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adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Reread 2023 - truly a lot of story bundled up in not too long of a book. Still probably SJM’s weakest novel, mostly I think the Beauty and the Beast retelling aspect really held her back.
There was a lot from Under the Mountain onward that I didn’t remember at all, so I’m glad to be rereading!
2021 - Yep you’re reading that right, I started in 2017, read one chapter, and put it down until BookTok made me finish. And it was good! It was! I’m not attached to Feyre yet. I felt that Maas didn’t develop her to the extent I wanted. But I’m intrigued enough to continue and I definitely think I will get sucked in because I’ve heard the other books in the series are waaay better than this one.
There was a lot from Under the Mountain onward that I didn’t remember at all, so I’m glad to be rereading!
2021 - Yep you’re reading that right, I started in 2017, read one chapter, and put it down until BookTok made me finish. And it was good! It was! I’m not attached to Feyre yet. I felt that Maas didn’t develop her to the extent I wanted. But I’m intrigued enough to continue and I definitely think I will get sucked in because I’ve heard the other books in the series are waaay better than this one.
It‰ЫЄs not too early for me to say this will probably be my favorite book I read this year. I had the same sense while reading that I did while listening to Hamilton for the first time. I was acutely aware that I would never again get to experience this story for the first time. Constantly butterflies in my tummy and love in my heart for this story and the characters. I want to live in their world more. It had the added bonus of being the perfect escapist novel during a really tough couple of days personally. Cannot wait for the author‰ЫЄs next book in June.
3.5/5 stars.
3 stars for the character building and storytelling, but 5 solid stars for the setting, scenery, culture, and worldbuilding!
I loved loved loved getting to read a book with middle eastern characters and settings without those things being what the story was 'about.' Chakraborty writes assuming you know about the culture without explaining every little thing, which made me do some of my own research (there's a glossary too).
That being said, I was extremely underwhelmed by the story writing. Every character was basically the same in how they spoke and thought - there were no distinct differences in the voices between the two POV's and really between any of the characters. There were many times (especially in the first 2/3 of the book) that I felt it falling into the 'too much' trap with trying to be mysterious and epic, and in doing so lost the reader a bit. I got a little lost with time passing in the novel - had it been a week? A month? A day? And a little frustrated by the inconsistencies in character actions and voices.
I will be reading book 2 and hoping a lot of these things get resolved as the author grows in her writing!
3 stars for the character building and storytelling, but 5 solid stars for the setting, scenery, culture, and worldbuilding!
I loved loved loved getting to read a book with middle eastern characters and settings without those things being what the story was 'about.' Chakraborty writes assuming you know about the culture without explaining every little thing, which made me do some of my own research (there's a glossary too).
That being said, I was extremely underwhelmed by the story writing. Every character was basically the same in how they spoke and thought - there were no distinct differences in the voices between the two POV's and really between any of the characters. There were many times (especially in the first 2/3 of the book) that I felt it falling into the 'too much' trap with trying to be mysterious and epic, and in doing so lost the reader a bit. I got a little lost with time passing in the novel - had it been a week? A month? A day? And a little frustrated by the inconsistencies in character actions and voices.
I will be reading book 2 and hoping a lot of these things get resolved as the author grows in her writing!
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Reread Dec 2023: 3 stars. Enjoyed less this time around. Very forgettable.
Read 2021: 4 stars. I enjoy reading books that spend a significant amount of time simply letting you 'live' in the world of the story - but only when that world is one I have become invested in over multiple books. Thankfully that is the case here, so I liked this novella. The Outlander books are another example. Was this useful to the rest of the series and/or did it further the storyline? Not really, no. But it did set us up for Book 4, so I'm a bit more invested in seeing where Nesta's story takes us...
Read 2021: 4 stars. I enjoy reading books that spend a significant amount of time simply letting you 'live' in the world of the story - but only when that world is one I have become invested in over multiple books. Thankfully that is the case here, so I liked this novella. The Outlander books are another example. Was this useful to the rest of the series and/or did it further the storyline? Not really, no. But it did set us up for Book 4, so I'm a bit more invested in seeing where Nesta's story takes us...
Magic system: excellent. Story: intriguing. Setting: unique. Character building: meh. Dialogue: meh.
I wanted to like Alina more. I wanted to feel more invested in Mal and Alina. I wanted to care more about Alina's growth as a character. I felt that her dialogue and thoughts were inconsistent. Sometimes she was snarky and sarcastic. Sometimes she was blunt. Sometimes she was quiet and shy. The big revelatory moments in the book never really packed enough of a punch to get me excited. So I'll keep reading because I've heard amazing things about Bardugo's later books and I've heard she really grows as an author. I hope so because my review of this one is 'meh.' Really 3.5 stars.
I wanted to like Alina more. I wanted to feel more invested in Mal and Alina. I wanted to care more about Alina's growth as a character. I felt that her dialogue and thoughts were inconsistent. Sometimes she was snarky and sarcastic. Sometimes she was blunt. Sometimes she was quiet and shy. The big revelatory moments in the book never really packed enough of a punch to get me excited. So I'll keep reading because I've heard amazing things about Bardugo's later books and I've heard she really grows as an author. I hope so because my review of this one is 'meh.' Really 3.5 stars.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Reread Nov 2023: lost a star on the reread simply because it didn’t grab me the way it did the first time. Partially because I knew everything that was coming.
First read 2021: 5 Stars. Took the story from book 1 and BLEW it out of the water! The best depiction of PTSD, depression, and grief I have seen in a fantasy, fiction novel. I love love love how Rhys and Feyre's relationship is grown so solidly and slowly over time, and how he is in no way her 'savior.' I wish I had read a book with this kind of relationship when I was younger.
The romance was epic, the story was unique and so much more interesting than ACOTAR, and the characters were all incredibly well developed and dynamic. Can't wait to see how the story wraps up in book 3.
First read 2021: 5 Stars. Took the story from book 1 and BLEW it out of the water! The best depiction of PTSD, depression, and grief I have seen in a fantasy, fiction novel. I love love love how Rhys and Feyre's relationship is grown so solidly and slowly over time, and how he is in no way her 'savior.' I wish I had read a book with this kind of relationship when I was younger.
The romance was epic, the story was unique and so much more interesting than ACOTAR, and the characters were all incredibly well developed and dynamic. Can't wait to see how the story wraps up in book 3.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Reread Dec 2023: So interesting that this book gained a start on the reread. I feel like SJM’s longest books and ‘finales’ are always her best. So much plot but so much heart and relationship building and detail.
First read May 2021: 4 stars. Book 2 was my favorite of the series by far (I know there are 2 more stories that I haven't read yet, but that's where we're at so far).
I loved getting to know Nesta and Elain a bit more, and to start to get a hint of other character's stories to come. There were parts of the story that felt too drawn out over multiple chapters, while other parts felt like they were skimmed over too fast in just a few paragraphs. Feyre and Rhys's love story wasn't as strong in this one as Mist and Fury, but I did appreciate getting to see the story come full circle with Tamlin and Lucien.
Good wrap up to the story, but not as strong of a finish as the Throne of Glass series. Still excited for the novella and the Nesta story.
First read May 2021: 4 stars. Book 2 was my favorite of the series by far (I know there are 2 more stories that I haven't read yet, but that's where we're at so far).
I loved getting to know Nesta and Elain a bit more, and to start to get a hint of other character's stories to come. There were parts of the story that felt too drawn out over multiple chapters, while other parts felt like they were skimmed over too fast in just a few paragraphs. Feyre and Rhys's love story wasn't as strong in this one as Mist and Fury, but I did appreciate getting to see the story come full circle with Tamlin and Lucien.
Good wrap up to the story, but not as strong of a finish as the Throne of Glass series. Still excited for the novella and the Nesta story.
Lighthearted and romantic. Plot - meh. Character development - ok. Romance - ‰чФ•ьЏ‰чФ•ьЏ‰чФ•ьЏ. Great beach read!
Beautiful prose and surprisingly original idea. Self harm and suicidal thoughts were handled thoughtfully. I loved the message at the end of the book and think this would be a great book for a high school English class.
Excellent book. Worth the read to continue the work of raising black voices and hearing black stories. The most impactful parts for me were when Brown emphasized how exhausting it is to be a ‰Ычspokesman‰ЫЄ for an entire culture and community. It‰ЫЄs not every BIPOC‰ЫЄs job to teach white people. It is my job to listen and learn.