I read the first book of SOM series in the beginning of July, then moved on to reading other books and picked up the second in the series A Gathering of Shadows only last week. Since it ended with a cliffhanger, I moved on to A Conjuring of Light and what can I say?! I'm really glad I did as I think it's one of the best fantasy novels I've read in a while and the best in this series. What I love the most about SOM series and especially A Conjuring of Light is the humanness of every character with their multifaceted personalities and reasonable motives in a world of fantasy. Holland has become one of my favorites in A Gathering of Shadows and in A Conjuring of Light, he's become my ultimate favorite in the series with his complex nature, the sacrifices and motive. I want to keep it spoiler-free but all I can say is that you should read this book if you haven't already because it has so much to offer: amazing worldbuilding, diverse characters, realistic portrayal of human feelings and clever plotting with a conclusion that doesn't disappoint.
A beautiful short story that isn't only about vampires but the comfort of acting the way you truly are.
2.5 stars.
I wanted to love this book, I really did! It promised me everything I love in fiction: a Victorian setting, a strong heroine as a MC, murder mystery. Besides, everyone I know loves this book!! But everything either seemed out of place or forced.
Most of the time, the heroine's feminism felt insincere to me in a way we see more and more often these days: a woman is not strong if she doesn't know how to fight or is different from every other woman around her.
Secondly, I simply couldn't wrap my head around the relationship of the two main characters, it just felt forced from the beginning till the end, and the way Thomas acted was so era inappropriate (though to give the book justice, it's mentioned already.)
My other problem was with the ending, because I didn't get why the killer didn't at least try to accomplish what he dedicated his life to no matter what when he could. Besides I felt the characters acted with their personalities at times to move the plot forward.
It wasn't a boring read however so if you're looking for a murder mystery that is fun at times, it can be an enjoyable read.
I'm DNFing it, there's no way I'll be able to finish this collection of short stories and I don't want to see it on my currently-reading
"A promise you can’t keep is just another lie."
I can't say I waited for this book as long as most of the fans. I read Vicious first in June so my wait was mercifully short in comparison. Still, it was a long awaited read that didn't disappoint me. Not only did we reunite with characters we know and love or hate, there were also many new characters, one of them being among my new favorites, June.
This was a 4-star read, only because I thought it paled in comparison to 5-star Vicious but the ending established that it is just as deserving of 5 stars as Vicious. It is rare that a sequel doesn't disappoint.
The way the characters' paths cross is genius, a natural consequence of their personalities and ambitions instead of a series of coincidences. The title matches perfectly with its plot and I still can't get over how a simple sentence said by a character in anger (the one I quoted) foreshadows (maybe I'm overanalyzing but) one of the most important revelations of the ending.
So I can safely say that I was once again not disappointed.
Lila made me angry through and through in almost every single chapter and I still don't get why she had to kill the former thief of the Night Spire.
I loved Kell's character development, now that his disillusionment with the royal family is shattered to the pieces. Alucard seems to be an interesting character and I'd love to see more of him and his relationship with Rhy!!
Also I wasn't planning to move on to the third book directly but the last few chapter made it a pleasant obligation.