penandswordinn's reviews
451 reviews

I was a fan of the first book, despite it’s problems, however I did not like this one at all. The book starts of with stating it can be read as a standalone which I do not agree with. If I hadn’t already read the first book, I wouldn’t be as connected to the characters as I was in this one. I felt the book in it’s entirety was far too dramatic and strayed from the first book because of this.
I loved the focus of fandoms in the first book but this was barely touched in this book, if at all. That’s who Alex is as a whole and I was confused to see this disappear with the sequel. I was also just frustrated with drama between Mark and Alex throughout the book feeling that there was no plot or motivation without this drama. Alex acted far too upset to see Mark move on despite her being the one to end the relationship.
The time jumps were also not helpful to the plot. It felt as if there was no consistent plot to the book with these time jumps and that we were simply jumping around Alex’s life, only to pop in when it was convienent to the plot. Also the “twist” with Mark’s brother felt so out of place in the book with no rhyme or reason besides making Mark look sympathetic.
If you like drama and angst, this may be the book for you but as someone who enjoyed the first book I was very disappointed with this sequel to it.

My first read of Leigh Bardugo and I loved it. A great read if your not looking for anything intense.

A beautiful book about a terrifying time. Highly recommend to anyone looking to see the life of a Jewish survived outside of the concentration camps.

I was a fan of this book when I was younger but did not enjoy it as much this time around. I was not a fan of the comments about foreigners that were made throughout the book and the treatment of people who had disabilities
I also found Creel very annoying. She barely questioned the magic dragon shoes she was given. She was also quite rude for someone of her status. Yes, I think that we should call people out for rudeness but she’s a peasant yelling at a Princess. I thought she would have something holding her back.
Overall I thought it was enjoyable and would recommend to friends looking for a light fantasy book.

I really loved the concept of this book and the execution throughout. I felt the characters were real and a joy to have. The world was unique but had reflections of the real world.

I felt our villain had a solid standing. He wasn’t cartoon evil of brooding evil. He had his reasons and did not waver from them. Emotional and not this all abuse is wrong and if that is a trigger for you, please be aware that this is prominent throughout the book.

I wanted to know so much more about the desert people. What are all their customs? What are the other nomads like? Are they a part of the resistance too?

I did have a few small problems throughout the book.

The first thing I would say was the pace. At one point in the book we skip months ahead with very little information as to what happened in those months. It would’ve been nice to have little snippets of simple life in the kingdom before the resistance comes in. Also the story slows down a lot in the middle, almost having me lose interest till the end.

I also wanted to see the main characters struggle with her powers more. Obviously has no control over it at first but I felt like she gained control very easily. Also the fact that’s she’s the only known earth elementa turned me off. What makes that power so special.

My final critic is with the love story. It felt a little sped up for me but at the same time it was understandable with the environment they were in. I wish the two characters had had more interaction and deeper friendship before they confessed their love.

Overall it was a good book and I am extremely excited to see where the sequels will take us.

Such an important story that needs to be told. As someone who grew up white, I don’t know the struggles of being black in America. This book opened my eyes and made me more aware of the discrimination that still happens throughout the world today. No spoilers because EVERYONE should read this.

Had my attention in the beginning but lost it halfway through. If you’re a fan of the Hamilton musical I think you will like this book. A good easy read when you’re not looking for anything too exciting.

I will say I was not a fan of the whole “I’m not like other girls” trope throughout the book. Eliza felt more like a girl from the 21st century then the Revolutionary period. This book can also be very info dumpy at points which made me feel like I was reading a text book over a novel.

I also wasn’t a fan of the love story. Obviously it was suppose to be “I’m marrying you for your money-Oh wait now I love you.” However I just didn’t see why these two fell in love. There was no rhyme or reason besides physical beauty.

I wonder how accurate the ending was compared to real life. It just felt too dramatic for the story that was being told.

A slow burn but a nice read when you’re not looking for anything intense. Nice to see the Cinderella story from the other side of it.