Reviews and Comments

3/5

A lot of trilogies have the issue of a saggy middle, where it feels more like filler than anything else to connect to the end. Unfortunately this book felt very much like that.

We continue with three major characters (and one minor) but I would argue only one was actually pushing the plot forward in a meaningful way through the book.

I love Tamas and his pov, which is why I was quite disappointed in his chapters. It was certainly filled with lots of action and tactical decisions and clever combat. But that’s it. There was no more of his charm from the first whatever the the next crisis that comes up from his coup. It’s just him and his soldiers traversing through a war zone. I just felt let down. Only at the very end did anything more meaningful truly happen.

Taniel has the same issue where you spend a lot of time just watching him make one arrogant and stupid decision after another. At least he has some variation of the setting he is in which made it slightly better, but not by too much. I’m just waiting for him to grow up and take responsibility.

Finally the only view point I think stayed consistently good was Adamant. He continues his investigation to find his family and I really enjoyed the twists and turns. He does feel a little super human and I am surprised he can still walk after all the beatings. But overall he was by far the best part of the book.

Now, Nila. Honestly I am still not sure why she is part of the book. I do not particularly enjoy her view point. It just feels quite boring compared to the rest despite the twist at the end. So here is hoping to that actually having a good payoff in the next one.

Another issue I have is how women in general are treated in the series. They are always used as props or referenced relative to the other men. Even the ones in high seats of power are relegated to being dismissed and just written poorly. Why are they all crying all the time? Ka-poel being the worst offender here though. I did not enjoy how the series handled any of her interactions and used her as a prop to advance Taniel’s own story instead of fleshing her out as her own person. There were multiple scenes that were just gross and unnecessary added for shock value and just once again giving Taniel a plot point. Incredibly disappointing considering just how strong she is in magic.

Continuing on, plot wise, nothing really happened until the very end, making most of the book kind of unnecessary. And the most interesting part of the previous book, the gods coming down into the world, has been completely ignored as well throughout most of it. That was such a shame.

The magic itself is also still feeling very disjoint and a little unclear. It’s used sparingly in interesting ways and I am just not loving it. Again hoping for this to improve in the last book.

Overall I think this book could have easily been cut down and summarized in a few chapters in the following book instead of being one giant volume itself.

4/5

The first book of the trilogy starts off very strong with a French Revolution style coup and execution of the nobility of the kingdom. It certainly wasted no time to really get into the heart of the conflict and really puts you directly into the middle of all the action and problems.

The kingdom had grown greedy and stagnant and a revolution was the only seemingly right choice and I think this was a great way to really hook you in and keep you reading despite the density of the information. There was little room to breathe as you go through four different POVs in the book, each having its own distinct storyline and sometimes overlaps with the others.

I think the various POVs was both a great look into individual pieces of the world but also at times felt too much. I love some good POVs but when they change multiple times in one chapter it can get a little overwhelming, especially if you are reading through a lot of the book at a time. It probably just works a bit better in shorter bursts.

However each individual story was interesting, with a small exception of Nila who I am still a bit unsure of how she will fit into the overall story. She had most of the lower-stakes chapters so far with very small problems and at times her ignorance of the overall conflict was a little annoying. But I am hoping that will improve in the next few books.

The lack of any major women as a POV character is also not great, I would have loved to see the world through a stronger woman in the army or elsewhere in the world. Most of the women in the world are relegated to maids, nurses, assistants etc. which is definite a bit of a letdown as there is no reason to include them in bigger roles.

I think the book really delivered on a large scale epic with many conflicts, though I think it may have also overdone itself a little bit with the magic. I love good magic in fantasy stories, but it seems like there are so many disjoint systems in this series that have very little connection between each other so far. It almost feels like the author couldn’t quite choose which is cooler and decided to go with all of them. But it’s possible the later books will have better answers for why this they are so vastly different from each other.

I think overall it’s a very promising start to the trilogy and I am definitely going to be reading the next two.

3.5/5

The story starts off in such an interesting way as Mouse attempts to wrangle the mess left behind by her grandmother. I really liked the setup, the buildup of the house being slowly cleaned up and organized and small oddities that started happening over the days that she spent there.

I think her dog also brought a fun humor to the story and kept things grounded throughout. He was certainly not the smartest dog but definitely full of charm!

I think the notes left behind by her grandfather were one of the best parts. It felt real as he struggled to remember all the details of what he had learned. I wish there was more to this than was written. I had really hoped the Green Book was found, or at least pages of it to fill in more blanks. There was just so much that was unanswered even by the end that I had really wanted to know more about.

It was frustrating to be taken into such a cool magical space only to have none of your questions answered. I really liked the buildup of the story but the final 1/4 was just a bit disappointing. It felt rushed and I just wanted to stay there longer to understand and learn more. The premise was solid but the execution just didn’t quite work as well.

It was also rather odd that so many people seemed to be actually aware of the odd beings in the woods and did nothing about them. Not just in the neighborhood but apparently in other countries and cities. It felt less special in that sense that apparently it was common and yet not talked about. This just didn’t feel right.

Overall I enjoyed the buildup and the creeping factor that slowly came. However the ending felt too fast and just didn’t live up to the tension that was setup and fell flat for me. I just wish there was more time to build the world and the story and actually answer the questions that came out of the mystery.

4/5

This book definitely delivered on what was promised. A cozy story about building a family and friendship with a side of coffee and pastries. It was a simple story that had all the warm feelings you would expect and it did that very well.

The problems Viv faces are generally low stakes and have easy solutions. There were no big twists or turns but rather more like a nice walk in the park. I think there are some places I’d have preferred Viv to have solved her own issues rather than them being solved for her, but ultimately it isn’t meant to be a serious book so I wasn’t too bothered by it.

Overall I think it’s a great light read and really does a good job with giving that cozy vibe. It’s not something I would pick up often but I think it’s great as a palate cleanser between more intense books.

3.5/5

This was a hard book to review. I really liked the first 3/4 of the book. The creepy atmosphere, the old mansion and moldy walls, the mystery of the illness and the clearly unstable family that is hiding a big secret. I really liked the overall feel and how Noemi slowly starts to succumb to the strangeness of the house as time passes. I thought that was well done and you can see how her usual happy sassiness begins to fade and the anxiety takes over.

I was able to guess the general twist of the mystery fairly early on, which is okay. I’ve aneen the general trip before and I enjoyed it. However the actual reveal of it at the 3/4 mark felt very abrupt and almost sloppy.

Suddenly there was a lot of history dumping and explanations that just really changed the tone from an actual gothic mystery to just a generic thriller. Especially the last bit that followed which could have been copied from any general thriller novel.

All that work to build the atmosphere was shattered and I felt a bit disappointed in the last quarter. It’s a shame, I thought the concept was great but the ending was just not quite there for me and so my overall liking for it dropped quite a bit.

4/5

I wasn’t expecting to like this book as much as I ended doing so to be honestly. But as soon as Evelyn began her story I was captivated by her. Somehow her story sucked me in so much I ended up finishing the book in 2 days!

I loved the way Evelyn was so ruthless, so confident and conniving and awful and yet so sympathetic and charming. It was a rollercoaster of how I felt about her but she unashamedly took what she wanted and that I could respect.

Her story started with a bang and the twists and turns of her four husbands were so captivating and I loved them. Some patterns emerged a bit and eventually got a little predictable, the sixth not being nearly as captivating as the others, but honestly that was okay. I think it worked and made sense as she got older and she had less and less shocking revelations. Things kinda of normalized but tue story still kept being very well done.

I personally enjoyed her early life far more, she was wild and unpredictable and so very entertaining. But her older self felt very real where she was confident and started letting go of the early rash choices. It was well done overall.

The part of the books I did not care for were Al with Monique. I think they were not needed and even more so we’re just boring compared to Evelyn. I also was particularly unimpressed with how blatantly it was set up to match Monique’s learnings with the learnings of Evenly’s own life. Just felt a bit too on the nose there. However there were not so many of them that it got too annoying.

The double reveal at the end was interesting. I was able to guess at one but not the other which was a kind of an interesting twist. I did enjoy it though and I think it tied things together especially in bringing Monique into the fold of the narrative better. I still think her POV was unnecessary but oh well.

Overall I really enjoyed the book. It made me really believe that she was a real person who experienced all the things she did. It also wouldn’t shock me that there are people who have possibly lived parts of that life in the same chaos of Hollywood.

4/5

The fourth book of the series did not disappoint. Continuing with the revelations of the previous book it led back to a familiar city where we learn more about the inner workings of the wizards.

There were so many small details I really enjoyed during this book, all small clues that unfold the mystery of the world and the technology that is hiding in plain sight. It was a very interesting experience trying to figure out what Rowan was seeing from her perspective and match it with what we take for granted. Simple things like satellite dishes or wiring. It was a interesting execution!

One thing that did strike me as a bit odd was how shocked Rowan still was whenever she confronted more magic. It feels like she should have started to somewhat be less frightened and more curious. But to be fair it would be startling if you suddenly saw something you thought was impossible.

I think what really tied things together was a really cool scene where we finally see the unfiltered view of the technology. I think that was a smart thing to add to really drive home the difference in life for the normal people and the technology that is a available to the wizards.

I have a suspicion about what I think the overall story is, and where the story will go next. And I am really hoping that the next books will eventually come out. Until then though, it has been a great series and I loved the world and the characters throughout!

4.5/5

Okay so this book was very different and unexpected.

The first half began very similarly to the previous books. Rowan had come to a town to attempt to look for clues and was met with a cast of many townsfolk all common but interesting in their own way. She attempts to socialize with them and deal with their politics before she realizes that something is afoot.

This is where things start to get interesting when Janus is introduced and starts a chain of very strange events.

The second half of the book takes a wild turn where Rowan now comes into contact with a truly alien civilization. Far different from humanity and the expected behaviors of humans. It was so fascinating and strange and also so very believable at the same time. I just couldn’t put the book down!

The end was so very mind blowing as you understand that things are very much not what they seem. And there is something much greater happening in the world than the cozy Inner Lands story led me to believe at the start of the series. I am very interested and excited to continue the series as there are so many interesting ways the story can unfold.

Overall, definitely my favorite book in the series so far!

4/5 The second book of the series picks up shortly after the events of the first. I love the briefness of how things tie together and immediately thrust you into a brand new part of the world.

The journey into the outskirts really pulled me in as the landscape slowly changed and the characters began to immerse themselves in the new setting. The transition into the red grass fields and all the struggles that come with the area really shone through.

It felt a bit slow in the middle purely because the landscape was very same-y and so there were only a few new pieces added, but the magic in the story was really about how the author captured the daily life of the people there and really fleshing things out.

I also love the perspective from Rowan being an outsider coming into a land and to a culture she did not know and learning how to navigate the new issues. I felt very immersed and eventually really grew to love the world and how things worked as it made sense for the nomadic type groups moving about despite them being very different from the Inner Landers.

The ending of the book also offered a great reveal about the world and gave more clues about what truly is happening. The blend of sci-fi and fantasy is very well executed and I love finding the little bits that are obvious to the reader but clearly not to the characters.

Overall I really enjoyed the book and can’t wait to continue the series!

4/5

What a great story! Absolutely loved Rowan and Bel and their friendship as they travel together to understand what a set of mysterious crystals were and how they got into the strange places they were found.

The story is a true adventure with a great pair of characters who rely on each other. I love Rowan’s personality where she tries to dig into all information and uses logic and critical thinking to figure out the answers. It’s like a breath of fresh air.

Bel on the other hand is a great friend and strong woman who has her side throughout. She is courageous and just awesome and I am excited to learn more about her throughout the series.

The story has a very distinct style that’s fairly fast paced and brief in descriptions. It took a bit of getting used to but eventually it flowed well enough. There are a few sections that were a bit too ambiguous but overall it was fine.

I am also super curious about this world as it’s clearly some sort of fantasy and sci-fi hybrid but it’s hard to tell where the line is drawn. There are dragons and a basilisk and yet the characters also find thing like electric lamps and wires. It’s very unusual and makes me super curious to see where this goes next.

Overall I am really enjoying the series and will continue on with the next book!

3/5

When a girls weekend reunion starts to turn sour and old resentments and grudges are unearthed the host goes missing and a string of mysteries follow as the characters try to figure out what happened the night before.

The story starts off with a pretty interesting setup, a group of women who had been friends in university had grown apart and were coming together years later to rekindle their friendship. They all seem to have some buried hurts between each other and the main character, June, particularly has some deep grudges against Sadie, the host.

This I think was very intriguing and captivated me quite a bit, until about half way through when the book resolves into high school drama and far too much talking as everyone seems to throw each other’s secrets into the open. It felt rather childish as they all became fairly unlikable and made particularly dumb decisions at this point and I found myself quite uninterested in their drama.

There was very little actual mystery really, and not much thriller either, but eventually the secrets of the night are revealed and lead to a dramatic end. Though by that point I just wanted to finish up and move on.

Overall it was not a bad book, but it had a bit too much character drama and not enough mystery. It was certainly something one can read for some good entertainment though as there is plenty of morally gray characters involved.

4/5

When a work retreat into the mountains goes horribly wrong and people start dying Erin and Liz try to untangle the mysteries in the chalet cut off from the rest of the world.

I really enjoyed the setup of the novel, the small group of young people working for a hip new tech company, each bringing their own secrets. The company leaders who slowly start to show their true colors as things start to go wrong, and the company that is not as pristine and great as it seemed to be. Slowly things start to unravel and I love how the plot progresses with each subsequent tragedy.

There were quite a few characters that I had a bit of a hard time distinguishing between at first but eventually most had a pretty unique personality established. I think the conversations and the way they interacted with each other was also well done to show just how they got along (or not!).

The mystery itself of who was behind everything was solved rationed than expected, but the true motivation didn’t come out until much later on which I thought was cool.

My only real criticism was that there were far too many chapters at the end, after everything was already resolved, that just didn’t add anything. The story could have easily stopped like 5 chapters earlier and it would have been the same result.

Overall it was a good mystery and a fun thriller as you unravel the secrets of the company, the people and the murders.

3.5/5

The story picks up right after the events of the first book. Falon’s mind is broken and he struggles to keep himself together as three people inside his head try to take control. I think this first half of the book was by far the most interesting. It was really interesting to see Falon switch between his personalities, all trying to reach different goals and slowly merging together.

The second half of the book felt a bit more rushed and although the actual events were good it just didn’t feel as explored as I would have liked. I did however enjoy how Sari grew into herself once again, but this time making far worse mistakes along the way. It was very cool to see how things played out!

The ending was rather emotional and I think it made sense based on how things have progressed. I would have liked to have seen Lucan and Pharah more prominent in the story as well but it seems they were there to show that the world did have some good after all.

Overall I think it was a beautiful book and the ideas were really unique. The only criticism would be the pacing and spending more time on the world itself.