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beckyyreadss's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? It's complicated
5.0
I wanted to read this book because I’m always up for discovering new authors, whilst browsing in Waterstones, this book caught my eye due to how pretty the cover was. I’m so glad that I did pick this book mainly for the cover because I fell in love with this book.
All books, no matter their binding, will fall to dust. The stories they carry may last longer. They might outlive the paper, the library, even the language in which they were first written. But the greatest story can reach the stars. The first point of view is Evar, and he has lived his entire life trapped within a vast library, that is older than empires and larger than cities. The second point of view is Livira and she has spent her life in a tiny settlement out on the Dust where no goes and nightmares stalk. The world has never noticed them. That is all about to change.
The way that I personally review a fantasy book is how easy it is to get into the book and how the world building is and if I get so confused that I lose the plot of the story during the book. I didn’t get confused once. I was hooked from page one. Like literally page one. This is one of the books where I wanted to dive headfirst into the book and into this world. Mark Lawrence’s writing in his book is beautiful, it was like one minute I started the book and the next it was over, and I didn’t want it to be. I love the love story between our two MCs, I think it was so adorable and innocent and with the year jumped, you were breaking my heart, and I was rooting for them to be reunited. The story was so unique, and it was so interesting, I just stay in that world forever. But both characters have their own character development and their own story within the book with their own problems and their own family and friends.
The twists and turns had me audible gasping and just wanting more. This book was 560 pages and if it was 1000 pages, I think I would still want more – I did want more, I pre-ordered the second one almost instantly. The ending had me on the edge of my seat and all I wanted was the answers we had been looking for, we thought we found them earlier, but then we didn’t, and it was just back and forth.
It’s one of those books where if I say one thing specific like, even though I loved it, it could spoil the whole thing. But I would recommend this book to anyone especially people who like fantasy and science fiction and books about books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, and Classism
Minor: Racism, Slavery, and Injury/Injury detail
xchloe_bxx's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Racism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
pidgepodge's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Violence, Blood, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Xenophobia, and Classism
Minor: Slavery
skylarkblue1's review against another edition
slow-paced
2.0
I'll be honest I don't have much to say because I don't really remember much that happened/I honestly don't really think much happened?
This book was so very long, and so very slow and dry. I thought I was enjoying it still though because, well, I kept reading, but after needing to renew it twice at the library and the finale kinda just being.. nothing big I realised that I just don't really care for this aha..
The characters were ok, the world was quite neat as well. The writing though I think just really didn't mesh well with me. I also have no idea what the title is referring to considering what the ending is lol. I think this book really could have been so much shorter and like nothing would have been lost. We don't need super long books, this is a pretty big issue with a lot of the long books I've read, they just seem really padded and not well edited.
This book was so very long, and so very slow and dry. I thought I was enjoying it still though because, well, I kept reading, but after needing to renew it twice at the library and the finale kinda just being.. nothing big I realised that I just don't really care for this aha..
The characters were ok, the world was quite neat as well. The writing though I think just really didn't mesh well with me. I also have no idea what the title is referring to considering what the ending is lol. I think this book really could have been so much shorter and like nothing would have been lost. We don't need super long books, this is a pretty big issue with a lot of the long books I've read, they just seem really padded and not well edited.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Xenophobia, Blood, and Classism
Minor: Racism, Slavery, and Injury/Injury detail
xvicesx's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
It's an excellent bit of mind f*ck, as any Mark Lawrence book always is, but I didn't find myself drawn to it as I would normally expect to be.
I think I'll need to read the second book to make up my mind about the series.
I think I'll need to read the second book to make up my mind about the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Violence, Xenophobia, and War
Minor: Slavery
aseel_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-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? It's complicated
5.0
What a meta read this was. A really well done time loop/travel story. All the little reveals had me gasping aloud and I feel immense sadness for our main characters. I also liked the little tidbits of our world reflected in the library and just the whole "whose the real enemy" thought experiment
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
drjoannehill's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
5.0
Fantasy but could be set in the distant future. Over thousands of years there's a cyclical battle between two forces to control a city that holds all knowledge, in books in a nearly infinite library. Great world building, plenty to think about regarding the value of knowledge vs. wisdom, well done characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Genocide, Violence, Kidnapping, and War
Minor: Slavery and Injury/Injury detail
aed2655's review against another edition
adventurous
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? No
4.0
I enjoyed rereading it just as much as the first time. Although Livira is a bit of a Mary Sue.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Kidnapping, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
bakeybeans's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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? No
5.0
I found this hard to put down. The writing is lovely and really creates a world to live in while you’re reading, it drew me into the story.
Immediately after finishing the book I feel it’s 5*.
The plot is steady and things are revealed at a good pace to keep it engaging but nothing is revealed too soon. The way the characters search and find answers feels natural. I didn’t really experience a lull in the story. There were parts that felt like context for the characters but later in the story you realise it was foreshadowing or helps answer a question.
The pace definitely speeds up through the story, but reflects the story and as the urgency the characters face in the story increases the pace matches.
I liked the use of common phrases throughout the book which felt out of place at first but as you learn more I felt it fed into the theme of history repeating and civilisations rising and falling, leaving lasting memories despite the source being unknown.
The switching narratives helps develop the theme of history and knowledge twisting throughout history. I found the narratives blended well, with one sometimes offering answers to the other. The narratives also felt distinct to me, I felt the self-assuredness in Livira . With the pace of her opening chapters being slower but speeding up as her thirst for answers and knowledge increased. Opposed to the more cautious and careful approach from Evar.
It feels like a story written by someone who loves books, stories and libraries. The plot follows the characters but there is an underlying thread of this running throughout.
It made me think about how much I love books and how important they are.
Not only as we read them but what they will teach the people who come long after us. It made me appreciate books/libraries as portals to the past and possible futures. It created a feeling that books are special and the words within them hold a universe within the story.
Is it a perfect book, no. No one book ever could be. But I thoroughly enjoyed it and ordered the sequel when I realised how close I was to the end as I’m not ready to let the story finish.
Immediately after finishing the book I feel it’s 5*.
The plot is steady and things are revealed at a good pace to keep it engaging but nothing is revealed too soon. The way the characters search and find answers feels natural. I didn’t really experience a lull in the story. There were parts that felt like context for the characters but later in the story you realise it was foreshadowing or helps answer a question.
The pace definitely speeds up through the story, but reflects the story and as the urgency the characters face in the story increases the pace matches.
I liked the use of common phrases throughout the book which felt out of place at first but as you learn more I felt it fed into the theme of history repeating and civilisations rising and falling, leaving lasting memories despite the source being unknown.
The switching narratives helps develop the theme of history and knowledge twisting throughout history. I found the narratives blended well, with one sometimes offering answers to the other. The narratives also felt distinct to me, I felt the self-assuredness in Livira . With the pace of her opening chapters being slower but speeding up as her thirst for answers and knowledge increased. Opposed to the more cautious and careful approach from Evar.
It feels like a story written by someone who loves books, stories and libraries. The plot follows the characters but there is an underlying thread of this running throughout.
It made me think about how much I love books and how important they are.
Not only as we read them but what they will teach the people who come long after us. It made me appreciate books/libraries as portals to the past and possible futures. It created a feeling that books are special and the words within them hold a universe within the story.
Is it a perfect book, no. No one book ever could be. But I thoroughly enjoyed it and ordered the sequel when I realised how close I was to the end as I’m not ready to let the story finish.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Injury/Injury detail
dkamada's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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? No
5.0
Time is trippy and so is love
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Racism, Self harm, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism