serinas's reviews
326 reviews

Here is my review, with my personal opinions. I have waited YEARS for the third (and last) book in the Between Earth and Sky triology, as Fevered Star came out in 2022 and Mirrored Heavens came out this year. I was a huge fan of the first book, and this series is probably my favorite fantasy series of all time. So my expectations were high when I started reading Mirrored Heavens. 

I freaking love Okoa. I love Serapio, Xiala, Iktan, Balam, Naranpa - I somehow love every character. I probably love even more characters to be honest. They are flawed, angry, unsure and happy - and somehow I was rooting for the bad guys. But who's the bad guy? I still don't know. I thinks that's the point as well - both sides did bad things on behalf of their gods.

I'm still kind of confused by the ending - maybe I should've reread the 1st and 2nd book in the series, but it came as a shock to me. I didn't feel like it made sense, at all. The worst part is that I loved the book and was sure that I would rate it 5 stars - but the last 15 pages was.... not it, in my opinion. I'm sure some people will disagree, but I hate this kind of ending. So many books, movies and series have this kind of ending, and I'm honestly over it. And also... the chance of this actually happening? It's zero.

You have sex, what, 3 times, and get pregnant straight away? And have a kid straight away?

? This ending is definitely controversial.

Many of the POVs and their stories felt... rushed?

Naranpa and Okoas'

stories have very unsatisfying endings, and doesn't get explained or redeemed.

They just get killed off, which is a shame, as their POVs added so much more to the story. Serapio and Naranpas fight aren't even 'seen',

which was also an absolute bummer. Many scenes and plots were skipped, probably because of limitations to getting everything in a 3rd book. The skipping wouldn't have been a problem, if it happened less - but it was pretty obvious when it happened, and towards the end it became apperant that these skips happened quite often.

I rated it 4 stars. I loved everything about it - the characters, politics, plot and twists - but the ending was not great. It honestly ruined my overall experience of the book, which is a shame.

I enjoyed the book and would recommend it, and the series is definitely worth the read. I'm just not a fan of this specific ending, but that's 100% a subjective opinion I have.

I wanted to read this banned book when I first heard about it, but didn't have the time to read it. Now I found some time, and I'm so happy I read it. I also want to clarify that Gender Queer isn't banned in Norway, but in several states in the U.S. I did read it in Norwegian, and I don't think much got lost in the translation. 

This is a graphic novel, and a memoir Maia eirself wrote. Maia goes by the pronouns e/em/eir and writes about the journey of finding out ones gender identity. This is obviously a pretty queer book, with themes surrounding sexuality and gender identity. Some of it might be triggering, like the misgendering, so beware of that before reading.

I am drawn to books like this, as I'm queer myself, and I have at times been struggling with my identity. Like who am I, who do I want to be - and does it really matter? Maia asks many of the same questions I once had, and describes eir journey on finding an identity eir felt comfortable with.

I rated it 5 stars. I loved the drawings and style that was used - and the way the memoir was written was to my taste. It was relateable in many ways, and a fun (but hard) read. It definitely made me question some things about myself.

I really enjoyed this, and would recommend it. You don't need to be queer to read it - it might give some insight into what people who don't identify as cis might struggle with. It might also be educational and help anyone who is struggling as well - with their gender or sexuality. 

Just feeling like you aren't alone in your struggles are oftentimes enough - and Gender Queer made me feel less alone.

It hasn't been translated to English (yet), but I still wanted to post my review. It might be something some of you might enjoy, so I want to share my experience with Søstrene.

This is definitely a slow read. I even posted on my Insta story that I was considering to DNF it, as nothing had happened yet (and I was on page 270!!). I did finish it though, as right after page 270 a lot started to happen. It was still slow paced, and I would even say that it is the slowest paced book I've ever read. Beware of that, if this sounds like something you'd be interested in.

I rated it 4/5 stars. I have very mixed feelings, but I'd say that I enjoyed it. It was hard to stop reading, but it was also hard to get back to the book after a break. I loved the main characters, the three sisters, and the very different POVs they had. The minor plot was interesting, but it is almost non-existing. 

The fact that it is 650 pages is pretty wild, as there were definitely parts that could've been shorter. The plot and character development could've been in less pages, probably about 500 pages. 650 pages can rarely be justified, and this was not justified. The ending was also disappointing and felt rushed.

 I still enjoyed the book and would recommend it, just be aware of its faults before reading.

I can't believe it took me this long to finish So Let Them Burn, but I did finish it. I started it in the middle of moving, which was not the best idea, and now I'm studying. I finally found the time to finish it though, and I'm happy to say that I loved it.

The book has dragons, queer people, intricate magic systems and politics - hitting all my checks. Most fantasy is slow in the beginning, and this was no exception, but I still loved it! Faron and Elara truly love each other, and I love my own sisters so so much. I could definitely relate to them, and the love they feel. 

 I rated it 5 stars. I love a good fantasy, and this was definitely one! Siblings are a weak spot of mine, as I love to read about the bond between siblings. The excecution of this book, from plot to writing style, was so well done. This is one hell of a debut, and I can't wait to get my hands on the second book.

When I started reading Do You Dream of Terra-Two?, I was convinced that this would at best be a 3 star rating for me. It was slow, and it was confusing with so many POVs in the beginning. I also didn't understand why there were 130 pages before the launch into space, as I was mostly interested in the space-theme. But damn, I ended up rating this 5 stars.

The pre-launch days truly added more to the story and everything that happened in space. I thought I knew what would happen, but I didn't. Things got so much worse than I imagined. The scenario they are stuck in is my worst nightmare. The thought of being alone, with no one to help you - out in space - truly disturbs me. 

I definitely want to mention that the story is very slow-paced. I also thought this would be a horror when I started reading, but I was wrong! It is tense, and the thought of being alone in space is an absolute horrific thought to me - so it kinda worked as a horror to me. There are also scenes that might be triggering to some, so check the trigger warnings before reading.

I honestly just loved the cover on this one, and once I started my Booksta I saw great reviews about A Psalm For the Wild-Built. It's also just 150 pages, which is perfect while I'm studying.

Dex, the MC, is living their dream selling tea and being on the road, but they still can't find happiness in all of this. They know that their job is fulfilling and helps people, but Dex is still unhappy. One day Dex decides to go to the wilderness, where he meets the robot Mosscap. Dex and Mosscap starts their journey, all because of a simple question: "What do humans need?"

I rated it 5 stars. This is more of a cozy, philosophical and whimsical story that focuses on what makes us human - and what we need to be happy. I truly enjoyed this, and think many others will. It's short as well, but a fullfilling story that leaves you wanting more.