The complexity of life as a young girl has perhaps never been so well articulated as it has been in this novel. The added layer of comfort with thi5/5
The complexity of life as a young girl has perhaps never been so well articulated as it has been in this novel. The added layer of comfort with this being set in Italy made everything more relatable. I need to take a break before I read the sequel because this is a book that peers into your soul. One of the most haunting, jaw dropping final lines a novel can possibly ever have. I think about it a lot ...more
Catherine and Leo’s story is SO GOOD. After all the buildup and slow burn throug 2nd time reading
4.5/5
Delightful as always! I adore Leo <3
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5/5
Catherine and Leo’s story is SO GOOD. After all the buildup and slow burn throughout the previous books, the tension was amazing in their own. I loved the romance, I loved both of them so much, and the plot was perfect...more
“Our weakness doesn’t make us weak. Our weakness makes us strong. For we had to carry it all these years.”
This book is phenomenal. When you th5/5
“Our weakness doesn’t make us weak. Our weakness makes us strong. For we had to carry it all these years.”
This book is phenomenal. When you think you know how the plot will go, it twists in a whole different direction. When you think you know the last secret, there’s a hundred more. And the characters are so unique and have so many layers to them. This series makes me so so happy. It’s filled with everything I could ever want in a series, and with each book, it only gets better as we see more of the world, unearth more secrets, and embrace life itself.
“It is his ultimate lie, Son of Honor. The lie that says you have no choice. The lie that there is no more journey worth taking.”
Dalinar is in this book quite less than he was in the previous books, but since Oathbringer was his book, it makes sense to give him less POV’s here. He is still amazing as ever, and his strength is really well written. Again, the politics and war tactics in his chapters are really immersive and interesting to read, and it makes everything seem so realistic. And the end. I’m so scared for Dalinar I might scream. He tries so hard to be a leader everyone needs while also being the father, husband, and friend others need.
“You just want to stop existing,” Kaladin said. “You don’t want to actually kill yourself, not on most days. But you figure it sure would be convenient if you weren’t around anymore.”
The amount of times I teared up reading about Kaladin is insane . Although many could say TWOK is his book, I honestly think his journey in this book is the most heart wrenching and emotional one. Before I go into that, I’ll say his plot line outside of his mental journey was as interesting as ever. The way his mental heath affected everything he did and how amazing the rep itself of it was is simply top tier.
“I know how you feel. Dark, like there's never been light in the world. Like everything in you is a void, and you wish you could just feel something. Anything. Pain would at least tell you you're alive. Instead you feel nothing. And you wonder, how can a man breathe, but already be dead?”
The impact of Kaladin’s depression and sometimes suicidal thoughts literally broke me. I’ve never dealt with that myself, but the honesty and rawness of it made it so heartbreakingly easy to understand. The struggles throughout the book of Kaladin and how he seeks to find self worth and how everything is just not going well for him made me so emotional. Him finally seeing his self worth and how he’s amazing and deserves so much is amazing. And there is no easy fix here. He isn’t suddenly okay. He’s still struggling at the end of the book. But at least he has the courage to get help.
“Adolin is right,” Veil said. “He’s always been right about you. Tell me. Who is the strongest of mind? The woman whose emotions are always on her side? Or the woman whose own thoughts betray her? You have fought this fight every day of your life, Shallan. And you are not weak.”
Wow. The journey of Shallan i this book is insane. Honestly I didn’t think she would have another secret in her past, but it makes so so much sense. Her own mental health journey in this book was so well done and emotional as well. It’s not as clear in the previous books, but it’s confirmed in this book in many ways that Shallan has a multiple personality disorder. Shallan struggling to find balance with her two personas, Veil and Radiant, as well as a persona named Formless, and just so many others is emotional. Shallan doesn’t see her self worth and doesn’t want to face the pain. She hides from so many things and doesn’t think she’s enough. But she is enough, and the way she is finally free of the veil on her mind is inspiring and I can’t wait to see what her arc is in the next book. And the entire ghostbloods plot line with her is so well done with the shady organization vibe and I’m so excited for the battle between her and the ghostbloods in TSA 5!
“If we can choose, we can change. If we can't change, then choice means nothing. I'm glad I feel this way, to remind me that I haven't always felt the same. Been the same.”
Adolin Kholin is the love of my life. This boy makes me so happy I can’t even describe it you guys. He’s so sweet and caring and loving and he tries so hard to help his friend and everyone with their mental health and he wants to understand them and help and also prove himself and he’s so amazing. His POV’s were my favourite I think (maybe I’m biased but sill). His plot line of making the honor Spren bond with humans again was so cool. Also his relationship with Maya guys !!!! It’s actually so so cool and interesting. And also. The fact he isn’t a knight Radiant is so special to me. Idk why but the fact he doesn’t have any special powers besides his own kindness and duelling and battle skills makes me soft ...more
“You can justify anything if you do it poetically enough.”
This was so perfect and my heart is broken. Gosh. When I was hearing about this book5/5
“You can justify anything if you do it poetically enough.”
This was so perfect and my heart is broken. Gosh. When I was hearing about this book, the two things that hooked me in were dark academia (an aesthetic more books need) and how it’s essentially a love letter to Shakespeare and words in general. After reading, I can confirm both things are true, and I can also say if you’re heart isn’t ripped out by the end you can’t be human.
Actors are by nature volatile—alchemic creatures composed of incendiary elements, emotion and ego and envy. Heat them up, stir them together, and sometimes you get gold. Sometimes disaster.
To start off, I shall examine each main character, because I have so many thoughts on them all.
Oliver Marks: The Loyal Sidekick
The main character, Oliver, is so amazing. I love him. He does everything out of love and deserves better. I don’t want to spoil anything but let me just say he did not deserve ten years in prison, although he was somewhat guilty. His character is very contemplative and loves literature, and also understands human emotions quite well. He overall is an amazing MC and I loved him.
James Farrow: The Hero
I said no spoilers so I’ll just have to scream into the void. HE DESERVED BETTER. And honestly, 6 out of the 7 main actors deserved better so it may not give much away but my god- I love James. From the first interaction between him and Oliver I just knew he was going to be a character I would fall in love with. And I can’t stress enough how much this poor boy went through. He deserved better. He deserved love. And the end-
Alexander Vass: The Villian
Ahh Alex! He was honestly hilarious. I feel sad for him too because of his addiction, and I truly believe he deserved better. He was a character that was sort of uncertain about everything yet confident, and I feel he could have and more development but the lack of it gave him a mysterious aura.
Richard Stirling: The Tyrant
I hate this boy so much. I hate him. I can’t express how much I wish he had never taken up acting and Shakespeare. If you couldn’t guess from his regular stage role, he’s a tyrant. And not a good one. He is controlling and it only gets worse as the book goes on. He is very unlikable and I hate him.
But that is how a tragedy like ours or King Lear breaks your heart—by making you believe that the ending might still be happy, until the very last minute.
Filippa Kosta: The Chameleon
Hmm so we didn’t get much of her. I think, again, based on her role this was intentional. In fact, if we look at the book as a whole, the roles they usually played match up perfectly and I so wish they didn’t. Pip overall was a good friend to Oliver and I think she was truly a genuine person, so there’s that. She was a lifeline for him, in a way.
Meredith Dardenne: The Femme Fatale
Okay so I dislike and like Meredith. Do I think she deserves happiness? Yes. I just was conflicted by her character. Again, I’m sure this was the intention. I just could’ve completely like her. She was very interesting though.
Wren Stirling: The Ingénue
She was again, not the most focused character. Although I overall did like her and I think she is a very cool character. I can see how everyone’s actions affected her and overall did enjoy her:)
Which of us could say we were more sinned against than sinning? We were so easily manipulated - confusion made a masterpiece of us.
The plot is amazing. We have some chapters in present time, but most are in the past, showing how we got to Oliver just coming out of prison. I was consistently guessing over what happens and I was shocked at the end. And the epilogue, you say? Well I think it ended as a sign of hope for meeting in another life- in heaven. But it ended in tragedy, that much I believe to be true. And that what breaks my heart most.
It’s not the whole truth. The whole truth is, I’m in love with him still.
The truth is, the romance in this book was tragic. How they only discovered their feelings and could admit them when they were apart. How they loved each other so much that it lead them down a disastrous path. I can’t say who the couple is, because I truly think it is something that you can guess but seeing it unfold in the book is beautiful. Their interactions had me screaming, the blushes and trust the had in each other. Why must authors break my heart?
Per aspera ad astra. I’d heard a variety of translations, but the one I liked best was Through the thorns, to the stars.
Overall I recommend this book to absolutely everyone and I would love to discuss to if any of my friends do read this. It’s all worth it, having your heart shredded. I promise:)
Re read #1: I’m crying again why did I do this to myself. The foreshadowing in this novel is literally insane and the implications of even the roles they get into the play and how those feed into their eventual fates…. such a masterpiece and I’m crying over James and Oliver once again <3
Re read #2: so back over winter break I decided to fully analyze and annotate the book and nearly every page has something underlined. Literally every sentence has a specific meaning and the characters are so well written and I shall never get over this masterpiece. One of my favourite books ever. And yes! I cried again :)
“The things about Shakespeare is, he's so eloquent...he speaks the unspeakable. He turns grief and triumph and rapture and rage into words, into something we can understand. He renders the whole mystery of humanity comprehensible.”...more
“He’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.”
Emily Brontë did not hold back writing this book. The 5/5
“He’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.”
Emily Brontë did not hold back writing this book. The quotes you can take from it are immaculate. This book in general is immaculate. For a classic, the writing is very straight forward and amazingly atmospheric. The moors and Gothic setting of Wuthering Heights come alive and are perhaps a character themselves. I adored this book and the overall theme of revenge and love.
“If all else perished and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger.”
The characters in this book are unlikable, and simply do not care for this fact. They are rude and cruel and abrasive, and that’s simply who they are. They make bad choices, but who’s to blame them? Catherine Earnshaw in likely to be the main character, but it’s truly debatable- perhaps Heathcliffe is, or the other Catherine, or Hareaton, or Nelly. Truly, this book is amazing. The characters are so interesting in their unlikability, although you can’t help but have them grow on you.
“You said I killed you- haunt me, then!”
This is a story of lost love and revenge, and the possibility of a new generation correcting their ancestors pasts. This book is told through a story, and it’s very interesting. The ending is so satisfying, and brings everything to a well deserved close. This story has a new take on soulmates for sure.
“Be with me always, take any form, drive me mad! Only do not leave me in this abyss where I cannot find you! Oh, God! It is unutterable! I can not live without my life! I can not live without my soul!”
I think everyone should pick this book up. If a 19th centrist Gothic Tale Of romance and revenge doesn’t interest you, than what will? This book is honestly an excellent example of writing and I hope it stays a well known classic for years to come.
“You know that I could as soon forget you as my existence!” ...more
In the darkness, two shadows reaching through the hopeless, heavy dusk. Their hands meet, and light spills in a flood like a hundred golden urns 5/5
In the darkness, two shadows reaching through the hopeless, heavy dusk. Their hands meet, and light spills in a flood like a hundred golden urns pouring out of the sun.
Okay guys I need everyone to read this book ASAP. It’s so so sooo good. It’s fluffy, tragic, and mythology based. What more could you need? In truth, I expected to love this book but not this much. It’s just so beautiful. Madeline Miller’s writing is so lyrical and I need her next novel right now. She makes such heart-wrenching quotes so easily, it’s amazing.
He is half of my soul, as the poets say.
Our main character is Patroclus. He’s such a cinnamon roll and so sweet and soft and ahhh- He is truly one of the sweetest MC’s ever. His development over this book, becoming someone strong and independent, was so masterfully and well done. Achilles is our other main character and I love him too. His character development over the course of this book is amazing. It’s so satisfying to see him reach his full potential. I loved him very much.
I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell; I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world.
The romance. Wow. Hands down one of the best romances I have ever read. Ever. The best friends to lovers (superior trope guys) excellency was so on point. The pining and development over decades. The happiness they found in each other. I really don’t think the romance could have been done any better. It was fluffy, sweet, and just so beautiful.
“Perhaps it is the greatest grief, after all, to be left on earth when another is gone.”
You can hear me quietly sobbing. The plot is so so sooooo good. As with anything based off of Greek Mythology, you have a large and crazy cast of characters. I loved the development in some of them and the little connections to other myths. The plot isn’t the fastest, but as this is a re-telling of a centuries old story that in itself takes place over twenty something years, I think anyone can understand the slower pacing. And it’s better to stay in the happy times, isn’t it? The war scenes were super good. I seriously enjoyed them so much.
“Name one hero who was happy.”
The ending. My god. The last three chapters had me sobbing for an hour straight. I am not lying. I knew it would happen, because I have read all the popular Greek myths and stories. That certainly didn’t make it any less hard hitting. The grief and pain Madeleine Miller was able to create with her words are nothing short of remarkable. She made the grief and pain of this ending raw and real. I loved the emotions in it so much.
In conclusion, I adored this book and everyone needs to pick it up ASAP.
Re read #3 November 19-December 15 2020 I’m crying but what else is new? The end to my favourite trilogy is as p4th time reading 2021
Will <<<<<<3333333
Re read #3 November 19-December 15 2020 I’m crying but what else is new? The end to my favourite trilogy is as perfect as ever, and I loved it, somehow, even more this time. And the love of my life, Will Herondale, shone brightly, brighter than most ever could. And I miss him. A lot. I miss the TID gang. I’m glad we get bits of them in TLH, so I still have 2 books to read with them. But then that’s it. And I don’t know what I’ll do when I realize these 6 books, these 2 trilogies, will be the only pages to see some my favourite book characters of all time. And the only to see Will. So I say, as I always do: this was a perfectly bittersweet ending to the most comforting trilogy I know.
Re read #2 May 7-14 2020 5/5 I can’t say how much this series means to me. My heart and soul is full and aching at that epilogue...more
The best trilogy ever this is a comfort book for me and I’m even more in love with will Herondale, my favourite5/5 fourth time reading, May 18-21 2021
The best trilogy ever this is a comfort book for me and I’m even more in love with will Herondale, my favourite book character ever <3
5/5 third time reading, July 25- August 3 2020 Amazing. I LOVE THIS BOOK!! And honestly I think I enjoyed it more the third time around! The characters just feel like home, and they’re all so well developed and are all so real. I love Will, per usual, my favourite character in the entire book. Sarcastic, book loving, and deeply tormented. Rarely giving out love, but when he does, he loves with all his being. Jem is sweet and poetic, kind and smart, always seeing the best in people. Tessa is a book lover, smart and brave, a fool in love, strong willed, wishing to protect those she loved with all she has. Charlotte is quick witted, smart, brave, and is the perfect leader. Henry is funny, soft, inventive, and caring. Jessamine is sharp tongued, brave, and has a wish that she will do nearly anything to make come true. Sophie is resilient, loyal, and trustworthy always. Thomas, who Sophie later named her son after, who is loyal, kind, strong, and quiet, serving those he grew to care for until his last hours. Agatha, who was a friend to Sophie and a good companion, that was easy to love. Mortmain, who would do great, awful things, driven by grief, with a calculating mind and grand knowledge of the world. Nathaniel, a fool that was driven to do awful things, was easily swayed, but still had the ability to feel sorrow. Magnus, always helping, with sarcastic tones and a whole heart. De Quincey; cold and blood thirsty, who feared no laws. Camille, who risked her life to avenge an old lover, who had a sharp mind; but still cold and calculating. The whole story is like home, the setting and quotes and scenes. This book is a true masterpiece.
5/5 Re read #2 May 1-5 2020 This time around I loved Will so much and loved Tessa more! I still love Jem! Now that I know how the series ends I respect Jessamine much more and I ship Wessa and Jessa both a lot. Loved this!!!
5/5 THIS REVIWE IS MOSTLY INVALID Ok so I’m going to admit I didn’t think I would like this series but this book was actually good! Things I liked: - Jem - love him so much - The plot- the whole thing that involved intrigue was great. I loved the mystery almost Sherlock Holmes feel to it! And lots of questions are left, which is good - Will - idk I don’t like him as much as Jem but he’s still funny - most of the characters (Charlotte, Henry, Sophie, Thomas) Things I disliked: - Tessa - this girl was 1) dumb 2) kinda oblivious and 3) just annoying. I sincerely hope that she becomes more like Emma or Cordelia or even Clary in the later TMI books, because Tessa really can’t fight for herself that well. And she is basically ... not supportive of women being able to fight for themselves? Cause she thinks it’s not lady like and proper? I know it’s how people thought in this time period, but the fact that Will didn’t agree with her.... and yeah maybe her thoughts changed at the end but I got so annoyed by that. - jessamine - this girl was just annoying and rude so yeah rude rude.
Yeah that’s it I will devour this trilogy probably way to fast to be healthy but who cares?!...more
☀︎El In Oz☀︎
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