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rebeccazh's Reviews (2.89k)
Another fast and entertaining read. This is supposed to be a Chinese-inspired fantasy but it's very 'lite'. I enjoyed the folklore and quest parts and will probably check out the sequel.
really good tips but this author was repeating the same point for four hundred pages. this could have been 80-100 pages.
sharon shinn is back at it with another series with a very intriguing set-up. i devoured this trilogy and the first-person narration works really well.
This was very fun to read. I went in with no expectations, having only read Emily May's review, but this is basically a book with alternative POV chapters starring Lou and Reid. Lou is running from her homicidal and fanatic mother who wants to sacrifice her in order to strike a blow at her enemies. Reid is just trying to live up to the Archbishop's expectations and to live up to his own standards. Lou is witty, mischievous, playful and irreverent. She turns everything into a joke, has no respect for authority and doesn't seem to take anything seriously. She's so funny and I loved reading her chapters! She was the sole reason why I enjoyed this book so much.
Reid is one of those very serious, loyal, bound to his moral code and law-abiding type of personality. He has anger issues, takes everything very seriously, has ideas about how everything should be and he is devoted to authority (also the Archbishop is pretty much like his foster father, boss and savior rolled into one). Sparks fly when he has to live with Lou and interact with her on a close basis. Their bickering and fighting is honestly pretty hilarious.
The worldbuilding is weird - the country is a country that's sort of like France, but not really. They also have different types of witches that's not really explained clearly.
I read the prologue and then after that devoured the entire book. Lou is so fun to read! Excited for the sequel.
Reid is one of those very serious, loyal, bound to his moral code and law-abiding type of personality. He has anger issues, takes everything very seriously, has ideas about how everything should be and he is devoted to authority (also the Archbishop is pretty much like his foster father, boss and savior rolled into one). Sparks fly when he has to live with Lou and interact with her on a close basis. Their bickering and fighting is honestly pretty hilarious.
The worldbuilding is weird - the country is a country that's sort of like France, but not really. They also have different types of witches that's not really explained clearly.
I read the prologue and then after that devoured the entire book. Lou is so fun to read! Excited for the sequel.
I happened to be watching the film, The Adjustment Bureau, which prompted me to pick this short story up. And it's a chilling story -- there are times when I've wondered if chance events like spilling your coffee, or missing the bus, or finding 50 cents, are actually not chance encounters, but events that work together to create a ripple-effect to cause certain things to happen -- in other words, every event, from the smallest to the largest, happens according to some unseen plan/structure. A world of determinism where human free-will/autonomy is quite nonexistent, since even our impulses/thoughts/actions are predicted.
The creepiest part for me was that the Adjustment Team (the Clerks, the Summoners, the Old Man) are alluding to angels/God/Heaven. I was once religious, and the thought of a technocratic Heaven/God/angel is kind of chilling, since it seems to be the antithesis of peace/love/warmth, etc.
But anyway, this was such a fantastic read.
The creepiest part for me was that the Adjustment Team (the Clerks, the Summoners, the Old Man) are alluding to angels/God/Heaven. I was once religious, and the thought of a technocratic Heaven/God/angel is kind of chilling, since it seems to be the antithesis of peace/love/warmth, etc.
But anyway, this was such a fantastic read.
i only read song of myself and i sing the body electric but i loved how celebratory they were of life and the human body. he was reveling in the simplest of pleasures, like a blade of grass or a lover's touch, but also so appreciative of the sublime
Every time Sarah Beth Durst releases a book, I get excited and try my hardest to get into it, and then I just can't make my way past 20%... The premise of this book is really intriguing and it has a strong opening. But I think this writing style is just not my cup of tea.
i've just realized i've never added this book, which is so blasphemous. this was literally one of my favorite books as a kid, alongside harry potter. i tried to move things telepathically like matilda after i read this.