Ashley Shea > Recent Status Updates

I'm also really appreciating this 2nd read how this book has been exciting from the start. There's torture in a prison and a city blown up in the first act, a MAJOR twist in the second act, and we're not even at the 3rd act yet and there's been tragic deaths and thrills and all sorts of quests and side quests. The character development is TOP NOTCH and I'm not rushing through to get to Empire. Just damn near perfect!

Poor Quil! What can you do?! Fall in love with a mysterious stranger, she ends up dead (asterisk!), catch feelings for another mysterious stranger, get really confused. I genuinely don't remember what happens exactly but I know I don't like Aiz. I want to feel bad for her, I really do, but Quil has been nothing but good and no matter what you're going through, to even think about using him for your own gain is evil!

HOLY SHIT I CAN'T BELIEVE I FORGOT THAT!!! ILAR?!?! Now I'm completely lost again. Wow! amazing that such a detail could have completely escaped my memory. man, am I glad I decided to reread!!!

I keep forgetting to update. Not that it's necessary, the feelings and the love of the writing haven't changed. I'm only reading to remind myself what happens before Empire. This is impeccably written and no surprise to me. It's almost as exciting, but some things I do remember at least a little so they're not as shocking. I don't remember tho how the relationship builds between Quil and Sirsha, so I'm enjoying that.

I remember nothing and yet I keep telling myself "just remember, this isn't all happening at the same time!" I don't remember who's in a different time or whether it's earlier or later, I just remember the shock! I love these characters! They are so clearly written. I want to know more about why Quil is hiding his magic and why Sirsha isn't allowed to use hers and why Aiz doesn't have control of hers...

If I just stop here, all will be well and I can pretend to be happy and pretend that Queen Bardugo doesn't absolutely own my soul. To have written this pair that absolutely leap off the page and to feel as though I'm walking with them, hoping with them, yearning with them. And now to feel this potential despair with them... I can't tell if I'd rather have a simple life or if this is exactly what I read for. LIVE for!

I'm mindblown at the idea that we experience the multiverse constantly but our teeny tiny brains can only comprehend one reality at once. I dig the possibility of giving someone a compound and putting them in a box that allows them to visit other universes, but I'm pretty sure my teeny tiny brain would explode. Um, otherwise, this is written weird, like, Amanda is hella sus but I don't think she's supposed to be.

This book is bad for my blood pressure...

I wouldn't be doing this at the same time as Dead Beat or Heir/Empire coming up next, but I have to finish this for a book club so I'm settling with listening during slow work hours. It's an easy listen, exciting, but doesn't require too much thought. We'll see how much science I need to pay attention to as we go along, but for now, we're still as in the dark as Jason. I think I'd rather be happy than successful...

This is going by too quickly. I'm going to be so sad when it's over! But nonstop STUFF keeps happening! There's been yearning! Amazing banter! Murder and mayhem galore! I don't know if I'm going to be able to keep track of it. We're looking for the original pilgrims, for Alex's dad, and for pieces of a golem, we're trying to close the door to hell... aaaaaand we need to smoosh Alex and Darlington together.

Having JUST read Hell Bent, this felt like adding another warm blanket on a cold day. There's so much of Darlington's "voice" in the first two books that it's easy to forget he wasn't actually IN the first two books very much. Now, so far, seeing him interact with Alex and Dawes, I can feel his frustration at trying to stay human AND trying to fit back into his role as Virgil. It's tense so far in more ways than one.

This book is so freaking perfect. Act one gives you the background and you meet all the players and the problem is clearly laid out. Not a page wasted! Act two is THE LITERAL JOURNEY TO HELL! Get your boy back, Alex!! He has been crying out to you from the start!! (my favorite line in the entire book.) Plus we learn all this complicated history of our murderers, love that. And it paints sin in shades of grey. Love!!

I'm so happy to be back in this world and I CANNOT WAIT for Dead Beat!!! BUT, I told myself I reread Ninth House before Hell Bent so I just needed to reread Hell Bent before Dead Beat and I'm... a little bit lost XD I've forgotten bits of the climax of Ninth House and it kinda gets referred to A LOT in the beginning of Hell Bent here. I don't think it matters but I'm pissed. I love this series so much but it's a lot.

I love how this is progressing! I don't want it to end and of course, I also must know what happens next. It's not many authors though who would introduce a brand new important character at this point in the story. It makes it feel like a lived in story rather than formulaic. Yes, there are a lot of characters, and as a fantasy, I'm often lost, but Maggie feels very accessible and expositional and I love her!

What on earth would you do if you got transported into your favorite book series but the moment you got there things have changed?? Some things because of you but some having nothing to do with you at all?! I'm so disoriented now!! This part was insane though! I've not been this emotional over a book in a long time. The authors are not holding back and it's making me feel a lot! I'm already scared to finish...

SIGH!!! While the twist did indeed shock and surprise me and it took me a while to get my bearings, I do not feel the devastation the book obviously wants me to feel!! Where are we going to go from here? And more importantly, why are SO MANY things different from the books she knows?? She's right about a bunch of things but the things that are different... Who the flip is this Maggie person?! What's going on?!?!

This is so delightful, I will be buying it immediately! Better than Game of Thrones and right on par with Outlander. I am dying to know what's going on with Maggie and Reynald. No one spoil it!!! Now I'm speculating about WHY she's there: Is her purpose to fix something?? To help the author get over writer's block?? To retcon some mistake??? Is the author stuck there too?!?! Is she the author?!?!?!?!

I can tell I'm going to absolutely love this entire series. I freaking love these characters! And this concept!! I'm very freaking confused about how Maggie got here. Did I misunderstand something in the beginning about her having woken up in other people's bodies before?? She seemed very confused to wake up in Kair Toren. Was it only because she woke up as herself? Anyway, I don't care, this is awesome!

OK, this looks real bad. It took me literally 3 tries over three days to get through chapter 1. I have been so thrown for a loop over the concept, so completely gobsmacked the first time Netflix was mentioned, that my brain has been unable to process it. I know it will be fun. I know I will like it, but how long is it going to take?? Hopefully the next chapter takes less than 3 days...

I keep forgetting to update! So the middle was hard for me to get through, a bit slow, but writing is impeccable, so no issues there. I'm finally at the can't-put-it-down part where everything is coming together. But book club confirmed what I've long suspected that the curse is a self-fulfilling prophecy....... OR IS IT?! And reincarnation is not real....... OR IS IT?!?! I'm having a fine time!

Love short chapters! Love a disjointed timeline! Not sure what else I'm hoping for. Is this about how curses aren't real, it's just how you choose to live your life and how you choose to interpret things that happen to you? Or is there a real curse and we're gonna see some crazy magic shit? I already disagree with the reviews that say they can't tell characters apart, I think they're already very distinct. Love that!

Now that Emery is spending so much time with Luca and she's being super present and telling a bunch of truths and using less "I" statements, I like her more. I also get that I need to not be mad that the accident happened because Emery was late for the dinner reservation; Luca could have been hit by a car at any time. They're making things hard for themselves though, as far as hiding stuff from neighbors. Act normal!

I cannot be mad at how infinitely readable Christina Lauren is... are? Anyway, it's fun to read and has made me laugh a few times, but I am still so so mad at our FMC. She is still making a lot of "I" statements and how is that supposed to help an amnesiac?! Are they intentionally making her selfish? I'm grateful that we get some Luca chapters because I need to know that he's clocking this. Take her to task!!

I can suspend disbelief about the pseudo-science that they're stumbling awkwardly through. I mean, major eye roll, but fine, it's a cool concept as far as bringing your dog back to life, but it's a major suspension of disbelief. But even if I put that aside, Emery needed to have made better choices when she had the chance, you're not going to get sympathy from me when you try to play God just so you don't feel bad.

So far, I'm disappointed in the set-up. I'm not saying I'm already writing it off, I'm just saying that I personally believe that you don't get literal do-overs. There are second chance romances and then there are literal brought-back-from-the-dead romances. The problem I have is Emery is doing this for selfish reasons: she says SHE will never be the same if she loses him, and SHE feels like it's HER fault (it is).

This never happens and I should really dnf because the loan is about to expire and I've got another library book that I'll probably enjoy more and I've got this ARC just sitting on my currently reading shelf. This should be a quick quirky funny read that brings me joy and instead it's taking forever, stressing me out, barely funny, and instantly forgettable. I'm giving it one more day.

And yes, I know most of the names are not new-new, but between the sheer number of characters, and the fact that most of them are called three different things is confusing as fuck. I'm so tired of the number of times I hear - for example - Gideon calling Trystan 'Maverine' and being like "who?" Also, just generally, please assume I don't remember anything and give me ANY kind of recap. Please!

*Sigh* I mean, it's pure chaos. There are no answers and no rationale, but shit keeps happening and happening and happening. Destiny monster back, magical locks failed, book pages burned, Kingsley human, Evie trying to understand her chaotic magic. Marv, Gideon, Lyssa, Nura, Lionel, Winnifred, Keeley, Becky, Clare, Tatianna, Benedict, and that is probably only half of the characters that have been introduced so far.

Sooo, it feels like what irks me about this series is that it tries TOO hard not to expo-dump. I get it, some people hate exposition. I sure need it though! And also I don't hate exposition. Remind me where Gideon and Keeley are (I wouldn't have even remembered their names if I hadn't reread my book 3 review!), remind me how far Trystan and Evie got in their quest to save the magic. Also... WHERE IS KINGSLEY?!?!

I mean, this is so perfectly set up and relatable! And then add in everything else that's going on in their lives and it's like... what a well-rounded story!! And Luc does need to support Oliver BUT Oliver is stepping right over Luc to make unilateral decisions and statements and everyone just needs to take several seats and several deep breaths! Then there's Luc's job drama and how fun is that?! What a great book!!