Take a photo of a barcode or cover
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, War, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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
Sabaa when I catch you!!
This book does its job, but I do think it's the weakest in the series.Helene gets NOTHING are you KIDDING ME?? what was the point in making her suffer so much???? She winds up alone while Laia and Elias just get off free???? Yeah Darin dies, but Mirra gets brought back conveniently and Laia is just fine with that.
Keris is one of the most chilling, well written female villains I've ever read, and you END HER STORY LIKE THIS????? HUH??? So, it could have been better. I honestly think this series could have been expanded into 5 installments. (And also written as an adult series.)
This book does its job, but I do think it's the weakest in the series.
Keris is one of the most chilling, well written female villains I've ever read, and you END HER STORY LIKE THIS????? HUH???
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief, Murder, War
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Genocide, Slavery
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Apparently you can give books more than 5 stars on StoryGraph so I did
Crying over my paperwork at my desk at work rn. I'm going to start Heir as soon as I get home
Crying over my paperwork at my desk at work rn. I'm going to start Heir as soon as I get home
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Abandonment, Colonisation, Classism
Moderate: Genocide, Violence, Grief, War
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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:
Complicated
If I could give this book more stars I would!
This series deserves every acclaim! It is truly a literary masterpiece that I don’t think will ever be topped and it not being more popular is a CRIME!!!
Everything is stunning, from the world building, to the characters, to that stakes, all the way down to very prose on the page! Simple amazing!
I want to say more but I am still so fresh of reading it and nothing I could say would to it justice! It is an experience I wish on everyone!
This series deserves every acclaim! It is truly a literary masterpiece that I don’t think will ever be topped and it not being more popular is a CRIME!!!
Everything is stunning, from the world building, to the characters, to that stakes, all the way down to very prose on the page! Simple amazing!
I want to say more but I am still so fresh of reading it and nothing I could say would to it justice! It is an experience I wish on everyone!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Sexual content
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Violence, Blood, War
adventurous
emotional
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
Ngl I'm kind of glad to be done with these just so I can finally move on to something else. They weren't bad. I love the writing and the story. I was just kind of bored at times?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, War
Moderate: Sexual content, Death of parent
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
There are a number of things I don’t love about this book, but this deep into a series I’m so attached that I still quite enjoyed myself.
The writing in this is great. The language is so emphatic and evocative. It borders on pretentious occasionally but I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t exactly the type of shit I like. Admittedly it felt a little heavy handed at times with all the flowery talk about how the villains are just like us, since it was their traumatic childhoods that made them the way they are, blah blah blah. Like, okay, but some people are traumatized and still manage not to commit genocide so forgive me if I’m not really vibing with the forgiveness motif.
My biggest pet peeve in this book is the resolution. After all the build up and the (great) fight scenes and the loss, the resolution just beingLaia having a heart-to-heart with the Nightbringer ?!?!? Are you kidding? Four whole books for that corny shit?
On the other hand, each of the main characters individual arc is quite satisfying. I think all three have great development, and I like who they end up being in the end. The side characters feel a little underdeveloped sometimes, which might be a good thing consideringthey kept getting brutally murdered , but perhaps some of the cast wasn’t really needed in the first place if they were just going to be props for Helene’s good guy arc, idk.
Anyway this was definitely the last book in a series. I dunno, there’s something that feels unsatisfying about it, but it does conclude what it needs to. It’s just like the happy ever after just happened without being earned. And don’t try to tell me that it was earned just cause everyone suffered. That’s not how that works. Like the happy ending wasn’t brought about by the autonomous choices of the characters or something, it’s weird. I had a good time in the middle part I think
The writing in this is great. The language is so emphatic and evocative. It borders on pretentious occasionally but I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t exactly the type of shit I like. Admittedly it felt a little heavy handed at times with all the flowery talk about how the villains are just like us, since it was their traumatic childhoods that made them the way they are, blah blah blah. Like, okay, but some people are traumatized and still manage not to commit genocide so forgive me if I’m not really vibing with the forgiveness motif.
My biggest pet peeve in this book is the resolution. After all the build up and the (great) fight scenes and the loss, the resolution just being
On the other hand, each of the main characters individual arc is quite satisfying. I think all three have great development, and I like who they end up being in the end. The side characters feel a little underdeveloped sometimes, which might be a good thing considering
Anyway this was definitely the last book in a series. I dunno, there’s something that feels unsatisfying about it, but it does conclude what it needs to. It’s just like the happy ever after just happened without being earned. And don’t try to tell me that it was earned just cause everyone suffered. That’s not how that works. Like the happy ending wasn’t brought about by the autonomous choices of the characters or something, it’s weird. I had a good time in the middle part I think
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief
Moderate: Genocide
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Violence, Grief, War
Moderate: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Sexual content
This is a series that should be read through together back to back to back. I hadn't done a reread before tackling Sky, and I wish I had had the time (though I am looking forward to a future reread down the line).
Tahir frustrated me at times by switching narrators/plot lines just when it was getting really good, but I understand that choice. The book also wraps up cleanly (though not pleasantly - girlfriend is in the George RR Martin camp of killing characters), and I felt it resolved a lot of issues (though I think on my reread I'll be fully satisfied when I fully remember all the minor details Tahir weaves together). I would still like more about Keris (I'd love a "Fairest" style book from her perspective) but she is meant to be an enigma.
Overall, I'd recommend this series (especially since it's now completed) but recommend each book be taken down in quick succession so you can appreciate all the small details Tahir builds upon and weaves together.
In 2024 on the reread - Sabaa is amazing, this series is amazing, and it's even better on the reread.
Tahir frustrated me at times by switching narrators/plot lines just when it was getting really good, but I understand that choice. The book also wraps up cleanly (though not pleasantly - girlfriend is in the George RR Martin camp of killing characters), and I felt it resolved a lot of issues (though I think on my reread I'll be fully satisfied when I fully remember all the minor details Tahir weaves together). I would still like more about Keris (I'd love a "Fairest" style book from her perspective) but she is meant to be an enigma.
Overall, I'd recommend this series (especially since it's now completed) but recommend each book be taken down in quick succession so you can appreciate all the small details Tahir builds upon and weaves together.
In 2024 on the reread - Sabaa is amazing, this series is amazing, and it's even better on the reread.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Violence, War
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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
#justiceforhelene
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, War
Moderate: Genocide, Grief