANG! It's splendid and everything from writing to pacing of the plot was much, much better compared fo SAB. It was almost perfect. Few characters that I hated in the last book became bearable. However, there were still tons of characters and troupes and scenes that I utterly, extremely felt disgusted by, especially the Romance between Mal and Alina that progressed into a epitome of cringe.
The Darkling was even less impressive here than he was in the first book, partly because he's hardly present in the book, and partly because of what went down when he was present. And I still don't get it how can someone possibly like him, especially after what he did to..... some important poeple. He is irredeemable and pure evil. Even as a villain he isn't that great. I mean Nobody can be as evil as him or as pure as Alina. Those who ship Alina and Darkling need help.
Nikolai is my new favorite character. Reading him made me so very thirsty for King of scars duology. Nikloai is cunning, smart, charming, self-depreciating, and a badass with proclivity for manipulation and deception. I think he's the one who really made this book interesting for me. I wanted more of him. I would have devoured this series, if he was the main lead.
My mother was an oyster. I'm the pearl.
I'll be starting Ruin and Rising right away.
I have found the perfect song for darkling. It's called outrunning karma by Alec Benjamin.
And for alina and darkling lovely by Billie Eilish and Khalid.
And for alina and darkling lovely by Billie Eilish and Khalid.
A book about depression that isn't depressing at all. it's actually uplifting. It is filled with passages that are extremely heart-warming. some lines were so deep and profound that I'd to read them multiple times to fully understand and appreciate them.
Matt Haig's writing is powerful, moving and touching. The beauty of his words enveloped my heart and I hope to carry his words with me forever.
Matt Haig's writing is powerful, moving and touching. The beauty of his words enveloped my heart and I hope to carry his words with me forever.
1.75 stars
Overall series rating 3
Oh my god! This book was bad. It's an unnecessary addition to series. I think the plot could've easily be summed up in a duology.
I don't understand what went wrong here. It felt like the publishers had a gun pointed at Leigh Bardugo, and they forced her to write this third book when she clearly didn't have enough material for the book.
It felt like alot was happening but nothing actually happened. 80% of the book was just an unnecessary mess and the rest 20% was disappointing.
Mind you! I didn't not hate this book for how it ended or for who ended with who. It was just bad plot wise.
Nikolai part in second half was clearly a ploy to get rid of him temporarily cos i am pretty sure Leigh had no idea how to use him. What Waste of a great character!!
Let me tell you what I expected going into this book and what I actually got.
⚠Spoilers Ahead⚠
My Expecations
1. I wanted to know what exactly Merzost was and how it worked. How some grishas were able to create matter while others couldn't.
2. What Morozova was thinking when he created the amplifiers? Why did he want grishas to have such great amount of power?
3. I hoped for Nikolai and Alina team up against The Darkling.
4. Darkling revealing his soft side or we getting to know his past and understanding his motives but that didn't happen. He was bad to to the core.
5. What happened to Genya was bad, but I was hoping she would redeem herself somehow for betraying Alina, but didn't happen either. She didn't even apologize.
6. More plot driven action and character development.
What I actually got
1. Harry Potter like hunt for Horcruxes.
2. Found out that darkling and Mal were somehow related to Marozova, and that Mal was an Amplifier. We got no explanation as to why the Grisha who tested him as a child couldn't detect his powers.
3. Nikolai's metamorphosis.
4. The revelation that Mal, in very harry potter fashion, was an horcrux himself and must be sacrificed in order to defeat The Darkling.
5. Having all three amplifiers took away all of Alina's power instead of giving her the powers. It made me wonder what exactly Marozova was doing? If he wanted to give grisha the power to control everything then his horcruxes did the opposite. Was he wrong about everything and his experiment failed? Or was this intentional?
6. Found that grisha can bring people back to life. I mean what? How? You can't throw this kind of stuff without explanation.
In short there was less plot and more plot holes. Thank God! I read six of crows first, cos I would dreaded to pick six of crows after this book. The world and its rules in this book were half baked. I hope to get some answers in King of scars.
I would never recommend this book to anyone, ever.
Overall series rating 3
Oh my god! This book was bad. It's an unnecessary addition to series. I think the plot could've easily be summed up in a duology.
I don't understand what went wrong here. It felt like the publishers had a gun pointed at Leigh Bardugo, and they forced her to write this third book when she clearly didn't have enough material for the book.
It felt like alot was happening but nothing actually happened. 80% of the book was just an unnecessary mess and the rest 20% was disappointing.
Mind you! I didn't not hate this book for how it ended or for who ended with who. It was just bad plot wise.
Nikolai part in second half was clearly a ploy to get rid of him temporarily cos i am pretty sure Leigh had no idea how to use him. What Waste of a great character!!
Let me tell you what I expected going into this book and what I actually got.
⚠Spoilers Ahead⚠
My Expecations
1. I wanted to know what exactly Merzost was and how it worked. How some grishas were able to create matter while others couldn't.
2. What Morozova was thinking when he created the amplifiers? Why did he want grishas to have such great amount of power?
3. I hoped for Nikolai and Alina team up against The Darkling.
4. Darkling revealing his soft side or we getting to know his past and understanding his motives but that didn't happen. He was bad to to the core.
5. What happened to Genya was bad, but I was hoping she would redeem herself somehow for betraying Alina, but didn't happen either. She didn't even apologize.
6. More plot driven action and character development.
What I actually got
1. Harry Potter like hunt for Horcruxes.
2. Found out that darkling and Mal were somehow related to Marozova, and that Mal was an Amplifier. We got no explanation as to why the Grisha who tested him as a child couldn't detect his powers.
3. Nikolai's metamorphosis.
4. The revelation that Mal, in very harry potter fashion, was an horcrux himself and must be sacrificed in order to defeat The Darkling.
5. Having all three amplifiers took away all of Alina's power instead of giving her the powers. It made me wonder what exactly Marozova was doing? If he wanted to give grisha the power to control everything then his horcruxes did the opposite. Was he wrong about everything and his experiment failed? Or was this intentional?
6. Found that grisha can bring people back to life. I mean what? How? You can't throw this kind of stuff without explanation.
In short there was less plot and more plot holes. Thank God! I read six of crows first, cos I would dreaded to pick six of crows after this book. The world and its rules in this book were half baked. I hope to get some answers in King of scars.
I would never recommend this book to anyone, ever.