patmeal's reviews
24 reviews

Everything about this story is so dense and complicated - I reached the final page and still didn’t have any kind of grasp on the political/religious/magic system. The classic book 1 fantasy trope of Protagonist Doesn’t Know Stuff was even more frustrating because of this, the I’ll-tell-you-laters just kept piling up and kept me from rooting for any of the characters. 

I picked this up because the full story is supposed to be exciting and wonderful etc, but book 2 is 600+ pages and book 3 is almost 800 pages and I don’t think I have it in me to get through all of that, sadly.

I get it, I understand why people love it, but I wish I didn’t have to sit through incel rhetoric for 40 out of 100 pages on an otherwise perfectly pleasant Sunday afternoon 

Dystopian/post apocalyptic novels published from like 2016 onward are difficult for me to internalize and evaluate. They always feel too on the nose and borderline schlocky/preachy to me almost regardless of the author’s skill and execution. 

This one is pretty well written, with a fantastic main character, but still veers into This Is A Lesson a few too many times for my tastes. I still recommend it though as a short read/thought exercise - you might be less resistant to the concept and get more from it than I did.

I'm not sure La Nora has done a trilogy quite like this - just centered on one main character and plot. So much of this book felt like Groundhog Day, with the main character waking up, cooking, working, going to bed, getting haunted at 3 AM, rinse and repeat. Even The Anticipated Event they all prepared for over several chapters went by in a few unmemorable pages. Just very clearly treading water after the setup of book 1 and before the payoff in book 3. zzzzz

This was riveting. The story and setting are so bleak and kind of horrifying, but the character POV and writing style are hauntingly beautiful in a completely unpretentious way. I’ll be thinking about it for a long time and will likely come back to it every few years, highly recommend.

I was mostly lukewarm on the first two - I found the characters and the unique fantasy world just interesting enough to push through to see how it will all end. But this one absolutely delivered and I'm glad I committed to reading the full trilogy. It was SO fun and exciting, during the battles I was flailing my arms and cheering as if I was at a sports game. Just really really wonderful character journeys, fascinating lore, thrilling action, a satisfying soupcon of romance, and just everything a trilogy ender should be. I love this weird little family!!!!!

This one is truly a 5 star read but I’m taking away half a star because of my one (1) completely unreasonable and childish caveat re: the ending. 

This had elements of an excellent romance, but it simply didn’t work for me. Too many Big Dramatic Moments and not enough of the in-between life stuff that showed what their relationship was like beyond the dysfunction and lust. Very strong writing though, and I really enjoy Ava Wilder’s inside baseball-y Hollywood stuff. 

Every paragraph of this book was endlessly fascinating to me, there were just so many incredible facts that have been discovered and studied over the centuries, and even more things we don't know to this day. I consider myself a very curious and inquisitive person, but wow everything here opened my eyes and my heart even more to these amazing animals and the world we share. I immediately loaned Ed Yong's only other book - I really admire the compassion, humor, and technical yet accessible way he writes. 

This almost made me wish I was a sensory biologist who studied these animals too. I love science actually!!!!!

Adored this. Simply floored by the kindness that Eve and Jacob kept showing each other, every time, even at their peak belligerent bickering. Reading about them figuring out how they fit and falling in love and being perfectly imperfect for each other was just so sweet and joyful. 

I know this is a classic of the genre and one of the most lauded novels of all time but jesus christ it was a complete bore. The POV was so opaque and emotionless and unengaging that I fell asleep multiple times despite the multiple plot twists. And of course the 19 year old ingenue falls in love and ruins her life for the 50 year old washed up spy. Spare me