Listened to this with my daughter who is 9 and into horses. I was surprised at what a well written, gripping story this is! Timeless story of love betListened to this with my daughter who is 9 and into horses. I was surprised at what a well written, gripping story this is! Timeless story of love between a boy and his horse. It had us gripping our seats and yelling at the end!...more
I loved all the prior middle ages books in this series, and was worried about not remembering all the characters, but this is a new book set in the eaI loved all the prior middle ages books in this series, and was worried about not remembering all the characters, but this is a new book set in the early 1800s about the dawn of the industrial revolution. Cloth looms are prominent and mechanical looms are just being invented and used to take away jobs from laborers. Was very interesting to read in the context of thinking about what AI is doing/about to do.
People back then had a very different attitude about laborers: "You see, my dear, it’s not good for the laboring classes to learn to read and write,” he said, shifting into paternal mode, the older man dispensing wisdom to utopian youth. “Books and newspapers fill their heads with half-understood ideas. It makes them discontented with the station in life that God has ordained for them."
I quite enjoyed the love stories too and was glad for the happy ending....more
I wanted something light and I heard this is the most popular book on Goodreads right now, so I tried it. I get it. It's going for Hunger Games mixed I wanted something light and I heard this is the most popular book on Goodreads right now, so I tried it. I get it. It's going for Hunger Games mixed with an older version of How To Train Your Dragon, and maybe some Enders Game (war games by kids), and Game of Thrones (sex and dragons) mixed in. It's fast paced and fun. I am fully confident it will make a great movie someday, and it's a bummer book 2 isn't out!
It's not my demographic as the protagonist is a 20 year old female and there is a quite a lot of sex - a genre that Elizabeth coined over 10 years ago as new adult. I struggled with this as there was way too much oogling of the guys and getting "breathless".
But aside from that, some decent world building, and a plucky, tough, smart protagonist who has to go through a lot, and I bet that's a lot of what resonates with readers. ...more
I read this with my 11 year old, and what a beautiful book! You don't know what you are missing until you experience it. Colors, family, love, beauty I read this with my 11 year old, and what a beautiful book! You don't know what you are missing until you experience it. Colors, family, love, beauty - our lives create emotional ups and downs, but that makes them beautiful.
Read while on holiday in Greece, fun to bring it alive a bit more. Nice storytelling and she is a strong writer. Liked the telling of the battle of TrRead while on holiday in Greece, fun to bring it alive a bit more. Nice storytelling and she is a strong writer. Liked the telling of the battle of Troy a lot. I had no idea that it was a 10 year battle (or did she make that up?).
However I agree with this review, which is hilarious btw, that the characters were boring. Patroclus was weak and bland and completely uninteresting, until the very end.
Favorite quote: "“I am Achilles, son of Peleus, god-born, best of the Greeks,” he said. “I have come to bring you victory.” A second of startled silence, then the men roared their approval. Pride became us—heroes were never modest."...more
Wonderfully fun and imaginative book from one of my favorite authors. Emily's book Station Eleven is one of my favorites and that was pre-covid pandemWonderfully fun and imaginative book from one of my favorite authors. Emily's book Station Eleven is one of my favorites and that was pre-covid pandemic - I imagine it reads better now.
This book is a time travel book, but more of a hard sci-fi version, and much more focused on the characters. The shifting storylines threw me in the first half of the book a bit, but then it really picked up, and culminated in a very cool conclusion.
I loved all the little details thrown in from the future, like how there have been many more pandemics after covid-19, like how people forgot what cursive writing is. And of course it makes sense that if time travel was invented that it would be a regulated technology by the government, that part was hilarious.
But what I love about Emily's work is that she focuses on what life is about, what brings people meaning. In this book, that is summarized in this quote:
For years I have been aware of this series as after the Harry Potter phenomenon it exploded. It's HP but with Greek gods instead of witches & wizards.For years I have been aware of this series as after the Harry Potter phenomenon it exploded. It's HP but with Greek gods instead of witches & wizards. But my 9yo recently read it and loved it, and insisted I read it before we watched the movie together. So I did - and it was enjoyable! I really liked how it taught you about the Greek gods.
Side note: Rick Riordan has a negative opinion of some things that I have a positive opinion of - namely Los Angeles and Opera - bizarre!...more
Finally finished this series! The show on Netflix was great to binge watch, this book series was also great to binge read :). I learned a ton about 8/Finally finished this series! The show on Netflix was great to binge watch, this book series was also great to binge read :). I learned a ton about 8/9th century England, which was at the time a series of Kingdoms: Wessex, Mercia, Northumbria, East Anglia, and of course, Scotland and Wales. This is the story of how they became united into one country, Englaland.
It's also a story of continuous wars and shield walls and norse vs saxons, etc. It got very repetitive. But I did appreciate Uhtreds ability to win wars by thinking a few moves ahead of his enemy. I also liked learning about the culture, because it was very much a violent one, with little rule, which meant the strong preyed on the weak.
(view spoiler)[I really wanted more with Aethelflaed and Uhtred! That seemed to fizzle way too fast, and I think could have led to interesting things. (hide spoiler)]
Overall, interesting for me because I have English roots to see how the Norsemen (Danes, Norse, etc) and the Saxons intermixed and became one people. ...more
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