if the tone of your book is giving 'i had a tumblr addiction and didn't go to parties in high school because I was at home writing wolfstar fanfic" thif the tone of your book is giving 'i had a tumblr addiction and didn't go to parties in high school because I was at home writing wolfstar fanfic" then I just cannot enjoy it I cannot BELIEVE this book is so popular ...more
it's really very well written I can say that - in the sense that some of the things felt super visceral and I had a genuine gut reaction. But because it's really very well written I can say that - in the sense that some of the things felt super visceral and I had a genuine gut reaction. But because of that, I'm not sure I enjoyed it.
And I don't think you necessarily have to *enjoy* every book - but at times I found this hard to pick up.
I think his rendering of the Kosovo war was haunting. He was able to make the main character so unpleasant and sympathetic at the same time. Like he's a great Writer!! But it felt almost like I was appreciating the craft and not the story.
I think maybe next time I read from this author I should actually read it instead of listening to the audiobook.
Anyways, I don't exactly know how to rate this because of the time I had reading it.
I think I need to accept the author isn't for me as I had the same issues with this novel that I did with "Terra Nullius"
- Writing style that just doeI think I need to accept the author isn't for me as I had the same issues with this novel that I did with "Terra Nullius"
- Writing style that just doesn't engage my brain. Cannot explain it, but the writing style just does nothing for me, and I find it hard to focus when reading it. And also overuse of cliches when describing thoughts/feelings.
- Lack of character development / very one dimensional characters which leads to me just simply not... caring
- Heavy reliance on a plot twist as a writing device, but lack of originality in dystopian themes. Making it predicable and kind of underwhelming
- More just related to this one but I found a few scenes kinda cringe. The melbourne praise + Halal snack pack moment really
A shame because I want to love this author, hence giving her a second try, but it just didn't work for me ...more
this was a cute and simple pirate fantasy book but the worldbuilding was non-existent and I didn't love the writing? It was just okay. Some o2.5 stars
this was a cute and simple pirate fantasy book but the worldbuilding was non-existent and I didn't love the writing? It was just okay. Some of the dialogue was kinda bad. That said I still had fun with this? was an easy listen while doing other things...more
“If the universe were static, I could stand anywhere in this world and I swear my line of sight would end on you. I swear I'd find you in the dark.”
Crier's War was definitely one of my favourite books of 2019, and I enjoyed it just as much when I reread it. It took me way too long to get to this sequel (life happens etc) but when I finally did get to it, I enjoyed it immensely.
Iron Heart maintains exactly what was great about Crier's War; characters who have interesting character development as individuals and as a couple, slow-burn romance full of yearning and tenderness and fun political fantasy elements + worldbuilding. Plot and world-wise, it's not overly complex - but it's fun, and it has a little historical mystery at it's core which is one of my favourite fantasy tropes.
I found this to be pretty action packed with good pacing for the first two thirds. I really liked the use of dual POV to build suspense and create intrigue. Dual POV was utilised skillfully to create drama and mystery, ending each POV with a cliffhanger that forced you to keep going. I think both POVs were interesting, though I tended to prefer Crier's just a tad.
The use of a dual POV also allowed for an excellent build-up toward the climactic reunion scene. The core of this series really is the relationship between Crier and Ayla, and this climax understood that.
UNFORTUNATELY, this is where we run into my issues. I thought the third act was a mess. It was anti-climactic and poorly paced, feeling like too little time was left to manage too much, which led to unsatisfying reveals and conclusions to plot threads. Major discoveries were made in ways that seemed to be extremely easy and cheap, which made some of the build-up seem pointless and disappointing. The conclusion seemed way too simple and too easy, and considering this is a 400 page book I think it left too little too late. It should have been longer, or certain discovering should have been made earlier.
That said, overall I did still really enjoy my time with this book, and this series. Crier and Ayla's story was concluded well, and I thought their romance was so well done. It's definitely one of my favourite slowburn f/f stories to date. I would love to see Varela write more in this world, I think it has potential and I would definitely read something with more deep, complex worldbuilding because I would find that so intriguing....more
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