bumblemee's reviews
219 reviews

I'm unsure of what to make of this - it sucked me in and I read it really fast, because I wanted to uncover what happened. I expected something different than what this ended up being and that disappointed me a little. The reveal was underwhelming to me, since I saw it coming and hoped to get a bit more of an explanation

a bit more of actual family dynamics or the "why" in general - you can guess the why, but I would've liked a little more "meat to it", if that is the correct saying here

.

However, the twist wasn't the fascinating thing in here, it was more of Merricat's voice and her anxieties, it was interesting to uncover more and more how her mind works. She sounds way younger than she is, the way she personified objects for example and the magical thinking of course.

It took a little while for me to understand that Constance isn't the one making the rules, but Merricat puts these rules on herself, always becoming more rigid. Then the rituals she believes are protecting her and her sister. The way this safe space shrinks over time. It's a very smart exploration of mental illness in my opinion and I liked the book a lot for it.

Maybe I'll love it more if I should ever read it again, I'd like to see how some things read after knowing how the story ends. Until then, I can say I liked it, but hoped to love it. 

If I read this before reading Six of Crows a few years ago, it would've saved me a lot of confusion. This book does a great job at introducing readers to the Grishaverse.
This feels like the essence of a YA fantasy novel and I had a lot of fun with it. Training sequences, a young heroine coming into her power - great. The pacing was fast, yet it felt a little random at times. For the most part though, I liked how much thought went into building the plot itself, even though I would've liked a little more build up for a certain thing.

I was a little disappointed that the big twist in the middle was simply this scene with Baghra, who explains a lot of things to Alina and then sends her off. I get that Alina didn't see it coming and was pulled in by the Darklings charisma. Still, I would've liked it if she found out some things by herself.

I also like that the author - no surprise there - doesn't shy away from letting her protagonist make morally questionable decisions. A lot of people shy away from that, especially in YA.

All in all I enjoyed my time reading and will probably continue somewhen, even if it's not my top priority right now. 

I am a simple asexual girlie: You give me dragons -> I am happy.

I first read this book in 2008, when I was 12, and remembered it as one of my favorite books ever. Given that I remembered very little of what actually happened though, I decided to finally reread it - and I am so happy to say I still love it.

Are there a lot of things I'd be annoyed at if I read it for the first time now? Yes. Did I care now? Not really. I see why I loved this book so much when I was younger, even though I am pretty sure in hindsight that a lot of things went over my head, starting with all those french names I wouldn't have been able to translate or know how to pronounce and ending with any actual knowledge concerning the Napoleonic Wars. (Sad to say the latter hasn't changed, history isn't my thing, I fear.)
Still, if you write a story about dragons forming an unbreakable bond with their riders, you got my attention instantly. I fell in love again with every one of those bonds - except for one of them of course

looking at you, Rankin, you absolute asshole

. I got really attached to the dragons in particular, they are simply wonderful.

I cried so hard when Levitas died, he was so such a sweetheart.

Laurence is one of those well-rounded characters that are hard to not like. He is full of benevolent sexism (given the time period that's accurate though, I guess) and a little arrogant at times, but you can tell that he has a big heart. His aspiration to always be a Gentleman and his helplessness in social situations that are awkward for him are a little cute even. These flaws just make him a believable character. I also love how good he is with children, it warms my heart.
Same goes for Temeraire. He also thinks a bit too highly of himself sometimes, but you can't hold it against him. In the end he's just so, so wonderful. It was always very entertaining to see how his intelligence and his view of the world clashed with the way humans build their society. I really hope this develops further and humans start to see that dragons should indeed have more of a say in a lot of things. They treat them with respect and see them as friends in a lot of ways, but in the end, humans still feel entitled to see dragons as some kind of super-pet. ... As said, I hope that changes as the series goes on. (I dnf-ed the second one back then, because I thought it was boring. I'll try again.)

The plot was interesting and found a good balance between exposition, letting Laurence adjust to his new situation, and an exciting plot around the Napleonic Wars going on. 

Ngl, I'm a little sad this series is over now. I listened to all of them back to back and had a great time with these books.

This is a cleverly constructed story, a lot of little things have been forshadowed and build up to since book one. Really well handled. There were a lot of great moments in here and the story made sense, still I felt like it fell a liiiiittle flat. I can't really explain it, but I hoped for a bit more of an epic moment for the ending. I also didn't enjoy the dual time line that much, it took me out of the story sometimes and the one that took place in the past took a little too much time. There was interesting information there, but I would've liked it to move a little faster.

I also liked how this fantasy plot still had a message about what it means to be human

like how flaws and emotions, the good and the bad, make us human

.

All in all I am happy with this conclusion though!

Liked it a lot! - It was a bit faster paced than the first one, which I enjoyed. I listened to the German audio book and still really liked the narrator.

I really love the found family in this one, how loyal they are to one another. The plot also thickens and is really interesting. The magic system is still great as well, it's the perfect mixture between clear rules and a little soft on the edges to make it interesting, you don't really know everything that is and isn't possible, but everytime something new is introduced it doesn't seem far fetched. (We've seen the most of it in book one, but this book made me realize even more why I enjoy the magic so much in this series.) 

I'm gonna move on to book three now :)

... hm. idk, feelings are mixed. 

i liked that this explores the messiness of relationships and how you can sometimes be an asshole without wanting to be. because that is what it feels like to read this. ben and arthur and arthur especially really have a lot of moments in this book that make you want to shake them, because they can't figure their feelings out and are hurting others in the process. - while that is hard to read, it felt realistic. people aren't always capable of behaving in the best way possible, even if someone on the outside can see where they go wrong.

honestly? mikey is the sweetest person ever and really didn't deserve arthurs behavior in any way, i got so frustrated sometimes. when jessie was like "mayyybe don't reconnect with your ex - especially not in the same place you first met when you had this "the universe" fate thing going on - while knowing your boyfriend is insecure about that" and arthur didn't even hesitate ... god, i was annoyed. yes, nobody can forbid you to meet someone, but ... without even second guessing it? really, arthur?? - i'm glad he reflects on that later, but still. the break up scene broke my heart, i just wanted to hug mikey so badly. and glad that he got at least a bit angry.

the thing is though: you're supposed to root for them to get back together. and i was like: hm, i don't really care. i said in my review of the first book that i didn't really get invested in the romance, but i did think they were a cute couple. well, for the most part of this book, they weren't a couple and i honestly didn't really feel like they should become one again. i didn't really buy the "happy forever" kind of thing for them. also, i thought the book was a little too long and the ending a little too much... but it fit the story, i guess.

all in all i did like the exploration of relationship dynamics, even though i didn't enjoy the eventual romance that much. but that's okay. i was entertained and got through this book quite fast for the most part, it dragged on a bit sometimes. 

This was so cute!! 

The setting is very cozy and interesting at the same time. I liked how AI was explored/discussed here. Clara and Sal were both cute characters and I liked their dynamic - maybe I would've liked it if Clara had a little more room to grow with Sal as it is the other way around, but I was still into this very sweet romance <3

I liked this one a lot, but can't really put my finger on why that is. I'll try. There are a lot of badass women and girls involved, which is always great. As well as the setting of an institution where said girls learn from said women. I love these types of scenes where characters train and find their power, it's simply a lot of fun. While this book is pretty dark, it is less gore and brutality heavy than I thought it would be, which is also great, especially since it doesn't lose it's rather dark tone because of that. (Also, the German narrators voice is relatively warm, which sometimes clashes with the writing, but I liked it, because it made it easier for me to like the characters.)
Even though the magic system is pretty soft, I still enjoyed it a lot. Cool powers, interestingly told, thumbs up.

But I do think that this book would've been much harder to get through if I read it instead of listening to the audio book, because it is sooooo slow. There's barely plot, it feels like an entire book of exposition for the most part. Getting to know the characters (though I have to admit that I still mix up the nuns a bit), their training, watching them bond etc. ... I mean, it is entertaining, but if you're there for a lot of plot, you will be disappointed. A lot of scenes are not necessary to get the point across/tell the story. The little bit of plot that is in there is great though. But as said, if I read a physical copy it would've taken me forever and I honestly don't know if I'd liked it as much.

Puh, das war emotional. Ich habe mehrere Male Tränen in den Augen gehabt, was mich wirklich etwas überrascht hat. Das ist mein sechstes Buch dieser Autorin und das erste, bei dem das so war. Vielleicht, weil einfach einige Themen sehr nah an mir dran sitzen. 
Caros Angst vor dem Ende der Schulzeit und vor Veräderungen zum Beispiel. Ich konnte mich da so, so gut reinfühlen. Ebenso wie es ist, eine cis Person zu sein, die den Transitions-Prozess einer trans Person miterlebt. - Minus die spezifischen Dinge, die man nur erlebt, wenn man mit einer trans Person in einer romantischen/sexuellen Beziehung ist. Aber alles andere kommt mir sehr bekannt vor und ich hatte das Gefühl, gut aufgehoben zu sein in dieser Geschichte. Man merkt, dass da viel Authentizität drinnen steckt aufgrund der eigenen Erfahrungen der Autorin und ihrer Zusammenarbeit mit Paaren, die ähnliches erlebt haben. 
Außerdem sind Enden einfach immer emotional, solange man sich nicht zwingend darauf freut. 

Objektiv betrachtet würden mir schon Dinge einfallen, die ein bisschen an den fünf Sternen kratzen - wie z.B. diese kleinen Interaktionen, die einfach ein bisschen zu "geschrieben" wirken. Wenn Lou mal wieder altbackene Wörter verwendet und das von Caro innerlich oder auch von Charakteren im Dialog erwähnt wird. Ich würde denken, daran sind mittlerweile alle so gewöhnt, inklusive der Lesenden, die die ersten beiden Bände gelesen haben, dass es keiner weiteren Erwähnung bedarf. Das sind ganz kleine Dinge, die mir aber einfach manchmal auffallen und so eine kleine Distanz zwischen mir und dem "Realitätsgefühl" schaffen, wenn das Sinn ergibt. Aber ganz ehrlich, so sehr, wie ich bei diesem Buch mitgefühlt habe, werden für sowas keine 4,75 Sterne aus den gegebenen 5. 
War sehr, sehr schön zu lesen und ich denke, wer sich noch nicht so gut mit Transitions-Prozessen auskennt, kann auch wirklich einiges an Informationen mitnehmen.

Dieses Buch ist für mich eins von denen, die eigentlich gar nichts falsch, sondern viel mehr sehr viel richtig gemacht haben, mit denen ich aber aus persönlichen Vorlieben heraus einfach nicht ganz warm werden konnte.

Ich fand es an sich sehr witzig, wie hier diese Frage nach großer Literatur, diese elitäre Wahrnehmung scheinbar unfehlbarer Autoren (mit Absicht nicht Autor:innen an dieser Stelle) auf die Schippe genommen wird. Wie die Charaktere ihre Monologe halten (obwohl sie meist gar nicht reden, dazu kommen wir gleich), in denen sie ständig versuchen, hoch wichtig und deep zu klingen, die Debatte über den ersten Satz, der Unterschied zwischen "wahrer Literatur" und Unterhaltung. Fand ich alles ansprechend und wunderbar absurd erzählt. Außerdem fand ich, dass der Autor manchmal Dinge einfach großartig formulieren kann. Z.B. der Ausdruck "er fiel mir mit seinem Blick ins Wort": ich habe sofort ein präzises Bild im Kopf, viel interessanter hervorgerufen, als hätte dort sowas gestanden wie "er warf mir einen Blick zu, der mich verstummen ließ". How lame in comparison. Und solche Momente gibt es öfter.

Trotzdem hatte ich das Gefühl, ich hätte das Ganze lieber als Theaterstück gesehen. Ich hatte eh oft quasi ein Bühnenbild mit Inszenierung im Kopf. ... Hab dann den Autor gegoogled und der Typ ist Dramaturg, also gar kein Wunder. 
Das hätte mir einige meiner Struggle erspart. Es ist nämlich so, dass das Lesen für mich recht anstrengend war aus folgenden Gründen: Zum Einen sind die Kapitel relativ lang mit ihren zumeist 20 bis 30+ Seiten, zum Anderen sind die Szenen innerhalb der Kapitel sehr lang, es gibt wenige Absätze mit Leerzeilen. Gleichzeitig wird Gesprochenes in fast allen Fällen nicht in Anführungszeichen gesetzt, weil die Charaktere oft auch gar nicht selbst sprechen, sondern vom Protagonisten quasi nacherzählt werden. Und das, was sie sagen, ist wiederum häufig pseudo-tiefsinnige Gedankenkotze. Dadurch wird häufig auch kein Punkt gesetzt, wo eigentlich einer hingehört, sondern stattdessen ein Komma. Das verstärkt dann den sicherlich komplett intendierten Eindruck eines gesprochenen Monologes einer Person, die sich richtig in Fahrt redet, aber es führt auch dazu, dass teilweise über zwei Seiten kein einziger Punkt gesetzt wird. 
Und na ja, sowas ist für mich halt leider einfach ganz anstrengend zu lesen. Ich brauche das Gefühl, vorwärts zu kommen und Gedanken (durch Punkte) beenden zu können.
Außerdem sind die Charaktere alle nicht dazu da, um eine enge Bindung zu ihnen aufzubauen, sie dienen eher der Darstellung der Debatte, um die es eben in diesem Buch geht. Völlig in Ordnung, weil zielführend, aber auch etwas, was nicht dazu führt, dass ich mich an ein Buch gebunden fühle.

Wem diese Sachen jedoch nichts ausmachen, der:die wird eine noch bessere Zeit mit diesem Buch haben als ich. Ich bin froh, es gelesen zu haben, auch wenn es mich ein bisschen Nerven gekostet hat.

Außerdem: Es gibt einen Charakter, aus dem ich nicht ganz schlau geworden bin. Seine Frau deutet an, er sei schwul, aber er selbst sagt an einer Stelle Dinge, die für mich eher für sehr sex-repulsed Asexualität sprechen. Ich als ace Person bin da natürlich völlig für und hab mich gefreut, ich bin nur irgendwie nicht sicher, ob der Autor das so intendiert hat, aber eigentlich klingt es so :D
Hier ein Ausschnitt:

[...] "Sex" ist nicht mein Genre, es ist nicht einmal das Genre neben meinem, es ist kein Thema für mich, obwohl ich weiß, dass "Sex" ein Thema ist, immer und überall, aber eben nicht meins, ich will damit nichts zu tun haben, ich will nicht einmal in den Verdacht kommen, etwas damit zu tun haben zu wollen, und wenn ich auf der Welt der Einzige bin, dann bin ich eben anders, wenn "Sex" das Thema überhaupt ist, dann habe ich halt das Thema verfehlt, dann ist "Thema verfehlt" vielleicht die Überschrift meines Lebens, aber ich bin stolz drauf, versteht ihr, es war ein langer Weg bis dahin, aber endlich, ja, doch, bin ich stolz darauf!