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A review by malloryfitz
Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor
5.0
Premise (4/5)- I was definitely hooked at the end of book 2, but not necessarily anymore than I was at the end of book 1. Still, I was super excited for book 3! I loved the setup and the gamechangers of book 2 and was really excited to see those things play out in book 3.
Characters (5/5)- The characters are probably my favorite part of this entire series. There was SO MUCH great character development in this book, from Karou and Akiva and their relationship, to the continued development of Liraz and Ziri, the familiar presence of some of my favorite characters like Miz and Zuzana (who are just so unbearably cute), excellent villains like Jael and *spoiler* Esther, and the introduction of new characters like Eliza and Scarab. Watching character interaction is one of my favorite things to read, and not just between romantic interests but between best friends and uneasy allies and bitter enemies and that was all here and just A+ job, if I could give more stars I would!
Plot (5/5)- There were a lot of great plot twists and ideas in this book that were really interesting. First off, I loved that Taylor was able to keep familiar characters involved, like Zuzana and Mik (who I must admit I was worried they would disappear several times in the series, but thankfully they never did) while introducing new characters. The resolution of the seraphim/chimaera war, as well as the outcome of Jael's conquests were quite satisfying and wrapped up nicely. I loved the introduction of the Stelians. Not only were they well written, but the new plotline they introduced was beyond interesting. The idea of *spoilers* all the different universes and the Cataclysm and everything else involved in that was extremely well done! Plot was great!
World (4.5/5)- Something about the world of Eretz never quite clicked fully for me, but in this book, perhaps since they spent more time there, it felt more real. Taylor's portrayal of our world is honest and interesting and I think she does a very good job. I adored the introduction of the various new worlds and the idea that there were thousands out there. It was a little overwhelming to think about, even from outside the pages of the book.
Writing (4.5/5)- I think Taylor's writing is absolutely beautiful. My only complainant is that some of the romance/intimate scenes between Karou and Akiva I admit I may have skimmed or glossed over a little, but I think that's more my lack of interest in reading that sort of thing than a lapse on Taylor's part. Generally I think she's a great writer and her prose is gorgeous.
Overall (5/5)- This is one of the very few trilogies I've read that got progressively better in the later books, and I think that's really hard to do, so I have a ton of appreciation for that. I almost always give the same rating to all the books in a series, so the fact that this trilogy kept raising the bar was super impressive. It took me a while to warm up to this series, but the more I read the more I loved it, so overall a great read! I'm a little sad to see it come to an end, but it was a good end.
Characters (5/5)- The characters are probably my favorite part of this entire series. There was SO MUCH great character development in this book, from Karou and Akiva and their relationship, to the continued development of Liraz and Ziri, the familiar presence of some of my favorite characters like Miz and Zuzana (who are just so unbearably cute), excellent villains like Jael and *spoiler* Esther, and the introduction of new characters like Eliza and Scarab. Watching character interaction is one of my favorite things to read, and not just between romantic interests but between best friends and uneasy allies and bitter enemies and that was all here and just A+ job, if I could give more stars I would!
Plot (5/5)- There were a lot of great plot twists and ideas in this book that were really interesting. First off, I loved that Taylor was able to keep familiar characters involved, like Zuzana and Mik (who I must admit I was worried they would disappear several times in the series, but thankfully they never did) while introducing new characters. The resolution of the seraphim/chimaera war, as well as the outcome of Jael's conquests were quite satisfying and wrapped up nicely. I loved the introduction of the Stelians. Not only were they well written, but the new plotline they introduced was beyond interesting. The idea of *spoilers* all the different universes and the Cataclysm and everything else involved in that was extremely well done! Plot was great!
World (4.5/5)- Something about the world of Eretz never quite clicked fully for me, but in this book, perhaps since they spent more time there, it felt more real. Taylor's portrayal of our world is honest and interesting and I think she does a very good job. I adored the introduction of the various new worlds and the idea that there were thousands out there. It was a little overwhelming to think about, even from outside the pages of the book.
Writing (4.5/5)- I think Taylor's writing is absolutely beautiful. My only complainant is that some of the romance/intimate scenes between Karou and Akiva I admit I may have skimmed or glossed over a little, but I think that's more my lack of interest in reading that sort of thing than a lapse on Taylor's part. Generally I think she's a great writer and her prose is gorgeous.
Overall (5/5)- This is one of the very few trilogies I've read that got progressively better in the later books, and I think that's really hard to do, so I have a ton of appreciation for that. I almost always give the same rating to all the books in a series, so the fact that this trilogy kept raising the bar was super impressive. It took me a while to warm up to this series, but the more I read the more I loved it, so overall a great read! I'm a little sad to see it come to an end, but it was a good end.