wonder_jenn's reviews
689 reviews

The first half was rough for me. Nothing was happening and I was really bored. I understand that the flashbacks and the different timelines for each POV were necessary to avoid info-dumps but not every single thing has to be "shown". Besides, every time I was finally into a character's plotline/head, it was cut short by these flashbacks or POV changes. It was frustrating.

However, the other half was great! Once the new arc was settled, I was able to enjoy the ride. I couldn't put the book down. I'm relieved I'm feeling that way because I love the characters and the original trilogy.

Among the new characters, Tes is my favorite. Her power is amazing. I liked her backstory, her good nature and her sense of survival. I think the thread magic adds a new freshness to the world-building. The villains were easily spotted imo but that's ok. I want to see how it's going to work now...

Also Lila Bard is a queen and I won't hear otherwise 🤗

A quick, entertaining read! Atmospheric and gothic at times. I liked the unique magic system with cards that grant powers that result in serious consequences for the users. I also found the characters to be likeable. The romance was cute but could have been more on the slow-burn side.

Oof. This was extremely bad.

The characters are so caricatural and devoid of a personality. I had a good laugh every time The Villain was struck dumb by Evie's genius because she didn't do anything spectacular. She's, on the contrary, an awkward simpleton. As for The Villain, he's not that wicked. Especially because he has a soft spot for Evie that COMES OUT OF NOWHERE. The banter was also lame.

There's no build-up between these two. This couple is so lackluster 💀

Interesting world-building and characterization. However, I needed everything to be more developed. I don't feel like I know the characters that well. The slight romance was rushed and not convincing. As a short story, it would have hit the mark. But as a full novel? I needed more details.

The first 30% had me in a chokehold. I felt so many emotions for Iris. I loved the romance: it was sweet and sincere. The found family was also great.

My only complaint is that I preferred the initial story: the rivalry between Iris and Roman that turned into a romance, with all the themes the author talked about. I'm not super convinced by this godly war, and I feel like the book would have been stronger as a standalone.

I still loved it though!

Don't talk to me.

Seriously...

After a decade of feeling unloved and unworthy, Cassius just got his brotherhood with Darrow back, made amends with Servo, only for him to be killed by the motherfucker Lysander? The guy he saw like a little brother? This is unfair and cruel. My man was too good for this world 😭

Not as good as the other two but still enjoyable (thanks to the characters).

I don't understand the title considering Yelena is not studying anything, and certainly not fire. The story was pretty much the same the whole time with Yelena getting kidnapped and saved. I also found the pacing not as fluid as the previous installments.

The idea of a morally-grey accountant bringing a colonialist empire to its knees was appealing. However, it was hard to believe that Baru Cormorant was this cunning leader the author wanted her to be.

For one, Baru Cormorant isn't such a great accountant. She gets outmaneuvered by smarter leaders, and when she makes a firmer decision to crush the rebellion down it's only because they have her cornered. Also, we never see her improve her skills. One day she's a student, and the next she's a tactician. Out of nowhere, people come to trust her and take her advice 🤨. They are more experienced, barely know her, but they would follow her anywhere ?

And even make her their ruler? Come on now...

We don't know these characters. How am I supposed to feel anything for them? Plus, each time something exciting is about to happen we never get to see the action live. Instead, we have a kind of report that summarizes what happened. That's it. Frankly, it feels like everything about Baru Cormorant is served on a silver platter. She deserves nothing.

The world-building is barely explored.

This book could have been so much more if only everything was not on a superficial level.

I have a complicated relationship this book.

I liked the fact that we have an unlikeable and unreliable main character. Jessica is ambitious, superficial, bitter, jealous... She cares about what people think of her and her status. She has dirty secrets. She's above all a bitch. There were times when I was rooting for her success against the other bitches and others when I was somewhat satisfied when she failed because I hated her hypocrisy. She complains about how she was cheated on and that *that* guy broke her heart but you quickly learn that she's the one who cheated first. Like, come on... Own your shit.

I appreciated the dynamics between the characters. I wish they were explored more however. The author jumped too fast into the future for me to believe in their relationships. For instance, you meet the characters in one chapter and, in the next, they're already long-time couples and friends... I wanted the author to show me how these characters came to love each other and why. I wanted to see what they found in each other. The dynamics were so intricate that I'm frustrated I didn't get to see more.

The plot was a 50/50. The idea and the plot twists were great. The progression and the execution, not so much. As the story progresses, each friend is accused of Heather's murder, and some of their secrets are revealed. My problem with this is that you can see the pattern and the lack of subtlety. If every friend is accused and found innocent, then you know that as long as the whole group has not been through the same scrutiny that the killer is not one of the previous suspects.

That's how I knew Jessica was not the stabber, even if I thought it was her. Mint had been left aside and that was suspicious, especially as the cheating and betrayal had not been revealed yet and that his attitude at the restaurant was strange.

The very last twist was excellent.

My other issue with the plot is that we don't get to know Heather that much. But the few glimpses we have didn't make me like her one bit. So, even though I wanted to know who the killer was out of pure curiosity, I didn't care about her murder being solved. The murderer could have gotten away with it and I would have congratulated them.

Then, there Eric's plan to catch the murderer and the investigation he did. Totally unrealistic. For one, the group of friends didn't have to listen to him and reveal their secrets. Eric was no threat. So why not just leave and not answer his questions? That was pretty dumb. Also, Eric discovering secrets, documents or making connections the police wasn't smart enough to do was too big. Heather was a rich girl and you're telling me that her family didn't pressure them to solve the crime? Or hire private investigators themselves? All I'm thinking is that the group of friends could have simply left the party and everything would have been fine for them 🤷

I think my favorite thing about this novel is how the characters love the light as well as the dark within their love interest. It added to the dark academia vibes.

For me, this novel falls into the same "exception" category as We Were Liars and The Secret History: I have issues with it but the flawed characters and their messy relationships will always stick with me.

Ma'am, this is one atrocious writing style we have here. Between the "I blinked. He blinked back" repeated 587890 times, the author's obvious aversion to using names or pronouns instead of periphrasis, the humor that couldn't make me crack a smile... It was a laborious read. The only way the author thought of giving information about the characters was through periphrasis.

I did like Jasmine though. She's kind of unlikeable in people's eyes because of her bluntness and defensive nature. She's not really the forgiving type and she doesn't take shit from people. I could 100% relate to her. However, apart from that, her monologues were annoying: she can't make a decision without thinking this [...] but then this [...] and this [...] but this [...]. Like, go to the damn point. I beg you.

Ivan was interesting at first but he quickly lost his shine. Everything went downhill from the Spring Season point. The characters started to banter, being nice to each other, when just before they were enemies. Something was missing between these two parts. You know, development. It's as if the author didn't want to explain the hows and the whys, and wanted to write the best parts already (which were not the best imo). Also, the author hinted at scenes that never came to fruition. What was the point?

Honestly, I couldn't even see them as a couple. Like I said, the banter was bad. They laughed out loud at jokes that weren't funny. And even then, you don't really have a romance until the end of the book. I expected better. Something sweet. Some Longing.

I liked the ice skating best. It's beautiful and graceful.