cameronreads's reviews
519 reviews

I think everything about this book was SO INTERESTING. The complex universe and characters Chambers created was so detailed and unique, I literally couldn’t get enough. I would read non-fiction books aplenty set in this universe. I want ten book series about every side character. I just think the whole thing was so well done. I loved every character and their development and relationships. I loved a lot of the conversations that were had, thing about what it meant to be a person and worthy. The story was compelling and wonderfully written.

The one thing stopping me from giving this five stars happened right at the end. Ohan is a character who comes from a society that allows themselves to be infected with a virus that, although shortens their lifespans, gives them great knowledge. They see themselves as ‘plural’ and feel blessed that the virus chose them.

When a ‘cure’ is found there is an ethical dilemma of whether Ohan should take it, saving their life but going against their culture and beliefs, and they way it was handled rubbed me the wrong way. They completely refuse to take it, but one of the other characters goes against their wishes and forces them to, and there are no narrative consequences for this. It just feels like appraising taking away a disabled and religious minority’s free will, and I wasn’t a fan. There were characters who were against it, and argued that they should respect Ohan’s wishes and yelled at the character who didn’t, but the end result made it feel like the reader was supposed to be happy about the decision.

Still, this was a small conversation right at the end, and it was still left somewhat ambiguous, so it didn’t taint my overall enjoyment of the book too much. The sequel is ready to read.

I LOVED this. The kicking-of-feet was real in this one. This was completely utterly and totally a slow burn bodyguard/prince romance done so RIGHT. The slow burn was literally the perfect pacing - although not a lot of aftermath, which I would have loved to see. I’ve seen some people saying it would have benefitted from an epilogue which I totally agree with. The characters were simply WONDERFUL I literally loved all the key ones. Kadou’s anxiety was also so wonderfully portrayed, I loved to see it. 
Besides the achillean and anxiety rep, there was also an asexual character and a completely trans normative world, with multiple characters using neopronouns. I loved this, it was really well done!
I liked a lot of the discussions. The world is matriarchal, and fathers are called ‘body-fathers’ unless the mother actively gives them rights over the child, and I loved the discussions that arose from this. I also loved that the two main characters actively discussed the power divide between them, talking about reciprocity heavily. I’m always worried about power divides in romances, but I think it was done really well here.
The plot was definitely predictable, but I really didn’t mind. For me it just gave a backdrop to have this wonderful romance on, and it was plenty of fun. I had a really good time with it, even if I guessed the plot twist before the second main character was introduced. 
I do think the choice of setting was… interesting? The book is loosely inspired by the Ottoman Empire, but I think this could have been done a little better. It felt like it was an excuse to use fancy words, but without a lot of work actually being put into the setting itself, and it slightly rubbed me the wrong way. Do take this with a pinch of salt though as I haven’t done too much research into this, I’d like to see what someone more knowledgable has to say first.
Still, this book delivered exactly what I wanted from it. I loved all the tropes used, I had so much fun, and scenes and quotes from this book will be playing in my head on loop. Highly recommend.

I had such a good time with this. The plot, world building, and characters were so interesting. I think it was wonderfully paced, and planned out and I liked all the story beats. I expected to be confused by the politics a little like in Winter’s Orbit, but either this was less confusing or I’ve gotten smarter because I pretty much understood what was happening. It didn’t feel slow at all, with some AMAZING action sequences, especially towards the end. I loved our two main characters, I think they’re a little tropey but that’s ok with me because I love the trope. I liked them individually and their relationship so much, it was a great slow burn. I think the way the science in here felt like magic was so much fun, readers and architects are such a nice touch yk this world. I really enjoyed this one.

Reviewing now that Harper Collins Union has a fair contract!

This was the perfect way to dip back into this world. I love the universe and characters so much, the joy I felt at being here again was unmatched. I’m not a big fan of short stories, and there were some I liked more than others, but I loved this for the most part.

I got literally exactly what I wanted from this book. I didn’t completely blow me away, but left me with a smile and a strong desire to eat a cinnamon roll. I love the characters, the relationships, and the descriptive writing was amazing. I was a little worried going in that it would lack plot, but that wasn’t the case at all. Completely delivered on its promise of cozy fantasy.

Wow this one was intense! Villain pop is amazing, and I love Koichi in this one, and the ENDING?? What was that!!

I really enjoyed the concept here; magical books will always be a buzzword for me and I think they were done really interestingly here. I liked the plot as well, for the most part I liked the plot twists and figuring things out with the characters, although the final reveal felt a little info-dumpy. I think there was something just a little off about the pacing, with the beginning feeling a bit slow. The first 100 pages or so spent a lot of time on flashbacks and explanations, but it did make the book less confusing. There were definitely characters I liked better than others; I really enjoyed Nicholas and Esther but think Joanna’s character could have been developed a bit more. I also wanted to see a bit more out of the sister relationship. I did really like the vibes and atmosphere of this book though, and it was a lot of fun. The writing was also well done, especially for a debut. There was just something stopping me from being 100% attached or feeling that typical ‘on the edge of your seat’ feeling, but I’m not sure what. Still, I definitely enjoyed this, and am looking forward to seeing more from this author.

I really enjoyed this book, it was so much fun. I loved following Little Ash and Uriel’s journey and adventures. I think the elements of Jewish culture were explored really well, and it was so interesting to learn about the parts I didn’t know as well. I think the writing style worked perfectly for the book. I also think the discussions of gender and identity as a whole were so interesting. As a non-binary person I was especially interested in how Uriel experienced its gender and the dysphoria it felt. I did find myself wanting just a little more out of the characterisations and relationships in here, they were so close to perfect but lacking just a little something that meant I wasn’t as attached as I could have been. Overall though I do really like this book and would definitely recommend!

I literally think these books are so sweet, and this was definitely one of my favourite ones. I think the world was so interesting and I loved the little snippets of lore we got about the doors. I think Seanan McGuire’s writing is masterful and I love the tone of these books. The themes in the beginning were handled wonderfully and I was crying listening to the audiobook on the way to my lectures. I’m just such a fan of this series.