skygiants

I can deffo say that this was a book I read while hating abt half of it? OTOH, I liked Miles and Tristan, the way they worked together to solve the mystery, and the massive reveal of the energy source (which was crueler than I could've ever imagined.)

OTOH, I thought the worldbuilding was tremendously weak.

Frex, there's a lot of commentary within the text about how most folks drive bikes to and from places (with an occasional coach for those with more coin in their purses). But, given how the countries had been at war + the amount of returning veterans, I don't recall seeing a lot of people with disabilities out and about? Which then made me wonder: if someone can't ride a bike or pay for a coach (which means they definitely don't have the funds to get/drive a car), then how do they move around?

Another thing: how did the socio-political angle worked? Because, as I understood it, there were 2 governments: the non-witch one (that pretends witches and magic don't exist) and the witch one (which apparently is the real seat of power?)

MOVING ON.

The main reason why I ended up giving this book a massive side-eye was Grace, Miles' sister. I just couldn't believe that she'd betray her brother time and time again. So, to me, her v. late in the game redemption arc (which happened in, what, the next to last chapter?) completely sunk the entire book and series for me. I just couldn't believe that all she did at the end was feel terrible about her involvement once she knew the truth of everything. Learning that the sequel is focused on her cemented my decision to bounce from reading that novel. It simply wasn't enough, I guess I'd call it grovelling, for me given how many terrible things she'd done before.

TBH, I had a difficult time trying to understand how Grace was advocating for a better magical system while pressuring her brother to be part of the same oppressive system.. She wanted to do good things by engaging in terrible acts and that way of thinking never worked for me. My best guess is that the author was aiming for making Grace a complex character, maybe? But she ended up being on the same level as the main villain in my mind. #YMMV

In the end, Miles and Tristan's extremely slow burn couldn't save this novel from my complete and utter loathing.

(I also think I really disliked it because it'd gotten so hyped at one point that my expectations were pretty high.)