cameronreads's reviews
519 reviews

I want to inject the concept of this book into my blood stream. I am SO gutted that there’s not going to be a third book (so I’ve heard) , I literally want to read this series forever. 
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think it’s perfect - I had a few issues with the pacing of this second book. I find books that are mostly prepping for a big battle often don’t work for me, and the ending always feels a little anticlimactic. This one wasn’t too bad, but I definitely had that sense. I also specifically wanted a bit more from Manny’s backstory - at one point it felt like it was going to be a huge plot point and I definitely think it could have worked as one, but it resolved so quickly! 
Still though, everything about it is just so good. The world, magic system, concept, characters, relationships, writing. NK Jemisin just has a way of bringing a place I’ve never been to life (and not just because she gives them real living embodiments). I felt like I was in New York for the duration of this book, and I could viscerally feel her passion for the city come through. 
The characters are just wonderful. There’s a fairly big cast, but the all felt fleshed out and independent. They had such distinct voices - NK Jemisin did a wonderful job of making the prose match the POV character. I especially loved watching the tension between Manny and Neek (another reason I’m so upset we won’t get a third book - how can it just leave us there??) 
I loved the discussions this book had around race and the importance of diversity, as well as all the queer rep. 
I just want a third book so much!!

These books are just so sweet and cozy. I loved watching Dex and Moss Cap’s travels, and their relationship grow. I loved the conversations in here too, and will definitely be coming back to both of these novellas whenever I need something that feels like home.

There was a lot about this I really liked. I think it was utterly compelling exploration of a figure who we feel we know so well, and I loved watching the corruption of God’s favourite. As a queer person who grew up in a Catholic school, the realisation of what God really is in relation to you was so relatable and the anger that Lucifer felt at being punished for loving someone above God was so interesting. I think the writing style was great for the most part, although parts near the end were a little confusing, the way love was shown in different ways without using words like romantic and platonic was done very well. It was a really interesting exploration of religion and morality, and a morally grey - albeit very dark grey - character. It didn’t quite cure me in ways I expected it to, but it fed me hatred for God in a way that I needed.

Everything about this book was genuinely perfection. I couldn’t have asked for a better sequel. The characters, world building, and plot are all so unbelievably compelling. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, so fully invested for these characters (Bree being one of my favourite main characters of all time) and having uncontrollable visceral reactions to plot twists. The conversations that it continued from the first book were excellent and nuanced, and the writing in general was exquisite. I already couldn’t wait for the next book but that ending will have my jaw dropped until I can get my hands on it.

For the first three quarters of this book I was going to rate it two stars; I don’t like the main character, I don’t like the writing style, any of Orion’s character development from the first book was completely scrapped, the romance was dead, the plot didn’t feel cohesive or well structured. But then it completely subverted what I thought the ‘big twist’ would be and actually became really interesting and by the end I was invested, in perfect time for it to land the biggest cliff hanger on me that is possibly the only thing that could make me consider picking up the third book. I don’t know what to do with this now.

I really enjoyed this one! I think the concept and plot was excellent, and the characters and main relationship were compelling and very well written. I liked the mystery elements a lot and I think the magic system was very interesting - a magic based on cradling?? That’s so cool! I really liked both Robin and Edwin and was rooting for them the whole time, and there relationship was truly great. I did want a little bit more out of the side characters as I wasn’t very invested in them however, and I think there was a bit of a reliance on characters having lucky guesses to find solutions, but those are my only gripes. I think this was so much fun, a great historical fantasy!

This book was so unbelievably lovely. I think it’s the first SFF book I’ve read that I’d classify as low stakes and it was just so cozy and comforting. The conversations about personhood and purpose were so interesting and I loved watching Dex on their literal and metaphorical journeys. I also loved the casual queerness in here - Dex uses they/them pronouns and no one bats an eye, which is always so comforting to read about as someone who also uses they/them pronouns. Becky Chambers managed to pack a wonderful and enticing world into so few pages as well as wonderful complex characters and conversations. A great little novella. 

I really enjoyed this book. I think the concept is so interesting and gripping, and I was fully invested the whole time either trying to figure out what on earth was going on or whether my theories were right. I think it was predictable in a way that felt like everything satisfyingly coming into place, with revelations slowly dawning on me allowing for the perfect confirming reveal. I think the characters were compelling and well written, and the book seemed very well research (not that I know anything about history). 

Two half stars were taken off for me - one because the way that time travel was written, although the right way to make the story work, is the one way I hate for time travel to be written. I love it when time travel is more along the lines of what David Lewis theorised as possible, rather than time travellers having the ability to change the future from the past etc. Still, it made for the right kind of story, so only half a star off for that. A second half star off because I wanted just a bit more feeling out of the characters. I think the emotions they were feeling here were so big that they needed a bit more description or emphasis. I wanted to feel the emotions with the characters, and I just didn't really. Mostly I wanted to see more passion out of the main relationship in here, I think just a little more development could have really added to the impact. 

Still, I loved this so much more than I expected to, and I would 100% recommend. 

I’m having such a good time with this series. I love the characters, the world building and the plot. I think it lends itself perfectly to the multi-POV story telling, making the ‘sides’ feel fully fleshed out and each character deliciously morally grey. I cannot wait for the third book.

I think it was abundantly clear that the author of this book was not Jewish. Disclaimer; neither am I, but I think it's important to talk about. As soon as I realised the goblins in this book would be evil characters alarm bells were set off in my head, and since doing some research into the tropes used, I think this book does do harm. There is of course one good goblin, but the general idea is that the goblins are evil and want to hurt people (and eat them on occasion) and have magical blood. All things that are outrageous stereotypes of Jewish people, especially considering goblins have been used as a way to represent and do harm to Jewish people. I'd really recommend looking at some Jewish reviewer's discussions on this. 

My opinions on the plot and characters of this book are rather average. I think the basic idea was there, but something about the pacing and what this book emphasised was off. I wasn't all that attached to the characters, especially because the character we're meant to be saving all through this book is never seen on page until the end. It meant the stakes didn't feel very high. To be honest, I would have read a whole book about one of the point of views (May's) if it had been expanded on and we had got to spend a bit more time with it (and there wasn't such antisemitic themes). 

I do however like the casual queer representation. The main characters are ace and bi respectively, and there's a pan side character, and all of these words are said on page. There's no prejudice against them because of their sexualities, and the main romance is a sapphic one. That was all really nice to see.

I'm really mad about this one - I loved Bovalino's other book and the other goblin market retelling I've read (In An Absent Dream, Seanan McGuire) so I really wanted to love this too. Unfortunate.