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eleek0609's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Drug use, Grief, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content and Fire/Fire injury
psychnp's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Definitely recommend the tandem read with Empire of Storms
It really offers a nice balance, they're happening concurrently, and has a few overlapping story lines that flow better
It really offers a nice balance, they're happening concurrently, and has a few overlapping story lines that flow better
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Drug use, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Pregnancy, War, and Injury/Injury detail
jls6283's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
4.75
I have a bone to pick, and it is NOT with SJM - it’s with members of her fandom.
The way people talk about this book online I was expecting it to be BORING and for Chaol to *finally* be a giant douche-canoe that I would end up hating since everyone else hates on him…
To me, the beauty of all these Maasverse books has been people/fae/whatever have big, emotional reactions (like humans are supposed to). Her characters feel deeply and grow and learn and evolve and adapt. I HATE how so many people who like these books praise female characters (like Nesta or Manon) for their healing journey and growth, BUT FOR SOME REASON DON’T WANT MALE CHARACTERS TO DO THE SAME.
I’ve been pro-Chaol from the beginning. Does he mess up? Yes. Does he question everyone and everything and sometimes get confused about what he believes in? Yes! He’s a human being! I’ve certainly done all of these things and I understand him so much.
If you’ve ever felt depressed and unloveable, this book is almost triggering. 😅 I had more of an emotional reaction to this one than any of the others so far. It might be my favorite of them so far - I know that’s a hot take, but I’ll stand by it! I’m so proud of my boy Chaol ❤️
The way people talk about this book online I was expecting it to be BORING and for Chaol to *finally* be a giant douche-canoe that I would end up hating since everyone else hates on him…
To me, the beauty of all these Maasverse books has been people/fae/whatever have big, emotional reactions (like humans are supposed to). Her characters feel deeply and grow and learn and evolve and adapt. I HATE how so many people who like these books praise female characters (like Nesta or Manon) for their healing journey and growth, BUT FOR SOME REASON DON’T WANT MALE CHARACTERS TO DO THE SAME.
I’ve been pro-Chaol from the beginning. Does he mess up? Yes. Does he question everyone and everything and sometimes get confused about what he believes in? Yes! He’s a human being! I’ve certainly done all of these things and I understand him so much.
If you’ve ever felt depressed and unloveable, this book is almost triggering. 😅 I had more of an emotional reaction to this one than any of the others so far. It might be my favorite of them so far - I know that’s a hot take, but I’ll stand by it! I’m so proud of my boy Chaol ❤️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit
Minor: Ableism, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy
unboundbooklover's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: War
Minor: Vomit and Pregnancy
ave_gall's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I liked this book more than Empire of Storms. I felt like EOS just dragged on. I do somewhat find how these books always have everyone being in a relationship. Like can no one be friends?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Gore, Sexual content, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
literarymary95's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
4.5
I wasn't sure how I would feel about reading a book entirely about Chaol and Nesryn (But let's be honest, it is really about Chaol). It was actually a really well done story and ties in events from the rest of the story really well and what's obviously to come in the last book, Kingdom of Ash.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Ableism, Sexual content, and Pregnancy
Minor: Suicide, Vomit, and Murder
emilywemily6's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
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? It's complicated
5.0
Did I like this more than Empire of Storms?? Crazy. It was definitely slower paced, but felt very cohesive. I also loved that Chaol had a beautiful redemption arc- I hated him the last few books and this book actually changed my mind. I really appreciated getting to see the nuance and inner turmoil of his character. I adore Yrene and I also love Nesryn and Sartaq and felt like I was interested/invested in every plot line of this book. It ends much more hopeful than EoS so I feel like it fits in the series better before EoS if you don’t want to do the tandem read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Cursing, Gore, Torture, and Pregnancy
Minor: Child death, Drug use, Infidelity, Racism, and Alcohol
pumpkaboola's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, and War
Minor: Slavery
savage_book_review's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
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
I have conflicting thoughts on this book having now read it as its own entity rather than as part of the tandem read. One one hand, it feels like a side-quest or spin off, rather than part of the main narrative arc, and while I don't really get the general hate for Chaol, having him as the main character and away from the rest of the group doesn't help lift the storyline. However, at the same time this is the first book in the series where I've felt that inexplicable draw to just keep reading/listening, even when it's going to make me late/keep me up/stop me from doing more important things. And not just because I wanted to get through it so I could start Kingdom of Ash. I was just more invested than I was expecting!
I like the final pairings that result from this story, but then all of the pairings up to now have felt 'right', and they've mostly fallen apart! There's a lot of serial monogamy going on, and while it doesn't sit quite right with me just how quickly the various feelings seem to come and go, I can appreciate that it's a good illustration of the characters' growth. That being said, the writing of the developing relationships here is a bit clunky in places; the change in Yrene's feelings especially feels really uneven. Considering how good SJM is at writing the enemies-to-lovers trope, this one really falls short of the mark.
I also love that, even with Aelin sidelined, little tidbits if her story so far start to pay dividends here. The reader gets to be in the know while characters remain in the dark (to an extent), and some of the payoffs that result are beautifully done.
But. This read through is also the first time I've found myself getting annoyed with one of SJM's writing 'tics'... I can laugh about the vulgar gestures and the watery bowels, but the amount of times she measures moments in heartbeats really started to get to me. I probably don't pick up on this as much when physically reading the books (and I don't recall it ever bothering me in previous reads), but the phrasing, coupled with the narrators almost identical inflections every single time this came up really makes the sheer volume of usage stand out.
Quick question regarding the narrator and Yrene's voice... am I going mad, or has she dropped the accent she used for Yrene is Assassin's Blade? Seems very unlike her to change the voice of a character half way through...
I am able-bodied, and cannot imagine being in Chaol's situation. Indeed, I suspect I'd be as desperate for a cure as he is. But I appreciate that the 'disabled person hating themselves because they can't walk' storyline has been used elsewhere in the past, and has been criticised for belittling the people and emotions behind these scenarios. Obviously in this case the fantasy setting makes a cure more readily available, and Chaol's emotions are part of the problem, but I just keep wondering if his character arc (and 'redemption' for want of a better word) would have been better served by his having to adapt and grow despite his disability? But then would it fit the world the character lives in? I just don't know.
Overall, this book is definitely better read in tandem with 'Empire of Storms', but nevertheless is still engaging and stands on its own merits. It certainly is not the best book in the series, but is a nice little breather before the emotional rollercoaster of KoA.
I like the final pairings that result from this story, but then all of the pairings up to now have felt 'right', and they've mostly fallen apart! There's a lot of serial monogamy going on, and while it doesn't sit quite right with me just how quickly the various feelings seem to come and go, I can appreciate that it's a good illustration of the characters' growth. That being said, the writing of the developing relationships here is a bit clunky in places; the change in Yrene's feelings especially feels really uneven. Considering how good SJM is at writing the enemies-to-lovers trope, this one really falls short of the mark.
I also love that, even with Aelin sidelined, little tidbits if her story so far start to pay dividends here. The reader gets to be in the know while characters remain in the dark (to an extent), and some of the payoffs that result are beautifully done.
But. This read through is also the first time I've found myself getting annoyed with one of SJM's writing 'tics'... I can laugh about the vulgar gestures and the watery bowels, but the amount of times she measures moments in heartbeats really started to get to me. I probably don't pick up on this as much when physically reading the books (and I don't recall it ever bothering me in previous reads), but the phrasing, coupled with the narrators almost identical inflections every single time this came up really makes the sheer volume of usage stand out.
Quick question regarding the narrator and Yrene's voice... am I going mad, or has she dropped the accent she used for Yrene is Assassin's Blade? Seems very unlike her to change the voice of a character half way through...
I am able-bodied, and cannot imagine being in Chaol's situation. Indeed, I suspect I'd be as desperate for a cure as he is. But I appreciate that the 'disabled person hating themselves because they can't walk' storyline has been used elsewhere in the past, and has been criticised for belittling the people and emotions behind these scenarios. Obviously in this case the fantasy setting makes a cure more readily available, and Chaol's emotions are part of the problem, but I just keep wondering if his character arc (and 'redemption' for want of a better word) would have been better served by his having to adapt and grow despite his disability? But then would it fit the world the character lives in? I just don't know.
Overall, this book is definitely better read in tandem with 'Empire of Storms', but nevertheless is still engaging and stands on its own merits. It certainly is not the best book in the series, but is a nice little breather before the emotional rollercoaster of KoA.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Cursing, Death, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
scarlett_f's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Gore, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: War
Minor: Animal death, Drug use, Slavery, Vomit, Abandonment, and Alcohol