injiofthebooks's reviews
74 reviews

this book is probably one of my favorites now!! I have to be honest, it took a while to get to the really interesting part but when it did I was completely hooked. first of all, I absolutely love darcy - he’s really awkward and it’s hilarious (I mean, the proposal was too much for me to handle). I love elizabeth’s bluntness and her relationship with jane and
mr. bennet.

I’m not the hugest fan of romance novels because around 60% of the time they’re extremely cringeworthy and badly-written, but I really enjoyed the romance and relationships in this book (there were moments where I *literally* squealed out loud). there were a lot of lovable characters too, like mr. collins - sure, he was kind of annoying but let’s be honest, it was funny - and mr. bennet. and the ending!! I smiled as I read the last 20 pages.

I think this book was way more wholesome than I expected it to be, and I definitely underestimated how interesting it would be as well!!

p.s. this wasn’t my first time reading a classic, but if that’s the case with anyone, I think pride and prejudice would be a perfect place to start :)

all I can say is that this is my favorite book of all time.

“I’ve been waiting for you a long time, Alina,” he said. “You and I are going to change the world.”

i finally read the one book i have not stopped hearing about everywhere - and to be honest, it was a little disappointing.

don’t get me wrong, the plot was definitely captivating; i practically zoomed through the book, after all. the worldbuilding was pretty well built up, and there were definitely likeable side characters (i simply <3 genya).

but i thought it was going to be an amazing fantasy book like no other, and it didn’t really live up to that. i’m pretty sure i had to restart the book 5 times for it to stick, i kept giving up at 10% and forgetting about it.

for me, the main character, alina, was not hard to sympathize with or like; if i have to be completely honest, though, she was very whiny at times. which isn’t great, considering the book is from her point of view. a lot of the time - besides the occasional epiphany she gets right before a big moment (what’s that about, anyway?) - she’s kinda… weak. she doesn’t really make much of an effort until the end.

much of the book was also focused on looks, which really annoyed me. alina really thought there was absolutely no way there was even a slight possibility she was grisha because she wasn’t some gorgeous girl with a perfect figure. in fact, too much of her self-worth is based on that.

some parts of the book felt a little silly - the petty conflict, the sometimes useless romance, and the amount of just… blankness?? not sure what to call it, but a lot of the parts felt like they needed more.

i feel like this book is aiming at a love triangle, but honestly i don’t really see alina with either the darkling or mal. i also don’t know how i feel about the last 50 pages or so… definitely enjoyed it less than the rest of the book.

besides all that, the writing was mediocre at best. (at this point, i’ve read, “i rubbed my thumb over the scar on my palm,” so many times that it’s etched into my brain.)

although i feel like this book was overhyped, i’m hoping most of this stuff will get sorted out in the sequels; i definitely want to see where this is going.

The ox feels the yoke, but does the bird feel the weight of its wings?

i was really disappointed reading shadow and bone a while back, mostly because of how hyped up it was to me and how much i felt it was unworthy of that hype. but honestly, the sequel is much better.

alina will always annoy me in some way or another, but i definitely felt more drawn to her character in this book as she explored her dark side. i love how she came to realize that her hunger for so much power was changing her and i love the way it was written. she definitely wasn’t as bland as she was in the first book which i appreciated.

a huge part of my decision not to rate this lower was nikolai. any scenes with him were SO entertaining and i genuinely think he’s my favorite character in the grishaverse so far (yes, i know, very popular opinion).

this book also had a lot of suspense (and, might i add, quite a few plot twists) which was an element i felt was missing from shadow and bone. i also remember critizing s&b for the writing, which i can easily say has improved in this one. (props to you leigh!!)

but along with the positives came quite a few negatives.

first of all, what in the world is going on with malina??? i was never a hardcore shipper but i thought they were cute in the first book. here, though? a hot freaking mess. don’t know what that’s about. moving on.

with the suspense came quite a lot of… nothing. it took quite some time to get to a part where stuff actually happens. (also, the lack of the darkling scenes kinda broke my heart but whatever it’s fine 3)

anyway, this book was pretty good. definitely better than the first, but still had quite a few flaws. i’m excited to see how the next one will go :)

"Na razrusha'ya. E'ya razrushost." I am not ruined. I am ruination.

considering my disappointment in the other two books of this trilogy, it surprised me how much i enjoyed this.

it was more fast-paced than either shadow and bone or siege and storm, which i liked. i feel like there was so much suspense and just when you thought stuff was calm, plot twist!!!!

i absolutely loved the darkling scenes in this book. for the first time, he seemed really human. he just wanted someone who could understand him, and the only person who could was alina. there was a sort of loneliness about him in this one; even though he's a mass murderer and whatnot, you feel sympathy towards him.

and OH MY GOD GENYA. she finally got the closure she deserved which just warms my heart (proud member of genya protection squad speaking!!). also started to love zoya so much more, her sarcasm and confidence is at a level i aspire to reach someday.

i also lowkey started to love malina because they weren't being dumb annoying idiots (for the most part; still have a few mixed feelings about them separately and as a ship, though).

the fight scenes were amazing, the moments in between were either funny or really made you think. leigh bardugo really came into her own as a writer.

i've seen so much criticism for the ending, but honestly? it felt right to me. it was underwhelming, sure, and some part of me was pretty disappointed. but for this specific story, it felt like it had to come down to that. (also the epilogue in this one was beautiful, i absolutely loved it.)

overall, a 5/5 (or a 4.5/5 at least). it was quite a journey (considering how much i disliked the first book), but i'm glad i kept reading; it was worth it.

this is the recipe of life
said my mother
as she held me in her arms as i wept
think of those flowers you plant
in the garden each year
they will teach you
that people too
must wilt
fall
root
rise
in order to bloom

*sigh* here we go.

i've had this book for AGES. the amount of times i've seen rupi kaur quoted has built up my expectations for her work, but this was less than decent.

it just looks
like someone pressed
the enter key
a bunch of times
(not exaggerating)

sure, her language was poetic. the ongoing metaphor of nature really tied the book together nicely. the things she wrote about were meaningful, too.

how do i shake this envy
when i see you doing well
sister how do i love myself enough to know
your accomplishments are not my failures

- we are not each other's competition

or

they have no idea what it is like
to lose home at the risk of
never finding home again
to have your entire life
split between two lands and
become the bridge between two countries

- immigrant

so there were some poems - the longer ones, mostly - that i actually liked. but most were just...

a
man
who cries

- a gift

sure the "message" is great but like????? do you see what i mean because??????????

it just seemed too tumblr-y; not my cup of tea. most of the poems were kinda like someone wrote a sentence, slapped it on a piece of paper, and called it art.

also, i went into this without knowing the trigger warnings and it was uncomfortable so i highly recommend you read up on them. or just don't read this book. either one is fine.