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Magonia #2
Aerie
Where is home when you were born in the stars?
Aza Ray is back on earth. Her boyfriend Jason is overjoyed. Her family is healed. She’s living a normal life, or as normal as it can be if you’ve spent the past year dying, waking up on a sky ship, and discovering that your song can change the world.
As in, not normal. Part of Aza still yearns for the clouds, no matter how much she loves the people on the ground.
When Jason’s paranoia over Aza’s safety causes him to make a terrible mistake, Aza finds herself a fugitive in Magonia, tasked with opposing her radical, bloodthirsty, recently-escaped mother, Zal Quel, and her singing partner, Dai. She must travel to the edge of the world in search of a legendary weapon, the Flock, in a journey through fire and identity that will transform her forever.
Aza Ray is back on earth. Her boyfriend Jason is overjoyed. Her family is healed. She’s living a normal life, or as normal as it can be if you’ve spent the past year dying, waking up on a sky ship, and discovering that your song can change the world.
As in, not normal. Part of Aza still yearns for the clouds, no matter how much she loves the people on the ground.
When Jason’s paranoia over Aza’s safety causes him to make a terrible mistake, Aza finds herself a fugitive in Magonia, tasked with opposing her radical, bloodthirsty, recently-escaped mother, Zal Quel, and her singing partner, Dai. She must travel to the edge of the world in search of a legendary weapon, the Flock, in a journey through fire and identity that will transform her forever.
307 pages, Hardcover
First published October 4, 2016
119 people are currently reading
7037 people want to read
About the author
Maria Dahvana Headley
76 books1,611 followersMaria Dahvana Headley is the New York Times-bestselling author of, most recently, THE MERE WIFE (out July 17, 2018 from MCD/FSG). Upcoming in 2019 is a new translation of BEOWULF, also from FSG. As well, she is the author of the young adult skyship novels MAGONIA and AERIE from HarperCollins, the dark fantasy/alt-history novel QUEEN OF KINGS, the internationally bestselling memoir THE YEAR OF YES, and THE END OF THE SENTENCE, a novella co-written with Kat Howard, from Subterranean. With Neil Gaiman, she is the New York Times-bestselling co-editor of the monster anthology UNNATURAL CREATURES, benefitting 826DC.
Her Nebula,Shirley Jackson and World Fantasy award-nominated short fiction has appeared on Tor.com, and in The Toast, Clarkesworld, Lightspeed, Nightmare, Apex, The Journal of Unlikely Entomology, Subterranean Online, Glitter & Mayhem and Jurassic London's The Lowest Heaven and The Book of the Dead, Uncanny, Shimmer, and more. It's anthologized in Best American Fantasy and Science Fiction, as well as the 2013 and 2014 editions of Rich Horton's The Year's Best Fantasy & Science Fiction, & Paula Guran's 2013 The Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror, in The Year's Best Weird Volume 1, ed. Laird Barron, and in Wastelands, Vol 2, among others. She's also a playwright and essayist.
She grew up in rural Idaho on a sled-dog ranch, spent part of her 20's as a pirate negotiator and ship marketer in the maritime industry, and now lives in Brooklyn in an apartment shared with a seven-foot-long stuffed crocodile.
Her Nebula,Shirley Jackson and World Fantasy award-nominated short fiction has appeared on Tor.com, and in The Toast, Clarkesworld, Lightspeed, Nightmare, Apex, The Journal of Unlikely Entomology, Subterranean Online, Glitter & Mayhem and Jurassic London's The Lowest Heaven and The Book of the Dead, Uncanny, Shimmer, and more. It's anthologized in Best American Fantasy and Science Fiction, as well as the 2013 and 2014 editions of Rich Horton's The Year's Best Fantasy & Science Fiction, & Paula Guran's 2013 The Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror, in The Year's Best Weird Volume 1, ed. Laird Barron, and in Wastelands, Vol 2, among others. She's also a playwright and essayist.
She grew up in rural Idaho on a sled-dog ranch, spent part of her 20's as a pirate negotiator and ship marketer in the maritime industry, and now lives in Brooklyn in an apartment shared with a seven-foot-long stuffed crocodile.
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October 31, 2016
i started this is in july...........
it is now mid-october......
i think that says it all.
it is now mid-october......
i think that says it all.
February 11, 2017
Mucho minor (and major if you haven't read the first book) spoilers, proceed with caution.
Aerie is a very strange and complex, young adult fantasy. Allow me to explain. In the first book, we met Aza, a girl who was drowning on Earth because, though she doesn't know it, she's actually from a kingdom in the clouds. She's in love with Jason, a genius boy with obsessive thoughts like repeating the numbers of pi in his head over and over again. Many adventures happened in the first book, but essentially we learned that in Aza's home, the Magonians use their voices in magical ways. Through changing vibrations, Magonians can make elements appear and change, control the weather and animals, manipulate the molecules of reality itself.
Like most young adult stories, Aza is special, a savior with godly abilities that she didn't know she had until she was tested. She's supposed to bring balance back to Magonia because Aza's mother is crazy and wants to kill everyone on the ground- Jason included. One of the things that happens at the end of the first book is that Aza's mother is imprisoned. (Lots of other stuff happens too though, that's hardly the tip of the iceberg.)
This book picks up where the last one left off. Jason and Aza are deepening their relationship though Aza looks like a completely new girl because she trashed her "skin," essentially a suit that allows her to look and breathe like a human, and had to acquire a new one. Did I mention that Magonians have naturally blue skin with orange/red eyes and white tattoos that change depending on their emotional state? Yeah, that's a thing.
Aza's mother, Zal, breaks out of prison and someone has to stop her before she destroys the world. There are rumors of "The Flock", a weapon of some sort that can stop Zal, but no one knows where or what it is. And that, I think, is where this story really begins.
Headley's world building is epic. Magonia itself is a treasure and the other supernatural creatures that the author introduces are tantalizing in their possibility. However, I didn't care much for the characterizations or the obvious plot twists.
The grand showdown itself was a huge disappointment like expecting a brightly colored balloon on your birthday only to have it pop in your hands when you receive it. Headley gathered all of these potentially awesome characters together but only the actions of three mattered. I wanted ships firing at each other, creatures made of flame, earth, water, feathers... slamming into each other in waves with the earth itself rising in fountains in an effort to touch the sky. Sigh. Not so much.
Aza's special, we get it. Aza can sing a song that only she can sing, we get that too. She FEELS things deeply then SINGS them deeply. Blah. I don't know, I just never connected with the character the way the author wanted me to. Headley built a lovely world that was so much more than just three characters. Perhaps I'm being unfair- did anyone who read this book feel differently? I would love to hear from you.
Recommended for readers who are willing to overlook a weak story for some fantastical and wildly imaginative elements. You don't have to read the first book to appreciate this one, but I think you'd want to in order to absorb the outlandish world that is Magonia. Some similar reads: The Breedling and the City in the Garden, Archivist Wasp, or Under the Empyrean Sky.
Aerie is a very strange and complex, young adult fantasy. Allow me to explain. In the first book, we met Aza, a girl who was drowning on Earth because, though she doesn't know it, she's actually from a kingdom in the clouds. She's in love with Jason, a genius boy with obsessive thoughts like repeating the numbers of pi in his head over and over again. Many adventures happened in the first book, but essentially we learned that in Aza's home, the Magonians use their voices in magical ways. Through changing vibrations, Magonians can make elements appear and change, control the weather and animals, manipulate the molecules of reality itself.
Like most young adult stories, Aza is special, a savior with godly abilities that she didn't know she had until she was tested. She's supposed to bring balance back to Magonia because Aza's mother is crazy and wants to kill everyone on the ground- Jason included. One of the things that happens at the end of the first book is that Aza's mother is imprisoned. (Lots of other stuff happens too though, that's hardly the tip of the iceberg.)
This book picks up where the last one left off. Jason and Aza are deepening their relationship though Aza looks like a completely new girl because she trashed her "skin," essentially a suit that allows her to look and breathe like a human, and had to acquire a new one. Did I mention that Magonians have naturally blue skin with orange/red eyes and white tattoos that change depending on their emotional state? Yeah, that's a thing.
Aza's mother, Zal, breaks out of prison and someone has to stop her before she destroys the world. There are rumors of "The Flock", a weapon of some sort that can stop Zal, but no one knows where or what it is. And that, I think, is where this story really begins.
Headley's world building is epic. Magonia itself is a treasure and the other supernatural creatures that the author introduces are tantalizing in their possibility. However, I didn't care much for the characterizations or the obvious plot twists.
The grand showdown itself was a huge disappointment like expecting a brightly colored balloon on your birthday only to have it pop in your hands when you receive it. Headley gathered all of these potentially awesome characters together but only the actions of three mattered. I wanted ships firing at each other, creatures made of flame, earth, water, feathers... slamming into each other in waves with the earth itself rising in fountains in an effort to touch the sky. Sigh. Not so much.
Aza's special, we get it. Aza can sing a song that only she can sing, we get that too. She FEELS things deeply then SINGS them deeply. Blah. I don't know, I just never connected with the character the way the author wanted me to. Headley built a lovely world that was so much more than just three characters. Perhaps I'm being unfair- did anyone who read this book feel differently? I would love to hear from you.
Recommended for readers who are willing to overlook a weak story for some fantastical and wildly imaginative elements. You don't have to read the first book to appreciate this one, but I think you'd want to in order to absorb the outlandish world that is Magonia. Some similar reads: The Breedling and the City in the Garden, Archivist Wasp, or Under the Empyrean Sky.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 11, 2016
(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss.)
This was a YA fantasy sequel, and I preferred it to Magonia.
Aza wasn’t quite so annoying in this book, and Jason seemed to have her best interests at heart, even if he made some very questionable decisions. The jumping point of view from Aza to Jason did make things a bit hard to follow though.
The storyline in this was about Aza being kidnapped and her biological mother having something to do with it. We did get some good action in this book after a slow start, but there were once again some confusing bits.
The ending to this was okay, and things were tied up nicely.
6.5 out of 10
“I’m in the dark again, this time without a song to save me, and then dark is everything I see, everything I know,”
This was a YA fantasy sequel, and I preferred it to Magonia.
Aza wasn’t quite so annoying in this book, and Jason seemed to have her best interests at heart, even if he made some very questionable decisions. The jumping point of view from Aza to Jason did make things a bit hard to follow though.
The storyline in this was about Aza being kidnapped and her biological mother having something to do with it. We did get some good action in this book after a slow start, but there were once again some confusing bits.
The ending to this was okay, and things were tied up nicely.
6.5 out of 10
December 6, 2017
O carte alerta in a doua jumătate a cărții, care te prinde într-o lume fantastica plină de pericole și diferite ființe nemaintâlnite. Am citit cartea cu mare placere, iar la final am avut un zâmbet imens pe fata!
Recenzia mea completa o găsiți aici:
https://www.delicateseliterare.ro/aer...
Recenzia mea completa o găsiți aici:
https://www.delicateseliterare.ro/aer...
September 15, 2016
***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***
Aerie by Maria Dahvana Headley
Book Two of the Magonia series
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: October 4, 2016
Rating: 3 stars
Source: eARC from Edelweiss
Summary (from Goodreads):
Where is home when you were born in the stars?
Aza Ray is back on earth. Her boyfriend Jason is overjoyed. Her family is healed. She’s living a normal life, or as normal as it can be if you’ve spent the past year dying, waking up on a sky ship, and discovering that your song can change the world.
As in, not normal. Part of Aza still yearns for the clouds, no matter how much she loves the people on the ground.
When Jason’s paranoia over Aza’s safety causes him to make a terrible mistake, Aza finds herself a fugitive in Magonia, tasked with opposing her radical, bloodthirsty, recently-escaped mother, Zal Quel, and her singing partner Dai. She must travel to the edge of the world in search of a legendary weapon, The Flock, in a journey through fire and identity that will transform her forever.
In this stunning sequel to the critically acclaimed Magonia, one girl must make an impossible choice between two families, two homes—and two versions of herself.
What I Liked:
I actually think this book was okay, but I didn't love it. It was worth reading because I had read Magonia (and didn't hate it), but the duology in general wasn't really worth reading. For some reason, I really thought this was a trilogy series! A duology series worked so much better for this series.
It's been a year since Aza's last birthday, when she was dying and died and was in Magonia. Her family and her boyfriend are so happy, but Aza isn't. Deep down, she longs to be in Magonia, soaring above the clouds with her heartbird. And Jason, her boyfriend, knows it. There are things that Jason isn't telling her, things that have been set in motion. But there are things that Aza hasn't told Jason. When the time comes, will Aza choose life on earth, or life on Magonia?
Like I said, I didn't know this was a duology! I really like that the series consists of only two books. The ending of Magonia was huge, too intense for a "book one of three". The author set the series up so that this book would contain the big showdown, the big choice. This was well-done.
Things I liked - I remembered next to nothing from Magonia, but the author made it easy to get back into the story and the world. I kid you not, I remember just about nothing. I forgot Jason's name, I had no idea who Eli was (Aza's human sister), I forgot what the Magonians were. But the author provides a lot of information from book one, interspersed throughout the story.
I also liked that this book was fairly short, and it was interesting enough to almost be a page-turner. I wouldn't say I understood everything that was going on, but I was never close to not finishing, at any point. There was a lot going on, though not at first.
About the romance - I guess I liked it. I'll talk more about Aza and Jason individually below, but in terms of them being together, I guess I liked them. It was clear that they loved each other and were very devoted to each other. There is no love triangle.
The ending is pretty satisfying, and wraps things up somewhat well. I'm still a little confused about Magonia and human-Earth, but I think the author left certain things open to interpretation (which I dislike, most of the time). But the ending was pretty good!
What I Did Not Like:
There were several things that I didn't like, which brought my rating down. For one, the beginning of the novel is incredibly slow, and there is so much moping and internal guilt happening. Jason is paranoid about Magonians coming down to steal Aza, and he also feels guilty about... something (which is revealed in the book). He's mopey because he knows that Aza wants to be in the sky, not here on Earth. Meanwhile, Aza is in denial, yet she is slowly starting to accept the fact that she really doesn't want to be on Earth with her family (which makes her feel bad).
Basically there is a ton of moping and angst and it was so over the top. I'm not sure if it was just how the author wrote the inner monologues of each character (this book is written in Aza's and Jason's alternating first-person POV), but there was something seriously overdone about the moping and complaining.
To make matters worse, there is so much relationship drama in this book. Aza and Jason have a big fight about things, and then a chapter or two later, we (and Aza) find out what Jason has been hiding, and there is MORE drama.
Let me be frank - sometimes, drama is totally warranted and necessary for the story. Aza had every right to be angry with Jason. But she overreacted, and the way her reactions were written, it was just so over the top. Way too dramatic. Just too much. It's like the author was trying too hard, trying too hard to write a teenager's reaction to something like that. Aza seemed so childish. And Jason! He spends the entire book suffering, drowning in guilt and despair. He's badly hurt physically and emotionally, and all for Aza. This makes me sad... Aza suffered very little, but Jason was tossed around and hurt and he didn't quite care because he thought he deserved it.
The ending confused me a little. Heck, the whole book is confusing at times, but the ending wasn't entirely clear. I got the general idea, and it seemed nice, but the logistics didn't make sense to me.
Basically, this book was okay. It definitely did its job as a conclusion novel. The author got me back into the story and the world well. But the drama was just way too much, especially in terms of Aza and Jason's relationship, and, like Magonia, this book was confusing.
Would I Recommend It:
I find it hard to recommend this book, even if you read Magonia. If you really loved Magonia, then this is definitely worth the read. But if you're like me and barely remembered a thing about Magonia, don't even bother. And if you haven't read Magonia, definitely don't bother.
Rating:
3 stars. Meh. Not bad, I can see the appeal of the author - she has an interesting writing style. But this story was weird, confusing, and not great. I don't think this author's books are for me, but that's okay! Now I'm sure.
Aerie by Maria Dahvana Headley
Book Two of the Magonia series
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: October 4, 2016
Rating: 3 stars
Source: eARC from Edelweiss
Summary (from Goodreads):
Where is home when you were born in the stars?
Aza Ray is back on earth. Her boyfriend Jason is overjoyed. Her family is healed. She’s living a normal life, or as normal as it can be if you’ve spent the past year dying, waking up on a sky ship, and discovering that your song can change the world.
As in, not normal. Part of Aza still yearns for the clouds, no matter how much she loves the people on the ground.
When Jason’s paranoia over Aza’s safety causes him to make a terrible mistake, Aza finds herself a fugitive in Magonia, tasked with opposing her radical, bloodthirsty, recently-escaped mother, Zal Quel, and her singing partner Dai. She must travel to the edge of the world in search of a legendary weapon, The Flock, in a journey through fire and identity that will transform her forever.
In this stunning sequel to the critically acclaimed Magonia, one girl must make an impossible choice between two families, two homes—and two versions of herself.
What I Liked:
I actually think this book was okay, but I didn't love it. It was worth reading because I had read Magonia (and didn't hate it), but the duology in general wasn't really worth reading. For some reason, I really thought this was a trilogy series! A duology series worked so much better for this series.
It's been a year since Aza's last birthday, when she was dying and died and was in Magonia. Her family and her boyfriend are so happy, but Aza isn't. Deep down, she longs to be in Magonia, soaring above the clouds with her heartbird. And Jason, her boyfriend, knows it. There are things that Jason isn't telling her, things that have been set in motion. But there are things that Aza hasn't told Jason. When the time comes, will Aza choose life on earth, or life on Magonia?
Like I said, I didn't know this was a duology! I really like that the series consists of only two books. The ending of Magonia was huge, too intense for a "book one of three". The author set the series up so that this book would contain the big showdown, the big choice. This was well-done.
Things I liked - I remembered next to nothing from Magonia, but the author made it easy to get back into the story and the world. I kid you not, I remember just about nothing. I forgot Jason's name, I had no idea who Eli was (Aza's human sister), I forgot what the Magonians were. But the author provides a lot of information from book one, interspersed throughout the story.
I also liked that this book was fairly short, and it was interesting enough to almost be a page-turner. I wouldn't say I understood everything that was going on, but I was never close to not finishing, at any point. There was a lot going on, though not at first.
About the romance - I guess I liked it. I'll talk more about Aza and Jason individually below, but in terms of them being together, I guess I liked them. It was clear that they loved each other and were very devoted to each other. There is no love triangle.
The ending is pretty satisfying, and wraps things up somewhat well. I'm still a little confused about Magonia and human-Earth, but I think the author left certain things open to interpretation (which I dislike, most of the time). But the ending was pretty good!
What I Did Not Like:
There were several things that I didn't like, which brought my rating down. For one, the beginning of the novel is incredibly slow, and there is so much moping and internal guilt happening. Jason is paranoid about Magonians coming down to steal Aza, and he also feels guilty about... something (which is revealed in the book). He's mopey because he knows that Aza wants to be in the sky, not here on Earth. Meanwhile, Aza is in denial, yet she is slowly starting to accept the fact that she really doesn't want to be on Earth with her family (which makes her feel bad).
Basically there is a ton of moping and angst and it was so over the top. I'm not sure if it was just how the author wrote the inner monologues of each character (this book is written in Aza's and Jason's alternating first-person POV), but there was something seriously overdone about the moping and complaining.
To make matters worse, there is so much relationship drama in this book. Aza and Jason have a big fight about things, and then a chapter or two later, we (and Aza) find out what Jason has been hiding, and there is MORE drama.
Let me be frank - sometimes, drama is totally warranted and necessary for the story. Aza had every right to be angry with Jason. But she overreacted, and the way her reactions were written, it was just so over the top. Way too dramatic. Just too much. It's like the author was trying too hard, trying too hard to write a teenager's reaction to something like that. Aza seemed so childish. And Jason! He spends the entire book suffering, drowning in guilt and despair. He's badly hurt physically and emotionally, and all for Aza. This makes me sad... Aza suffered very little, but Jason was tossed around and hurt and he didn't quite care because he thought he deserved it.
The ending confused me a little. Heck, the whole book is confusing at times, but the ending wasn't entirely clear. I got the general idea, and it seemed nice, but the logistics didn't make sense to me.
Basically, this book was okay. It definitely did its job as a conclusion novel. The author got me back into the story and the world well. But the drama was just way too much, especially in terms of Aza and Jason's relationship, and, like Magonia, this book was confusing.
Would I Recommend It:
I find it hard to recommend this book, even if you read Magonia. If you really loved Magonia, then this is definitely worth the read. But if you're like me and barely remembered a thing about Magonia, don't even bother. And if you haven't read Magonia, definitely don't bother.
Rating:
3 stars. Meh. Not bad, I can see the appeal of the author - she has an interesting writing style. But this story was weird, confusing, and not great. I don't think this author's books are for me, but that's okay! Now I'm sure.
February 7, 2017
Aerie started where Magonia left and continued to tell the story of Aza Ray Quel as she face the adventure of her life and her heart.
It is a great adventure. I felt like I'm flying with the birds when I'm reading this book. The picture the author has shown through her words are majestic, magical and dumbfounding. I am speechless.
But sometimes, I did feel a bit overwhelmed with all the descriptions, and sometimes, I did feel that it's kind of lacking. Seriously though, I am in awe.
Why 3 stars is because of the characters and totality of this book. I like the main characters but I also find them annoying sometimes, especially Jason. And I know that his decisions, even the wrong ones, are part of the story, I still got angry with him at times. He quite redeemed himself at the end, though, but still.
The totality, however, is unsatisfying. The plot is unoriginal. And the pace is less engaging and compelling. The writing style is quite confusing and sometimes, boring.
Nonetheless, I like the message the author paints in this book. In my own perception, I think it's about individuality and climate change.
Aerie, may not be as compelling as Magonia, is still a good book after all.
It is a great adventure. I felt like I'm flying with the birds when I'm reading this book. The picture the author has shown through her words are majestic, magical and dumbfounding. I am speechless.
But sometimes, I did feel a bit overwhelmed with all the descriptions, and sometimes, I did feel that it's kind of lacking. Seriously though, I am in awe.
Why 3 stars is because of the characters and totality of this book. I like the main characters but I also find them annoying sometimes, especially Jason. And I know that his decisions, even the wrong ones, are part of the story, I still got angry with him at times. He quite redeemed himself at the end, though, but still.
The totality, however, is unsatisfying. The plot is unoriginal. And the pace is less engaging and compelling. The writing style is quite confusing and sometimes, boring.
Nonetheless, I like the message the author paints in this book. In my own perception, I think it's about individuality and climate change.
Aerie, may not be as compelling as Magonia, is still a good book after all.
September 8, 2016
This was one of my most anticipated sequels and it breaks my heart that I'm only giving this 3 stars. In fact, I'm wondering if it's too high. I will preface this by saying that like usual, I didn't do a reread...
...and I was lost pretty much the entire book.
Everything I loved from book one {mainly the imagery and the banter} seems to have disappeared. I felt like this was an entirely different story with new characters. But instead of a getting-to-know-them period, I was just thrown into the middle of it all. Perhaps if I would have done a reread things would have changed.
There are some new characters and one I particularly liked. For everyone else, Aza is mostly angry and Jason is mostly depressed and I don't remember Eli from book one, but she's awesome in this one.
Overall, it lacked the spark I was hoping for. I set it down several times and honestly thought about DNFing. The ending is pretty interesting, but even if there's more, I'm not entirely sure I'll read it.
**Huge thanks to Harper Teen and Edelweiss for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review**
...and I was lost pretty much the entire book.
Everything I loved from book one {mainly the imagery and the banter} seems to have disappeared. I felt like this was an entirely different story with new characters. But instead of a getting-to-know-them period, I was just thrown into the middle of it all. Perhaps if I would have done a reread things would have changed.
There are some new characters and one I particularly liked. For everyone else, Aza is mostly angry and Jason is mostly depressed and I don't remember Eli from book one, but she's awesome in this one.
Overall, it lacked the spark I was hoping for. I set it down several times and honestly thought about DNFing. The ending is pretty interesting, but even if there's more, I'm not entirely sure I'll read it.
**Huge thanks to Harper Teen and Edelweiss for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review**
October 7, 2016
Честно говоря, я в легкой растерянности. После шикарной (для меня) первой части, долгого ожидания и больших надежд я... получила это. Не ужас-ужас, но нечто странное и слегка разочаровывающее.
Я не разделяю общих претензий к страданиям, депрессии и ангсту, ибо они вполне объяснимы. Аза, едва узнав о свей сути, вновь вернулась на землю - естественно, она скучает по небу и песне. Джейсон влюблен в девушку, которой предначертана жизнь в совсем другом мире - естественно, он боится ее потерять и совершает глупости. Я не считаю, что герои сильно изменились и утратили искру. Нет, они все те же, просто познавшие смерть, боль потерь, радость новой встречи и повзрослевшие на год. Было бы странно, не скажись такое на их поведении и мыслях. Да, возможно, депресняка получилось многовато, и внутренние монологи не помешает сократить, но все же это не критично.
Также в истории появились безумно интересные новые персонажи и с совершенно неожиданной стороны раскрылись старые (например, сестра Азы). И мир Магонии, чудесный жуткий мир с торговыми кораблями, летающей столицей и рабами-ростре тоже стал чуть объемнее и красочнее, но...
Очень большое но.
Зачем, зачем все эти легенды о Магонии, зачем тонущие матросы и болезнь Азы Рэй, зачем подводники, зачем все-все-все написанное и рассказанное, если автору вдруг надоело выкручиваться, и в сюжете появилось чудо-лекарство от "утопания"?
Прямо как удар под дых.
Стиль все тот же, но история каким-то образом утратила свое волшебство, стала более приземленной и тяжелой - прямо как якорь на обложке в сравнении с воздушным перышком в предыдущей части.
Вы не подумайте, роман хороший, и не читай я первую книгу, то, наверное, очень бы им прониклась, однако я читала. И знаю, что здесь автор местами откровенно схалтурила.
Немного сглаживает общее впечатление концовка. Она прекрасна. Идеальная для этой дилогии. Открытая и в то же время... дающая пищу для размышлений и фантазий.
Я по-прежнему люблю героев и Магонию, но хотела бы, чтоб Хэдли посидела над этим романом подольше.
Я не разделяю общих претензий к страданиям, депрессии и ангсту, ибо они вполне объяснимы. Аза, едва узнав о свей сути, вновь вернулась на землю - естественно, она скучает по небу и песне. Джейсон влюблен в девушку, которой предначертана жизнь в совсем другом мире - естественно, он боится ее потерять и совершает глупости. Я не считаю, что герои сильно изменились и утратили искру. Нет, они все те же, просто познавшие смерть, боль потерь, радость новой встречи и повзрослевшие на год. Было бы странно, не скажись такое на их поведении и мыслях. Да, возможно, депресняка получилось многовато, и внутренние монологи не помешает сократить, но все же это не критично.
Также в истории появились безумно интересные новые персонажи и с совершенно неожиданной стороны раскрылись старые (например, сестра Азы). И мир Магонии, чудесный жуткий мир с торговыми кораблями, летающей столицей и рабами-ростре тоже стал чуть объемнее и красочнее, но...
Очень большое но.
Зачем, зачем все эти легенды о Магонии, зачем тонущие матросы и болезнь Азы Рэй, зачем подводники, зачем все-все-все написанное и рассказанное, если автору вдруг надоело выкручиваться, и в сюжете появилось чудо-лекарство от "утопания"?
Прямо как удар под дых.
Стиль все тот же, но история каким-то образом утратила свое волшебство, стала более приземленной и тяжелой - прямо как якорь на обложке в сравнении с воздушным перышком в предыдущей части.
Вы не подумайте, роман хороший, и не читай я первую книгу, то, наверное, очень бы им прониклась, однако я читала. И знаю, что здесь автор местами откровенно схалтурила.
Немного сглаживает общее впечатление концовка. Она прекрасна. Идеальная для этой дилогии. Открытая и в то же время... дающая пищу для размышлений и фантазий.
Я по-прежнему люблю героев и Магонию, но хотела бы, чтоб Хэдли посидела над этим романом подольше.
February 7, 2017
After reading Magonia, I felt remarkably let down. There was something inexplicable missing, a broken-record skip that never let the words (which were admittedly lovely) settle, and never let the ideas (which were incredible) soar.
I think Aerie came that much closer to the perfection it is owed. Because Headley's ideas, visions, worlds - they are utterly gorgeous and deserve the chance to sing.
Here, the writing itself was even lovelier than before, and the plot-lines hung together and stopped me having to rush back and work out what was happening every few pages. Not everything made sense still, but now this is in a surreal, otherworldly way rather than an irritating what-on-earth-is-going-on way.
Besides, the imagery is gorgeous - even if my idea of Jason is severely tarnished.
Is there more in this world? Or are we going to have to wait, be lead to some other magical place? Regardless, I'll read anything this author writes next.
I think Aerie came that much closer to the perfection it is owed. Because Headley's ideas, visions, worlds - they are utterly gorgeous and deserve the chance to sing.
Here, the writing itself was even lovelier than before, and the plot-lines hung together and stopped me having to rush back and work out what was happening every few pages. Not everything made sense still, but now this is in a surreal, otherworldly way rather than an irritating what-on-earth-is-going-on way.
Besides, the imagery is gorgeous - even if my idea of Jason is severely tarnished.
Is there more in this world? Or are we going to have to wait, be lead to some other magical place? Regardless, I'll read anything this author writes next.
November 7, 2016
I'm trying to collect my thoughts into one cohesive language and review for this book, Aerie, the second and (thank God) final installment of the series. To prolong the story would have been just too much. Okay, I think that's the word I have for it, 'too much'. The plot was okay. Nothing too surprising for me. I still enjoyed reading it though, but I thought the book could use some adjustments such as:
1. The POV's were too limited shared just between Aza and Jason. In this specific book, nothing was much known about what the enemies' side are doing. It would just be helpful to know a bit about what Zal is up to, we do get bits and pieces of what happened but not much and not too clear as well.
2. More clarity and consistency. I don't know, I just found it too inconsistent sometimes, but it might be because I read an ARC and not the final published one? Maybe or maybe not.
3. Jason. He is my least favorite character in the book. I don't remember much from him from the last book except I don't remember not liking him. But in this book, I don't diminish his character and what he's going through, BUT, it's not even about betraying Aza as well, but he just victimized himself too much and self-pitied a lot and a lot of 'woe is me' pages from him and at some point I just got tired of reading those negativities. haha!
The Highlight however is how the story was reconciled at the end, not by destruction of death by killing one another, but by healing and understanding and love, even if the other doesn't deserve it. That's so COOL. For that reason alone, I upped my rating to 3 stars!!!
(PS. Thanks to Harpercollins for providing a copy of the book! )
1. The POV's were too limited shared just between Aza and Jason. In this specific book, nothing was much known about what the enemies' side are doing. It would just be helpful to know a bit about what Zal is up to, we do get bits and pieces of what happened but not much and not too clear as well.
2. More clarity and consistency. I don't know, I just found it too inconsistent sometimes, but it might be because I read an ARC and not the final published one? Maybe or maybe not.
3. Jason. He is my least favorite character in the book. I don't remember much from him from the last book except I don't remember not liking him. But in this book, I don't diminish his character and what he's going through, BUT, it's not even about betraying Aza as well, but he just victimized himself too much and self-pitied a lot and a lot of 'woe is me' pages from him and at some point I just got tired of reading those negativities. haha!
The Highlight however is how the story was reconciled at the end, not by destruction of death by killing one another, but by healing and understanding and love, even if the other doesn't deserve it. That's so COOL. For that reason alone, I upped my rating to 3 stars!!!
(PS. Thanks to Harpercollins for providing a copy of the book! )
October 24, 2016
This is, hands down, the biggest disappointment of the year for me. This book crushed my poor little soul and reinforced the need to be a bitter book blogger. Because I had such major expectations, and the previous book in the series, Magonia, was pretty much in my top five last year. My expectations were so high for this book. I wanted so much from it. I just ... whhhyyyyyyy
I really can't overstate enough how enthralling I found the previous book to be. It was whimsical and unique, fascinating and filled to the brim with lore. I liked the fantasy culture that was introduced, juxtaposed against the real world, and I especially loved the internal conflict of Aza and who she really was--or meant to be. So imagine going from a full buffet, where there are a million things to look at and see, to your mom's bland casserole that kind of seems like its been stale for a while. Sorry mom.
This book has some woeful problems, starting and ending with the content. It's decidedly lacking. Aza is back to being a brooding teenager, which is dissatisfying. She spent the whole first book walking that line of uncertainty. This is the book where she should be coming into her own, but that doesn't happen until magically the last fifty pages or so. And Jason? He was definitely a little bland and uninteresting in the first book, but suddenly he's this uber control asswipe who's working for this secret organization that has no set up for introduction, no footing in the plot, and serves no purpose other than to be an irritating obstacle for the characters to needlessly climb over.
Aza's mother, who at least had hints of complexity in the previous book, is reduced to a mustache twirling villain in this book. Though I can willingly admit I LOVED everything to do with the Flock (as utterly predictable and clichéd as it is), and the Flock's tie into Aza's mother.
But what I hated the most? Dai. Dai is Aza's other half in this book essentially. They're birds of a feather (okay, okay, seriously, I'm sorry for that), and they're meant to compliment each other and be each other's halves. The LAST thing I wanted from this series was a Dai/Aza/Jason love triangle, but I desperately wanted more with Dai in general, because he's fascinating. He's not inherently a bad character. He's just been traumatized, and essentially brainwashed, and pushed to his limit. He's doing what he thinks is best for his people, and you know that saying about the road to hell and good intentions. Dai and Aza are very much alike personality wise. I wanted to see Dai grow as a character, reform, and be that redeemed character that I fall madly in love with in books. But no, no, no, that's not what we get in this book. What we get is Dai being a douche for 90% of the book, with not character growth, until suddenly he decides that he's done being evil, and changes teams.
I just don't get it. And I hate it.
Everything feels rushed in this book. There's suddenly an absence of world building, there's a deterioration of healthy relationships from the previous book, characters themselves fall flat, the adventure and action is woefully lacking, and the ending of the book is so dissatisfying that I can't believe I bought this book at Barnes and Nobel. This book is not worth that much money.
I'm definitely confused as to how this series could go from so downright amazing, to pitifully bland. But it did, and I'm angry about it. I think this is going to be another case of me considering the first book in the series to be a stand alone, and leaving it at that.
Two stars.
I really can't overstate enough how enthralling I found the previous book to be. It was whimsical and unique, fascinating and filled to the brim with lore. I liked the fantasy culture that was introduced, juxtaposed against the real world, and I especially loved the internal conflict of Aza and who she really was--or meant to be. So imagine going from a full buffet, where there are a million things to look at and see, to your mom's bland casserole that kind of seems like its been stale for a while. Sorry mom.
This book has some woeful problems, starting and ending with the content. It's decidedly lacking. Aza is back to being a brooding teenager, which is dissatisfying. She spent the whole first book walking that line of uncertainty. This is the book where she should be coming into her own, but that doesn't happen until magically the last fifty pages or so. And Jason? He was definitely a little bland and uninteresting in the first book, but suddenly he's this uber control asswipe who's working for this secret organization that has no set up for introduction, no footing in the plot, and serves no purpose other than to be an irritating obstacle for the characters to needlessly climb over.
Aza's mother, who at least had hints of complexity in the previous book, is reduced to a mustache twirling villain in this book. Though I can willingly admit I LOVED everything to do with the Flock (as utterly predictable and clichéd as it is), and the Flock's tie into Aza's mother.
But what I hated the most? Dai. Dai is Aza's other half in this book essentially. They're birds of a feather (okay, okay, seriously, I'm sorry for that), and they're meant to compliment each other and be each other's halves. The LAST thing I wanted from this series was a Dai/Aza/Jason love triangle, but I desperately wanted more with Dai in general, because he's fascinating. He's not inherently a bad character. He's just been traumatized, and essentially brainwashed, and pushed to his limit. He's doing what he thinks is best for his people, and you know that saying about the road to hell and good intentions. Dai and Aza are very much alike personality wise. I wanted to see Dai grow as a character, reform, and be that redeemed character that I fall madly in love with in books. But no, no, no, that's not what we get in this book. What we get is Dai being a douche for 90% of the book, with not character growth, until suddenly he decides that he's done being evil, and changes teams.
I just don't get it. And I hate it.
Everything feels rushed in this book. There's suddenly an absence of world building, there's a deterioration of healthy relationships from the previous book, characters themselves fall flat, the adventure and action is woefully lacking, and the ending of the book is so dissatisfying that I can't believe I bought this book at Barnes and Nobel. This book is not worth that much money.
I'm definitely confused as to how this series could go from so downright amazing, to pitifully bland. But it did, and I'm angry about it. I think this is going to be another case of me considering the first book in the series to be a stand alone, and leaving it at that.
Two stars.
Want to read
March 3, 20162016-03-03 UPDATE: Oh my dear lord, that cover. *heart eyes*
2016-01-02 UPDATE: AHH WE HAVE A TITLE, PEOPLE!!!
(I'll admit, I don't know when it was updated but) I'M SO EXCITED SMDFJSHGKHSGFL
----/end update
But I don't want to wait until 2016 :(
2016-01-02 UPDATE: AHH WE HAVE A TITLE, PEOPLE!!!
(I'll admit, I don't know when it was updated but) I'M SO EXCITED SMDFJSHGKHSGFL
----/end update
But I don't want to wait until 2016 :(
November 16, 2016
Well, that took me almost a month to finish! Pfff
October 19, 2016
*Edelweiss was kind enough to approve me for an e-arc. All opinions are my own*
2.5 stars, check out my review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juX5H...
I decided to pick up this sequel even though I felt a bit let down by the first book in this duology. When I picked up this book I hoped that it would fill up the things that I found lacking in the first book: world building, Aza as a character and the romance. I'm sad to say that this did not happen.
The cover and the synopsis sounds really cool but that that is almost all that I really love about this book. We enter the world of Magonia again but nothing gets cleared up, nothing gets explained or really added. There are hints to things happening in the past, a war or something, but what it was exactly is never explained. It made me question why a sequel was needed to Magonia if it wasn't going to add anything to the world, it really didn't even try to clear anything up.
Aza as a character was still really annoying. Instead of ungrateful though, she was really angsty all the flipping time. And not only Aza but Jason too. Yes, I'm talking about the Jason from the first book. That character that I really liked, that one yes. Do I still like him as much? No, I have been drowned in his angst and it has made me feel quite fed up with him actually. Dai, who was a character from the first book that I had some issues with, was really flat in this book so he also didn't add anything. The only two characters that I really enjoyed were Hayward and Eli. But they did not have enough page time to really lift the book up for me.
The romance... Well... it was angsty. And when I say angsty I really mean super angsty (aka really annoying). Because I was practically drowned in this angsty romance I wasn't really supporting this relationship, it seemed to do more harm than good to both the characters and the story.
Overall I must say that I think that this sequel was unnecessary. Nothing gets added to the world of Magonia. Instead, we have this group of characters that are just super angsty diving into this totally new story that has no ties to the first book. If you felt let down by Magonia because of the lack of world building I would not recommend this book because it will not fill up the gaps.
2.5 stars, check out my review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juX5H...
I decided to pick up this sequel even though I felt a bit let down by the first book in this duology. When I picked up this book I hoped that it would fill up the things that I found lacking in the first book: world building, Aza as a character and the romance. I'm sad to say that this did not happen.
The cover and the synopsis sounds really cool but that that is almost all that I really love about this book. We enter the world of Magonia again but nothing gets cleared up, nothing gets explained or really added. There are hints to things happening in the past, a war or something, but what it was exactly is never explained. It made me question why a sequel was needed to Magonia if it wasn't going to add anything to the world, it really didn't even try to clear anything up.
Aza as a character was still really annoying. Instead of ungrateful though, she was really angsty all the flipping time. And not only Aza but Jason too. Yes, I'm talking about the Jason from the first book. That character that I really liked, that one yes. Do I still like him as much? No, I have been drowned in his angst and it has made me feel quite fed up with him actually. Dai, who was a character from the first book that I had some issues with, was really flat in this book so he also didn't add anything. The only two characters that I really enjoyed were Hayward and Eli. But they did not have enough page time to really lift the book up for me.
The romance... Well... it was angsty. And when I say angsty I really mean super angsty (aka really annoying). Because I was practically drowned in this angsty romance I wasn't really supporting this relationship, it seemed to do more harm than good to both the characters and the story.
Overall I must say that I think that this sequel was unnecessary. Nothing gets added to the world of Magonia. Instead, we have this group of characters that are just super angsty diving into this totally new story that has no ties to the first book. If you felt let down by Magonia because of the lack of world building I would not recommend this book because it will not fill up the gaps.
June 8, 2016
I honestly don't know how to rate this book. Did I love it as much as Magonia? No. But it did had something new to offer, mostly in the C&A departments (creatures and adventures). It was fast paces. Something was always happening and there was no dull moment. The sad thing is I didn't feel that instant connection with Aerie.
Reading about all these strange creatures put me in such a nice mood. lol My troubles suddenly weren't so important.
Aza Ray and Jason were experiencing some relationship drama which I didn't care much about(but those moments weren't boring at all). I just wanted to read about this clever and majestic world. I'm always up for magical realism and Aerie mixed those two perfectly.
I'm going to give it 3 stars because I did enjoy it. I just didn't love it as much as the first one.
Reading about all these strange creatures put me in such a nice mood. lol My troubles suddenly weren't so important.
Aza Ray and Jason were experiencing some relationship drama which I didn't care much about(but those moments weren't boring at all). I just wanted to read about this clever and majestic world. I'm always up for magical realism and Aerie mixed those two perfectly.
I'm going to give it 3 stars because I did enjoy it. I just didn't love it as much as the first one.
March 28, 2018
2.5 stars
It’s no secret that I was not a massive fan of Magonia last year. In fact, I kind of despised it with its pretentious writing style, unlikeable protagonists, and nonsensical plotline. When I was given the chance to finish off the series, I did not bother to form any expectations for it. I figured it would be slam dunk failure. Luckily, that wasn’t the case at all! I should know by now never to assume things but nonetheless, I did. Aerie, as a whole, was much more entertaining than I could have imagined.
What made me enjoy this story as much as I did was the plotline. It actually had some sense to it! Unlike Magonia, I could breezily follow the story’s progression and piece together how each scene flowed into the next. The beginning was a little jarring but only because it attempted to recap the last book’s events, introduce the dilemmas of this sequel and then dive into the story. I wish that it had been ingrained into the story a little more organically or been condensed somehow. The ending was also a little abrupt due to the way that the last battle scene was written. Its action was weak and I would have liked to see a little more conflict and climax. However, I don’t really know how else it could have ended? I do think that the author achieved everything they possibly could have for this series.
The main protagonist in this story - Aza - is what continually let this series down in my opinion. I just could not stand her! She was so pretentious and so… up herself? I don’t know how else to describe it, other than she’s like one of those annoying hipster types that think they are the coolest people in the room because they have a particular way at looking at the world and think that it’s the only way of looking at the world. Does that even make sense? Why she never said or acted snobbish in a particular substantial way, she just gave off these irritating vibes in a way that reminded me of Hazel & Augustus from TFIOS. I struggled to care for her. I think that with a different set of protagonists I could have enjoyed this story a whole lot more.
Jason, our other protagonist, was an interesting character. I definitely found it much easier to get into his frame of mind than Aza but found that he a lot of the same annoying traits. I did love his quirkiness and obsession with pi/numbers. However, what I thought was particularly done well about his development was that he was still struggling with the events of the last book. It would be completely unbelievable to go through something so traumatic and be unchanged afterwards. I loved that the author didn’t shy away from that. I did think that the writing style was a little too reflective of Aza’s personality, however. It made Jason’s perspective a little confusing because it almost sounded like we were seeing his mind through Aza’s eyes. If the prose had been downplayed in his POVs a little, it would have made a difference?
I found their romance irritating. Jason was too obsessive. No one falls in love at age five! It’s a cute idea in theory, yes, but his constant reminding us that he had loved Aza ‘from the moment that he met her’ annoyed me. It came across as creepy and made their relationship seem a little one-sided. Oh, and the fact that Aza had different ‘skins’ all the time and never looked the same was never explored. I know that they loved each other so much that appearance didn’t matter to them - *gags* - but I think physical attraction does play a part in relationships (if you're allosexual, obviously). I would have liked to see at least one conversation or mention from Aza or Jason about it. I think it would be so weird to have your girlfriend look like three completely different girls within the span of two years - no matter what.
Headley’s mythology is so on point in this series if only we had a tiny bit more detail. I love the idea of magic coming from song - especially with the vividness that she describes it - but I felt that more elements should have been fleshed out. I never thought that Aza and her heartbird’s relationship was developed to the extent it could have been, especially when I have read books like Eragon and The Golden Compass that have nailed similar animal-human/soul connections. I was also disappointed that we didn’t get to learn much about SWAB or their technology much at all.
Overall?
I think that Aerie was a much stronger story than Magonia. While I still didn’t connect with the protagonists or fully understand the mythology to the level I desired, the general storyline was much more entertaining than I could have anticipated. I flew through this book in a single evening. The pacing was a little inconsistent with the slow beginning and rushed ending but again, the overarching storyline was much more entertaining. I’m impressed with Headley’s improvement.
Review based on an unproofed copy from the publisher which is subject to change.
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It’s no secret that I was not a massive fan of Magonia last year. In fact, I kind of despised it with its pretentious writing style, unlikeable protagonists, and nonsensical plotline. When I was given the chance to finish off the series, I did not bother to form any expectations for it. I figured it would be slam dunk failure. Luckily, that wasn’t the case at all! I should know by now never to assume things but nonetheless, I did. Aerie, as a whole, was much more entertaining than I could have imagined.
What made me enjoy this story as much as I did was the plotline. It actually had some sense to it! Unlike Magonia, I could breezily follow the story’s progression and piece together how each scene flowed into the next. The beginning was a little jarring but only because it attempted to recap the last book’s events, introduce the dilemmas of this sequel and then dive into the story. I wish that it had been ingrained into the story a little more organically or been condensed somehow. The ending was also a little abrupt due to the way that the last battle scene was written. Its action was weak and I would have liked to see a little more conflict and climax. However, I don’t really know how else it could have ended? I do think that the author achieved everything they possibly could have for this series.
The main protagonist in this story - Aza - is what continually let this series down in my opinion. I just could not stand her! She was so pretentious and so… up herself? I don’t know how else to describe it, other than she’s like one of those annoying hipster types that think they are the coolest people in the room because they have a particular way at looking at the world and think that it’s the only way of looking at the world. Does that even make sense? Why she never said or acted snobbish in a particular substantial way, she just gave off these irritating vibes in a way that reminded me of Hazel & Augustus from TFIOS. I struggled to care for her. I think that with a different set of protagonists I could have enjoyed this story a whole lot more.
Jason, our other protagonist, was an interesting character. I definitely found it much easier to get into his frame of mind than Aza but found that he a lot of the same annoying traits. I did love his quirkiness and obsession with pi/numbers. However, what I thought was particularly done well about his development was that he was still struggling with the events of the last book. It would be completely unbelievable to go through something so traumatic and be unchanged afterwards. I loved that the author didn’t shy away from that. I did think that the writing style was a little too reflective of Aza’s personality, however. It made Jason’s perspective a little confusing because it almost sounded like we were seeing his mind through Aza’s eyes. If the prose had been downplayed in his POVs a little, it would have made a difference?
I found their romance irritating. Jason was too obsessive. No one falls in love at age five! It’s a cute idea in theory, yes, but his constant reminding us that he had loved Aza ‘from the moment that he met her’ annoyed me. It came across as creepy and made their relationship seem a little one-sided. Oh, and the fact that Aza had different ‘skins’ all the time and never looked the same was never explored. I know that they loved each other so much that appearance didn’t matter to them - *gags* - but I think physical attraction does play a part in relationships (if you're allosexual, obviously). I would have liked to see at least one conversation or mention from Aza or Jason about it. I think it would be so weird to have your girlfriend look like three completely different girls within the span of two years - no matter what.
Headley’s mythology is so on point in this series if only we had a tiny bit more detail. I love the idea of magic coming from song - especially with the vividness that she describes it - but I felt that more elements should have been fleshed out. I never thought that Aza and her heartbird’s relationship was developed to the extent it could have been, especially when I have read books like Eragon and The Golden Compass that have nailed similar animal-human/soul connections. I was also disappointed that we didn’t get to learn much about SWAB or their technology much at all.
Overall?
I think that Aerie was a much stronger story than Magonia. While I still didn’t connect with the protagonists or fully understand the mythology to the level I desired, the general storyline was much more entertaining than I could have anticipated. I flew through this book in a single evening. The pacing was a little inconsistent with the slow beginning and rushed ending but again, the overarching storyline was much more entertaining. I’m impressed with Headley’s improvement.
Review based on an unproofed copy from the publisher which is subject to change.
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February 7, 2017
I hate writing bad reviews, especially in this particular case when I loved the first book. I would continue reading the series and would read more of the author's books regardless of this one just not keeping my interest.
April 7, 2017
3.5 stars - rounded down because of how clumsily the plot is handled. Maybe it would have been closer to 4 if I was reading back to back with Magonia, but I think I missed some things based on time and others based on a complete lack of ever being mentioned before.
You know how some books are bricks and seemingly full of nothing but filler? This is basically an anti-filler book. Every single scene is an escalation, which a) leaves no time to breathe or reflect and b) means that there's no room for worldbuilding or foreshadowing, so all of these twists are coming out of absolutely nowhere. It ends up being a long series of Things Happening and New Discoveries.
For example, There's a lot of that happening.
What saves the book are the voices of Aza Ray and Jason. They're fairly similar, with only a few stylistic quirks (namely, pi and & vs +), but they are still entertaining, snarky, vulnerable, believable teenagers for the most part.
Try Magonia if you like snarky characters and WTF worlds like MirrorMask.
You know how some books are bricks and seemingly full of nothing but filler? This is basically an anti-filler book. Every single scene is an escalation, which a) leaves no time to breathe or reflect and b) means that there's no room for worldbuilding or foreshadowing, so all of these twists are coming out of absolutely nowhere. It ends up being a long series of Things Happening and New Discoveries.
For example, There's a lot of that happening.
What saves the book are the voices of Aza Ray and Jason. They're fairly similar, with only a few stylistic quirks (namely, pi and & vs +), but they are still entertaining, snarky, vulnerable, believable teenagers for the most part.
Try Magonia if you like snarky characters and WTF worlds like MirrorMask.
January 29, 2021
Seria asta e magică, dacă ești atras de aventuri și ființe mitice atunci e despre tine.
November 8, 2016
yaaawwwnnn "I’ve missed two class periods by sitting in my car gnawing on the universe."
I know how that feels. You could say that I missed anything and everything while gnawing on this bland book and I am far from sated.
Aerie is not only bland but disappointing to say the least. I read Magonia only days before Aerie so it was fresh in my head and entirely too anticipated. I REALLY liked Magonia! I know that isn't a common opinion but I really did. This book is a watered down version of Magonia wherein: 1) the main characters are less rich in complexity 2) the banter and interplay between characters are not as authentic or tangible and 3) the whole fantastical imagery not only falls short of WOW but hovers squarely at SOOOOO, I CARE WHY?!? for the entirety of the book. There were new extraordinary creatures introduced, barely utilized and then essentially forgotten. Things simply worked out for the best where need be without effort. A few examples are like when Aza escapes a prison ship with no idea which way to go and no real means to get there & randomly picks a direction only to fall directly into the very (invisible) ship she had been seeking to begin with. OR how the humans can find a way to hook up with the Resistance when they need to, no problem, almost like hailing a cab. OR how they can withstand the lack of oxygen up high by ingesting a miracle pill Eli just happens to carry around with her in bulk...etc...etc...etc
"You don’t know how much you can lie until you find yourself in the middle of it, lying again to cover the lie you already gave out as truth. You don’t know how much you can mess your own life up until you’re looking out from the inside, and thinking you’re not the person you set out to be."
No lies here with this review and I definitely didn't get the journey/experience I set out to get when I wasted the Time, Money and Hope I had with regards to this dud.
I know how that feels. You could say that I missed anything and everything while gnawing on this bland book and I am far from sated.
Aerie is not only bland but disappointing to say the least. I read Magonia only days before Aerie so it was fresh in my head and entirely too anticipated. I REALLY liked Magonia! I know that isn't a common opinion but I really did. This book is a watered down version of Magonia wherein: 1) the main characters are less rich in complexity 2) the banter and interplay between characters are not as authentic or tangible and 3) the whole fantastical imagery not only falls short of WOW but hovers squarely at SOOOOO, I CARE WHY?!? for the entirety of the book. There were new extraordinary creatures introduced, barely utilized and then essentially forgotten. Things simply worked out for the best where need be without effort. A few examples are like when Aza escapes a prison ship with no idea which way to go and no real means to get there & randomly picks a direction only to fall directly into the very (invisible) ship she had been seeking to begin with. OR how the humans can find a way to hook up with the Resistance when they need to, no problem, almost like hailing a cab. OR how they can withstand the lack of oxygen up high by ingesting a miracle pill Eli just happens to carry around with her in bulk...etc...etc...etc
"You don’t know how much you can lie until you find yourself in the middle of it, lying again to cover the lie you already gave out as truth. You don’t know how much you can mess your own life up until you’re looking out from the inside, and thinking you’re not the person you set out to be."
No lies here with this review and I definitely didn't get the journey/experience I set out to get when I wasted the Time, Money and Hope I had with regards to this dud.
November 15, 2016
Find this review, plus more, on my blog: Booklikes OR Blogger
Basic Info
Format: Hardback
Pages/Length: 320pgs
Genre: Young Adult; Fantasy
Reason For Reading: Buddy read.
At A Glance
Love Triangle/Insta Love/Obsession?: OBSESSION
Cliff Hanger: No
Triggers: n/a
Rating: 1.5 stars
Score Sheet
All out of ten
Cover: 9
Plot: 5
Characters: 2
World Building: 5
Flow: 4
Series Congruity: 6
Writing: 6
Ending: 6
Total: 4
In Depth
Best Part: Birds?
Worst Part: Jason, for sure.
Thoughts Had: Get a freaking grip please.
Conclusion
Continuing the Series: n/a
Recommending: Nah.
Short Review: This was bad, like no. I thought book 1 was bad, but this was even worse, at least book 1 had me interested because of the factor of me being like "what the fuck is going on". This just had me thinking, "i've read this last book, idc now". Main thing to take from it, Jason is fucking crazy obsessed with the MC, crazyyyyyy, like i put cameras at your house for you "protection", like crazy enough to tell the US government about your race for your "protection", crazy like i am now in a mental hospital because my moms think i'm crazy, which i am so that's good.
Misc.
Book Boyfriend: Ha
Best Friend Material: Eli
Review in GIF Form:
July 9, 2018
2,5* not so good... Magonie byla pro mě objev. Především ohromně zvláštní svět, ve kterém se příběh odehrává. Bohužel pokračování v podobě Aerie mě nijak nenadchlo. Bylo sice akčnější, ale obsah příběhu se úplně vypařil a zůstala "obyčejná youngadultovka" - předvídatelná a natahovaná. Škoda. Svět Magonie mi přijde fascinující doteď, jen ten obsah... :(
Want to read
May 1, 2016CAN'T WANT!!!!!!!!
December 5, 2017
Mi s-a părut puțin cam greoi începutul, a durat ceva până ne-am întors în Magonia, unde se vede cu adevărat de ce romanul a captivat atât de multă lume (me included). Povestioara de dragoste e cam superficială/clișeică, dar restul relațiilor dintre personaje sunt faine.
All in all, recomand cartea pentru că Magonia e un univers fascinant. Protagoniștii sunt puțin prea dramatici uneori (sunt, totuși, adolescenți), dar nu suficient de mult cât să strice frumusețea acestei duologii.
Am scris și o recenzie pe blog -> [link]
All in all, recomand cartea pentru că Magonia e un univers fascinant. Protagoniștii sunt puțin prea dramatici uneori (sunt, totuși, adolescenți), dar nu suficient de mult cât să strice frumusețea acestei duologii.
Am scris și o recenzie pe blog -> [link]
Read
December 13, 2020Favorite Quote: I’ve run the stats on catastrophe, and I’ve run the stats on love. Lost lovt, smashed loved, messed-up love, star-crossed love. And finally, love as catastrophe. I’m trying to determine if the two are inevitably, inextricable linked.
Thus far, my studies are inconclusive.
Thus far, my studies are inconclusive.
June 25, 2018
Těch pět hvězdiček je dost subjektivních, ale tohle mi prostě sedlo. Už Magonie byla svým způsobem děsně kouzelná a měla moc super pár (ten trojúhelník ignoruji). V Aerii se toho vlastně až tolik nestalo, ale celý svět ptačích ufounů pro mě má své zvláštní kouzlo. Aza i Jason jsou občas děsně otravní, to k tomu ale už patří. Patří k sobě a konec. Celou sérii doporučuji, ale upozorňuji, že nesedne úplně každému, protože je dost zvláštní a specifická.
4.5/5*
4.5/5*
January 16, 2022
Druhý díl jsem četla hned po prvním, abych to měla přečtené v kuse. V některých částech mi to přišlo lepší jak Magonie, někdy naopak horší. Pozitiva u mě vlastně zůstala stejná, toť celkem hezky (i když krátce) vystavěný svět a jeho návaznost na jednotlivé skutečnosti. Občas to umělo vygradovat lépe, než v díle předchozím.
No ale hlavní hrdinka mi teda vadila asi ještě o krapet víc, do toho mi začal vadit i hlavní hrdina, protože přeháněl a rozvinul docela toxic vztah. Stejně jako situace uměly gradovat, tak uměly být docela předvídatelné. No a do třetice musím zmínit, že jsem nepochopila funkci pár postav. Objevily se v lince, dokonce to vypadalo, že by mohly být i nějak důležitý pro vývoj příběhu, a následně byly odstraněny? Tak proč! :D Ve výsledku mám pocit stejný jako po dočtení jedničky, měla jsem to číst dříve. Mnohem...
No ale hlavní hrdinka mi teda vadila asi ještě o krapet víc, do toho mi začal vadit i hlavní hrdina, protože přeháněl a rozvinul docela toxic vztah. Stejně jako situace uměly gradovat, tak uměly být docela předvídatelné. No a do třetice musím zmínit, že jsem nepochopila funkci pár postav. Objevily se v lince, dokonce to vypadalo, že by mohly být i nějak důležitý pro vývoj příběhu, a následně byly odstraněny? Tak proč! :D Ve výsledku mám pocit stejný jako po dočtení jedničky, měla jsem to číst dříve. Mnohem...
June 3, 2016
I have this. And it's signed. And it has a personal inscription for me. So much amazing-ness. I'm just going to go ahead and give this 5 stars even though i haven't even read it yet. I have that much faith.
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