What a wild and completely unhinged ride that was (in a very good way)! I’m sure many people have conveyed the same sentiments and I’m jumpBlackthorn
What a wild and completely unhinged ride that was (in a very good way)! I’m sure many people have conveyed the same sentiments and I’m jumping on the bandwagon: the best way to describe this is it’s freaking amazing but also wtf happened?!
I was obsessed with the book from the first page; the mystery was fantastic, the atmosphere was eerie and the gothic vibes were on point. I wanted to know exactly what was wrong with the town and why Maven left 12 years ago.
Now, I was obsessed from the first page but utterly addicted and could not stop reading when Ronan Croft entered the picture. Let me tell you this was probably the best banter between two characters I’ve ever read. The tension and chemistry was off the charts!! Most of the time when reviewers say there’s good banter between the characters, I struggle to understand where they’re coming from because yes, whilst the words are hilarious, the conversation sounds choppy and I can’t ever imagine two people speaking like that. But between Maven and Ronan? It freaking worked. Like I could just imagine the conversation filled with sarcasm, anger, heated arguments and so much tension. I love them so much!
My love for the two characters aside, I did have some issues with the storyline. The mystery built up for so long and then in the last 20% of the book, it felt like the author decided to come up with the most wtf reason for everything. I *think* the mystery was resolved but I still have lots of questions and feel like there were quite a lot of loopholes. I think this would’ve been nice as a duology (keep the tension going a bit longer cause I want more banter) and maybe a bit longer to explain the mystery and tie up loose ends.
Regardless, I really enjoyed this and will be doing a re-read very soon because I miss Maven and Ronan already! ...more
I was hesitant going in as many people have likened this to Fourth Wing, and whilst I completely agree there are numerous similarities, I still thorouI was hesitant going in as many people have likened this to Fourth Wing, and whilst I completely agree there are numerous similarities, I still thoroughly enjoyed this!
The first 50% was so good I was leaning towards 5 stars. I typically enjoy books with the same formula: - Set in academies/institutions where everyone is competing against each other and trying to survive - Some sort of magic system - A brewing war - A hot, stoic MMC appears - A group of friends who become FMC's found family I got all of this and more. Raith's background was a mystery and I was really keen to find out who he was; Bastian's intentions were also a mystery and I wanted to know exactly why he was helping Nessa. The side characters were fun, supportive and I enjoyed their banter.
The problem I had started around the 50% mark. There were around 200 pages of repetitive scenes, conversations and situations. I started skimming the pages when any of the following happened: - Raith said he needed to protect Nessa - Typhon telling Nessa she should fuck Raith and be done with it - Typhon asking if he could eat a student - Raith/Nessa back and forth going "tell me why you won't let me in" "No I can't, I need to protect you" "I don't care" etc etc. Then there were a whole bunch of scenes where Nessa would get ambushed by a bunch of students and Raith would arrive at just the right time to protect her. I generally love these scenes but when they happen more than twice in 200 pages it's a bit of an overkill. Not to mention, it also got to a point where Raith/Nessa would reveal something about themselves and I was like I swear I already know this and that it had happened earlier in a previous conversation?
Anyway, the last 20% was back to being good - the revelations were predictable but sets up the next few books perfectly. I'm so invested in the storyline and can't wait for the how everything plays out in the next few books. I just hope there will be more focus on the storyline and less on the back and forth "I can't be with you/but I want to" between Nessa and Raith. ...more
I love Clementine and Iwan so much and I’m starting to fall in love with NYC again which is completely wilCan I give this all the stars in the world?!
I love Clementine and Iwan so much and I’m starting to fall in love with NYC again which is completely wild. I wish there was magic in that whenever we feel sad, lonely or lost in life, something or someone is sent to comfort us or give a nudge in the right direction. A million stars ✨...more
Feel like everything I’m reconnecting with everything I used to love about Ali hazelwood’s books/writing (Not in Love and Deep End were both average rFeel like everything I’m reconnecting with everything I used to love about Ali hazelwood’s books/writing (Not in Love and Deep End were both average reads for me). Really enjoyed the banter and characters. The mystery was predictable and world building was light but the romance, characters and Lowe more than made up for it ...more
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