Mia > Recent Status Updates

Reading this book is exhausting!! It’s also incredibly heavy and hard to hold properly so half the time I’m repositioning my grip rather than reading lol. I’m reading at a very very slow pace, even by my standards. The actual story has been pretty intriguing so far! Much better writing than Mistborn. Also so descriptive and imaginative. Not far in at all but interested enough in the world of Roshar atm!

So I’ve officially started this mammoth of a book! I’ve gotten through all the prologues and the first official chapter. I’ve accepted that it’s gonna take me a really long time to read so I’m not stressing myself out trying to get lots read each day. Especially in these early stages with lots of world building. Liking the writing a lot more than Mistborn so far! Spren and magic system sound interesting!

Okay um…so I read 120 pages today. I don’t do that. That doesn’t happen to me, no matter how much I’m enjoying my time with a book. I mean, I read literally all day. I’m so happy this is turning out better than book 2! Some questionable things in it like the school shutdown…but the snowstorm has been so fun! Soooo cozy and such a vibe! Love just hanging out with this group of friends. Still hate David tho

OH MY GOD THIS IS SO GOOD. I read 90 pages today! Ahhhh this is more like it! It’s giving me AGGGTM vibes at points in the best way! Omg and I’m loving Stevie even more than usual. It’s also really good that there’s so much going on and no recapping book 2. I’m finding myself enjoying the 1930s stuff with Flora/Alice/George so much! Page 133 is chef’s kiss. The Alice real dad reveal made me so happy ahhhh

Was gonna take a longer break between this and The Vanishing Stair and was about to begin The Way of Kings. But it was a cold wet day today and suddenly I had the urge to just continue this series! May as well get the final book in the original trilogy done to get the answers before I lose interest after too much time out of the zone. Intrigued by the Alice stuff! Like that it picks up where we left, not much recap

Somehow managed to read 85 pages today?? But tbh, not a whole lot happened in those pages. They found Ellie’s body and then we had to listen to it being explained to people (students, staff, friends etc.) too many times. And the David and Stevie stuff (in this whole series in general really) is just odd to me. I don’t quite understand their dynamic. He’s a weird character in a story of amazing ones

Omg finallyyyy the titular stair comes into play over halfway through the book. Feel like the plot is going to ramp up now! Kinda like how Hayes’s death in the last book actually begun the mystery pretty late in. Also can I just say how much I loved that like two page Halloween party scene? The setting was great and got me seriously craving to be at a fun boarding school like that. But it didn’t last long enough!

Oh my god can we please get some sort of reveal soon?? We’re nearly 200 pages in and therefore halfway and yet we’re still rehashing what happened in book one!! Or just asking the same question for the millionth time about ‘how did Ellie possibly escape here?’ Just when I think something’s gonna happen the scene turns out to be pointless. Like I’m more interested in the mystery of Hunter and Fenton atp…

Feel like this is still very introductory? But not necessarily in a bad way, like I’m having a great time and love the writing (actually laughed aloud a few times!), there’s just not really much mystery solving going on, and when there is, it’s not the fun kind. Might change in the next chapter though. Still love the vibes of this series. Also that Truly Devious reveal scene came so out of nowhere??

So I read 30 pages the first day but it hadn’t really clicked yet. Didn’t read the next day coz I was a bit unmotivated to get through the early exposition. But then today I was loving it since it actually felt like the Truly Devious I know and love! Laughing and grinning at it. Nate is still one of my favourite YA characters. Don’t think it was a great idea to have Stevie leave school and come back instantly

Went from being solely based around one protagonist and the occasional line of dialogue to now a whole group of them working together. It’s sweet but somehow that action scene which I thought was gonna be longer and more dramatic felt weaker than all the other incredible action with El fighting alone? Idk maybe I’ve read too much today but it was odd to have a whole cast of characters. Seniors felt a bit flat too

Under 100 pages left now. Hopefully I can get it done before March. Keep making the mistake of beginning chapters too late and being too tired to actually finish them so have to stop in the middle. But this book has officially made me cry!! I was literally balling tears of happiness. El is such a great complex protagonist. I love her development and I love her relationship with her mum (even though it’s off-page!)

Ahh these chapters are so long that I can’t get through them in a day. Only have like 10 pages left of chapter 9 but I’m too tired to get through them. Really loving this character development of El in this part with her realising she has friends and starting to care about them and realise they care for her!! Also the stuff about non-magical people was really interesting and grounded the story in our real world!!

After reading heaps each day for multiple days in a row, I had a bit of a break reading over my brother’s birthday weekend and now haven’t really got back into that zone again so I’m reading less. Thought I might be able to have this book finished by today but only just got halfway. Midway through chapter 8 out of 13. Hope I can get back into that regular rhythm that made me feel really engaged with this world!

Woah I just stayed up until 1 am finishing chapter 6…it’s a very long chapter, but the second part of it is so good!! I love the action scenes so much, they’re so unique and genuinely so well written. Like nothing is cliche at all in this book. I’m really rooting for El now and I’m loving getting to know her as a person! Feel like that was the turning point mid-book climax to set up the rest of the story

WHY am I actually enjoying the growing dynamic between El and Orion?? I hate romance with every fibre of my being and actively go out of my way to avoid it, especially when it’s between teenagers and especially when it’s straight. And here we have a growing (which I know ends up romantic) hetero bond between sixteen year olds and I’m…not hating it???? Maybe it’ll get more unbearable later, who knows

Enjoyment rate has significantly increased!! Now that I ‘get it’ and I’m getting used to how this world works, I’m finding it really fun! It’s very much a ‘no ploy just vibes’ kind of book but the vibes are great and I love the narrative/character voice of El

Literally read all day today (only 34 pages but it felt like more lol). I’m super intrigued by the magic and the school system and love getting bits of El’s backstory. But the way all this information is told is just a bit too forced upon us, not occurring naturally through action. The story thrives when there’s a good balance of dialogue/action sprinkled within El’s long-winded explanations

Woahhhh these chapters are long. That first one was tough to get through. I get that fantasy usually has to have a lot of exposition for worldbuilding but that was just non-stop info and new words being introduced. We don’t even know who this girl really is yet but we already know the basics of this super complex magic system. But it sounds interesting enough! Hope there’s a strong enough plot to guide it

A lot of repetition is making it really hard to get through this. I’m not a fan of how much the adult agents are treating the kids like they’re not supposed to do anything when the whole point of the Naturals is because they’re capable of solving things like this. Like they’re constantly yelling at them and grounding them?? But now all of a sudden they’re letting them be the main solvers of this case??

My interest has increased now but it’s still not quite fully gripping me for some reason. I just feel like something’s off or missing. Plot events feel too structured and things get discovered or resolved way too quickly. Rather contrived dialogue at points too. But when the scenes are good I’m really liking it! Just not enough of them throughout

Pace is picking up only slightly now. Not really the biggest fan of the character work in this series. Just feels like the author is trying too hard to give them all traumatic backstories yet despite the melodramatic nature of these ‘reveals’, don’t seem to actively influence these flat characters. Even Cassie herself just feels like a vehicle for the plot to be told to us rather than being her own person

I think the reason that this one isn’t grabbing my attention as much is that this just feels like kids doing detective work where everything goes too right for them without any obstacles. I like YA mystery when the mystery connects to the protagonist more or when they’re just kids that happen across key evidence/info/events. This is too methodical and intentional, as if you can feel a plot structure guiding it

This isn’t really hooking me as much as the first book, even though it’s jumping into the main mystery/case way earlier. This has been refreshing us about the story of book one to the point of annoyance lol. We get it! We already read it! My lack of interest might also have to do with the fact that I’ve been obsessed with watching Slow Horses this past week and everything seems to pale in comparison to it haha

130 pages left and it still feels like we’re setting things up for like a 50 page climax. So many unanswered questions and unfinished character arcs so I hope it’s not gonna feel like too much all at once. Also the main mystery (Emile/Sofie) was brushed aside and resolved so quickly and strangely?? Like what do you mean the protagonist has known for weeks? What was the point of dragging it out for the audience??

Oh god the stuff with Ophion and Pippa is so boring and confusingly developed/explained. Like the stuff in Ydra was so weirdly written and plotted that I zoned out and found myself really struggling to connect with it. Even when I don’t like scenes I still manage to visualise and comprehend them but not this time. Up to part 3 now and still have a decent chunk of the book to get through before the end of the year

Actually really like the mystics subplot, if a little confused! I also think Ithan’s becoming one of my favourite characters. It feels like he’s actually being developed with depth and internal struggles, unlike a lot of the other main characters (or if someone does have an arc, it’s super faint and not really compelling to me)

I feel like I might enjoy this more if there were at least more interesting/differing character dynamics. And the mystery is just not that intriguing because it feels totally disconnected to the main characters and the actual current story. Like the rebellion is happening off page? I’m also really confused by that whole Bone Quarter scene lol. Finally got some action, but at what cost? Triarii scenes also annoy me