Sarah Rees Brennan

From""New York Times""bestseller Sarah Rees Brennan comes a magic-infused tale of romance and revolution that is lush, dramatic, and poignantly timely."

Tell the Wind and Fire

Beatrice

Actual rating: 4.5/5

I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

I really enjoyed reading this book! I loved how the author managed to tackle serious themes like equality, minority rights and social change by seamlessly including them in a fantasy retelling of Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities (which I really want to read now, btw).

At first, I struggled a bit to connect with Lucie as a character. I guess I just couldn't figure her out. Which in the end, I realised, was exactly the right reaction for me to have. Lucie is a girl who has witnessed so much darkness in her life, that it has marked her forever, even if she eventually manages to move to the Light part of the city, which is where all the wealthiest and most powerful people live. But even though she is relatively secure in her new status, Lucie knows everything could be taken from her in the blink of an eye, and she and everyone she loves would be back in the Dark - or worse. This constant conflict between the Lucie who has suffered and clings onto her safety, and the one who doesn't forget her humanity and fights until the end for those she loves, was what made it difficult for me to completely understand her at first, and also what made me love her so much as a character by the end of the book.

Several things happen throughout the book, including numerous murders, abductions and a revolution, so I guess you could focus on the action-y part of the story and get lost in it, and that would be perfectly fine. It's a good storyline, with enough action and suspence to keep you glued to the pages. But, for me, this book was about a lot more than just its plot. It was a delicate-yet-gut-wrenching critique of society, of just how easy it is sometimes to get lost in propaganda, to unload all the world's troubles on a single group, forgetting our common status as humans. 

This book definitely gave me a lot to think about, both through the storyline and through the individual characters. Lucie is definitely the one that will stick with me the most, because she is probably the one that most represents all of us throughout her development: moving from blind acceptance because she fears losing everything she has worked for up to her fierce determination in fighting an unjust system to protect her loved ones and the weakest who have no one else to fight for them, Lucie is a remarkable example of character development.

Definitely a highly recommended book, and one I will gladly re-read as soon as I get a chance!

For this and more reviews, visit Book for Thought.

Vilde

Read through netgalley.com. 

I struggled with what this book was actually trying to convey or tell, there was no definite plot to it — though it wasn't hard to get through, just no "drive". Overall... slightly confusing, unexplained and meh.

Lila Harrison

fun but ultimately really, *really* poorly written. it ended open endedly, so i'm wondering if there's a sequel?

laura

I flew through this book so fast. I loved that i think it is standalone. I also really loved the characters and just the world that was created. It took the best parts of magic and dystoia and made awesome story. It was a darker story the her previous series and with a lot of grit. I really loved the characters. I was surprised at how neatly the story ended and it to me was a good and effective standalone. I love the concept of it being that she was telling us this long story! I love the tie back to tale of two cities because it was so obvious now that that was here Inspiration. If you like red queen but wanted a more unique world check out this book.

Tell the Wind and Fire

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