A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir
My rating: 3/5 cats
this book is an inch-and-a-half thick and i was bored and shocked by my boredom until maybe the last quarter-inch.
i’d been looking forward to reading this tremendously, and when i finally carved out the space to get to it, i dove in like a fox in the snow
but my elation was dampened by the slog of it, and i got sadder and sadder as the book refused to be as awesome as the first two.
it’s very convoluted and full of all that capital-letter shit that YA series overdo:
The Martials wield their weapons of war with merciless efficiency. They want to break the Scholars. And if I don’t stop the Nightbringer – if I don’t find this “Beekeeper” in Adisa – they will.
&etc.
also, i don’t personally care about romance subplots; what makes fans of that stuff swoon just makes me impatient for MORE BLOOD SHRIKING, but even helene’s early parts (while by far the best of the three), were more hand-wringing and fact-gathering than wrathbringing.
eventually it picked up and things got really intense and gripping and the story progressed, but for so long it seemed like everyone was just looking at their watches, killing time. especially elias. seriously, dude, figure your shit out.
i’m not sure if it’s series fatigue on my part or on the author’s, but the last 1/4 of the book proves there’s still a story to be told and new hearts to break and as always, there’s a strong cliffhanger that makes me eager to see what comes next. i just hope it gets going from the very first inch next time. otherwise, i will be consumed.
