I was betting my soul on this book. Unfortunately, there really isn’t anything positive I can say about it. The two-starFiled under: porn-without-plot
I was betting my soul on this book. Unfortunately, there really isn’t anything positive I can say about it. The two-star rating? Those are pity stars....more
2.5. This entire book gave off the same vibes as that one scene in Aladdin where Jasmine pretended to seduce Jafar, and it made me feel the same way I2.5. This entire book gave off the same vibes as that one scene in Aladdin where Jasmine pretended to seduce Jafar, and it made me feel the same way I feel whenever I watch that scene—oddly hypnotized, but also kind of uncomfortable.
✨ The story—
I would argue that this book's true intention was to be a romance above all else. It's a fantasy-romance and not a romantic fantasy.
That being said, if you're going to read this for action and plot... look away. The plot didn’t really pick up until around 70% in. We don't really get scenes with the FMC (Rune) saving witches, or the MMC (Gideon) hunting witches. A lot of this book was just scheming and playing cat-and-mouse. None of the twists were particularly shocking, either.
The world-building? Practically non-existent. The idea behind the magic system was interesting, but not thoroughly explored. I know nothing about the setting as well.
The romance, though, I thought was actually done pretty well. I enjoyed the push-and-pull between the two MCs, and I found the tension between them to be quite sexy. I liked the blurred lines between the MCs thinking that they were both just playing each other, and the MCs genuinely getting into the flirting. Was it deep and was it love? No. It was attraction. It was a fun time if I think about it like this.
In my mind, I blocked out the love triangle thing. See my little rant section below bc I explained my thoughts on the third member of the love triangle there.
✨ The characters—
The main characters were extremely flat and dry. Again, the book clearly focused too much on the romance between them that it didn't have time to develop them as individuals. We got bits and pieces of Gideon's history with witches, and even less hints at Rune's upbringing. I can't even describe their personalities outside of the generic brooding bro (Gideon) and righteously naive (Rune).
I wish I could tell you about the side characters, but I've forgotten them all already.
✨ The writing and the atmosphere—
The writing was very simplistic, and while that made it very easy to read and very easy to get into the right vibes, this book won't win any points for brilliant writing. It borderlined on choppy sometimes.
✨ Now let me rant about this one thing— (minor spoilers for this section!)
This book was vile for its use of Alex as a plot device. This character had no point in the book other than to be used as a catalyst for actions that the MCs had to do. He had no real personality aside from being "the nice one". I was genuinely pissed at how his character played into the ending. ...more
I’m surprised that this came out in 2020, bc it read like something I would have devoured in 2013.
2.5!
❌ Nothing new in terms of the story. I feel likeI’m surprised that this came out in 2020, bc it read like something I would have devoured in 2013.
2.5!
❌ Nothing new in terms of the story. I feel like I've read this plot a thousand times already. This goes the same for the world as well. ❓ Characters are fine. I didn't feel super attached to them, but I also didn't dislike any of them. We have a bit of diversity in terms of both race and backstories, though, which is always appreciated. ✅ As always with Marie Lu, this was incredibly easy to read. I feel like I've been slogging through my previous reads, so I was surprised that I was able to fly through this one pretty quickly. ❓ It's been a while since I've read anything by Marie Lu, but if my memory serves me correctly, I do know that she's pretty great at making you think politically. I think this one needed a bit more depth with this. ❓ This read a lot younger than I was expecting. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it is something I like to consider before I start reading a book.
Not bad, but also not something I haven’t read before. I hope the next book is better!
All of my feelings about this book contradict each other. The story was unique, yet the flow was ordinary. The characters had some depth, yet I felt nAll of my feelings about this book contradict each other. The story was unique, yet the flow was ordinary. The characters had some depth, yet I felt no attachment to them. The beginning was slow, but the ending was rushed. I'll try to break things down as best as I can.
✅ GORGEOUS world-building and lore I'm not familiar with Slavic folklore at all, so this was a fresh dive for me. The mythology was so interesting, and I loved learning about the creatures, the magic, the world. I can't vouch for this book at all in terms of accuracy of anything, so we'll have to look to other reviewers for that. But from a newbie's perspective -- love!
❓ Okay main characters with lots of trauma Objectively, our main character Liska is great. She's kind but cunning, afraid but determined. The Leszy, I feel, could be a hit-or-miss as a male lead. He's your typical uber-powerful, cold magical boy with white hair. I get that most readers find this type of character to be sexy and attractive, but I'm personally more of a smiley boy type of reader. ANYWAY. On paper, I appreciated both characters, but I didn't really feel any strong connection towards any of them.
✅ Lovable side characters!! Now, the side characters, on the other hand... LOVED them. I was really interested in their personalities... I mean, we have a sentient house, a couple of spirits, a kid that's not really just a kid... a fun cast with distinct personalities. I wish we'd gotten a bit more of their backstories, but the bits and pieces that we got were definitely interesting.
❌ Pacing isn't great The story was incredibly slow for the first 70%, then BAM everything hits you right in the face. There was a lot of build up in the beginning, which is fine, but then the climax was much too rushed in comparison.
❓ Ending is crazy! The ending was impactful and emotional, albeit a little predictable, but also kind of perfect for this book? While not completely satisfying, I feel like any other ending would have felt off or inappropriate. Anyway, prepare your hearts!
Favorite Quotes
Look toward the light, she reminds herself. Then you will not see the shadow behind you.
“What is fate but an excuse to surrender responsibility?”
“There is a thing we do, where we rearrange ourselves, cutting off pieces here and there to fit a mold that was never meant for us. [...] If the world has not prepared a place for you, you must take up a hammer and chisel and carve one out for yourself.”
Also — pretty much the same thoughts on book 1 and this one! I think I liked this just a biiiit more because of the strong AlicTHERE’S A THIRD BOOK?!
Also — pretty much the same thoughts on book 1 and this one! I think I liked this just a biiiit more because of the strong Alice in Wonderland vibes, so this is a bit of a 3.5? Maybe?
I mostly just liked everything, but didn't really love anything. The characters were very caricature-y (which is a given bc this book's literally callI mostly just liked everything, but didn't really love anything. The characters were very caricature-y (which is a given bc this book's literally called Book Lovers, duh), so it was hard to get attached to anyone. Still pretty cute, though. I get why everyone loves this.
3.5! The opening and the ending were fantastic. Everything in between was nice. I think the romance would have felt more organic if we got more of Rom3.5! The opening and the ending were fantastic. Everything in between was nice. I think the romance would have felt more organic if we got more of Roman's POV, though.
Right and wrong. Sin or virtue. Monstrous and holy.
This book was incredibly flawed and often read like fanfiction… but I ATE IT UP! The vibes were
Right and wrong. Sin or virtue. Monstrous and holy.
This book was incredibly flawed and often read like fanfiction… but I ATE IT UP! The vibes were Battle of the Labyrinth meets The Hunger Games, with a sprinkle of yearning, a dash of religious critique, and a cast of autistic characters.
☀ The story was A LOT. The pacing might throw you off because the story starts out really simple with a clear goal and a clear way to get to said goal, then suddenly, towards the end, there are a bunch of "twists" (I'm putting this in quotes because personally, I wasn't too surprised by any of it) that do get kind of crazy. By that point I was already invested in the book enough that the sudden bombardment of events didn't dampen my enjoyment of the book.
☀ The setting? The monsters? Yes yes yes. When I started reading this book, I was picturing the bright sun over a quaint hill where the heroine was, well, fighting a fish-man-monster, then a couple of chapters later, we're literally thrust into hell and I was ALL for it. The atmosphere was dark and gritty, and I had such a blast reading about all of the deadly creatures (should I be saying this?) our MCs encountered.
☀ The characters truly made me love the book despite all of its flaws. I loved being in both Alesta's and Kyr's heads. While they (mostly Alesta) were difficult to like at some points, they were both realistic and relatable characters. Both of them were both weak yet strong, unsure yet determined, selfish yet righteous. It was empowering to see them battle with their own thoughts (and, well, monsters that were physically there) and try to come to terms with who they are.
Maybe the only difference between a monster and a hero was the color of a soldier's uniform.
I think I've discovered a new favorite author. Allison
Maybe the only difference between a monster and a hero was the color of a soldier's uniform.
I think I've discovered a new favorite author. Allison Saft writes such beautiful fantasy romances with heavy doses of political intrigue and genuine character development. ❤
Things I loved:
✨ I had to make an entierly new Goodreads shelf because I love politics, apparently (which is a topic that stresses me out SO MUCH in real life). Allison Saft incorporates themes of duty, loyalty, and patriotism, and mixes them up with the characters' needs of self-preservation, belongingness, and love... and she does this SO WELL that she had my brain churning 'til 2 in the morning thinking about everything.
Wren wasn't a girl made to be alone; solitude armed her with too much to worry about.
✨ I saw myself in Wren Southerland more than I saw myself in any character before... which was a bit jarring, but also incredibly eye-opening. We've had our fair share of "badass" heroines recently, so it was a breath of fresh air to read from the perspective of someone who sees herself as weak. My emotions were a mess as her character developed throughout the book.
✨ HAL CAVENDISH.
✨ I feel like we have a good mix of characters -- we have those who are the softest of the soft and wouldn't hurt a fly, some that are calculating and ruthless, and a few that are in the grey area in between. That being said, not all of them were likeable...
Things I thought could have been better:
✨ I wasn't as attached to the characters as I was with A Far Wilder Magic. I don't know if I wasn't in the right headspace for it, or if it was because I was too similar to the MC that I felt weirdly like I was just an outside observer... so this may just be a me problem.
✨ This isn't a mystery/thriller by any means, but the twists did not twist. Everything was pretty easily predictable, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it would have been nice to have a truly shocking moment here and there.
I'm leaving you all with this quote, with the hope that we can all choose to be kind:
"It takes incredible strength to be kind in this world. To endure suffering instead of further it."
It gave Emily Wilde but for people with shorter attention spans (AKA me). It's really just a cutesy Fae read. Not a lot of substance.
Pre-read: The lasIt gave Emily Wilde but for people with shorter attention spans (AKA me). It's really just a cutesy Fae read. Not a lot of substance.
Pre-read: The last time I LOVED a Fae book was in 2011. Fae books have been okay, bad, or just good since then, so I need something to redeem Fae romances for me! ...more
Here's what I imagine happened: I believe that Rebecca Yarros wanted to write an edgy fantasy book with dragons targeted for a YA audience. She probabHere's what I imagine happened: I believe that Rebecca Yarros wanted to write an edgy fantasy book with dragons targeted for a YA audience. She probably had a word cloud of ideas and no actual details prepared. Fine, maybe there was a rough outline. Her characters were written on the fly, but she knew she wanted a heroine who was not like the other girls. In 2023, she finally decided that it was time to publish her book... but it was missing something... ah, spice is getting really big in the book world. She went back to make her characters adults and made them super horny. And BAM, Fourth Wing was born. ✨
THERE WILL BE SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ONWARDS!
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Do you want to read a book about a bunch of adults (who act and speak like horny teenagers) running around trying to kill each other?
Maybe you do, and I don't blame you because that honestly sounds like a fun time. But personally, I need one basic question answered before I can enjoy this kind of plot: WHY are they trying to kill each other?
In the case of Fourth Wing, there is no point. This book supposedly features the best, the brightest, and the toughest kids adults (I'm going to have a problem with this) going through the dragon riders' quadrant of the Big Bad War College™. This is allegedly the most revered sector of the college, and those who are admitted here are trained in magic and eventually go to war... which is why it makes absolutely NO SENSE why it would be okay for the students to murder each other and lessen their work force. It's so dumb.
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This book features the laziest world-building I've ever encountered. It's wild.
Despite this being the most covetted quadrant, they waste space by conscripting the rebel kids (children of those part of some previous big rebellion I can't remember) into it, who they supposedly do not trust, where they'll be given access to dragons and magic? Make it make sense! Why not give them manual labor jobs if they can't be trusted? Why give them positions that everyone else wants to have?
And yeah, despite everyone supposedly having trained for years to get into this quadrant, nobody seems to know anything about it!The students talk about dragons, dragon riders and the quadrant in ways that make them sound so unsure about everything. If you're willing to risk your life to get in here, shouldn't you have done reseach? Or, if this was such a popular quadrant, shouldn't all of these things be common knowledge? A few examples:
“Plus, I've heard that riders are allowed to marry sooner than the other quadrants,” Dylan adds.
“True. Right after graduation.” If we survive. “I think it has something to do with wanting to continue bloodlines.” Most successful riders are legacies.
“I overhead a third-year say when a first-year survives Threshing unbonded, the quadrant lets them repeat the year and try again if they want.”
I study the map. The Esben Mountain Range is the highest along our eastern border with Braevick, making it the least likely place for an attack, especially since gryphons don't tolerate altitude nearly as well as dragons, probably due to the fact that they're half-lion, half-eagle and can't handle the thinner air at altitudes.
The author also opts out of ever attempting to explain anything the dragons do. Whenever someone has a perfectly reasonable question about the dragons, the response is always just about "respecting one's life" because if they try to ask, the dragons will kill them? (Again, why?) Anyway, this is just an excuse on the author's part because she doesn't want to think of a reasonable response. ...more
Really a 2.5, but rounded up because I'm in denial.
Quick summary of my thoughts right after reading: + The way characters talked about themselves was iReally a 2.5, but rounded up because I'm in denial.
Quick summary of my thoughts right after reading: + The way characters talked about themselves was incredibly realistic. I ran into so many quotes that made me think, Yup, that pretty much sums up how I feel about myself. + I loved the way the author incorporated magic into this. Being able to sew emotions into clothes? *chef's kiss* - The characters constantly went into incredibly repeitive monologues about self-worth and I was just so over it after the second instance. - I know the author likes to focus on character development more than the plot, but there was just a lot of build up for the politics that didn't really see any solid resolution. - I didn't feel as much pain and yearning here as I did with Saft's other books.
This book is fanfiction of the general omegaverse + vamp world. The more I think about this book, the more I hate it. I think that means that I shouldThis book is fanfiction of the general omegaverse + vamp world. The more I think about this book, the more I hate it. I think that means that I should just stop thinking about it... but here's a quick review anyway!
This would be FANTASTIC as a C-Drama (yup, the kind with flying boys, magical bamboo forests and at least 60 episodes), but was way too overwhelming aThis would be FANTASTIC as a C-Drama (yup, the kind with flying boys, magical bamboo forests and at least 60 episodes), but was way too overwhelming as a book.
✨ The world-building was this book's greatest strength, but also its greatest flaw. The author focused on this too much, highlighting details about all these Celestial beings, giving them uniaue stories and whatnot... just to have them be irrelevant to the actual story. A reason why it took me so long to read this was because I was telling myself that I needed to understand everything before moving on, only to be disappointed that I didn't actually need all that information. I appreciated it, though. Everything was definitely amazingly fleshed out for a standalone.
✨ I felt very detached from the characters. Don't get me wrong — they're not badly written by any means. Xue's both curious and courageous, which are both traits I love in a main character. I think the writing style just made it hard for me to really empathize with her. I also kind of found it hilarious how the male lead was always sick/knocked out and therefore absent??? ...more
It would be fucking devastating to find out that you're NOT a legal citizen of the country you've known to be your home for more than a decade of yourIt would be fucking devastating to find out that you're NOT a legal citizen of the country you've known to be your home for more than a decade of your life. I don't know anything about immigration aside from the general it's-WAY-deeper-than-it-seems observation, plus a few stories from family who have experienced the process of it all.
Jimena Ramos's, the MC in Just Say Yes, head basically explodes when she finds out that she's undocumented. She thinks (and does) things that seem kind of insane, but given her situation, my train of thought would probably be similar to hers. I appreciated how she very much came off as a teen in distress (which is what we were promised!), though this made her not-so-likeable at times. She gets a free pass for the most part, though.
The other characters are pretty alright, and they acted in ways that I found to be realistic given the situation. Vitaly's sweet and sympathetic -- he was a great love interest for Jimena. We also have Blue, who's passionate and firm, who shows Jimena the political side of things.
I did like this book for what it was. Did I wish that it were even deeper and more mature? Sure. But it was a nice read overall if you're looking for something short and sweet but also political. (Oh, and another minus one star for the ending. It was way too rushed and incomplete, IMO. Otherwise a good read!)...more
aimee (aimeecanread)
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