This was so damn good. It has a slow start - that can't be denied. But it's so worth it. After the first half, this takes off and was nonstop - I was blown away by how epic this became.
I'm impressed that at book number 9 in the series I'm still totally invested in these characters and what might happen to them next. But that being said, this was probably my least favourite of the series so far.
This is pretty much everything you want from a YA fantasy novel. It's buckets of fun and full of magic, awesome characters and adventure.
I am thrilled to report that this lived up to my expectations and beyond. This is very much so a tongue-in-cheek romantasy (light on the romance) that is thoroughly enjoyable. It's full of sass, simmering with enemies-to-lovers expectations, and has some seriously fun magic/world-building.
This was a brilliant and emotional historical fiction novel. Having read The Last Bookshop in London I had reasonably high expectations for this one, and I was not disappointed.
I have been thinking long and hard on this one, trying to work out how much I liked it and how much it felt like a slog.
Naturally, this was every bit as enjoyable as its predecessors. I've started really looking forward to the interview at the end of the audiobook between Richard Osman and a special guest. It's a very fun way to reflect on the book right as you've finished it (though I must admit, having just said that, this was my least favourite interview - the interviewer covered a lot of the same ground as from book one's interview #awks and the audio quality was lowkey terrible? But I shall forgive).
The long short of it, is that this was not what I expected it to be. I had my eye on this book for a while, expecting a thrilling account of what a trauma cleaner is and how the business works. It's something that I think many of us were curious about, in an almost grotesque way.
I tried so hard to fall in love with this, but after a long battle to get to (nearly) halfway, I had to just admit to myself that it wasn't doing it for me. Which made me sad, because I've really loved some of Chupeco's other books.
A Storm of Swords is such a step-up in wow-factor from book two. And this is only part one - I can't wait to read part two.
Upside-Down Books 