Reviews

Crown of Thunder by Tochi Onyebuchi

kiramke's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

3.0

I remember getting the first book and enjoying parts despite not loving the genre and maybe some structural issues.  I had no memories of anything starting book 2, which made it a bit difficult.  I think I'm at the same point at the end; I really like some of the ideas in the world-building, these teenagers are irritatingly accurate, and there was a disconnect in some of the story balance / storytelling that may just be about genre and target audience.

erin_henn's review against another edition

adventurous dark inspiring tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

sa_cchie's review against another edition

4.0

"Crown of Thunder" is a spellbinding follow-up that takes us deeper into the intricate world introduced in "Beasts Made of Night." Taj's journey continues, and this time, it's layered with a poignant struggle – survivor guilt. Taj's internal battles are portrayed with such depth and authenticity that I found myself deeply moved by his journey.

But "Crown of Thunder" doesn't stop at Taj alone. We are introduced to a rich tapestry of characters, each with their own intricate backgrounds and motivations. We delve into their histories, fears, and desires, making this story feel like a tapestry of interconnected lives. I'm so happy we got to have more insights on each character especially Taj's friends.

Ugh, the betrayals in this book hurt

littlewhiterabbitreads's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.75

irawnic's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

cecerachel's review against another edition

adventurous 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

3.5

The story starts right where the first one ended, which I liked. This way, it didn’t feel like I was missing a part. If it was just one huge book, I wouldn’t have minded because, on their own, the books were quick to read through. 

We got to see a bit more about the relationship

between Aliya and Taj

, and I couldn’t be happier. They are so cute. I would have liked it even more if they had some really heartfelt scenes or a more in-depth description

of what Taj feels for her

. 

Some parts felt a bit as fillers, like the first village they stayed in. I wanted to read about the ‘big battle of Kos’, the ‘returning survivor’, the ‘ultimate aki’, but it took forever to get to that point. 

Some chapters even described things that happened in the first book, which stopped the whole flow of the story for me. I have read it in the first book already; I don’t need to read the exact same thing twice. Describing a short recap is okay, but this happened too many times and was very elaborate. At some point, I just skipped the parts because of this. (I get it if it has been some time since the first book was read, but even then, just read it again if you want to get into the story.)

The ending was a rollercoaster. There was so much happening, I couldn’t put down the book. It’s a great read, but I liked the first book better. 

ameserole's review against another edition

4.0

Man I love audiobooks!

Crown of Thunder was so freaking good! I don't know why I took a mini break between books 1 and 2 but I am happy that I found time to sneak it in this month! I love everything about Taj's new journey in this book! Of course I felt for him when he was going through his downward spiral of leaving Kos but HEY the grass was bound to be greener on the other side - right?

Enter Aliya! Ahhhh I loved her so much! There was something mysterious about her and I think that's why Taj (and I) were so drawn to her. I couldn't help but ship these two together as well. They definitely questioned one another but then found a way to work through things together.

Besides romancing being in the air, this book definitely upped it's game on the action. I honestly enjoy every page this narrator read to me because the journey was non-stop fun. I will admit, however, that the ending came rather quickly to me. Maybe it's because I was enjoying everything so much that I wasn't expecting it to end so soon. But yeah, it did and I was a little said when I realized that the audio was over.

Now I have no idea what to do with my life because there's no more books! I want more - of course - but I guess I will have to see what else Tochi has written.

marigale's review against another edition

4.0

Good overall, but a bit rushed.

alysoncochrane's review against another edition

3.0

I enjoyed Taj’s story & the world behind this story, but I wish part of this book was put into the first book (to pick up the pace), and then the ending of this one was a little more drawn out. I felt it was a little rushed and there were parts that were just glossed over quickly. Beautiful world and ideas though!

thecanadianbookworm's review against another edition

1.0

Book one was good but book two just didn't grab me. DNF.