This monster was over 550 pages for no good reason. Yes, I get that this was intentionallyslow burn,but the execution really was not it. We had so mThis monster was over 550 pages for no good reason. Yes, I get that this was intentionallyslow burn,but the execution really was not it. We had so many choppy scenes where we were shown irrelevant scene after irrelevant scene... the first half dragged on for AGES. And when the MCs finally formed a "bond", it wasn't worth it and both bc both of the MCs sucked.
The FMC's POV was so annoying to read from. In an attempt to be humorous, the word "poop" was repeated a million times in the book. The FMC kept talking about her Big Girl Socks and slutshaming other women. And why did she ALWAYS call Kulti "the German" (or some other German word) instead of using his name?? That made me so uncomfortable.
ALSO despite this book being sooo long, I can confidently say that I still know NOTHING about Kulti (nor do I want to). Why did his previous marriage end? Why did he get a DUI? Did he hurt the FMC's brother on purpose and why? WHY WAS HE SUCH AN ASSHOLE TOEVERYONE(yeah, including the FMC!)?...more
This book was SHOCKINGLY messy and boring. 2 stars because I didn't necessarily want to chuck my book out the window and I've read worse. Are the sequThis book was SHOCKINGLY messy and boring. 2 stars because I didn't necessarily want to chuck my book out the window and I've read worse. Are the sequels worth reading? Please advise.
❌ None of the characters were interesting (and there were A LOT of characters) except for maybe Cook ❌ World-building was lazy ❌ So many things happened but none of them seemed relevant to the story until the last act ❌ There were two love triangles--TWO! ❌ Used rape as a plot device!! ❌ Men belong in jail AKA misogyny is also used as a plot device
Also, can someone explain that scene where(view spoiler)[Elias and Helene were on the edge of a cliff and roped to each other(hide spoiler)]bc I didn't get the logistics of how that went down.
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50%:I fear I'm no longer part of this book's target audience....more
I was betting my soul on this book. Unfortunately, there really isn’t anything positive I can say about it.The two-starFiled under:porn-without-plot
I was betting my soul on this book. Unfortunately, there really isn’t anything positive I can say about it.The two-star rating? Those are pity stars....more
Okay, I didn'thatethis. In fact, I kind of liked it and would probably give it 3 stars if I was going to base my rating off ~emotions~ alone. HoweveOkay, I didn'thatethis. In fact, I kind of liked it and would probably give it 3 stars if I was going to base my rating off ~emotions~ alone. However, I would feel bad giving this a higher rating bc it felt super toxic. I don't think the main issue was handled very well.
Also, I will not be reading the sequel bc(view spoiler)[I was PISSED that the author killed off a perfectly great side character to use him as a plot device! Justice for Brandon!!(hide spoiler)]...more
JAIL!As a joke, I started highlighting the scenes that made mephysicallyroll my eyes... and I got to 33 highlights. I'm surprised my eyeballs havenJAIL!As a joke, I started highlighting the scenes that made mephysicallyroll my eyes... and I got to 33 highlights. I'm surprised my eyeballs haven't completely rolled to the back of my head. Honestly, I was prepared for this book to just be hilariously bad, i.e., I really just wanted to read it for the shits and giggles. Do I regret it? Absolutely. I want to douse my entire soul in bleach.
I don't even know where to begin. I guess let's start with the aspect that made me less angry than the other --the plot.And that's not to say that I liked the plot... Ihatedit. The story was incredibly unrealistic, and the twists were so predictable. But it doesn't matter how crazy the random murder mystery ended up being (which, for the record, I did NOT sign up for a muder mystery), resolutions all came really easy to the main characters because of howwell connectedandfilthy richthe ML is. Also one of the FL's best friends is a literal princess.Truly, the story was just so unserious.I don't understand how people can read this unironically.
So what was this book, really? Was it a romance? Nothing about this was romantic. Was it a mystery? Not really. Everything was already right in front of your face. Was it dark? Sure. It was totally unhinged and a lot of people should have ended up in prison.
Okay. Time to rip off the bandaid and discuss...the characters.Ava and her friends were supposed to be in college, but they spoke and acted like teenagers. All of them were very one dimensional and were just super forgettable. Any of the four of them could have been the main lead and the story would have been exactly the same.
Alex Volkov gets a special section dedicated all to him, just like he has a special place in hell.First of all — Alex is such a side character name (I'm sorry to all the Alexes out there! I love your name, but you know what I mean...more
Here's what I imagine happened: I believe that Rebecca Yarros wanted to write an edgy fantasy book with dragons targeted for a YA audience. She probabHere's what I imagine happened: I believe that Rebecca Yarros wanted to write an edgy fantasy book with dragons targeted for a YA audience. She probably had a word cloud of ideas and no actual details prepared. Fine, maybe there was a rough outline. Her characters were written on the fly, but she knew she wanted a heroine who was not like the other girls. In 2023, she finally decided that it was time to publish her book... but it was missing something... ah,spiceis getting really big in the book world. She went back to make her characters adults and made them super horny. And BAM,Fourth Wingwas born. ✨
THERE WILL BE SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ONWARDS!
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Do you want to read a book about a bunch of adults (who act and speak like horny teenagers) running around trying to kill each other?
Maybe you do, and I don't blame you because that honestly sounds like a fun time. But personally, I need one basic question answered before I can enjoy this kind of plot:WHYare they trying to kill each other?
In the case ofFourth Wing,there is no point. This book supposedly features the best, the brightest, and the toughestkidsadults (I'm going to have a problem with this) going through the dragon riders' quadrant of the Big Bad War College™.This is allegedly the most revered sector of the college, and those who are admitted here are trained in magic and eventually go to war... which is why it makes absolutely NO SENSE why it would be okay for the students to murder each other and lessen their work force.It's so dumb.
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This book features the laziest world-building I've ever encountered. It's wild.
Despite this being the most covetted quadrant,they waste space by conscripting the rebel kids (children of those part of some previous big rebellion I can't remember) into it, who theysupposedly do not trust,where they'll be given access to dragons and magic?Make it make sense! Why not give them manual labor jobs if they can't be trusted? Why give them positions that everyone else wants to have?
And yeah, despite everyone supposedly having trained for years to get into this quadrant,nobody seems to know anything about it!The students talk about dragons, dragon riders and the quadrant in ways that make them sound so unsure about everything.If you're willing to risk your life to get in here, shouldn't you have done reseach? Or, if this was such a popular quadrant, shouldn't all of these things be common knowledge? A few examples:
“Plus,I've heard thatriders are allowed to marry sooner than the other quadrants,” Dylan adds.
“True. Right after graduation.” If we survive. “I thinkit has something to do with wanting to continue bloodlines.” Most successful riders are legacies.
“I overhead a third-year saywhen a first-year survives Threshing unbonded, the quadrant lets them repeat the year and try again if they want.”
I study the map. The Esben Mountain Range is the highest along our eastern border with Braevick, making it the least likely place for an attack, especially since gryphons don't tolerate altitude nearly as well as dragons,probably due to the factthat they're half-lion, half-eagle and can't handle the thinner air at altitudes.
The author also opts out of ever attempting to explain anything the dragons do.Whenever someone has a perfectly reasonable question about the dragons, the response is always just about "respecting one's life" because if they try to ask, the dragons will kill them? (Again,why?) Anyway, this is just an excuse on the author's part because she doesn't want to think of a reasonable response....more
This book is fanfiction of the general omegaverse + vamp world.The more I think about this book, the more I hate it. I think that means that I shouldThis book is fanfiction of the general omegaverse + vamp world.The more I think about this book, the more I hate it. I think that means that I should just stop thinking about it... but here's a quick review anyway!
There were aspects about this sequel that I liked more than the first book, and there were some that I liked less. However, the only constant thoughtThere were aspects about this sequel that I liked more than the first book, and there were some that I liked less. However, the only constant thought in my head throughout both reads was:this duology really would have been so much better without the romance.It always felt like an unnecessary subplot that took away from the fantasy and the mystery that should have been the main focus of both this and the first book.
Key points:Main mystery did not have any foreshadowing (though the "background" behind this was WAY more interesting than the first book), secondary mystery was very obvious, fake marriage subplot with no chemistry, lots of info-dumping and guessing on the fantasy world-building (could have been done better, but the idea was great)
I think one of the main problems with this book was that it was trying way too hard to be three things at once: a fantasy, a mystery, and a romance. NI think one of the main problems with this book was that it was trying way too hard to be three things at once: a fantasy, a mystery, and a romance. Normally, I wouldlovea combination of these three genres, butBlood and Moonlightthrew so much information and intensity from all three subplots that this one ended up turning into a pile of word mush,especially towards the end.
The first half was pretty great, when it was just a murder mystery with a tinge of magic. When the main love interest came around, the plot just lost focus entirely, and the second half wentWAYdownhill.It turned into a reverse-harem, murdernon-mystery, fantasy info-dump.I'll elaborate on all three aspects.
The Mystery The murderer was obvious around halfway in. We essentially only really had two solid options. IMO, the main character had no place in this mystery -- she oddly always just felt like an outsider trying to peek in. Maybe this would have been an enjoyable read if it was from the main love interest's POV, WITHOUT the main lead. I enjoyed the gore, though.
The Fantasy The fantasy aspect was definitely only used as a plot device. The bits and pieces that were hinted at in the beginning of the book were so naturally incorporated that I looked forward to more of it, but it soon turned into an info-dump that was hard to absorb. The idea was definitely unique and interesting, though.
The Romance *breathes in* Ah, the romance. This was complete insanity and I wish it wasn't part of the book. The romance between the two MCs was definitely insta-love-y, and their connection wasn't at all fleshed out. Other than that, it seemed like every fucking man in this book was interested in Catrin, and for no good reason, either. It's not like she's the most captivating woman in all the land -- quite the opposite, actually. She made horrible decisions, put people's lives at risk, and was overall unlikable.
In conclusion, I wish this book chose one aspect to really highlight and focus on. It could have been a creepy mystery with a little bit of fantasy and a hint of romance (or, you know, no romance could be good for YA sometimes!), rather than being a novel with too much information but no solid direction.
Key points:Predictable twists, cringe reverse-harem romance, gorgeous integration of magic, boring male lead (with slight second ML syndrome), interesting political and religious commentary
After some internalizing, I've come to realize that I really have almost nothing good to say about this book... so I've lowered the rating to 1 star.After some internalizing, I've come to realize that I really have almost nothing good to say about this book... so I've lowered the rating to 1 star. Anyway, to be straightforward: this book was weird as fuck. I felt genuinelydisturbedand uncomfortable while reading this one, and I'm not sure if that was entirely intentional. I'll try to break it all down.
WORLD BUILDING AND LORE Well, the world building was absolutely non-existent, which was definitely a shame. The concept behind the Vespertine and the religious background behind everything would have beensointeresting to read about if everything was just fleshed out properly.
PLOT AND PACING For a book that's almost 400 pages long, maybe less than a hundred pages were used for the actualstory.Majority of the book focused on, well, something else. I will say, though, that there were a few surprising twists toward the end, amidst all the very predictable ones. (Yes, I'm willing to give this booksomecredit.)
CHARACTERS AND RELATIONSHIPS Girl, please. None of the characters hadanypersonality. The author only really attempted to give the main character a sob story background and left the rest of the characters up in the air. I honestly don't even remember any of the characters' names. A don’t even get me started on the romance — I don’t even know if I can call it that.
WRITING STYLE There were SO MANY repetitive scenes and repetitive descriptions. This thing could make you feel like you're stuck in a time loop, wondering why the hell this scene you're reading sounds insanely familiar... and that's because you've read basically the same thing ten pages ago.
OVERALL As a people-pleaser, it's difficult for me to say that I wouldn't recommend this, but as a terrible liar, I also can't say that I would. Do with that what you will.
Picture this -- you're back in the year 2010 with a book in your hands. What is the book about? Why, it's about a sexy fallen angel who falls in lovePicture this -- you're back in the year 2010 with a book in your hands. What is the book about? Why, it's about a sexy fallen angel who falls in love with a too-nice-for-this-world human.Duh.
You're on the edge of your seat as the FL once again gets herself into a life-threatening situation, and the ML swoops in to save her at the very last minute. She probably discovers that she could have saved herself this whole time, but that's okay because youwantedthe handsome ML to sweep her off her feet. Quite literally, probably, because he has super speed and super strength. When they finally kiss, you let out a little squeal. The story ends with all conflicts magically resolved, and you're satisfied.
That's basically this book in a nutshell.Bring Me Your Midnightwas as early-2010s-YA-Paranormal-Romance as it can possibly get.Let's bring out a checklist, yeah?
The special snowflake heroine with absolutely no depth?✅ Tana had it all figured out before she made one mistake, and before she met the ML. She discovered things that were kept hidden from her and her people, and she suddenly got to decide how the future will look for everyone. It kind of pissed me off that Tana was marketed to be on the older side of the YA spectrum (I believe she's supposed to be 19 here), but didn't act like it. A lot of her actions didn't fit her character.
The plot centered around the (instant) forbidden love between the brooding male lead and the sheltered female lead?✅✅✅ Obviously, it's the male lead Wolfe(oh the name is giving me so much cringe)that introduces Tana to a different way of living. From the night they met, she couldn't stop thinking about him. Truly, the plot only seemed to move forward whenever Wolfe was around. And yes, the instalove was pretty insane.
The shallow plot with a clean ending?✅ It felt like the story was leading to a very clear, obvious point, even from the beginning. Any and all conflicts were just resolved too quickly and precisely, giving none of the characters any room to grow. There was a lack of tension and intensity, which is a shame considering how beautiful the story could have been, given the political and environmental nature of the main conflict.
All that being said, I didn't give this one a 1-star rating for two reasons: 1) I was genuinely interested in the magic culture and in the politics of the world, and 2) the setting was really atmospheric. This bookdidhave potential, but it fell short and blended in with the rest of the YA PNR books we've all read in the past.
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Other kind-of witch-y books that I enjoyed: Uprootedby Naomi Novik: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Salt & Stormby Kendall Kulper: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Strayby Elissa Sussman: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for the advance reader's copy!...more
Reading this book made me think about all the times I've been forced to go to Church or to listen to personal development seminars in the past. It wasReading this book made me think about all the times I've been forced to go to Church or to listen to personal development seminars in the past. It was just so incrediblypreachythat it became difficult to tolerate at times.
The braincells are FRIED. This thing was info overload, and I can honestly say that I didn't digest half of what I read. It's a bit shocking how suchThe braincells are FRIED. This thing was info overload, and I can honestly say that I didn't digest half of what I read. It's a bit shocking how such a brilliant concept was wasted like this.
Let me give a very forward disclaimer before going on: I don't like thinking. I know that sounds stupid, but I have a pretty short attention span, and it's difficult for me to be invested in something when there's just so much going on. This book was just that.
I don't know how to put this nicely, but it was trying so hard to be aYAfantasy novel, you know? It was so formulaic -- from the "unique" names to the insane number of magic categories to the "forbidden" romance, plus the unnecessary descriptions of people and places that contributed nothing to the actual story.
With this level of complexity background-wise, you kind of expect that the characters would be more mature and likeable... well, they were NOT. They pretty shallow, and so were their relationships. Don't even get me started on the romance... if you can even call it that. I've just completely blocked this off from my mind and am currently pretending that it's not part of the book.
Does this book have potential? Sure, yeah. I really liked the concept behind everything. Though personally, this one really felt more like a huge brain dump rather than a fully refined novel.
I have nothing against plotless smut if that's what I'm offered and I still willingly read it, but this book kind of promised a dark, grittyDNF @ 42%
I have nothing against plotless smut if that's what I'm offered and I still willingly read it, but this book kind of promised a dark, gritty story about magic and revenge. I feel betrayed. Honestly, I do.
It's just not worth it. These characters suck, too.
I wanted to like this so bad. See, my problem was with the main character, Emilia -- hate her. She was very much your typical Special Snowflake YA HerI wanted to like this so bad. See, my problem was with the main character, Emilia -- hate her. She was very much your typical Special Snowflake YA Heroine, and I couldn't stand it. Despite acting like such a hard-headed child, she got away witheverythingshe did. Every side character in the book was just there to get her out of whatever mess she put herself in.
Wrath was... fine. His characterization just felt very surface-level for me. He's going nowhere near my list of favorite male leads, but at least he didn't piss me off as much as Emilia did.
The story itself was pretty decent, actually -- minus the killer, which was an incredibly predictable "twist" -- everything else played out pretty okay, and I enjoyed getting to know the lore at the very least. I just wish that most of the lore didn't come from a single character's (Emilia's grandmother) mouth.
This one wasn'tbad,but it was just... extremely underwhelming. I loved the world-building and the insane amount of imagination that clearly went intThis one wasn'tbad,but it was just... extremely underwhelming. I loved the world-building and the insane amount of imagination that clearly went into this one, but there was just something kind of dry about the way the characters were written....more
I found so many similarities between this andAvatar: The Last Airbender(which I'm coincidentally in the middle of rewatching), but it lacks the... mI found so many similarities between this andAvatar: The Last Airbender(which I'm coincidentally in the middle of rewatching), but it lacks the... majestic atmosphere that ATLA brings. Also, it's a hundred times more annoying.
Kiva pissed me off more in this book than she ever did in the first two books combined, the side characters came off as insanely stereotypical, and the twists became more and more predictable as I got used to Noni's writing -- but! Iunderstoodwhat the author wanted this book to be. There's something verypureabout this series, so if you're into the true good-vs-evil type of story, you might like this one....more
aimee (aimeecanread)
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