bookishstone's review against another edition
5.0
Technically I'd give it a 4.5 but I'm bumping it to 5 for Goodreads.
sam_n_97's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
berls's review against another edition
4.0
Good but not as great as the first book IMO. Gull review to follow soon.
peggy99blue's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars!
Not the masterpiece I was expecting!!! But I enjoyed it.
Not the masterpiece I was expecting!!! But I enjoyed it.
kayeness's review against another edition
4.0
I'm really enjoying this trilogy (or however many there are). Lots of action. Interesting characters. Lots of twists and turns.
smoothwoven's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-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
3.0
So many tense action scenes with ambiguously unkillable superhumans that they became boring fast. I actually finished the series but it was painful and I was just wishing for it to be better or more grounded. Felt like it was written for teen/early 20s boys who can't get enough ridiculously long battle scenes. Don't get me wrong, I like action, but it just took up way too much of the story. Double-crosses a plenty and equally overused destroyed my suspension of disbelief.
__jamestran__'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
4.5
Amazing growth from the first book to the second.
So many twists and turns. Weak points from the first novel were improved upon. There was so much more depth and color.
Lovely read. Superb adventure. Looking forward to the 3rd book.
So many twists and turns. Weak points from the first novel were improved upon. There was so much more depth and color.
Lovely read. Superb adventure. Looking forward to the 3rd book.
purple_candy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I chewed through this one real quick!
I enjoyed this book much more than the first, here we got to really experience the actual world instead of being constrained to the academy. Reading these following books in the series, I think I can pretty safely conclude that I really, really don't like the battle royale trope, it's too insular and the stakes are too divorced from the actual stakes of the larger world.
In this book, we get to see Darrow's rise as a Gold, we learn about their society and their values. There is some really excellent world-building and seeing how Darrow navigates the rationalizes his experiences is really well-done.
This book leaves you on quite the cliff-hanger, I ended up picking up the next book straight away!
I enjoyed this book much more than the first, here we got to really experience the actual world instead of being constrained to the academy. Reading these following books in the series, I think I can pretty safely conclude that I really, really don't like the battle royale trope, it's too insular and the stakes are too divorced from the actual stakes of the larger world.
In this book, we get to see Darrow's rise as a Gold, we learn about their society and their values. There is some really excellent world-building and seeing how Darrow navigates the rationalizes his experiences is really well-done.
This book leaves you on quite the cliff-hanger, I ended up picking up the next book straight away!