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Norrell being a very particular man who hoards magical knowledge, evicts everyone from his profession unless the individual somehow meets his exacting expectations, but being generally disliked on a personal level is an interesting mix. Jonathan Strange is, of course, much more engaging on a personal level, partly because he rarely goes on impromptu theory lectures - thus, more enjoyable to read.

We only got a real introduction to Jonathan Strange by the 25% mark and even now, he's not even a magician yet. There's a very large cast of characters and to Clarke's credit, they're different and memorable enough that I can generally remember them all, but the story would benefit greatly from some serious editing

Stuffily British in all its love for mannerisms and bureaucracy. I generally enjoy the storytelling but keep wishing that the plot were tighter. Imo, epics hardly justify their insane page counts when so much of it seems bloated with unnecessary details, exploration of minutiae that don't really matter in the end, and page-long footnotes. Would it kill the author to get to the point sometimes?

Almost a third into the book and I'm still stuck on why the MMC is so special. He's just a boy that Matilda happened to see in a dream. So what? Why did she take such an interest in him among all the other human dreams she spied on? And once we did get to know him a bit, there still isn't anything that really stands out about him beyond superficial looks. They grow up and he's still just some (noble) guy.

The weaknesses of the writing are glaring in the last third of the story. Might be bc I got so tired of trying to ignore them by now, but the repetition gets particularly egregious. On top of that, the characters, esp the bad guys, are flattened even further to the point of mustache twirling caricatures. The protag makes dumb assumptions that should have easily been avoided. Just... Ugh.

This murder mystery of Emmett Till reaching behind the grave and time has no business being this funny 😭😂 Everett has a wonderful gift for writing characters that feel real, including their nonsensical quirks, in such a way that the comedy doesn't feel qUiRky or forced. Delightful read so far

Same issue as her last book: she needs to cut down on the repetition and get a more ruthless editor. The overwriting bogs down the pacing and the protagonist becomes an annoyance

So the reason why there are so few consenting organ donors in China stems from the Confucian belief that one's body is a gift from one's parents and ancestors, and thus should not be altered/given away (which would amount to spurning the gift). This would explain why they resort to organ harvesting from death row inmates (and, if the rumors are true, political prisoners/oppressed minorities)

A third into this book and I haven't connected with any of the characters. The protag is interesting for the sheer fact that they are a single entity within a colony(?) that puppets multiple human hosts. It seems to be singular in this world except it's met signs of a similar-ish entity. This should be compelling..

Damn, this one book has more feminism than all of the Bridgerton books combined

Sidney is frustrating but that's the entire point of her character. Wish we had more time with Zu, they seem determined to invoke verve into life. Their musings about the patriarchy and strict gender norms still being reinforced now were interesting to read about

They're banging now. Why? There's no chemistry 💀 on the odd time she wants to see Sarken, she wants him for his knowledge or power. No thoughts beyond his usefulness. Where did the attraction even start for either of them?

The dragon dude has been sent away for almost a quarter of the story so far. If the author wanted to emphasize the dearth of chemistry in this story, her mission has been accomplished.

All the politicking so far has been meh. I don't care about any of these nobles. They only matter to the FMC bc they decide if Kasha lives or dies. And I don't even care about Kasha. No one has an interesting personality jfc

HE kissed HER first, HE groped HER crotch first, and then HE TELLS HER TO GET OUT?? Fans, why do you even like this guy??? How am I supposed to like him AT ALL.

On top of that, the FMC is boring af. Beyond her special magic, she's just some young woman. Nothing is really interesting or fun about her. Everything is so drab in this story, I truly don't get the appeal

I am not getting the hype. Dragon dude has been a cold, distant jerk who only interacted with the FMC when circumstances forced him to, and he always did so begrudgingly. He obv resents that the FMC has ~special intuitive magic~ that goes against the rules of magic bc she's just ~so special~ like that. They finally work together and cure Kasha. And now his hand is in her underwear. What???

Dang, when does this get fun?

An aloof and powerful dragon has come to pick a maiden to keep in his tower for a decade. A plucky heroine is chosen.

I'm looking forward to this story but I can't help but want to reread Land of the Beautiful Dead now 🥲

Doughty's 8th grade algebra teacher catching strays 💀😂

Babe the Pig but make it SADDDDDD