novelswithnick's reviews
119 reviews

A book that has lots of world building, this could be off putting to some but I thought it helped make the fictional city of Kithamar come alive

You are quickly thrown into a murder mystery that soon develops into a story about family, grief, loyalty and friendship

I thought all the characters were really interesting, so much so sometimes they actually took the spotlight away from the main protagonist but I still enjoyed following their story

Although I didn’t think it had the strongest of plots, theres still enough here to keep you invested. Secrets are slowly uncovered but I found myself craving more. I can’t help thinking this was done intentionally with plans for the rest of the series but I will have to wait and see

I enjoyed how the book ended, it wrapped up some parts of the story whilst also setting up the next instalment of this trilogy, Blade of Dream, which is out very soon

This was a good choice to pick this up again. You are thrown straight into this world with an ongoing war, prophecies, politics and all things magic.

You can read this book first as it does fill you in on what’s been happening in the world of the Witcher through character dialogues but I’d really recommend reading the short stories first just to enhance the story for you

I am slightly biased here as I absolutely love The Witcher 3 so crossing over the game makes getting lost into this world and characters more magical

The chapters are really quite long, I think there’s only 7 throughout and each one almost stands as it’s own situation that coincides with the main plot which keeps the book more interesting

The characters really stand out here, their personalities come alive out of the pages although it needs to be noted that some of their conversations and situations are outdated

The first book in the series sets up the groundwork for the chaos that’s about to come

The second book in the Ending Fire trilogy starts where The Final Strife left off and you are thrown straight into the plot

I thought this was a fantastic sequel. I loved the expansion of this world and learning more about the types of blood and the blood magic. I liked the character development of the 3 main characters and their relationships with side characters and how it entwines into the story

I think these books are well written. Events and situations are executed that feel natural to the plot and the world. The pacing is good throughout and there’s lots of imagination gone into the story with more secrets to uncover

I enjoyed that there was sub plots coinciding with the main plot, there was a murder mystery and also a quest for some of the characters

This book sets up the final book well, something is brewing throughout and it gets more tense as the story goes on. This is shaping up to be a really good trilogy and one hard to beat

This isn’t really a review, more of a reading update as I’m struggling with this one. This is my first time reading anything by Martha Wells so I don’t have a comparison to her other works

I feel like on paper this has everything to make a great book and I’m enjoying the writing style and the concept

I am ok with convoluted plot lines, I actually quite enjoy them (Gideon the Ninth and The Ruin of Kings) but I feel like in this instance it isn’t always working out

I’m not 100% connecting with the characters either, I just don’t seem to care all that much

This is a stand-alone and from what I’ve read so far I think it would’ve benefited greatly from being a duology at least

The second book in the series is very similar to the first but has a much larger story now the groundwork has been set. There’s just the right balance between magic, politics and action

The character work in these books really stand out, each characters personality just come to life out of the pages and the natural interactions between them all just emphasise this further

I liked the twisty direction in which the story goes and the strains it has on the relationships of the characters as it adds to the stakes, especially between Geralt and Ciri

There’s some really good actions scenes and as someone who struggles to picture and follow what’s going on, I didn’t at all here

Just like the first book, the chapters are much longer than your average book and I found myself itching for them to end sometimes just to break up the story, especially on the more political focused chapters

And again, I love this world and the games so I am going to be slightly bias towards this series but I am really enjoying these books again

Now this was an interesting read

There’s a lot going on, not that it’s confusing by any stretch but I think it suffers from some identity issues. Sometimes it feels like epic fantasy, sometimes it feels YA, there’s a heist going on, two bonded characters figuring it out and then it also flips to the plot line of the on going drama between humans and dragons

When it’s good I really quite enjoyed it. There’s some good world building, magic and characters but it just wasn’t always consistent

There’s some good representation here and I appreciated it as I felt like it was done correctly and our own world could benefit from this outlook

The dragons in this can take the form of humans which I didn’t mind as it gave them different personalities but it does take away the dragon element sometimes (if that makes sense)

I enjoyed the twisty ending and there’s just about enough here for me to pick up the second book in this trilogy

This is an interesting read in terms of what the book stands for, I always like it when people aren’t afraid to call certain things out even when they themselves are part of it

Even though the main character does an unethical thing, you’re still rooting for her and her decisions which completely spiral out of control. I think if most people were in her position they’d definitely do the same thing or at least think about it

I enjoyed the satirical writing and delving a little deeper into the publishing industry. It explores what it entails, the effects it can have, race and cultural issues and the relationships between other authors all whilst having its own storyline

That being said, I’ve seen this categorised as a thriller and I didn’t really find it that thrilling. The thriller aspects of it I didn’t think were particularly original or very shocking/twisty and this is where the book fell flat for me

It would make a good palette cleanser and you are left with some insight into what it can be like to be a published author with some jokes along the way

After stumbling across this book and seeings it’s absolutely insane rave reviews I had to check it out, I’m glad I did

This book is an absolute ride, it’s so much fun. it’s action packed has great pacing throughout. The fantastical elements are fantastic, the dragons have personality and they have been incorporated into a magic system which differentiates this book from other dragon books

I was dubious as its genre is new adult romantasy but it really wasn’t overloaded with romance, it only really gets emphasised towards the latter part of the book and even then I didn’t mind as there was other plot lines going on

The main character, albeit abit of a thirsty gal, was great to follow. I thought she was headstrong juggling her own personal issues whilst trying to deal with the trials and tribulations of her training

I didn’t like how it was a little predictable, things seemed to be a little convenient for the plot sometimes, some of the dialogue became a little repetitive and I was craving more world building

This is definitely your next popcorn read and I can’t wait for the sequel with that cliffhanger

I really enjoyed the world building in this one, this is a book that is very focused on adventures over the seas and naval battles

The imaginative dynamics of the ships and the different ranks really add to the story, it’s full of detail that makes it stand out from other sea based fantasy books and it really makes you feel immersed in the world

It has a slowish start and the main plot doesn’t kick in until around a 1/3 of the way through and there is a learning curve at the start trying to get to grips with what is happening

There isn’t much magic in this one, if you love all things magical then you may find this lacking slightly but there are, obviously, dragons which I think makes up for it

There’s some great characters here too, each one is really quite well written

It leaves a few unanswered questions but thankfully it’s a completed trilogy so you can dive straight back in

I usually avoid anything that is primarily romance but I really liked the synopsis of this book so I thought I’d give it a go

I loved it

I can’t help but feel the marketing and the target audience for this book has completely missed the mark, including the cover! Yes it’s a Romeo and Juliet retelling but I found the romance in this to be not all that prominent but just something that naturally coincided with the dark and gritty story

I’ve been looking for something to scratch the itch ever since finishing the Green Bone Saga and here we finally have it! Two witch families in an urban setting who are at each others throats with unexpected plot lines, dark magic and some shocking character decisions/revelations where no one is safe

I found the world building to be slightly lacking, I was craving more from it especially some more environments. The characters were likeable overall but they definitely needed some more chill with them as they all seemed to be annoyed about something

It’s a well written character driven fantasy and I’d really recommend if you usually enjoy these sort of stories. This is a classic case of don’t judge a book by its cover