Reviews

The Name of All Things by Jenn Lyons

anael21's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

bookswithclementine's review against another edition

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5.0

The only thing I can say after finishing this book is "oh my god !"...
The world is so detailed and intricate you will get lost in it, and the story is interweaved together so tightly, everything makes sense and is somehow connected...
At first, this book seems like a let down since you are reviewing the same timeline as the first book but now following Janel's story instead, but give it some time, and the pay off will be amazing!
There are so many reveals in the second half of this book, I definitely had to pause reading a few times to gasp aloud !
Can't wait to continue with this amazing series!!!

sharinars's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

twowhoodles's review against another edition

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5.0

Janel’s story from the same time period as book one, plus a little more contemporary action.

Phenomenal pacing, Janel and Qown alternating viewpoints to Kihrin as they wait for someone else to arrive… and the mess that happens after.

zgonzale's review against another edition

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5.0

Reread April 2023: Still a fucking banger.

I wanted to read this book slowly and relish it, but then I gulped it down over a long flight. I kept meaning to take a break, but I just couldn’t stop!

Much like its predecessor, The Name of All Things has a unique narrative: the story is told to the protagonist of the previous book & annotated by an established villain, which is a brilliant flip of perspective that adds dramatic irony & introduces doubt to the hero-villain dichotomy. Once more, Lyons builds a fantastic (& incredibly queer) cast including the sly trans lesbian Dorna & the powerful, fearsome, bisexual, & genderqueer protagonist Janel. The world continues to expand in a fascinating fashion into the kingdoms of Jorat & Yor. Many questions from the previous novel are addressed (though of course many questions are raised). The story is epic, funny, jaw-dropping, & tense at turns, leading to an unstoppable & incredible climax. I could even track the characters much better in this book, likely due to the handy appendix I knew was in the back. On top of that, themes of sexism, imperialism, gender, & sexuality are explored deeply throughout the book to profound effect. Once again, I have small critiques of the book, though it would feel wrong to give this novel any less than 5 stars. Firstly, while I loved Janel’s story & wouldn’t want any less of it, the telling in past tense made me more than a bit impatient for action in the current time (Chekhov’s dragon, anyone?). Second, after just reading a novel all about Kihrin, I was really hoping to see more progress made in his story and with the characters surrounding him; I must admit I was a bit disappointed that we didn’t get more progress in his story & the consequences of the major fallout from the end of The Ruin of Kings. That being said, I’m super excited for the next book, which comes out soon after my birthday! The Chorus of Dragons saga is proving to be the modern fantasy saga I’ve been waiting for!

iforgotilivedhere's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Tho I’m not a huge fan of omegaverse (horse version), I did enjoy this book very much. 

kallsie's review against another edition

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4.0

Why is everyone not talking about this series! Jenn Lyons is AMAZING - read these PRONTO!

auora1484's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

spicedude68's review against another edition

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5.0

It was a great follow on. Book 2's are usually sucky, but the plot and the twists are well done.

hacen0125's review against another edition

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1.0

DNF@28%