I'm suing all the people who were rioting after Season 3 of Bridgerton dropped, saying that the show lost the "us against the world" feeling between CI'm suing all the people who were rioting after Season 3 of Bridgerton dropped, saying that the show lost the "us against the world" feeling between Colin and Penelope...because I read this and it did not have that at all. A lot of it is him telling her to stop for her own good or just being mad, and I actually really did not like how Penelope knew nothing about the final plan until it was right about to happen. While the show changed it in sort of a cringe way, I still preferred it.
Ultimately, I just think this isn't really how I like friends-to-lovers being done, which is with the realization coming first and then the pining and self-suppression, instead of how the main characters were basically together and Colin still didn't recognize that he was in love....more
I was absolutely captivated by this book in the first ten minutes.
The premise is set up well, and I loved reading from Jude vs. Kat's perspective. TheI was absolutely captivated by this book in the first ten minutes.
The premise is set up well, and I loved reading from Jude vs. Kat's perspective. The pacing of the book really does slow down, and while I feel like the actual backstory itself is interesting, I think we needed more twists and build-up to make Kat's desperation more believable. It feels like she turns on Jude much too quickly. Sab also didn't really play much of a purpose.
Overall, though, it's an engaging read from start to finish....more
This is one of the few instances where I think the show did it better, though in large part that might just be because the chemistry between the actorThis is one of the few instances where I think the show did it better, though in large part that might just be because the chemistry between the actors were off the charts. While I enjoyed this book still (and there were parts that the book was better at — like Edwina's apathy), I felt like the overall plot progression was far too repetitive compared to the first one, with the plot of "oh no we got caught together in public so we have to get married" happening again....more
I'm a little meh on this one because the Davy Back Fight is just fun but that's all.I'm a little meh on this one because the Davy Back Fight is just fun but that's all....more
I didn’t love the first one but it was still a fun read. This one wasn’t even fun.
Right off the bat, I was casually intrigued but I knew I wouldn’t caI didn’t love the first one but it was still a fun read. This one wasn’t even fun.
Right off the bat, I was casually intrigued but I knew I wouldn’t care about this mystery as much as the previous one. The stakes just felt lower; Connor is to Jamie what Ravi was to Sal, but less emotionally impactful.
As the story went on it started feeling like nothing was really happening. Pippa runs around but the breakthroughs don’t feel that interesting and it feels like 90% of the mystery is speculation.
Which is another thing that really pissed me off: Pippa. Simply put, I don’t like this main character. In AGG, I thought she was a little grating in the “quirky YA heroine” kind of way but in this one they doubled down on her as a reluctant, righteous hero, and they did it by making her extra miserable. She spends so much time telling everyone (the police, Ravi, Nat, her podcast audience) she “doesn’t want to do this.”
It gets even worse towards the end, where the book tries to make the story more dramatic but only succeeds in making Pippa recklessly irritating.I know she’s supposed to be traumatized but it was super repetitive and still the narrative kept pushing Pippa as some jaded heroine, fighting the good fight in the face of haters and a lazy (if not corrupt) police force, the genius who solved ANOTHER mystery at the cost of her own mental well-being. I just didn’t really feel myself buying into all that, and with how the book ended it feels like book 3 is only going to get worse.
It doesn’t help that her investigation skills just aren’t very good. She jumps to conclusions (and somehow it still works), cuts off potential witnesses with leading questions, or even worse, a “if you’re telling me [Info A], I already know that.” The backdrop of Pippa’s fame and podcast feels unnecessary and even illogical as she unveils EVERYTHING on her podcast: there’s a reason detectives are typically tight-lipped about ongoing investigations.
And then there’s Ravi. It’s pretty clear the author has no idea what to do with him this time around because he’s treated like an actor with a scheduling conflict, popping in and out like a “meanwhile” title card, or as a supportive, quippy boyfriend.
By the 83% mark, I honestly still felt like we had barely gotten anywhere. Then the book did the same thing its predecessor did, spiraling so fast and in a way no reader could’ve possibly guessed because it introduced brand new elements. The ending is just kind of outlandish and dramatic and there was zero build-up to it, especially compared to the much larger cast of characters and suspects in the prequel. And of course everything is explained through not one, but TWO villain monologues, leaving some extra time for Q&A. That just tells me that the story wasn’t built organically, at all.
I’ll read book three since there’s only one left but man, this was rough....more
…I’m gonna be honest, I started this series thinking it was a duology and that it was complete; I didn’t realize that there was another book until I g…I’m gonna be honest, I started this series thinking it was a duology and that it was complete; I didn’t realize that there was another book until I got to the end and the story wasn’t over. Now I'm thinking, “Ohhh, no wonder this novel was giving middle book syndrome.”
I’m not a fan of Violet and Xaden’s romance in this book at all. In the aftermath of the last book, Violet and Jaden are in limbo: she doesn’t trust him after he lied to her but he argues that he had to because the revolution is bigger than both of them. This is actually a really interesting premise, but the issue was that there was basically zero development or communication. They talked in circles for 80% of the book and it’s never productive. Violet does exactly what Xaden did and hides information from her other friends, but she spends the entire book complaining about it instead of reflecting on why it’s so necessary and why Xaden did it too. The “there’s something between us but we shouldn’t give into it” dynamic that was so fun in the first book became really tiresome.
Which brings me to my biggest issue with the romance: its absolute disconnect from the plot.
There’s the high stakes revolution the book wants us to believe in and then there’s the romance, which just feels so…high school. The plot is completely put on hold whenever Violet starts narrating about Xaden. Either she’s talking about how she was betrayed or rambling about how beautiful he is. And then Cat, the “other woman” comes into the picture and she’s just so cartoonishly evil. Violet becomes petty and jealous and that becomes the main focus instead oh, the entire revolution that’s supposed to be going on.
Honestly, I still think the world-building is really weak. Conceptually I know why we’re supposed to be rooting for the revolution, but it feels so thinly explained in-world that I don’t care much about their cause or the side characters that are involved. Imogen starts off with an interesting role but is left behind soon enough, and because Violet is keeping her distance from Rhiannon they don’t feel like friends either.
Even the dragons felt less important, and Andarna is used as a plot device more than she’s an actual character.
Other than some of the same criticisms I had from book 1 — Violet’s main character syndrome is still in full force (I swear we’re told every single chapter that she’s the strongest rider in this generation, or how her stubbornness is SAUR ICONIC), these are my biggest negatives. Still, I didn’t hate this, despite liking it less than the previous book for sure. I'm honestly really interested in the premise of the story and romantasy should be an absolute slam dunk; it's just that Violet is a really irritating main character. There's still some nice scenes, like with Mira and Brennan, and with Liam and Sloane — who takes a little while to grow on you, but does in the end.
I’ll still be reading the next book (now that I know there is one lol) and I’m sure it’ll be an easy read too, but with this quality I don’t actually feel myself being emotionally invested in it....more
Look, I actually don’t mind a tropey book, as long as the author molds it well into their world and their story.
This one…didn’t really, but it was stiLook, I actually don’t mind a tropey book, as long as the author molds it well into their world and their story.
This one…didn’t really, but it was still an easy read.
You could tell they wanted enemies-to-lovers, wanted their main character to be an underdog and a fish out of water, and wanted the stakes to be really high. But it never really thought about how to make it all make sense.
The book is super unclear about what is actually wrong with Violet; it says that she’s weak, that she gets hurt easily. The chronic pain is treated like a disability but it actually doesn’t seem to affect her training other than making her a little slower than everyone else. I was really hoping that being physically weaker would mean that Violet would have to use her brain more, but there also wasn’t much of that. The one time I saw this and enjoyed it were the few times Violet found loopholes in the rules.
Honestly, the world-building is really weak and there’s a lot of telling, not showing. The roles of each quadrant aren’t so clear, and it’s also not clear how they’re chosen or why they were established in the first place.
I also think the book kept trying to make the stakes of the Rider Quadrant seem really high by constantly reminding us that people die, whether it’s from combat or from…falling off a fall, I guess. I think the really should’ve balanced the level of stakes better because one, it just made it so that actual combat and final exams didn’t feel important — after all, people were dying from other stuff anyways. And second, it just doesn’t really make sense. Why would the government thin out their own army and population in such stupid ways if these people were supposed to be considered the most useful?
There’s other moments of tropy-ness in here, like when Violet started saying “this is my second home” or that she’s really “become a rider” — these are really cliche lines but they don’t feel very earned in the actual context of Violet’s journey.
A few others: - Dain started out okay but was really quickly villainized really obviously, like the book was telling you: DO NOT ROOT FOR THIS GUY. - It’s pretty obvious that the nickname “Violence” came before the actual name “Violet” did. Cringe. - Violet gets REALLY Mary-Sue at times. Of course she bonds two dragons which has never been done before. Of course she gets lightning, which no one has had in a century. And of course she doesn’t want any of it, because she’s pure of heart and kind, etc.
I’m complaining a lot, but I actually still kind of enjoyed it. It was a really easy read because of how trope-y it was, and I actually did find myself really enjoying the development of Xaden/Violet. And finally, the book is just fun. Despite all its glaring issues, it’s easy to empty your brain and just READ....more
I honestly don't really remember hwat happens in the novel at all, so this was basically another first-read, and I think the graphic novel version didI honestly don't really remember hwat happens in the novel at all, so this was basically another first-read, and I think the graphic novel version did a pretty good job of world-building and writing the story arcs. It's no question that I don't love this as much as PJO though (same as the rest of the world, probably) and that's for sure — it's missing a light-heartedness to it....more
The new art style is nice! The story still feels kind of jumpy — between scenes and even during battles that seem to be cut short, but it's still an iThe new art style is nice! The story still feels kind of jumpy — between scenes and even during battles that seem to be cut short, but it's still an interesting addition to the PJO universe if you've already read the original novels....more
It's kind of funny that my ranking for the girls in this book is the exact opposite of the show. Show ranking: Hanna, Spencer, Emily, Aria VS. Book ranIt's kind of funny that my ranking for the girls in this book is the exact opposite of the show. Show ranking: Hanna, Spencer, Emily, Aria VS. Book ranking: Aria, Emily, Spencer, Hanna.
Hanna is so hilarious and endearing in the show, but oh my god. In this book she's so irritating and it only got worse as it went on. I know these are teenage girls — girls who care about boys and dances and silly gossip, which is all fine — and I like how much the book focuses on her eating disorder, but her narration is just really whiny and there's a real lack of self-awareness where she'll say things like "I don't react immediately," which is just not true at all.
Spencer's also similar (I know someone is screaming at me: "It's PLL! They're supposed to be making bad choices!" and yes, true. That doesn't mean I can't be irritated) and I felt like the stress of perfection and family pressure isn't given as much depth.
Emily is...fine. She doesn't do much. She's okay.
And Aria. I think I enjoyed her plot better simply because Ezra wasn't in it. She'll be my favorite, for now.
I think it's been a while since I've read these kinds of books where there's like 20 in the series and random things happen, with the main plot inching along slowly throughout all of it, but I just wish we had more A....more
"You risked your life for a cupbearer you barely know. Not for a letter. Not because the fate of the world was at stake. But because that's just who y"You risked your life for a cupbearer you barely know. Not for a letter. Not because the fate of the world was at stake. But because that's just who you are."
This quote perfectly describes why I loved this book despite it quote-unquote having "low stakes." It would be very difficult for any quest to top what Percy's done in the original series or in Heroes of Olympus, so I'm super glad that this didn't even bother.
Instead, it took something as simple as three college recommendation letters and created an entire new arc around it. And it never once felt unimportant or boring. This book was such a throwback to the old trio's shenanigans (with updated pop culture references) and it's an absolutely hilarious read....more
Another classic bites the dust — for me, at least. I know this is an oldie but it just wasn't that interesting to me compared to 1984, for example. I Another classic bites the dust — for me, at least. I know this is an oldie but it just wasn't that interesting to me compared to 1984, for example. I felt no connection towards the characters or the story, and towards the end it felt extremely on the nose....more
Friends-to-lovers slow burn is my favorite trope but this one just didn’t do it for me.
There was a fundamental disconnect between the past and presentFriends-to-lovers slow burn is my favorite trope but this one just didn’t do it for me.
There was a fundamental disconnect between the past and present timelines. While I liked how each chapter was a different year and we were counting towards “the big one,” where everything imploded, the execution didn’t actually work.
For one, it just took far too long, and the vague references to “two summers ago” started feeling less like Poppy’s very believable fear of confronting what happened and more like the author needing to find different ways to write around it, which started to really drag.
The second issue was that by the time what happened was revealed, it didn’t seem to actually matter. Poppy and Alex had moved forwards in the present timeline and the “past” issue had essentially given way to a new one, making the reveal underwhelming when it finally arrived.
I think this book wraps things up in a neat little bow the way we all like our contemporary romances to, but I actually did feel like there was a lost opportunity to make the characters more three dimensional. While I know some people in real life are very much willing to give up their careers for love, the book set up a very interesting dynamic that suggested an opposite premise where Poppy and Alex wanted different things despite loving each other. This would’ve been interesting to explore, but in the end it was dropped.
Overall, I also just think this would've been a good opportunity for dual perspective, because reading just from Poppy's perspective and hearing her imagine over and over how it would suck if Alex wasn't in her life got pretty frustrating.
Ultimately, I liked the premise for this one but didn’t end up liking it more than, let’s say, Book Lovers....more
On one hand, the twist was pretty good (it's not necessarily surprising, but it's well written because there's a lot ofOh I'm pretty torn on this one.
On one hand, the twist was pretty good (it's not necessarily surprising, but it's well written because there's a lot of hints and build-up throughout the book) and I liked the unique writing style. On the other hand, I feel like I can only deal with so many existential monologues before it really starts to get repetitive.
It's still really intriguing though, so I'm looking forward to watching the film....more
I was so ready to love this but I just didn't really connect to it. I didn't really buy into the romance, which felt like it was between two characterI was so ready to love this but I just didn't really connect to it. I didn't really buy into the romance, which felt like it was between two characters who didn't really know each other despite how how flowery and poetic their letters were, and I didn't really understand what was going on in the broader setting, where the world-building felt so abstract I never understood what the stakes were....more
catherine ♡
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