Just over a day it took me to read this. I've never read a fantasy (well, mythology) book that quick. TheRead for the One Readathon to Rule Them All.
Just over a day it took me to read this. I've never read a fantasy (well, mythology) book that quick. The reason being i have a short attention span; the book must gain and keep my attention throughout the whole book for me to read it quicker. Basically, what I'm trying to say is I was completely invested in this story thus having read it so fast.
I loved the writing style - how it felt so... Iliad-y while being really quite refreshing, too.
The main thing I didn't like was the representation of the men of Greek mythology. I've been a major Greek mythology nerd ever since I was tiny. Seeing these heroes represented as abusive, sexist or slobs hurt. To be fair, some were, in fact, most were, and the author isn't mythologically incorrect, but it still hurt. TBH I wasn't too comfortable of how the author represented men in general. Jus' sayin'. ...more
This is not a cheery story. If you go into this knowing that, then it'll prepare you for what goes down in this book. It's safe to bet that my now mosThis is not a cheery story. If you go into this knowing that, then it'll prepare you for what goes down in this book. It's safe to bet that my now most hated character is Alec d'Urberville but nothing could have prepared me for that twist at the end! (That's the good thing about classics, there's normally no social media posts about to spoil you) But I am, as I'm sure a lot of people were, dissatisfied with the ending! Thomas Hardy was obviously trying to get people to see, in his time, what an injustice was done to women who got pregnant before marriage. So I'm not salty about the ending, I'm just feeling slightly... annoyed? Cheated? I'm just going to go with unsatisfied...
I read this half with physical half with audio....more
This book reminds me why I love to read. To experience what the characters are experiencing. To feel what the characters are feeling. For it to actually seem like I'm not reading in bed at all, I'm with the characters in their world instead.
I had so many emotions running through me while reading this. I laughed. I cried. I squealed. I swooned. I screamed. I yelled. This book was just pure *magic*
Of course, I did not like some parts: The three different POVs when all I wanted to do was read with Lazlo's POV, those long and tiresome scenes with Thyon Nero, and (view spoiler)[how I still feel like I need to know how Minya's feeling now with the aftermath of all that - I thought we needed a bit more conclusion in Minya's POV (hide spoiler)] But I will read this again and again and I will never get tired. The writing is gorgeous. The world magical. The characters worth dying for, and the plot absolutely thrilling. I loved this so so much and just can't write a constructive review right now. Aghghghgh I just love this so damn much! 💕📚...more
I think everyone knows how this story goes, but if not, first off, what-the-heck go read this book, and second off, there will be spoilers in this review.
I was always planning on reading this the moment I watched the BBC TV show, but I'd never gotten the chance to read the book, mostly because I thought that since I've rewatched the show millions of times, that I knew the story-line off by heart, I could postpone reading the actual book. I'm so glad I didn't put back reading it further! This book is a masterpiece. I write reviews for books I hate, "liked-but-had-problems-with", and felt "meh" about, with ease. But when I read a book that I found no flaws with, that I loved completely, I find it extremely hard to come up with a review that'll do it's justice. This book was so, so good. i completely loved it! It was romantic, funny, and Austen's wit is what I live for. The writing was rich, but perfectly comprehensible.The best part was the characters. They all felt so real!
[image]
Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, oh my word. His sarcasm and her stupidity were the excellent mix; they left me splitting my sides open laughing!
Oh and then *Mr. Darcy* O_O
[image]
(This is the most British gif ever.^) I can't gush enough of him that hasn't already been gushed,. He's the best, love him.
[image]
There were many deep topics explored in this and I loved how Austen worked them into the story <3 I've recently been to Jane Austen's burial place in Winchester Cathedral and been inside where the BBC filmed Pemberley (the inside of Pemberley and the outside were filmed in different locations) which added to the coolness of the book. And the ending was so satisfying. Especially how the snobs were snubbed.
[image]
Oh yes and because
[image]
Now excuse me while I binge watch the BBC adaptation for the millionth time....more
I don't know why I rated it so low, it was great fun. By the way, this is a really old and bad review, ugh and cringey.
3.5 stars
Warcross was super eneI don't know why I rated it so low, it was great fun. By the way, this is a really old and bad review, ugh and cringey.
3.5 stars
Warcross was super energetic and entertaining and you could probably read it in one day...the thing is...that's all it was. Maybe my expectations were too high or maybe the hype surrounding the book was too much, but I feel like the book didn't reach its potential. I'm still waiting for the peak of the climax even though we got one.
Possible spoilers below
The book's not exactly original and, at least for me, it felt predicable. "What?" you say, "What about that big plot twist at the end?" Yes, well, believe it or not, the cover art spoiled that plot twist for me, though i was already expecting something like that to happen. You see, (view spoiler)[ it says on my copy, "Hunter, Player, Hacker, Pawn." I was about 1/3 into the book when I studied the cover art and read the words again. Emika had already been a bounty hunter for the police, had already been a player in the virtual world, and now she was a hacker for Hideo, and because Hideo was so mysterious, I just knew that she was also Hideo's pawn (I'm never repeating that out loud). And I've read plenty of virtual reality and hacker-filled books to know people who create video games have more than money on their minds. You see where this is heading? Because it was unoriginal, it made itself predicable.
There was something that wasn't predicable and that was Sasuke being Zero, but like, what?Why isn't he with Hideo, surely he knows that's his brother? Unless, he's been brainwashed too and that's he's motive for him trying to stop the mind-controlling because he doesn't want anyone else to have no memory like him, I don't know! (hide spoiler)]
I didn't get the romance between Hideo and Emika, it was way too rushed and I really did not see any chemistry at all. Emika's a really nice name though, and rainbow coloured hair is definitely going to make me remember her, if nothing else does. I also really liked the writing. It was easy and well-done, and moved quickly with the plot.
I know I've dumped quite a negative review here but I still really enjoyed Warcross. It was a super fun read and got me out of another bookslump and into a book bingeing mode, but yeah... that's all it was....more
Edit 11/2/19: It's only been 6 months and already I'm planning on rereading the duology. I've never read anything like it - Laini Taylor's imaginationEdit 11/2/19: It's only been 6 months and already I'm planning on rereading the duology. I've never read anything like it - Laini Taylor's imagination is what I aspire to be like 💕
“It was impossible, of course. But when did that ever stop any dreamer from dreaming.”
Have you ever finished a book that was so good that you slowly close the last page and sit in silence for the next 2 hours? Yeah. That was how it was with me. I guess now I'll make a review for this book. Oh goodness, where do I begin? This was beautiful. That's all I know for sure. The writing was magical and poetic. Everything about this book was magical and poetic, in fact. But I've read some negative reviews, and can understand why this book wasn't for everyone. It was a slow burn. Made slower by tons of descriptions. I have to say, I love descriptive stories, even though they take me months to read. This book especially isn't for those impatience for action. It takes until page 317 for it to really get going, it took me just over a month to finish it. But let's move over to the good stuff. Lazlo. Lazlo was a phenomenal character. I loved how he was strong and masculine and sensitive and caring. In these days, people often associate masculinity with violence, we need more books like this to show that masculinity doesn't mean violent or brash, being masculine means being chivalrous and sensitive and strong, not always in physical strength, but also morally strong. Lazlo was a little naive in the beginning--okay, maybe very naive but boy, did that changed in the end. THE ENDING *hyperventilates* okay it's a little too soon to talk about The Ending, but have no doubt I will.
Spoilers from here on!
Lazlo and Sarai's relationship was adorable. Just for an example,
"All godspawn have gifts." "Godspawn?" "That's what they call us." "Spawn, though. It doesn't suit. That's the off-spring of fish or demons." "The intent, I believe, is the latter." "Well, you're a singularly unhorrible demon, if I may say so." "Thank you, that's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me." "Well, I have at least a hundred nicer things to say and am only prevented by embarrassment."
Talking of relationships, I didn't get the thing that happened with Ruby and Feral. It was kind of pointless because it ended on a cliffhanger. And, correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems now no one wants Feral now he got desperate and went with Ruby who never loved him in the first place. Was that trying to show that it's best to wait for someone worthy of your love rather than throwing it away to anyone, or is Taylor going to do something else with it in the next book?
There were a few deep topics explored in this book as well, like the Lokibabies one (so called because it says blue babies and all I can think of when it says blue babies is Loki when he was a frostgiant baby) ANYWAY, would you kill thirty Lokibabies and end a species to save yours?
"What would they do with children who would grow up into a new generation of tormentors?" To which Lazlo returned, "...if they had been embraced with love and raised with love, they wouldn't become tormentors."
I must say though, the first chapter made me a tad uncomfortable. There were these horrid monks who were quite abusing to the orphans, but Taylor used Catholic terms and names of devotions for their religion stuff
[image]
I did not feel comfortable with that and was glad when it was over. I really don't get YA religion in books. It's like the author wants some "ancient religion" in their book but doesn't think it through and just says, "These guys believe this, this and this, because...because they do." What I want to know is why they believe it and what exactly it is that they do believe. The author probably doesn't think it matters to specify and add detail to what religion they have in their world, but to me, I find it really interesting and I find it helps build that world they're creating. Also, the anatomy of their bodies. I may have missed this but where does it give an explanation for why they have two hearts? Are all the "humans" in this not really humans but another race entirely? If you're going to add something like that, authors, please explain WHY.
Okay, now we're getting to The Ending. *Hyperventilates* Okay, okay, I can do this, I can relive this for just enough time to write something in my review... I was reading The End in the car (obviously, I wasn't driving ;'P) listening to Never Give Up On Your Dreams and it fit so perfectly I was almost crying! (view spoiler)[ I literally thought Sparrow was the one who fell from the citadel so I was like nah it's fine, and then it hit me with THAT and I can't! Why is Taylor so inconsiderate to my feelings?! And then Minya catches her ghost and brings her to life and Lazlo is telling himself that it's going to be okay and he is going to be like that guy who made peace with the fact he couldn't embrace the moon, all the while I'm internally screaming at Minya because I knew exactly what was going to happen, and IT HAPPENED, AND THEN IT ENDED every booknerd's nightmare: the Cliffhanger. And now I'm going to have to wait until October until the next one? How DARE you Taylor!? (hide spoiler)] The Ending destroyed me. You could say the whole book did, too. Magical, poetic, beautiful, one of the best books I've read this year.
Ugh, I hate leaving reviews so late! I read this in August, so bare with if this review is awful... So, this is meant to be a retelling of the Arabian Ugh, I hate leaving reviews so late! I read this in August, so bare with if this review is awful... So, this is meant to be a retelling of the Arabian Nights, I believe. Well, I did not know that until I read the book, and if I did then you can be sure my rating would be at least one star lower. The writing was gorgeously lush though and the romance was to die for (even though I felt that it needed to be more of a slow burn. It was ridiculous the way Shazi suddenly began to swoon over the man who killed her best friend!) Other than that, well, I'm just fuzzy on what actually happened in the book... that can't be a good sign. Overall, I loved the world, the writing, the romance, and that's all I can remember. The rest I'm having trouble remembering!...more
So, right after reading Great Expectations I sat down to write a review. It's hard. It's hard being a reviewer when sometimes you can't seem 4.5 stars
So, right after reading Great Expectations I sat down to write a review. It's hard. It's hard being a reviewer when sometimes you can't seem to transfer your feelings into words. This book was everything I needed at this moment. I've always been a lover of Dickens' writing style and this one proved no exception. I did have a few problems with it like that there were so many characters to keep track of and the middle half seemed to drag. But I loved how everything clicked into place at the end and argh, the whole ending just made me tear up.
I read half of this with an ebook and the other half with an audiobook...more
ehhhh i don't know whether to give this a 4 or 3 stars, especially because of tHAT eNDING. The plot had me hooked but it also kinda dragged? Also the ehhhh i don't know whether to give this a 4 or 3 stars, especially because of tHAT eNDING. The plot had me hooked but it also kinda dragged? Also the insta love (though explanatory) reeeally got on my nerves. All in all, it was really original and though I hate reading books about angels and demons (its been done to death) i was pleasantly surprised.
(view spoiler)[aND OMG THEY CAN RESURRECT SOULS. DOES THIS MEAN SARAI FINDS KAROU AND GETS TO LIVE WITH LAZLO IN A REAL BODY?!!?!?!??! MAKE IT HAPPEN TAYLOR. WE NEED A SERIES/TRILOGY WITH ALL THE CHARACTERS FROM BOTH SERIES!1!! (hide spoiler)]
before reading: I read this while I was reading 5 other books at the same time and they all got jumbled in ma head. I definitely want to give this another go though. Especially since reading strange the dreamer....more
Wow, I haven't rated a book so high in a long time. I really enjoyed this book and it is possibly one of my favourite fantasy books I've read4.5 stars
Wow, I haven't rated a book so high in a long time. I really enjoyed this book and it is possibly one of my favourite fantasy books I've read this year. But that doesn't mean it was perfect. One of my main reasons for the said statement above is that I didn't particularly like the characters. Alina I found to be a bit brattish and wimpy and constantly making me cringe. But I'm not going to hold that against her just yet because the trilogy isn't over and she might just go through some character development. Mal I did not like in the beginning but as the story progressed, I found myself really liking him. (But I still think he should go through some character development too) The Darkling (auto-correct changed that to the Darling xD), (view spoiler)[ well,... yes like probably everyone else I was seduced by his charm, SPOILER I knew he was going to turn out evil or just end up being a jerk but a part of me still likes him even though I hate him (I'm turning into Alina now) (hide spoiler)] That was my thoughts on the characters, but I also had problems with the world. I loved the fact that this was a fasted paced book, but that also meant that it didn't have time for the world-building. I was left wondering what, exactly, is the world like? Also the religion, I am really confused. Are the "saints" like their gods? Because they say phrases like "saintsforsaken" "Saints above" etc. So instead of gods they have saints? Or are their saints just what the word usually implies? (They were just people who lived good lives once?) So, do they just pray to them? Or do they worship them? What are the rules in this world? I have too many questions!
Besides from these "little" problems I was really invested in the plot and I loved the writing! I really recommend reading this because, despite the problems I had with it, it was a fascinating, addictive, fantastic read!
I am becoming obsessed with fantasy art and I've found some that I think best reflects the characters image (or how I imagined them like ;)) Credit to the artists! (I'm sorry but I couldn't find the people responsible for these amazing artworks) The Darkling: (I had another Darkling in my status update, but I like this one better)
[image]
Alina (I chose this one because it says in the book that Alina is plain looking)
[image]
Mal (Now imagine a blond version of this)
[image]
:)...more
Loading...
