irinak's review against another edition
5.0
I cried several times and I am absolutely not embarrassed to admit it
Anyway, on a more serious note, I think this duology being promoted as YA kind of harmed it in the long run? It's excellent, but I feel like the reading level is a lot closer to The Night Circus than, say, These Violent Delights. Or maybe that says something about the current state of YA, I don't know.
Anyway, on a more serious note, I think this duology being promoted as YA kind of harmed it in the long run? It's excellent, but I feel like the reading level is a lot closer to The Night Circus than, say, These Violent Delights. Or maybe that says something about the current state of YA, I don't know.
armina_salemi's review against another edition
3.0
I’m surprised that I actually enjoyed it! The relationship between everyone, their friendships and thank God for once somewhere (surprisingly in a famous love story) friendship is as valuable as love, NOW THIS! IS WHAT I CALL PROGRESS!✊🏼
P.s: it’s more than three.
P.s: it’s more than three.
celestemarin's review against another edition
2.0
I liked the first book well enough but not well enough that I would have read/listened to the sequel, until it ended with that ridiculous, out of the blue cliffhanger. And I had a couple of long drives.... I think both the reader and the book were too slow and repetitive, both as a driving distraction and as a book. I totally would have listened to it at higher speed, if that had been an option. On the plus side, I was never tempted to listen when I was supposed to be doing something more important.
elizabethcaneday's review against another edition
A quote by C.S. Lewis I just read reminds me of this book:
What sort of a lover am I to think so much about my affliction and so much less about hers? Even the insane call, 'Come back,' is all for my own sake. I never even raised the question whether such a return, if it were possible, would be good for her. I want her back as an ingredient in the restoration of my past. Could I have wished her anything worse? Having got once through death, to come back and then, at some later date, have all her dying to do over again? They call Stephen the first martyr. Hadn't Lazarus the rawer deal?
(From A Grief Observed)
What sort of a lover am I to think so much about my affliction and so much less about hers? Even the insane call, 'Come back,' is all for my own sake. I never even raised the question whether such a return, if it were possible, would be good for her. I want her back as an ingredient in the restoration of my past. Could I have wished her anything worse? Having got once through death, to come back and then, at some later date, have all her dying to do over again? They call Stephen the first martyr. Hadn't Lazarus the rawer deal?
(From A Grief Observed)
paperbackd's review against another edition
2.0
A fast-paced but ultimately disappointing sequel. When I read Bright Smoke, Cold Fire, I was instantly enchanted. It had a brilliantly original premise - Romeo and Juliet set in a Sabriel-esque high fantasy world of magic, necromancy and political intrigue. I also loved Hodge’s protagonists, Paris and Runajo, and the slow-burning development of their friendships with Romeo and Juliet. Endless Water, Starless Sky is a let-down on both these fronts - the plot seemed clumsily strung together and the bulk of the novel was told from Romeo and Juliet’s perspectives - two characters who were much more likeable when they were side characters to Paris and Runajo. When the Romeo and Juliet characters of your Romeo and Juliet retelling aren’t compelling enough to hold the reader’s interest, you know something’s wrong. Honestly, if Endless Water, Starless Sky had been told through Paris and Runajo’s perspectives I’m sure I would have enjoyed it much more.
There are some high points - Hodge’s writing is, as always, lyrical and beautiful, and the final scenes of the novel, which take place in the land of the dead, are fantastically weird. Hodge’s descriptions of the lush, wild underworld make trudging through the rest of the book worthwhile, although we’re not in the underword long before the central conflict of the duology is disappointingly resolved with a deus ex machina ending.
As a fan of Bright Smoke, Cold Fire, I expected to love this one. But it was a struggle to read, and at around the halfway mark I realised I was only carrying on to find out how it ended - not because I was invested in the characters or the plot.
Many thanks to Balzer + Bray for providing a copy of Endless Water, Starless Sky. The opinions expressed in this review are my own. Endless Water, Starless Sky will be released on July 24th.
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Rating: 2 stars | ★★✰✰✰
Review cross-posted to Paperback'd Reviews
There are some high points - Hodge’s writing is, as always, lyrical and beautiful, and the final scenes of the novel, which take place in the land of the dead, are fantastically weird. Hodge’s descriptions of the lush, wild underworld make trudging through the rest of the book worthwhile, although we’re not in the underword long before the central conflict of the duology is disappointingly resolved with a deus ex machina ending.
As a fan of Bright Smoke, Cold Fire, I expected to love this one. But it was a struggle to read, and at around the halfway mark I realised I was only carrying on to find out how it ended - not because I was invested in the characters or the plot.
Many thanks to Balzer + Bray for providing a copy of Endless Water, Starless Sky. The opinions expressed in this review are my own. Endless Water, Starless Sky will be released on July 24th.
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Rating: 2 stars | ★★✰✰✰
Review cross-posted to Paperback'd Reviews
faithtrustpixiedust's review against another edition
4.0
This really felt more like 3 stars but I rated the first book 3 stars and this was way better than it so I guess a 3.5 is more accurate. So for official reasons, 4 stars will do.
I definitely liked the premise and atmosphere more than the story itself. The characters improved a ton from the first book (considering the fact that I either didn’t care about them or lowkey hated them before). Like, Runajo was completely ridiculous in the first book and Juliet was a stupid robot, while Romeo was sweet but boring and Paris was an inconsistent wimp. But I really felt for all of them in this, and liked Juliet and Romeo together. Paris was a bit less than I wanted but that would have been fixed with just a few more scenes with him, and what I got was perfectly fine. Their struggles really moved me in this. I legit shed a few tears, which even books I thought were good sometimes don’t do. So it earned that, at least.
The atmosphere and scene setting were fantastic, and I loved the lore. Everything with the land of the dead was iconic and awesome and felt like something I’d write. It really had a mythical/folkloristic vibe that I loved. And the aesthetic was just on point. If it weren’t for some pacing issues, I would have rated the worldbuilding 5 solid stars.
And related to that, the plot and execution of it really faltered in this. By the middle of the book, it felt like it should have been ending, and I guess the main conflict just wasn’t as intense as this kind of story needed. Like, the world was literally going to end and it felt like a mild inconvenience because it had already almost ended 150 pages before. I liked the necromancer as a villain WAY more than what I ultimately got and felt like he was taken out of the picture just way too soon to hold any narrative tension. If it hadn’t happened this way, I probably would have loved this. As it was, this book was boring and awkward and felt like it was tripping over itself. This duology was a huge disappointment from this author.
I definitely liked the premise and atmosphere more than the story itself. The characters improved a ton from the first book (considering the fact that I either didn’t care about them or lowkey hated them before). Like, Runajo was completely ridiculous in the first book and Juliet was a stupid robot, while Romeo was sweet but boring and Paris was an inconsistent wimp. But I really felt for all of them in this, and liked Juliet and Romeo together. Paris was a bit less than I wanted but that would have been fixed with just a few more scenes with him, and what I got was perfectly fine. Their struggles really moved me in this. I legit shed a few tears, which even books I thought were good sometimes don’t do. So it earned that, at least.
The atmosphere and scene setting were fantastic, and I loved the lore. Everything with the land of the dead was iconic and awesome and felt like something I’d write. It really had a mythical/folkloristic vibe that I loved. And the aesthetic was just on point. If it weren’t for some pacing issues, I would have rated the worldbuilding 5 solid stars.
And related to that, the plot and execution of it really faltered in this. By the middle of the book, it felt like it should have been ending, and I guess the main conflict just wasn’t as intense as this kind of story needed. Like, the world was literally going to end and it felt like a mild inconvenience because it had already almost ended 150 pages before. I liked the necromancer as a villain WAY more than what I ultimately got and felt like he was taken out of the picture just way too soon to hold any narrative tension. If it hadn’t happened this way, I probably would have loved this. As it was, this book was boring and awkward and felt like it was tripping over itself. This duology was a huge disappointment from this author.
tyledras's review against another edition
5.0
This book finishes the latest duology by author Rosamund Hodge. On the surface, this duology could be described in the briefest sense as "Romeo and Juliet with zombies in a fantasy universe", but that description does no justice to the complex and interesting world of the novels. It would tempt comparisons with such recent works as "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" which was a funny mashup of a classic with the recent zombie fad. Hodge's book is nothing of the sort. It isn't funny, and unlike P&P&Z, her book is entirely original. The characters and parts of the plot from Shakespeare are certainly referenced, but what she has done with them stands on its own.
As the city of Viyara struggles to keep a remnant of humanity alive in the face of a terrible curse, the main characters' struggle to save the city leads them to ask hard questions about the course of their lives, their identities, and that ultimate question, meaning.
Endless Water, Starless Sky pursues these questions relentlessly, not shirking, even when they lead the characters to face danger and death. This book remains true to the dark fairytale style that Hodge has become known for, and the cleverness of her narrative. EWSS surprised me throughout, with unexpected plot turns and an ending I didn't expect.
I need to read this again! Highly recommend.
As the city of Viyara struggles to keep a remnant of humanity alive in the face of a terrible curse, the main characters' struggle to save the city leads them to ask hard questions about the course of their lives, their identities, and that ultimate question, meaning.
Endless Water, Starless Sky pursues these questions relentlessly, not shirking, even when they lead the characters to face danger and death. This book remains true to the dark fairytale style that Hodge has become known for, and the cleverness of her narrative. EWSS surprised me throughout, with unexpected plot turns and an ending I didn't expect.
I need to read this again! Highly recommend.
melissasbookshelf's review against another edition
3.0
A pretty good conclusion to this series. Rosamund Hodge is creative and this story shows her ability to take a known story (Romeo and Juliet) and turn it completely on its head with a fantastical storyline that really draws you in. I wish I had actually read the book instead of listened to it. I think I may have missed some things, but therein lies the problem. There were too many parts that could have been skipped over and the story would have been just fine. The characters were engaging and the story was good. There were just some parts that seemed unnecessary, confusing or a little redundant. Overall though, I enjoyed the books and look forward to more by this author.
allison_r's review against another edition
2.0
Thank you, Balzer + Bray, for the ARC!
This was a mixed bag for me.
I've been a fan of Rosamund Hodge since she wrote Cruel Beauty. The element which draws me back to Hodge time and again-- her ability to recreate the atmosphere of myth and folklore, combined with her lyrical prose-- is still present here.
It's hidden, however, by the heavy-handedness of the Romeo and Juliet retelling. I don't understand why she chose to emphasize this so heavily. Had she chosen to use it as a framework for her original narrative, it would have been fine, but I felt like the characters just shared names with Shakespeare's characters and nothing else.
Last, and most importantly, I think it's important to mention that the Bright Smoke, Cold Fire duology is transphobic. As a fellow Catholic, I am aware that my church promotes transphobia, however much I love it. I would have loved to see work by a Catholic author sensitively validate trans identity, but it is not this book. As a cis person, I cannot meaningfully deconstruct why this representation is problematic, but Hodge definitely fails to validate trans identity and actively undermines it. If you're interested in some #ownvoices novels by authors who identify as trans, please check out this Guardian list of children's books with trans characters.
This was a mixed bag for me.
I've been a fan of Rosamund Hodge since she wrote Cruel Beauty. The element which draws me back to Hodge time and again-- her ability to recreate the atmosphere of myth and folklore, combined with her lyrical prose-- is still present here.
It's hidden, however, by the heavy-handedness of the Romeo and Juliet retelling. I don't understand why she chose to emphasize this so heavily. Had she chosen to use it as a framework for her original narrative, it would have been fine, but I felt like the characters just shared names with Shakespeare's characters and nothing else.
Last, and most importantly, I think it's important to mention that the Bright Smoke, Cold Fire duology is transphobic. As a fellow Catholic, I am aware that my church promotes transphobia, however much I love it. I would have loved to see work by a Catholic author sensitively validate trans identity, but it is not this book. As a cis person, I cannot meaningfully deconstruct why this representation is problematic, but Hodge definitely fails to validate trans identity and actively undermines it. If you're interested in some #ownvoices novels by authors who identify as trans, please check out this Guardian list of children's books with trans characters.
tpd's review against another edition
4.0
I know this series isn't incredibly popular, but I'll admit it: I can't tell why. By no means is it perfect, but there's enough to love about it. Strong characters—including, by the way, Runajo, love of my life—a great found family, and a romance that isn't the greatest but was compelling enough for me to love. The setting is incredible, the plot twisted but not incoherent... Yeah, this is probably one of my favorite fantasy series of all time.