This was kind of painful to get through, but I was determined not to give up. The writing is beautiful, and Morgenstern paints some gorgeous images with words. But it felt flat. Like more of the same over and over again without propelling me further into the story and wanting more. And no character development whatsoever.

I enjoyed this. Loved the mythology and cultural descriptions. Enjoyed the structure and switch between two main characters. I wasn‘t weirded out by the relationship that bothered many. And I liked the touches of magical realism.

The story was neat, and I liked the discourse on the human-beast relationship, but the writing didn‘t work for me. Not sure how much of that is due to translations, but it was clunky. Info dumps mixed with underdeveloped sections. Very thought-provoking though.

Great story, especially the world Taylor built. A little predictable and repetitive but just so creative. Taylor definitely perfects her lyrical style in Strange the Dreamer (one of my favs), but now I want to go back and look for parallels.

Another excellent book by Patchett. She‘s so good with her characters. I love how real and flawed they all are.

This was rather slow and painfully repetitive in places. Picked up in the end, but the characters were very flat.

This was awesome! Loved all the characters and the story.

Loved the mythology in this one as much as the first! Great complex characters and shifting story of vengeance.

Such a lovely book! Beautiful writing, interspersed with bits of history and sociological musings. Loved the characters and the way Towles brings the Metropol to life.

Great second book. Recommend for any epic fantasy lovers. Prepared to be lost at times as flashbacks jump you all around through time, but by the end you get a lot of answers toward the overall mythology. Look forward to finishing the trilogy.

Word genius! Ali Smith is seriously talented!

Just as good as the first book!

Maas books are my guilty pleasure, and this was no exception. I had a lot of trouble getting into this one. Lots of info dumping at first, but I was quickly hooked. Nothing too original - a lot of the characters seemed very similar to those in her other series. But, it was still really enjoyable.

I really enjoyed this! I hope Bardugo does more adult fiction. I like the darkness! Looking forward to the next one!

This was quite enjoyable! I definitely struggled with some parts in the middle, but the ending more than made up for it. Love all the questionable morality, classic fantasy elements, and character arcs.

My WIP.
Some of the stories were pretty good. Nothing really jumped out at me. But it‘s nice to read about one of my favorite pastimes.

I think I need to read this again, and I mean truly read it and not listen to it. The audiobook was well-narrated, but I feel like I missed many layers. The ones I did pick up were brilliant. I also think I need to re-read Autumn.

I liked this more than I thought I would. I especially liked how it switched between different character perspectives - all those shades of grey.

What a ride! Loved this series!

I love this series. This is YA fantasy done right! Although I‘m not the target audience. But, it‘s so addicting for me. Instantly bought book 3.

Least favorite of the series. Maybe I‘m just over it, but I felt it went from fluffy entertainment to cringey ya romance.

I‘m really struggling to summarize how I feel about this. I loved it in the beginning. Great world-building and lots of puzzling pieces to put together. I was sure I was going to love it. But, the middle dragged, like the author was trying to do entirely too much and not following through. I enjoyed the ending enough to check out the next one, but almost gave up a few times in the middle.

Entertaining and mindless. On to the next one.

This was pretty much what I expected. Fun, light, page-turning, but over-indulgent prose and weak character development. Quick, mindless entertainment. It was just what I needed!

Another great installment!

Such beautiful artwork! And I love the idea behind this retelling. I‘m a huge fan of Gaiman, and this is probably my least favorite of his work in terms of writing, but it‘s still pretty cool.

Very well done audio book. It was an entertaining story, and I liked it, but it doesn‘t have near the emotional impact as The Handmaid‘s Tale. I get some of the criticism bc it‘s nowhere near as good as it‘s predecessor, but on its own, I think it holds up well.

I wanted to like this because it had an interesting plot and lots of political intrigues, but it was a struggle to get through. The writing style didn‘t work for me, and I often felt lost or that I was missing something important. Characters felt hollow (which is symbolic, but didn‘t help me connect). Not sure if I‘ll pick up the next one.

Least favorite of the series so far. Maybe it‘s because I can‘t help but to compare it to the show, and I think the changes the show made for this part of the story worked better. Probably because the tension between Drummer and Ashford in the show was so good, and I missed it in the book. Plus, no Avasarala and not enough Amos.

Started out cute but got old really fast! Too over the top for me.

Finished this monster before the end of the year. I found it quite entertaining. There was a lot more drama than I expected. Seemed a little forced as a plot device, but I still liked it.

Still love the darkness and world-building, but it felt a little more stereotypically YA. Romance was a bit cheesy. I think I want to like it more than I actually do.

I felt this book was ok. I got sucked into the world and writing, and I think the author did a great job transporting the reader to the intended time and place, but the story wasn‘t as engaging. Usually I love magical realism, but it didn‘t work well for me here. I‘m not sure why.

I remember loving the film (although it‘s been years since I‘ve watched it), so I decided to check out the audiobook. I love dark fairytales and this didn‘t disappoint. Now I want to re-watch the movie.

This had been on my TBR list forever. After finally getting to it, I think it lost some of the hype. It was a good story. I found the “after” struggles really interesting. But the narration could get quite annoying at times. Good, but not a favorite.

This started strong, and I was really intrigued by the premise. However, as I predicted, the closer to the end it got, the more I felt it fell apart. I tend to have issues with most time travel concepts, so maybe it‘s just me.

My favorite of the series so far! Love the complexity of all the characters. It‘s grown to epic proportions in terms of plot, world, characters, and themes. It did take me forever to get through but it was totally worth it.

Parts of this were typical Rushdie genius. Timely, contemplative, satirical, meta, and thematically bursting. But, when I was not in awe of the allusions, wordplay, and smart social commentary, I was bored, annoyed, and detached. But bravo to the voice actor. The narration was really well done, especially considering the complexity of the prose.

This sadly did not live up to my high expectations. I was sure I was going to love it: monstrous, complex fantasy world, dragons, strong female characters. But, it was overly long. Lots of little subplots that seem unfinished, and when we finally get to the main plot line, it felt anti-climatic. With one or two exceptions, i didn‘t feel a connection with any of the characters. It was a slog to get through. Cool concepts, poor execution.

Similar review as book 1. Great story, but I think the show does it better. I did appreciate the additional POVs. But, in the show the actors bring so much life to the characters, who fall a little flat in the book.

I‘m so glad I finally gave this book a shot. The writing is great - it‘s a bit slow, but it sets up an interesting world and character. I‘m a big fan of having a protagonist with some flaws, and Fitz definitely makes some mistakes along the way that add to his growth. I look forward to continuing the series.

Badass!

Probably not a popular opinion, but I struggled with this one. It‘s very readable and engaging. Fast-paced and fun. But, the character development is lacking. I also had some issues with the whole time travel aspect. I can‘t help thinking about all the ways the plot doesn‘t work. I enjoyed the beginning and end the most. The middle was chaotic, repetitive, and underdeveloped. But, from an entertainment perspective, I get why people like it.

Fun audiobook with a really talented voice cast. There wasn‘t anything super special about the story, so I‘m not sure it would have been as enjoyable in print. Because of the interview format, the character development was a bit one-dimensional, but I liked getting the different perspectives.

Not a fan of this one. Plot and motive seemed way too thin for me. And it was very slow for a thriller. Add to that a crew of unlikeable characters and plot holes galore! This is my least favorite Ware book so far.

Comments comparing this novella to a Black Mirror episode are spot on. I got the same kind of uncomfortable, disturbing feeling after reading this that I get from watching those episodes. It‘s all kinds of messed up and I couldn‘t put the book down until it was done!

All the stars for this book (and the series thus far). My favorite fantasy series and it‘s not even halfway done, but I have no doubts that Sanderson will deliver. I love the complexity of the characters, the depth of the world, and the substance of the action. Now, how do I follow this up?

I usually struggle to stay engaged with nonfiction, but this book definitely resonated with me. I am very much an introvert, and I‘m also intrigued by all kinds of personality studies. I‘d probably be a psychologist in my alternate life.

I was recommended to watch the series, so of course I had to read the book, too! Listened and watched them in tandem, which was a neat experience. I liked both, but this is one of the rare cases where I like the television series more than the book. Gasp! I feel kind of dirty just for saying it. But, Naomi is way more badass in the show, and I think overall, the show has better representation of female characters. Will continue the series.

Some beautiful writing and poignant scenes, but it didn‘t really resonate with me like it seems to have with others.