lgiegerich's review against another edition
3.0
I’m not entirely sure I get the hype of these. I feel like the characters are actually pretty thin? & the plotting full of contrivances? When there is plot at all- it was fairly thin on the ground in this book especially. & the world building is perfunctory at best. & while I enjoyed all the Penelope & Shepard curse stuff, that wrapped up so conveniently quickly, really what was the point? But Baz, though. Baz is the actual best- he is the recipient of at least 1 whole star in every one of my reviews. Baz is what got me through these 3 books, & Shepard gets at least half a star, maybe a whole one, himself.
snchard's review against another edition
5.0
I don't even have words to describe how much I adore this ending, this series, or this author. My heart grew three sizes.
jemimaaaa's review against another edition
3.0
GOOD! really enjoyed it the snowbaz scenes cute as always,, i still prefer them at school though.
ellieafterall's review against another edition
4.0
I would be lying if I didn’t say I adored so much of this book. Simon, with his fear and dragon wings (!!!). Baz, with his guilt and overflowing love. Penny, with her stubbornness and a case to solve. Every book with them is a riot, and I’m happy to take part.
strytzn's review against another edition
4.0
i am so upset that i finished this book. i did not want it to be over. i need more.
effiereads's review against another edition
4.0
“I understand that you've lost something— a lot of things— but you're still the same person. I know, because I loved you then, and I love you now, and I know that's not enough to make you happy— to make anyone happy— but you're the same person, Simon. You're still you.''
How sad I am to finish this series after so long. I can still remember reading Fangirl and thinking "Man, I wish this Simon Snow fic were real cos it sounds awesome"
...and then it was, it really was.
The final instalment in the Simon Snow trilogy was a whopping 550 pages of SnowBaz trying to work on their relationship and their trauma while Penelope does a bunch of cool magicky save-the-day type stuff. So, business as usual.
I was here for the angst, the fluffy scenes, and the usual SnowBaz banter I crave. I loved the Penny and Shepard scenes, they were funny and so fun to read! I laughed out loud a few times cos Shepard is such a hot mess. And I found the "new Chosen Ones" storyline very intriguing and was curious throughout the book, especially since it cleverly linked to Baz's family, Penny's, and then Simon himself.
But there were some things that kind of fell flat for me.
Like the last 100 pages, basically.
I knew the reveal was coming, I knew we needed to defeat the bad guy, and I knew that we needed to see the gang off on their future endeavours. But the reveal was so so rushed - as was the defeat of their foe - and I closed the book feeling somewhat unsure as to what was next for Simon and Baz. We have a little hint for Penelope and Shepard going to the States and even AGATHA gets an epilogue (weird choice but ok?) to show what she'll be up to in the future but all we know is that SnowBaz is in love?? and kind of working on it??
k.
And on the subject of Agatha, while she wasn't as annoying in her scenes as usual, I didn't really care for them? The goats storyline was cute but I didn't care that it involved Agatha, you know what I mean? Plus, the thing with her and Niamh felt smashed together with no real build up, like Rowell just needed to tie up a loose end almost.
Anyways, I still gave this baby a 4 star review because it gripped me from the moment I opened the book to the last second. I'll be sad to see you go Simon Snow - but something tells me this might not be the last of you??
How sad I am to finish this series after so long. I can still remember reading Fangirl and thinking "Man, I wish this Simon Snow fic were real cos it sounds awesome"
...and then it was, it really was.
The final instalment in the Simon Snow trilogy was a whopping 550 pages of SnowBaz trying to work on their relationship and their trauma while Penelope does a bunch of cool magicky save-the-day type stuff. So, business as usual.
I was here for the angst, the fluffy scenes, and the usual SnowBaz banter I crave. I loved the Penny and Shepard scenes, they were funny and so fun to read! I laughed out loud a few times cos Shepard is such a hot mess. And I found the "new Chosen Ones" storyline very intriguing and was curious throughout the book, especially since it cleverly linked to Baz's family, Penny's, and then Simon himself.
But there were some things that kind of fell flat for me.
Like the last 100 pages, basically.
I knew the reveal was coming, I knew we needed to defeat the bad guy, and I knew that we needed to see the gang off on their future endeavours. But the reveal was so so rushed - as was the defeat of their foe - and I closed the book feeling somewhat unsure as to what was next for Simon and Baz. We have a little hint for Penelope and Shepard going to the States and even AGATHA gets an epilogue (weird choice but ok?) to show what she'll be up to in the future but all we know is that SnowBaz is in love?? and kind of working on it??
k.
And on the subject of Agatha, while she wasn't as annoying in her scenes as usual, I didn't really care for them? The goats storyline was cute but I didn't care that it involved Agatha, you know what I mean? Plus, the thing with her and Niamh felt smashed together with no real build up, like Rowell just needed to tie up a loose end almost.
Anyways, I still gave this baby a 4 star review because it gripped me from the moment I opened the book to the last second. I'll be sad to see you go Simon Snow - but something tells me this might not be the last of you??
gab8123's review against another edition
3.0
What a ridiculous creature. Happy that I put butter on his sandwich. As if I wouldn't make the world spin backwards if I thought he'd like it better that way.
Okay look. I feel like I just read nothing, because nothing really happened in this book???? Like okay, some parts were cute and adorable, some quotes really took me out, but some parts were also cringe, plain and out of nowhere as well. I expected a way more exciting conflict, something that would completely make me scream and keep me on the edge. Alas that didn't happen. And it's a huge book you know. And anyway a lot of things from the previous books never got explored again either? And the things that did get explored were rushed and like forced to make sense. IDK. I'M TORN. I love these characters and world so much but I feel they didn't have that big epic powerful ending I was expecting and that's sad. Though the trilogy will always have a special place in my heart, this one didn't quite make the cut for me. I liked it yes, but I didn't like enough.
Okay look. I feel like I just read nothing, because nothing really happened in this book???? Like okay, some parts were cute and adorable, some quotes really took me out, but some parts were also cringe, plain and out of nowhere as well. I expected a way more exciting conflict, something that would completely make me scream and keep me on the edge. Alas that didn't happen. And it's a huge book you know. And anyway a lot of things from the previous books never got explored again either? And the things that did get explored were rushed and like forced to make sense. IDK. I'M TORN. I love these characters and world so much but I feel they didn't have that big epic powerful ending I was expecting and that's sad. Though the trilogy will always have a special place in my heart, this one didn't quite make the cut for me. I liked it yes, but I didn't like enough.
reclusivereader's review against another edition
4.0
After book two, I didn't think this series could actually come back from where it had (and hadn't) gone. I thought the magic was quite literally gone from both characters (some literally) and this world and my heart.
And then this one happened. Sure, my expectations were in the ground and maybe that helped but this did so many things right and in ways I'm actually finding hard to articulate. Which is one thing that wasn't missing from this book : communication.
Overall, though, everything just felt.. more fun. Not lighthearted by any means but there were moments of joy and sweetness, absolutely. There's no real baddie to battle but instead these characters are fighting for each other and for themselves and for a future, and a love, and that was really well done. There are still some reveals, still something of a villain, so there's definitely some plot driving this and all of it is just really well balanced.
My one complaint might be the ending. Because it doesn't feel like one, it feels a bit abrupt, but I don't know how it could've made better, either. So there's that.
Now that we have this finale I would like to one day reread, even if it means slogging through book two, only to see if, in hindsight, something about that middle instalment works. But also because now that it's over.. I want to live it, again.
If, like me, book two put you off or made you hesitant to complete this.. give it a go. Pick it up. I do not think you'll regret coming back to this world.
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
And then this one happened. Sure, my expectations were in the ground and maybe that helped but this did so many things right and in ways I'm actually finding hard to articulate. Which is one thing that wasn't missing from this book : communication.
Overall, though, everything just felt.. more fun. Not lighthearted by any means but there were moments of joy and sweetness, absolutely. There's no real baddie to battle but instead these characters are fighting for each other and for themselves and for a future, and a love, and that was really well done. There are still some reveals, still something of a villain, so there's definitely some plot driving this and all of it is just really well balanced.
My one complaint might be the ending. Because it doesn't feel like one, it feels a bit abrupt, but I don't know how it could've made better, either. So there's that.
Now that we have this finale I would like to one day reread, even if it means slogging through book two, only to see if, in hindsight, something about that middle instalment works. But also because now that it's over.. I want to live it, again.
If, like me, book two put you off or made you hesitant to complete this.. give it a go. Pick it up. I do not think you'll regret coming back to this world.
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.