I never write reviews. I've read pretty much every YA/NA/paranormal/urban fantasy book out there and never, ever, ever come close to writing a review. I do, however, read them fervently. Kelly kelly kelly...what can I say? You popped my review virginity and I'm so glad, so honored it was for this series. Without a doubt, hands down, this is my absolute favorite series secondary to harry potter and lotr (of course). I'm a huge critic, and I don't give props regularly due to my high standards. I always look for things in books and usually I can find most of the elements although never fully satisified. Not this time. This world you build, these characters you breathed life into, the dynamics--it's absolutely breathtaking. For the first time I found in a series EVERY single element I look for. I love how realistic the situations were, the characters. I love that everything wasn't so one dimensional. Bad people weren't just bad, good people weren't just good. They were complex, complicated with pasts and scars and fears. They were human. The main character , Olina, is my favorite heroine to date. She was relatable, she was strong, hilarious, intelligent, and a leader. But for me, what I loved most about her was she was humble. She never overestimated herself, she never had false pretenses. She grew so much and what's more is we got to see her grow through her life lessons, through the mistakes she made. She never just made one mistake, she made many, but she learned from them and didn't change right away but rather reflected and changed gradually. Olina is by far one of the most relatable characters I have ever read about. She's a badass not because she can kick ass (and she can kick some serious bootay) but because despite all of the horrors she faced she was able to free herself from the taint of her past. You see what I also love about this series is the flawless, captivating ways Kelly weaves in lessons of betrayal, love, freedom, prejudice, discrimination, oppression, war, poverty, politics, society/social norms, culture, tyranny, fear, etc. You name it, these books have it. She literally covers so many themes but u never feel the burden of it. It's so effortless. I'm almost done gushing I promise. A couple more notes. Jovan is perfection. Finally a man who is a man. My goodness, some of these other books have some real ninnies. Anyway, what I love is all of the characters in the books don't fit into one category like I see other books do. They're complex just like the themes. Love is a good thing, but what happens when it's tainted? When someone does a bad thing in the name of their love for someone? When someone hurts another, out of a selfish love? War is a bad thing. But, needed when tyranny has tainted the people and it's soil. Nothing fits perfectly into one box. It's so much more than that. Though Olina has tainted blood and a tainted past--she was able to use this to overcome her obstacles. To achieve greatness. To remain pure in her heart. Maybe, she was never the tainted one to begin with. In fact, maybe anyone who has a tainted past is the most pure of us all. Because they know hurt, they know pain, and they lived through it, they persevered, they relied on others for help when needed, they freed themselves. No, not from the "taint". Not from the pain. They freed themselves from their own fear, from their oppressors.
Some other things I really loved about this series: there was some cussing but it wasn't so much it overwhelmed the plot. There was romance, but it wasn't so involved it took away from the story. It was definitely juicy, fun, but also complicated like a real relationship. It wasn't perfect but they were perfect. I love Jovan and Olina. They make an amazing team and I love their bickering and witty banter. I love that there are 4 books. Normally no matter how much I really like a series I usually get bored with it by the 5th or 6th book. Sometimes characters and books remain so wonderful because the story told was so thorough and purposeful. I feel when authors keep putting more books it sometimes takes away from the characters and the initial plot. I don't know. Maybe I just have a short attention span. Anyway, for me 4-5 books in a series is perfect! Also, loved all the action! Fighting scenes were awesome and loved the Pit! Loved all of Olina's personas (willow, frost) I think it's an accurate reflection of how many people we become in our lifetime as we try to find ourselves. It's truly a never ending process. I also love the creativity and foreshadowing and however everything came together like a finished puzzle in the end. AND, I'm dying to read the novellas!! I've been wondering about Shard's and Sin's stories for the longest!
This series is inspiring and whole lot of fun. A definite gem amongst alot of costume jewelry (which there is nothing wrong with just using for comparative purposes) I re-read it twice and just like Harry potter i think i'll start re-reading once a year.
Kelly. You have created magic. You are magic. Please do not stop writing, please continue to dream so we can dream with you. Thank you for sharing your talent! Also, for anyone who hasn't fallen asleep yet while reading this review please check out Kelly's other series After. SO GOOD. I like Fantasy better, but it's worth the read. Kelly, I'll be following u (creepy eyebrow raise). I wish you continued success!
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Reviews with images
I could read it over and over again
I think I could read this series a hundred times and never get sick of it.I was taken out on an adventure while reading the series. So good!
Top reviews from other countries
Alice McKenna
What an amazing series!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 22, 2024
