baknata's reviews
110 reviews

This book took me on such a journey. From the first moments of the book I was thoroughly invested, an uncommon occurrence for me. To begin, I found the world that was created absolutely fascinating. The main character, Nahri, is new to the fantasy world in the story, which allows us to learn about it as she does. This makes what we learn feel organic and not simply expository. The world is complex and well thought out, making it feel like a real place. It isn't just a complex world, it has an in-depth history with political and social issues that are rooted in that history. Every element of the world was considered, from clothing to language to special abilities and traditions, each race is complete and well rounded. The creatures are based on middle eastern stories, which I am not familiar with, but give the story a unique perspective. 
The characters are just as well thought out as the world. What I found most compelling about the story is that, save for Nahri who doesn't share the preexisting prejudices and political foreknowledge, there are no truly good characters. Nahri herself swindles people to get by, which shows she isn't fully good. But every other character believes strongly that their position is the correct one, so much so that it is hard to tell who is truly in the right. Each side of the political tension has committed atrocities, not only that, but they each have questionable parts to their position. One side wants equality between the races, meanwhile, they oppress the mixed-blooded people and make it impossible to survive. The other side wants to overthrow the oppressive monarchy, though they have a history of discrimination and segregation. Each character does questionable things in the name of their side. Unfortunately, the author also does a great job making them all very human. They have friends and family, they make jokes and connections and feel like real people, which makes it so hard to root against them.

When Ali and Jamshid and then Dara all were kinda fatally injured/died/turned to ash I was speechless. I didn't know whether to be upset that they died (which I was, deeply) or to be okay with it bc they all kinda were horrible (save for Jamshid he was an angel) and the same thing happened with every side character, each time I was heartbroken but also didn't know how to feel/react.

This is super evident with Nahri's relationships with the characters. As the reader, we feel similar to her where there is a lack of trust at first, then you get attached to certain characters cause "her they aren't so bad" then we learn they are so bad, but now we're attached so maybe we should forgive them? Overall hard to decide which characters to root for. 
In terms of plot, I was definitely on the edge of my seat. This was one of the few books where I genuinely could not guess a single element of what was going to happen.

save for that whole thing with Muntadir and Jamshid, I saw that one right away

Especially towards the end, I was being thrown left and right, each chapter had something new I wasn't at all expecting that totally shook me. What was cool though was that every twist and turn made sense. The characters made choices that were consistent throughout the book and with the growth that they had made. Nothing was thrown in just for the heck of it, it all had a purpose. The plot developed in a natural way and the character growth felt deserved and logical. 
Overall, this book was put together so beautifully and was a joy (though very emotional) to read. I would definitely recommend this book. 

The first word that comes to mind to describe this book is cute. It was very heartwarming to watch the main character, Trix, learning to accept those around her and leaving her old lifestyle behind. The family she finds is so comforting and feels like home. At the same time, Trix has gone through a lot and it is hard to read about the pain she had to endure as a child. I really liked Auntie, her honesty and wit brought a welcome light to the story. I also loved seeing the relationship between Ember and Trix develop, especially how they brought out the best in each other. Jasper was a sweetheart and his storyline and development felt natural. I just wish his story was developed a little further, or maybe just a more important part of the story. It is emphasized and discussed and then towards the end it just doesn't build to anything really, or it does but the resolution is too easy. I don't know, but there is something missing. That and what felt like a rushed ending to me is why I gave it 4 stars. It felt like it was building to more, but everything resolves pretty easily. I liked how the book ended, its just getting there was disappointing. Overall a good read, would recommend.

I really enjoyed this retelling. I am a big fan of Greek mythology and this book did the classic stories justice. I think telling the stories from Circe's perspective adds a lot to them. Generally, Circe is seen a a villain, this book offers a different perspective. The writing is good and the pacing keeps the reader engaged. The reason I gave the book 4 stars is because of the lack of an overarching plot. It felt really biographical and that provided a lack of tension or movement in the story. While I enjoyed the stories and the narrative, overall it felt kind of stagnant. I enjoyed the flow of the book and the way that the stories from the beginning tied into the rest of the book. I also liked the way the book ended, I think it ended at a good place. I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of mythology or retellings.

I was waiting for this book from the library for so long, and I am so glad I finally got to read it. The story enthralled me, Tracy Deonn did a phenomenal job. She created such unique and intricate characters and the world that they lived in was formed so well. To start, I love a contemporary fantasy that brings magic into the real world, especially when the author does a good job creating a history for the magic. This book created a magic system that was intricate and had a rich history, and it worked in the real-world setting. Not only was there one magic system, but there were multiple unique systems that wove together well (or rather didn't weave together for good reasons). While I'm not generally a fan of a dead parent plot, the way it was written in this book worked well and was integrated into the plot as more than just a character trait. 
Speaking of characters, Bree was such a good main character. While I didn't always like her choices, they made sense for her character and were supported by her history and personality. She felt like a real person. Her character and story were well thought out and the growth felt deserved and natural. There was a large host of side characters, which was fun. I should've made a chart for all the characters though because, save for a few, I had a hard time remembering who was who.

When the side characters started dying, I wasn't as affected as I could have been. Mainly, I was gutted by Bree's reactions to her friends' deaths. I couldn't remember who some of them even were.

In terms of love interests, Nick was a great one. From the start, he's a good guy who treats Bree well. He's kinda vanilla as the story goes on, but that's more of a me problem. Also, he does do some weirdly possessive things, but that's being super nitpicky. Finally, Selwyn Kane. I tried really hard not to fall in love with Sel, but clearly, I love a bad boy with a heart of gold. Sel really did start off as a jerk, but as the story went on I fell in love with his character. What more can I say, I love a brooding guy with dark hair and a heart of gold. 
I thought that the way that Tracy Deonn incorporated the history of the south into the story was really powerful. She not only wrote about the way that "high society" is dominated by white people, but she also incorporated the history of black people into the magic system, which was so cool. The contrast between the two types of magic and the cultural differences was so cool. Both had strong ties to tradition and familial lines, but one was all about money, power, and status, while the other was a bond that was passed down from parent to child. 
Overall, this book was clearly very well thought out. The intricate world made it a joy to read. The ending does have me anxious for the next book, which is a good thing I guess. I would recommend this book. 

I enjoyed this book, would probably read it again. The reason I gave it only 3.5 stars is mainly because I felt the plot wasn't coherent. There was a large section of the middle that was hard to get through and the character development was lacking in my opinion. 
I don't know if I had a hard time following the plot because of how it was written or because I was zoning out, but every time I returned to the book I forgot what was happening and had a hard time getting back into it. I would go back to try and find something I remembered but had a hard time pinpointing where exactly I remembered up to. The plot also felt kind of choppy. It felt like it was jumping around from event to event without much connection, even though time-wise, it was all relatively close to each other. If I had to recount the order of events in this book, I would have a hard time recalling it. 
In terms of characters, I liked both Casiopea and Hun-Kamé, I just felt like their characters fell a little flat as the story continued.

I also felt like their romantic relationship came out of nowhere. Like the setup was good, there just was a jump that could've been bridged better. They went from being partners in this quest to being super in love, almost out of nowhere. I wish their romance was developed a little more in order to make the end sacrifice more compelling.

I also don't like the use of 2 POVs in this book. I understand the use of the different POVs helped give a more complete look at the events of the story and the true danger, it created tension that was beneficial to the story. However, since Martin wasn't a redeemable character in this book for me, it wasn't interesting to read his point of view of the story. If the reason for the POV was to give a backstory to Martin that would explain and redeem his actions, the tension would've been way more compelling.

But, we know Martin can't win, since he sucks and has bad motivations for his actions. It isn't as worrying when things start going poorly for Casiopea because we know she'll win in the end. If Martin was more redeemable, it would be more interesting, since we wouldn't know who to root for.

Overall, the characters didn't make me as invested in the story as I would like.
Lastly, the writing style was a little frustrating for me sometimes, which is a personal preference. Namely, especially at the beginning, the author used Casiopea's name so often, and she doesn't have a nickname, so it felt like every sentence was Casiopea this and Casiopea that, it got on my nerves a little. 
That all being said, the use of the Mayan mythology was super cool, not one of the mythologies I see used often. The overarching plot was interesting as well and was executed mostly well. I liked Casiopea as a character, she was a strong character and I liked her determination. The end was good, it could've been more moving but the way it ended was a good choice for the story. 

I tried hiding all the spoilers but be warned there may still be spoilers ahead. 
This serious really took me by surprise. After the first book, I didn't think I'd continue, but I am so glad I did. I loved the second book and this book was a great follow-up. I loved the way we got to see more development in the characters from the second book especially in their relationships. More than that, the inclusion of in-depth storylines for Feyre's sisters was a great addition to this book. In the first two books, I didn't really like Nesta at all and Elain was not my favorite either. As a younger sister, I found their actions towards their sister to be super messed up and it was annoying that they never really atoned for what they had done. And I know, in the grand scheme of things if it weren't for their actions none of the good would have happened, but still kinda lame. Seeing more of the characters and having them bond more with Feyre made them much more sympathetic characters. I really liked seeing them interact with the gang and seeing the relationships grow between all of them. Nesta's development made me really happy. I was so glad when she decided to go to the meeting with the courts. She was always a bold and brave character and it was exciting to see her using those qualities to protect those she had grown to care about. Elain was an interesting character. I felt bad for her and was glad when she started coming out of her cocoon of sadness. She had clearly gone through a highly traumatic experience and was also dealing with her newfound powers, so I understood why she responded in the way she did. It was just good to see her adapt and get better. I like her character and it was sad to see her hurting. I especially love how at the end

she was the one who killed the king. If it were anyone else I would have been disappointed. She had such a strong bond with her sister, and that was what brought out her strength in the end, it was poetic.

Also, I love Nesta and Cassian. I liked their banter in the last book and it felt so good that their relationship grew in this book.

When Cassian was saying goodbye to Nesta at the end when we thought he was going to die, my heart hurt so bad. I was so sure that he would die and they would never get their chance together and it crushed me. I was so unbelievably happy when Elain stabbed Hybern.

 
In terms of the rest of the courts, it was cool to finally be able to learn more about the world and the people in them, beyond vague descriptions. I did have a hard time remembering who was who, but that could be because I listened to the audiobook, so I didn't have a visual reference of names and descriptions to go back to. I liked how this book incorporated the histories of our main characters while introducing the other courts. I mean these people are super old, its weird how little history we really know. Tamlin's whole plot was weird. I couldn't figure out if we were supposed to like him or not.

Like, in the beginning, he is basically a bad guy. Then we get this sad display where we learn he apparently was always going to be a good guy. Then he's back on the other side, but actually not? I wish it was one or the other, not this flip-flopping, I don't know how to feel about him. Like, overall he's like a bad person in terms of the way he treated his people and Feyre. But he also ended up helping to defeat Hybern and helped resurrect Rhysand.

For me, in order to consider him to be a good character or just a good guy, he would have to do some substantial development and making up for what he did in order for me to root for him. One thing I really liked was the inclusion of all the beings introduced in the last book, like the bone carver, Stryga (the weaver), and Bryaxis. It was super cool to see the personalities behind these guys and learn more about their histories. 
Overall, I think this book really did a great job of bringing the plots of the last two books to a head. I was on the edge of my seat for so much of this book, anxious to see what will happen. This story delved into the history we've heard of vaguely and developed the characters well throughout. The reason I didn't give this 5 stars is a couple of reasons. The first is that SJM really gets in this habit of repeating the same words and phrases over and over again. Not to mention she uses the words male and mate, and a couple of times is fine, but the extent to which these words are used is so weird. I would have much preferred and nickname, or first name even, a title, or something like that would've been fine too. But I did not need to hear the word mate that much, it was weird, why would someone call someone that so often, it's like when people call their SO "lover" like ew, no thanks. It was especially weird when they called each other that to other people. Like, so many options and they chose the worst one. The second reason that this book doesn't get 5 stars is the fact that the audiobook was 25 hours long. A book does not need to be this long, ever. She could've easily either cut a bit off this book or just made two books, which would probably have helped develop a few plot and character points that were breezed over. For example,

the book constantly brought up this mirror and made such a big deal about it and how no one has survived it. Then when Feyre finally faces it, we skip over it and then get very brief descriptions of what happened. Why make such a big deal of it without giving us the payoff?

 

To conclude, the characters really carried the story, and some lacking writing. The end of this book is an insane rollercoaster of emotion so be warned. The end is really great though, it is super engaging and does a great job wrapping up the story. 

When I finished the first book in this series, I wasn't planning on reading the second. I only liked one character, Rhysand, and he was a pretty minor character in the first book. Then I read the description of the second book and realized he was highly featured in that book, so I had to read it. Thank goodness I did, this book was leagues above the last one. One of my main qualms with the first book was that Feyre was a frustrating main character. Even when she was fighting for the man she loved she was kinda helpless. She made so many bad decisions and overall was hard to root for. This book gave her such satisfying character growth. She started off with trauma from what she endured under the mountain in the first book and went on to find the strength she had forgotten she had. (There are going to be mild spoilers ahead). The way she learned to use her powers felt so realistic. She didn't all of a sudden gain all the strength, it was earned. She started out at zero and had to learn and fight to realize what she could actually do. It was so powerful to see her come from the darkest place she'd ever been to grow into one of the most (if not the most) powerful people in this world. It was inspiring to see her grow and to learn what true friends and true love really are like. 
Another really powerful part of the book, (more mild spoilers), was the friendship and found family in this book. To begin, the new characters introduced in this book are phenomenal. They were the perfect people for Feyre, as they all had tremendous darkness in their pasts which they overcame. The fierce loyalty in their friendship made my heart so happy. Each of the characters was different and had a unique history. In the first book, the relationships seemed selfish. It was all about debt and what each person owed each other. This book makes it obvious that Tamlin's view on Feyre was entirely selfish because even though he loved her, it was entirely about what he wanted and what made him happy. This book shows what true love is like. Each of these friends would sacrifice themselves and their happiness for their friends. They each know what it is to be cast aside and rejected and they want their friends to be happy and safe. Especially Rhysand, who would (and did) let himself be tortured just to keep his friends and his people safe. The stark contrast between Tamlin's idea of love and Rhysand's is blatant in this book. The way Rhysand treats Feyre, the way he wants her to make her own decisions and live the life she chooses and be able to protect herself. As opposed to Tamlin who fiercely protects her, but by caging her and making the decisions for her. Rhysand knew he couldn't have Feyre and still protected her. He let her grow and thrive, even if that meant she didn't choose him. Rhysand trusted Feyre and it made it so much better to read because no matter what, Feyre found a place and people to call home. Every one of Rhysands friends was a great character, the way each was developed and crucial to the story made me so much more invested in the story. I fell in love with this group and was so happy to see Feyre find people who treated her right. 
The plot of this book was more compelling in my opinion than the first book. While the story of the first was done well, it can't really compare to this book. The first part of that is that the plot hinged on Fayre's character development and her relationships with the people around her. Second, because we were able to actually figure out who our big bad was and what the climax of the series was going to be. The stakes were raised, which just makes it that much more interesting to read. What I liked about this book was the way it had intense action and battles and whatnot while also having crucial downtime for the characters to be developed in a natural way. It's more interesting to see a group of friends as they are normally and how that translates to the points of action, especially seeing the contrast in the characters who are more lighthearted and fun naturally and then fierce in battle. The end of this book (like the last quarter of the book) had me so on edge. My emotions were a wreck upon finishing it. It went from devastating to thrilling to somehow even more devastating to hopeful to heart-crushing, and the twist UGH, and then the end! I didn't know whether to cry out of sadness or happiness, but my heart was racing. 
Overall, a surprisingly good continuation of a story I didn't think I would be invested in. I plan on reading the next book just to see my girl Feyre killing it, also because I am somehow even more in love with Rhysand than I was before and would read another book just for him. Would recommend this book to anyone who was hesitant after the first book.