I like stuff with romantic elements and angst, usually YA, fantasy, paranormal/urban fantasy or variations thereof. Usually wrinkles nose at sci-fi due to unlikely tech. Straight girl who likes boys that like boys!
Sigh. I dunno guys. I really liked the first book, and then the second book transformed Karou into a doormat, and after she was done with the doormatting, she and Akiva seemed to do a lot of pining. In book one there was pain, sure, but Karou had all that zest, spirit and snark to make her an interesting heroine. I suppose that loosing it is realistic, but it makes her one helluva boring MC.
Book three was a bucket load of pining too. And things that repeatedly and predictably go to shit to the point that my response to it was lackluster at best, mostly it made me annoyed. I get that life isn't always easy, but if you repeat something too often in a book it looses impact. I slogged through and wondered why the MCs bothered when nothing ever worked in their favour anyway.
Book one was so awesome. Book two and three so very not in comparison. Why are everybody so enthusiastic?
I'm left with the same feeling I get when I see a movie that is too long - and they are almost all too long these days. It could have been tighter. Small cuts could have been made here and there to make it feel more focused. When Karou is about to combust from lust, the book used what felt like an entire chapter - but was probably just two pages - of flowery poetic language to say so. I GOT IT, because I am not an idiot! Quit hitting me over the head with it! Jeesh.
I slogged through the last 60 pages just to finish it. I'm pretty certain I would have liked it a lot better if it was 100 pages shorter. I think my days of reading 1000 page books of epic fantasy are well and truly behind me as I am having so much trouble keeping focus for a mere 500.
I've read books done with far less technical skill than this one that I liked more, because wow, I was so bored.