This series got better and better! Unfortunately I waited 2 months after finishing the book to write this review (and had a baby during that time) so I am fuzzy on the details, but I was very impressed with this series and was incredibly satisfied with the ending.

There were some incredible moments in these poems, but I wasn‰ЫЄt moved by the whole collection. I‰ЫЄm trying to get better at poetry and this was a start!

Was surprised by my enjoyment and I‰ЫЄm excited to read book 2!

Hard to put my thoughts into words. I would never ever ever have chosen this book to read but it was in Life‰ЫЄs Library. I‰ЫЄm glad I read it and John Green put it the best in his podcast: it‰ЫЄs a book that makes the reader do the work. I‰ЫЄm not used to having to do any work and sometimes it frustrates me as I have very much become an escapist reader.
In summary: ghosts.

LOVED this one - was really curious about what would have happened had Esther left to live with McGraw and Ed...

Reading this weeks after giving birth to my first child allowed for a unique and intense reading experience. The distinct way in which Biss weaves together personal experiences, scientific research, anthropological findings, and metaphors is fascinating mostly in that she manages to do so while making the book read like fiction.
I HIGHLY recommend especially today, at the end of 2020 with a covid vaccine finally making the rounds. Vaccinations are what we owe each other.
‰ЫПImmunity is a shared space - a garden we tend together.‰Ыќ

I first saw this book on a list of books with black lead characters where the plot doesn‰ЫЄt center on them being black. The world is well-structured and the characters are complex, but it felt like there was something missing. Maybe not enough world building, maybe the world felt a little too small for the stakes to be so high. I never understood why Tzain didn‰ЫЄt get any POV chapters. And Inan‰ЫЄs back and forth felt a little unbelievable.
However, I LOVED the magic and the story, and I can‰ЫЄt wait for book 2!

Exactly what I needed for my first book of 2021. Light and fluffy but also girl power and Mr. Darcy vibes. I love authors that can balance romance and relationships with actual political intrigue. I would have more to say if I wasn't so sleep deprived from my baby's 4 month sleep regression!

Very disappointing sequel. The characters had no distinguishing tone and honestly sounded like young teenagers trying to decide the fate of humanity. Not enough time was spent getting to know the setting or anyone‰ЫЄs personality. It was just dialogue, action, dialogue, action. The ending was a hot mess reminiscent of the final Hunger Games book that got unnecessarily dark. There was also a bit of the ‰Ычtoo much gene‰ЫЄ going on with all the new found magic and abilities and revelations. Goodness. I will be skipping book 3.

4.5/5 stars

Wow - one of the most sweeping, epic, grand books I have ever read. It did take me until about a quarter of the way through the book to really feel attached to the story, and I never felt truly 'hooked' in the way I wish I had. I think I yearned for Tane to be a little less of a B character and to have as many scenes as Ead, which would have made sense since they both became equally crucial to the finale.
The skill with which Shannon slowly built the world brick by brick was incredibly impressive. I don't know how you hold a story with that depth in your brain and even start to put it to paper without getting completely lost in side plots, but she did it expertly.
I adored all of the relationships, and I adored that the gay relationships were more important than the straight ones. <3
There were many times I truly felt like it was never going to all come together, which meant that when it finally did it was so satisfying!
There have been times when I felt that a series of books should have just been one book, but I have never had the reverse happen where I felt like one book could have been split into more. Each part I think could have been expanded into its own novel, building to the finale of a trilogy or other. I think it would have allowed for some more exploration and flashbacks which would have gotten me more invested in the characters.
This has been a tough review to write because it's forcing me to figure out what exactly I didn't love that kept me from giving a true 5 stars. I will still highly recommend this to anyone who loves fantasy, it just wasn't exactly what I wanted it to be!