3/5 • i think overall, the story is good, definitely a slow burn. it almost seems like you have to wait for it to get good and given that it’s book one of five, i knew that going into it. i was worried i wouldn’t like feyre because i thought she was a little bit like clary from the mortal instruments but she has much more of her own head about her.

i thought it was out of place for her sisters to not have adapted to their life in poverty, considering how long it has been. feyre is the youngest and she was so young when things went wrong for their father, and given that nesta and elaine are older, then not doing what needed to be done is weird. i know it’s presented as a reason to not miss home, but if that’s the only reason she doesn’t miss home it’s not a good enough reason, because she still wants to go home.

i love lucian, i think he’s one of the best parts of the book. any part that is slow is made up for by him, he definitely balances tamlin both in their dynamic and the flow of the book because if they were both sarcastic or both closed off it wouldn’t work as well. i think alis was a great addition to the hidden secrets lucian couldn’t give because alis was always with feyre, and they became comfortable together quicker, whereas with lucian and feyre were still keeping each other at a distance.

when feyre was sent home, i almost stopped reading the book. i really don’t like major left turn decisions like these, where they completely try to change the course of the story but inevitably you know that she’s gonna go back and it just feels like a waste of time. i don’t think that going home and telling nesta everything added much to the plot that we desperately needed at that point, also her not being glamoured does not make sense, there’s no reason for her to not be especially if elain and her father and 99% of the village was affected.

i figured out the riddle immediately, it made the most sense because that was like the whole reason she was doing all of this. i think the challenges were really interesting to be like actual physical challenges that weren’t just mind games and they were things that she could defend herself in and actually try to win so that the fight seems fair and that the point was either she died trying or got to the third and final battle and then was not supposed to be able to kill tamlin.

the very subtle suggestion that tamlin couldn’t be killed because his heart was in under control was very clever, while you’re reading you completely miss it.

overall, really liked it, really excited for the next book. my sister has finished the series so i know a very few spoilers so nervous and excited.