Let me tell you about my favourite NA fantasy book of 2019. _______"It doesn’t end in death. It ends in hope."
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Let me tell you about my favourite NA fantasy book of 2019. _______________
A Story About A Witch Getting Hitched But Much More. Serpent and Dove stole my heart in so many ways and all I want to do is go back and read it all over again. This lush tale full of magic and intrigue is wildly imaginative but soft at the same time and if you're a fan of romance + fantasy, I highly recommend trying this!
The sales pitch; - enemies to lovers - kickass heroines - lovable side characters (ansel is the floofliest cinnamon roll) - THE ONE BED TROPE™ - witches and witchhunters - one badass song about a lady named Big Titty Liddy.
“I know if you aren’t swearing or singing about well-endowed barmaids, something is wrong.”
I honestly inhaled this and if it weren't for actually having to adult, I would have finished it in one sitting. Before I get into the crooks of my review, let's meet our two main characters;
Lou: [image]
Reid: [image]
If there's one thing about this book that completely sold me was the fact that I loved so many characters. Especially these two! The characters in this book had me crying, laughing and turning every page like an addict. Lou stayed true to herself throughout the entire book and was never sorry for being a badass female! I enjoyed her company right from the beginning and it was such a journey to watch her story unfold. Enter Reid... Reid was the horniest mess all encapsulated within the perfect gentleman. He was everything, to be honest. For all those people that mentioned their dynamic is so similar to Nina and Matthias from Six of Crows... you're absolutely right.
“You really think I could knock two fully grown men unconscious?” My husband’s reply came instantaneously. “Yes.”
Their banter was off the charts, and their chemistry practically flew off the page. Because this book was told in dual POV's, I thought it was going to be a problem to distinguish two separate voices, but that was not the case. Both these characters had such a wonderful character development throughout the story and even better, was seeing them grow together. I do have to say that this is completely a New Adult book, and not a YA. Reid and Lou definielty get hot and heavy ;)
“When you weren’t in bed, I thought maybe—maybe you’d—” “Left?” I said shrewdly. “It’s still on the agenda.”
For those who know my reviews, you know that I often fall into the overhype trap. I get very excited about books that have very high ratings and come in highly recommended, but then end up disappointed. I think I've finally found the winner, folks. The world-building (a lavish french renaissance-esque setting with a hub full of of illegal magic, a pleasure house with a mysterious lady, and the men of the church) was fantastic, and embedded within the story rather than separated by info-dumps. There were so many plot twists and character arcs that I was invested in more than just the romance between Reid and Lou, the story itself was fan-fucking-tastic. Truly such a magnificent debut! It was so easy to love this book.
“Can you put something on?” He waved a hand in my direction, the other firmly pressed against his eyes. “I can’t talk to you when you’re sitting there—sitting there—” “Naked?” His teeth clamped together with an audible snap. “Yes.”
I didn't want this story to end to put it plainly. I loved it so much that I'm just going to ignore the randomness of the last couple of chapters (hehe). One shoutout that I would also like to mention is the fact that this book had LGBT characters but didn't make it a big deal or put any spotlight on them. It was briefly mentioned as a passing comment that Coco had female lovers and then when the fucking Prince of the kingdom all but asked if Reid and Lou wanted to join Coco and him on a sexcapade??! Hell yes to queer characters that don't have "being queer" as their major character trait.
"You focused on the battle and lost sight of the war.”
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The first three chapters were a solid 5 stars, everything after felt like"You focused on the battle and lost sight of the war.”
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The first three chapters were a solid 5 stars, everything after felt like reading a completely different book. _______________
This was not it, chief. Firstly, this review is not going to talk about or explain the controversy behind this book... If you want to know why it got pulled and then set to be re-published, there are so many great reviews and articles out there that explain the situation. All this review is going to be is just that... a review.
Sooo... it happened again. I got excited over something and ended up severely disappointed. Honestly, a lot of the issues I had with this book are similar to the issues I had with Wicked Saints. I was really just bored out of my mind.
Blood Heir is promising. Its premise and magic system is really refreshing (although it has very similar inklings of the Grishaverse), I think had the execution been much better, this would have been a great new take on YA Fantasy. Unfortunately, it wasn't.
"My name is Anastacya Mikhailov. Except it wasn’t. Anastacya Mikhailov was the name of the Crown Princess of Cyrilia, drowned eleven moons past in her attempt to escape execution for murder and treason against the Cyrilian Crown. Anastacya Mikhailov was a ghost and a monster who did not, and should not, exist."
I'm going to start off with what I enjoyed, because I did actually enjoy a couple things. The writing in this book was really phenomenal at times and if it weren't highly repetitive in its nature, this might have even been a three star read. I also really enjoyed the action in this book. The main reason I kept reading though was because of the narrative dealing with human trafficking. It was the main reason why I picked it up this book. I think if anything deserved for this not to be a DNF, it was this one fact. Okay, moving on.
“This isn’t a revolution. This is a massacre."
My first issue with this book was the characters. I did not like a single character. Everyone just felt unpleasant and unkind. Ramson started off a jerk, and although I could see how the author intended for their to be development in his character, he ended up as a jerk too. Ana was immature and often made hasty decisions - this is a trait that I absolutely cannot stand with main characters. I mean... give me a powerful female lead that isn't a clutz, a damsel in distress or childish and you'll have me hooked. Every character that came along irritated me in some way.
The predictability was at an all time high, folks. I mean... I made notes on my kindle on what I think would happen to certain characters or situations or "twists," just so I could play a game with myself later on to see if I got it right. I predicted 90% of the events correctly in one way or another. Also, the fact that I took that amount of time out just goes to say how bored I was throughout reading. I wasn't hooked or reaching for my kindle every chance I got.
The next major aspect that pissed me off was the flashbacks and character history became too much. What makes a great Fantasy for me? If an author manages to embed the character's backstory and "reasons why" within the narrative. There were entire chapters full of only flashbacks... I didn't find this necessary in the world building and although some of them were key to understanding the motives behind characteristics of the story, all of them were drawn out.
The pacing. This was the internet explorer of YA fantasy books that I have read this year. Was that a tad harsh? Yes. Am I going to take it back? No. Everything in this book felt like it took forever to reach there.
While the writing in this book was great, the dialogue was certainly not. There were a lot of cliche statements, tropes between characters that have been repeatedly done before. Some conversations were so jarring and uncomfortable, I visibly cringed. My last issue was the chemistry (or lackthereof) between the two main characters. I didn't root for them, it felt forced to me.
Overall, this book was meant to be amazing to me. I was anticipating it for a while and I just could not get passed a couple things. It felt like the entire novel was a case "yeah this is okay, but...."
The images above are taken from an art account, and other than the edit, credit to this talented person....more
“There was something else afoot that October, something else stretching and straining and panting, but it was mostly as of yet unseen.”
[image] [“There was something else afoot that October, something else stretching and straining and panting, but it was mostly as of yet unseen.”
[image] [image] [image] [image] [image] Call Down the Hawk didn't hit like a freight train, nor did it call for any fantastical shocks... The true magic of this novel is the fact that it is a subtle triumph. Stiefvater wrote a tour de force that caused me to lose my breath through its soft complexities. _______________
Tamquam, Alter Idem Without giving much away, Call Down the Hawk explores the world of dreamers as well as the dreamed. It presents a fresh new cast of characters (including the Lynch brothers) that you'll both love, hate and hate to love.
→ Our first main character, Ronan Lynch discovers that his dreams have been infiltrated by a voice that wants him to both understand his capabilities as well as the world around him. → Jordan Hennessy is struggling with herself, she's not living a life that's her own and if there is a single character that you should begin this story knowing nothing about, she is the one. → Carmen Farooq-Lane is a huntress that tracks both dreamers and their visionaries, hers is a tale of the end times. → Declan Lynch wins your heart by stealing it first. He has a handful of lies, a handful of truths and very interesting shoes. → Matthew Lynch was made to hug. He possibly has the shortest page time, but has a story to tell nevertheless, and I feel like we are going to be seeing a lot more of him in the coming sequel.
“No idea sounded like a good idea when you had only one shot left.”
These characters made the entire book for me. It would be hard to talk about CDTH without mentioning The Raven Cycle, so I'm going to get it over with now. Maggie Stiefvater has a talent with her characters, each so unique and tragic in their own way. I loved Ronan during TRC and if possible, I love him even more so after this book. It was wonderful to be in Ronan's mind and understand his conflicts and desires throughout the novel. There is seemingly nothing better than the dialogue between Ronan Lynch and his bird, Chainsaw. (Except for maybe the dialogue between Ronan Lynch and his boyfriend, Adam Parrish).
"Tamquam,” said Adam. "Wait," said Ronan. "Tamquam,” he said again, gently. "Alter idem," Ronan said, and found himself alone.
The character dynamics within the different relationships were so cleverly written. Alongside the development and growth you see from start to finish is captivating to say the least. This book is not without its flaws but I feel like none of them warranted a four-star rating. A caveat; I will say that although the character engagement is alike TRC - the similarities stop there, the atmosphere of CTDH is very different. The world of dreamers is desperately darker than the world in which a group of teenagers hunt down a dead welsh king. The way the plot is handled and the pacing is also very different, so my thought would be to go into this with the understanding that it's completely separate to that of TRC.
“You think it's hard for you to hear the dreams when you're far away from your mountains. From our ley line. From your forest. from Lindenmere. That's not right. It's not wrong, but it's only half right. It's hard for the dreams to hear you.”
This book made me ache, laugh, pine and hope... so much hope. I want to put another cautionary note that although Adam and Ronan have moments in CDTH. This novel is not in anyway focused on their relationship. Adam is a large part of Ronan's life but they're now on different paths going different directions in an effort to come to themselves. But this is not to say that they aren't still the two soft cinnamon rolls desperately in love with each other. Also, for those that are expecting ride or die friendships like the gang in TRC, this is not that either. It's darker and more dire... it focuses on a very different dynamic. I fell in love with the slow-building in this book because of that reason. If anything, Maggie Stiefvater just proved to me that she can write more than one trick.
“You are made of dreams and this world is not for you.”
Another major contributor to my adoration of this book was Stiefvater's writing. To give you an idea, I read the prologue and everything inside me felt at peace but electric at the same time. Her writing is lyrical and the effect is somewhat of a trance; I could not put this book down. I flew through the pages and was consumed with the need to know what happens!! In an effort to try and encapsulate what a gem of a book this was;
What it was: the interconnected lives of a bunch of misfits, some who dream, some who have come from dreams and some who want the world to stop dreaming. What we didn't know we needed in life: For Parsifal Bauer to reach peak Parsifalness. What we got: ronan and declan making a routine list, a room full of murder crabs, a Lynch falling in love, a black market for weird fantasy objects, ronan being soft for adam and adam being adam, the many frustrating exchanges of business cards and, a return to Lindenmere.
“We fool ourselves better than anyone when we're afraid.”
things that have been confirmed by the queen herself; 1)"this story is a classic battle of good and evil in a world full of ambiguities, reversals anthings that have been confirmed by the queen herself; 1)"this story is a classic battle of good and evil in a world full of ambiguities, reversals and twists, where nothing is as it seems." 2) it's a whole new cast of characters and YES the books will have "LGBTQ+ characters as well as some intense relationships" 3) it's releasing sometime during fall 2021
things that alex can confirm hereafter; 1) i'll take 20 please and thank you....more
after wayward son, please let this entire book be rainbow rowell putting snowbaz's relationship in rice.after wayward son, please let this entire book be rainbow rowell putting snowbaz's relationship in rice....more
"That was what magic did. It revealed the heart of who you’d been before life took away your belief in the possible. It gave back the world all lon"That was what magic did. It revealed the heart of who you’d been before life took away your belief in the possible. It gave back the world all lonely children longed for. "
-dnf @30%- I don't think I have ever been more disappointed in myself for not being able to love this book. Leigh Bardugo continues to be my queen of fantasy, this one was just a complete and utter miss for me. _______________
*all the sighs* I'm still not certain that this review will get all my thoughts across. I'm also very blatantly stating this now... because I DNFed this book, this review isn't going to be able to provide any summaries, commentaries etc etc. It's partially why I didn't give it a rating; firstly because I couldn't even get halfway and secondly, because I think I might return to Ninth House at a future date. I want to give this book more of a chance but as it stands now, this was not for me.
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I've read a lot of people opinions on how it gets better and I'm holding on to that for the next time I try. A caveat though; this book and everything about it (aside from it being Fantasy) really shouldn't be compared to the Grishaverse or Leigh's previous books. They are intended for two different types of demographics and Ninth House deals with some very heavy "adult" themes.
To start things off (very bluntly), I got bored. There was nothing that kept me turning the pages other than self-determination and it came to a point where even that wasn't enough. I was doing that thing where you read a paragraph and then read it again (3 times) because you realize you weren't paying any attention at all...I found the pacing in this book to be excruciatingly slow. Nothing significant enough was happening that had me at the edge and the "mysterious" elements didn't hold enough suspense or warrant excitement from me. Again, this opinion is simply my own and it might have been a fact of picking this book at the wrong time.
Another key thing I noticed that caused -several- naps whilst reading was the writing style. The writing in this book is very narrative, and while it's not without merit, it simply didn't captivate me. I felt like it was telling me, rather than showing me and I craved for emotional description from the characters. Which leads me to another note...I got really weary of Darlington. This is going to be very problematic because A LOT of people place him as the winning character of this book. Still, I found myself leaning towards wanting Alex's chapters more than his. Nothing about Darlington made me anticipate meeting him...
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There were way too many infor-dumps and if I had to sum up my reading experience, it would be a quote directly from this book: "You start out excited, and by page two you realize it’s all a lot of words and not much drama." When I saw that, I felt like I was being called out to be honest (drama in this case meaning something actually, yknow... HaPpEnIng). I needed to stop reading before it put me in a slump, so I did. On another note though, Amazon Studios is going to develop this into a series and THAT, I'm looking forward to. It might just push me to read it before I watch it!
Buddy Read with this cutie although, I don't really know if it counts because she's being a trooper and still reading and I'm now just waving the moral support flag.
pre-review do i have a considerable amount of books that i already need to read? would i drop (quote me on this) everything for this? if leigh bardugo wrote a 100,000 word essay on the growing strategies of cacti, would i also do the same? yes, yes and also yes.
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"By the time Alex managed to get the blood out of her good wool coat, it was too warm to wear it. Spring had come on grudgingly; pale-blue mornings failed to deepen, turning instead to moist, sullen afternoons, and stubborn frost lined the road in high, dirty meringues.... ....That was in the spring. But the trouble had begun on a night in the full dark of winter, when Tara Hutchins died and Alex still thought she might get away with everything."...more
"Times passes, and the agony doesn’t go away. The faintest phoenix song begs me to survive, but I’m tired of the music and wish someone would put o"Times passes, and the agony doesn’t go away. The faintest phoenix song begs me to survive, but I’m tired of the music and wish someone would put out my fire for good."
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Adam Silvera is keeping his crown on making people cry with his books. This book definitely made me want to cry. [image] _______________
Having all the ingredients and not following any recipe.
I'm going to start everything by saying if this is your first AS book (or if it will be and you end up sharing my feelings about it) then please do not give up on him. His contemporaries are so heartbreakingly beautiful and lyrical, it felt like this was a different author. Secondly, if you end up loving this book, wait till you get a load of his previous work, chief. Just saying.
When I finished this book, the main problem I had was that I couldn't remember half the story. I had read this on and off for a while because I kept getting bored, but then something interesting™ would happen and I would keep reading. Rinse, repeat. It truly sucks that I have to write this review because I wanted to love this so much. I wanted to rave all about it and get excited when I see people reading it on my feed. *sigh*
This book is not without merit. It has fantastic representation and whilst the LGBT romance didn't take the main stage, having a queer writer writing queer characters is always a win (plus, even though it was very poorly executed - it was a hero+villain romance so double win). There was cast diversity and plenty of it!! Had the plot been more captivating, reading about phoenixes?? Hell yes! My fantasy world has seen vampires, werewolves, trolls, sirens etc etc. but this is the first book I have ever read that MC's phoenixes (Fawkes will always be my OG, don't you even worry). I enjoyed reading about Emil and Brighton's bond, that was the one thing that felt "real" to me, even though a lot of their dialogue and arc's were cliché.
Which brings me to my first (but not biggest) problem, there were way too many clichés. The dialogue, the relationship dynamics, the development of the story. I don't know how this book managed to be worse than Zenith but it did... We even got this line;
"It’s time to connect the stars in my constellation."
I have said this before but I'll say it again; in my opinion, the biggest win in a fantasy novel is accomplishing your world-building alongside the story. I often come across great plots and awesome characters but paragraphs and chapters of flashbacks or info-dumps that just make reading intolerable. Was this the case with Infinity Son?
Absolutely not.
Infinity Son was the complete opposite. There was no world-building or introduction to the magic system. You enter Silvera's world and all it is, is whiplash after whiplash. It was like walking into an advanced calculus lecture when you're supposed to be in Philosophy 101. The literal embodiment of that confused math lady meme (See Fig. 1). To make matters worse, it wasn't even the good type of confused. What is the good type of confused, Alex? Well... remember when you first watched Shutter Island or Inception and you ended up in the same math lady confused meme vibe but you actually want to be thinking about it and piecing it together??? Not this book, this book needs to come with a manual and some advil.
[image] ^ incase I didn't articulate myself. (Fig 1. "I googled math lady confused meme")
Now for the characters. I didn't "like" a single character in this book. First of all, there were so many that I could hardly keep count outside of the POV's but the one's I did remember, I couldn't stand half the time. Brighton was your usual reckless tantrum-throwing kid and Emil was predictable and dull. It didn't help that Silvera's style of writing is narrative and not descriptive. Maybe if the characters were fleshed out more, it would have been a different story altogether. Everything felt underdeveloped.
The magic system in this is a mess at the best of times. Blood Alchemy?? Wands?? Specters?? It felt like I was reading the fourth book of a series because I was so clueless. Then, the pacing. The pacing was odd because it drew out the irrelevant scenes and then flew by the interesting ones. I was waiting for a really big bang at the end after all of the build-up but I got a deflating balloon. To be honest, it kinda felt like that the entire book....more
“Blood and blood and bone. Magic and monsters and tragic power.”
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[image] Everything that has needed to be said has probably alr“Blood and blood and bone. Magic and monsters and tragic power.”
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[image] Everything that has needed to be said has probably already been said about this book. I wanted to love this one so bad and what started off as a great exposition went downhill very fast. I'm still kinda just sitting here blinking... confused...unsure
Wicked Saints is truly a lavish tale that echoes nostalgic memories of all your favourite YA high fantasy novels. I think if it had been published sometime during 2013, this would have taken me by storm. The magic system (only winning factor) and the world building (although lacking) was both interesting and enticing. Unfortunately, I wish there was something else that helped me cling to the story and keep reading but I felt like I was forcing myself to finish instead.
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The first thing I would like to say that I almost always say if it is an issue: Do authors feel embarrassed if they don't address their trigger warnings? I mean surely, it shouldn't be up to the reader to go look for them prior to reading the book! This has been and will continue to be a problem with me. I think trigger warnings should clearly be stated before the reader begins... Any-which-way;
Secondly, there seemed to be no plot. It didn't quite reach a stream of consciousness writing style, but it also didn't seem like anything was moving. It felt like we were following the characters through snapshots and the plot was just something that could have been done. Serefin was the only saving grace for me, and we got little to no arc development or character development for HIM. I was also struggling to differentiate the voices between the dual POV's. Other than the fact the Gods can speak to Nadya mentally, the voices very rarely differed.
“Nadya was supposed to remain a secret for another year, training in the holy mountains with priests who—while they did not have magic themselves—understood the fundamentals of divinity. Like how a peasant girl could be the one thing that would save Kalyazin from the heretics’ torches. But war didn’t care for carefully laid plans.”
I really wanted to dnf at the 50% mark. I felt like I was trudging through this entire story and I wanted to be able to love it as much as my GR and book reviewing buddies did. I can say that although there were a lot of filler chapters, I loved being "thrown into the action."
The romance.... I love reading romance. I love all the tingly feelings and the magic in the air. I enjoy rooting for the character's and seeing them fall for each other in real-time. BUT THIS... I felt no connection at all and the romance felt more like a friendship because there was so much insta-love. I also ended up wanting the two characters NOT to be together. Every two seconds we were reminded by Nadya that; he was a monster, he was cruel and evil, he's not to be trusted however pretty he is!... I didn't feel the enemies to lovers trope at all.
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I really feel like everything was just meh. I wanted so much more and nothing really delivered. Which brings me to the point that everything was just so boring... So much in the story was left undeveloped and open to surface interpretation. I feel like the problems that the characters went through and the hurdles they had to overcome diminished to nothing when it was game time. There was such big talk of having to fulfill a certain event, and the event would come and go without me even realizing it.
I love books that fly by, but with this I had to re-read paragraphs a couple times, multiple times in order to understand what was happening. It wasn't that the language was hard to interpret or the layout was difficult to read. Simply, my mind kept wandering off to different things and I kept losing interest.
Additionally, when it comes to diversity and representation, this book seemed to have so many cannon LGBTQ reps. There were also so many indicators to other representations such as Serefin's potential alcohol addiction. I just wish it was developed further instead of being left to the sideline. That said, I don't need any and all representation to be part of the primary plotline or story, but I felt like the presentation of it as a whole was overall lacking.
“Blood wasn’t a thing to be made light of, not in these times.”
This story had so much potential for breaking the boundaries of YA fantasy and spotlighting much needed topics. I loved the focus on faith, philosophy, religion, moral and ethics. I even loved the fact that this time the villain, was very easy to root for even through their destruction. I wanted to unpack this book and theorize all sorts of different outcomes and routes that the characters and the plot would take but it really turned a different path for me.
"In the beginning, they’d rejoiced. Sons were always preferable. Sons were the lifeblood. The protectors. The warriors. The farmers. How foolish th"In the beginning, they’d rejoiced. Sons were always preferable. Sons were the lifeblood. The protectors. The warriors. The farmers. How foolish they’d all been."
[image] [image] I don't really have to proper words to describe just how well-crafted and ingenious The First Girl Child was. So, this review is going to be a shell of what it potentially could be, simply because Amy Harmon completely stole my words away and I'm jealous of those that may experience this for the first time. [image] _______________
The World The First Girl Child takes place in a land called Saylok, named after the son of Odin. Odin created an island for Saylok as he loved both nature and wanted to hide away from the ideals of men. However, Loki, being the God of Mischief, set out to see Saylok suffer and afflicted all six of Saylok's sons that were born in the six different villages. Each son soon began to take the form of different animals, Adyar the eagle, Berne the bear, Ebba the boar, Dolphys the wolf, Joran the horse, and Leok the lion. In result, Saylok formed a temple in the midst of these six villages in order to appoint keepers to protect the lands, runes and his children. We know from Norse mythology that Odin did not have any such son named Saylok, but Harmon's imagination and vivid descriptions of the world and the history makes it almost seem too real.
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Our story takes place many generations after the birth of Saylok's land, and now our chieftains of each village only resemble their animal ancestries. We begin by following a keeper named Dagmar and his safe-keeping of his deceased sister's son. I went into this story not knowing much except the blurb and although it pulled me in, I really cannot begin to explain how much more this novel holds. It follows the journey of many people; some bad, some worse but most who are bold. Yes, this has tinges of romance but the key focus lies on the story of different people in search of themselves.
“You make me want to be seen,” she said, and his gaze shot to hers, searing, searching. “I have always seen you, Ghost.”
The Story In all honesty, The First Girl Child is a clever commentary on the misogynistic injustices of a social society whilst also being a kick-ass fantasy novel with both adventure and intrigue. The undertones of feminism laced within the world-building was something that I've never seen before in such a traditional take on fantasy. We weren't left with lots of info-dumps or a prolonged introduction of the characters, only a longing that never really stopped until the last page. This novel read more like a magical tale or legend, parred with Harmon's lush visuals and captivating writing.
This story gets slow at times, which is the only reason I couldn't give it five stars. It spans more than twenty years, so don't expect a fast-paced novel. Yet, it made the gripping parts even more thrilling. The "magic" or rune system in this book is the best kind of slow burn because you understand its symbolism and meaning more towards the end. Even if the story stalls at times, don't give up. The First Girl Child can break your heart only to patch it up again in the best way and I highly recommend picking it up!
“Life is not kind to women,” Ghost sighed. “My sister said the same thing. But life is not especially kind to men either. Life is suffering, and we all suffer.” “Mayhaps God did not love your sister as much as his other children?” Ghost heard her bitterness and met his gaze with defiance. “Or mayhaps he loved her more and could not be without her.”
The relationships between Alba and Bayr + Ghost and Dagmar + Bayr and Dagmar and even Ivo + The Chieftains were so brilliantly layered that I could separate the characteristics of each one and none of them would be the same. The clear distinctions between themes of love, redemption, sacrifice, power and grief were brutally co-dependent but each relationship had its own uniqueness. Least to say, I think everyone should pick this book up, for more reasons than one.
“We are abused. We are used. We are bartered and abandoned. But rarely are we loved. So be it. From this day forward, there will be no daughters in Saylok for any of you to love.”
Trigger warnings for self harm (a part of the rune system), abuse, heavy misogyny.
The quotes in this review are taken from an ARC and are subject to change preceding final publication. ...more
But all regards aside, if Tyrannus Basilton Grimm-Pitch does not write his boyfriend a list of reasons why he both loves and hates him for their wedding day, I'm going to safely assume we all died in 2012 and this is a simulation. _______________
Idiots to Still Idiots to Lovers
I'm almost certain I actually kinda "enjoyed" this. I did. This is very different to Carry On. Which I would like to primarily say isn't the main reason I'm giving it 3 stars because I think the book deserved to have a new and slightly dire atmosphere. Rainbow was giving us "the story after the story," and that usually isn't light.
Wayward Son hurt me, it physically ached my heart to turn the pages. I felt like I was chasing something during the entire book but as soon as I finished, I didn't reach what I was chasing for. I wasn't left with the hope that I felt when I reached the last page of Carry On. All my gay heart really wanted was a little biscuit of LGBT+ boldness and courage but it fell flat.
That being said, Rainbow Rowell knows how to write, boys and girls. I don't think I have ever felt the crushing feeling of mundanity written so perfectly. That's what hurts the most about this book, the entire thing focuses on what it's like to be human. It was tragic to say the least.
“I’d give him all that I am. I’d give him all that I was. I’d open up a vein.”
Baz and Simon hold such a unique place in my heart and seeing them understand what it means to love in this book was almost too precious. It felt intimate and it stung like a mf at the best of times. Yet, everything felt too rushed. I wanted so much more from their personal monologues and character development. The personalities of each character in this book was something entirely too different from Carry On. There was no transition or movement into the people we meet in Wayward Son and often, many plot arcs hit like whiplash. I struggled trying to understand Baz through this entire book because I felt like we were handed a completley different version of him.
My main theory on why I'm so disappointed with Wayward Son was because this has been one of my biggest anticipated reads of the year. For those who know how long I've been waiting for a Simon and Baz sequel, I can honestly say... too fucking long. I expected the biggest bang, but this hit too close to "second-book syndrome" and the plot felt like it was filling in for something rather than being a story in itself. It almost felt rushed but slow at the same time. Some events seemed to have no significance but were drawn out and the important scenes that I would have loved to keep reading about lasted a couple of pages. There were so many scenes that were glossed over and I didn't know if it was intentional or somehow, we were supposed to just forget those scenes happened?!
I love road-trip plots, so when I found out that Wayward Son was going to be the gang's trip to America, I probably got way too excited. So I guess, the moral of all this is; don't let Alex get too excited about a book.
“I’d tie our hearts together, chamber by chamber.”
Another thing I realized was I was very dissatisfied with the ending. It felt like no knots were untied and the book ended very abruptedly. There was little to no resolution, no communication and no overpowering feeling that made me want to turn back to page 1 and experience the story all over again. It almost felt like a novella that an author would gift their readers for signing up to their monthly newsletter. That being said, am I going to read the third book? HELL YES.
Wayward Son wasn't a win for me, but it wasn't a loss either. I have so much hope for my two soft bois that I would read 10 books on them if Rainbow so blessed us. Even though there were a lot of conflicts I had with this, there were moments that redeemed the story for me. Quite unsurprisingly, those moments occurred when I felt like learning more about our characters rather than drifting away from them. I'm not giving up yet, nor do I plan to anytime soon.
"Beautiful. Like a captured angel." This review just about sums up my thoughts on this book. What started off really strong and pulled me in left m"Beautiful. Like a captured angel." This review just about sums up my thoughts on this book. What started off really strong and pulled me in left me high and dry....more
"That was the best part of the day--waking up with his boy in his arms."
This was a cute and pure read. If I reviewed it at the time I finished, I "That was the best part of the day--waking up with his boy in his arms."
This was a cute and pure read. If I reviewed it at the time I finished, I probably would give it 3 stars - however, if it weren't for the notes on kindle, this was a unmemorable. Unfortunately, I only got into it after about the 60% mark and wish it was beautiful all the way through. Fans of MM romance and Captive Prince would enjoy this read... (i hope) ...more
“We’ll have to move quickly once we get inside. No more than forty minutes.” “Plenty of time to raise hell,” Gilly said
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We are raised with th“We’ll have to move quickly once we get inside. No more than forty minutes.” “Plenty of time to raise hell,” Gilly said
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We are raised with the common precept of "Don't judge a book by it's cover." However, in the very special case of Zenith, I found myself telling myself "Don't judge a book by it's author." I took away from all the low ratings and the stigma against this book, and I read it for what it was.
Did it work? Yes.
Did it enable a five star rating? No.
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The Story
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I am going to say this from the get go. Zenith was not a bad book. It had slightly predictive and overused elements to it, but it was not bad. I honestly think, if this novel came out in the starting years of YA popularity - it would have skyrocketed with all star ratings.
Unfortunately, we are at 2017 - and for a YA novel to catch the eyes and hearts of it's readers. There needs to be a unique and fresh element that makes readers want more. The tropes used in this book were used so many times before in Young Adult, I felt sorry. I wanted to snatch away the clichès because without that element, it had so much potential!!!
Secondly, the plot and overarching story line was very bland. I do not know how to explain it other than - when you go out for curry night and you're looking forward to all the beautiful spices and exotic flavors, and you reach the damn place and they're closed for renovation purposes. The writing didn't evoke as many emotions as I would have liked it too and there was little to no climax.
I am going to address the teeny tiny elephant in the room. A lot of the reviews coming off from this novel focuses on how Sasha Alsberg is a co-author of this book. I used to and still watch her booktube channel when I get time, but this should have nothing to do with my review, and neither should it have anything to do with future readers.
If the book is not a good book - then base your review on that. If the book is a good book - base your review on that. Do not base it on the person behind the words, base it on the words themselves.
The Characters One thing that was really quite brilliant was the whole Guardians of The Galaxy vibe it had going for it. At first, the multiple character voices really worked for me, and made me understand a bit more about the story building and the world that I was in - but later on it got confusing and slightly disarrayed.
“That, my dear friends, is my playground. My palace of pain. The prisoners come in, and I pick and choose the tools that will make them sing. And when they die? They go out that doorway on a transport ship. Up and away, out to float with the stars.”
Also, for those who have read this and for those who are planning to. PSA: everyone has 'rouged lips' in this damn galaxy. Seriously.
"Love was all well and good, but money was the true key to Dex’s heart."
DEX.
OH MY GOD, I HATED HIM.
No, this is not the 'hate to love' him kind of hate. This was the 'I want to gouge your eyes' out kind of hate. Every character (except Alfie, I love that robot with a passion and I will go to the depths of hell for him) had a little unlikeable trait. But personally, Dex had no likeable traits whatsofuckingever.(view spoiler)[His story didn't add up, with his 'love' for Andi. It felt very contradictory and fake. He narrated that he loved money more than anything, but then had a story as to why he sold her out ??!?!?!?!?? (hide spoiler)]
“You are the only woman I have ever loved,” he whispered. He stepped away, and the space between them felt as distant as the black sky outside."
I actually think Zenith could work for some people, I genuinely believe this story has so much potential, and who knows - maybe I will put myself through the second novel in the series when it comes out. But for now, I need a break. A really long fucking break. [image]...more
"Front seat's for people who haven't been kidnapped by fucking numpties."
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This book has caused a significant change with a myriad of "Front seat's for people who haven't been kidnapped by fucking numpties."
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This book has caused a significant change with a myriad of different things in my life. - I can no longer look at the number 61 the same. - Jeans. - Villainous Superheroes and Super-heroic villains. - Unconventional Swear Words in the Magickal Realm.
I tabbed the living shit out of this book. There were so many cute moments, and moments that made you think about so much more than what the story was giving you. Carry On has it's mistakes and flaws and I don't think it would be fair of me to judge the rating based off of them, because Simon Snow has thought me that flawless shit is over-rated. Except Baz. Basilton Pitch is perfect in every aspect.
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“You're so alive, Simon Snow. You got my share of it.” __________________
Confession Time on Goodreads 69 o'clock EST, with your host Alex. *ahem, what do you have for us today, Alex?*
Well you lovely jubbly humans. I'm going to go ahead and give negative one fucks when I say this. Negative. One. Meaning, I'm actually going to take a fuck from somewhere.
I did not like Eleanor and Park. I did not like Attachments. I did not like Fangirl.
Segment over, Carry On. (See what I did there? Honestly, I just need coffee. If someone could just come over and strap caffeine onto an IV and hook me up, that would be grand.... or grandé... coffee puns? no? no. )
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Baz and Simon sitting a tree... I thought my favourite chapter was 32. Then it immediately changed to 33 and then once 61 hit, I was annihilated. Baz and Simon are the type of cuddly that you just want to scoop yourself into with a mug of hot chocolate and watch the magic of their romance. This was a major reason why this novel got a 4 stars with me, because Baz is my spirit animal and Simon is the cutest sheep in lions clothing.
Nothing is left when Something is over [image]
I thoroughly enjoyed the realm that we were given and although the writing felt like it was treading too carefully in an effort not to pass off as AU Harry Potter fan-fiction, I genuinely do feel like this fantasy world is more than a forgery of another. The world building was very minimal and in a way, that worked out well during the end because it left the readers with an individual world to themselves. Watford could be whatever the hell you wanted it to.
One issue I did have though was that everyone kept mentioning "a waste of magic"... So is there a limit to the magic allowed or until you exhaust yourself? I wished we got more insight on the magical system that contributed to the world.
The "Twists" So I guessed most of them. I questioned if they were even twists or just story -arcs..
I enjoyed where it went even though I knew where it was going. There is a certain pleasure in seeing everything lose its equilibrium, only to build itself back up again.
I understood the humdrum conundrum (I am on a fucking rolllll) at about a quarter way through. He's like a leach. The Insidious Leach.
I honestly enjoyed this story and most of it was due to Baz and Simon and the wonderful array of characters we were allowed to indulge in. Fiona is probably the best friend that everyone wants and if she were to write this review, I'm guessing she would end it along the lines of...
"You can't just go around murdering people. There are rules, Nimona!"
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Nimona was such a fluffy yet meaningful read. It proves as a light e"You can't just go around murdering people. There are rules, Nimona!"
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Nimona was such a fluffy yet meaningful read. It proves as a light escape from reality and into the world of dragons, heroic laws, good villains, broken doors and mostly SHARKS!!! I loved the art-style and the use of so many literary devices within the words and graphics that allowed the story to fly off the pages and straight into my heart. ___________
The Story This was nowhere near what I expected it to be. I was so happily shocked with where the story went that I recommend everyone go in blind with this one. Nimona was originally a web-comic series, and the author/artist even put the development of the character and the art at the latter pages of the novel. It showed me how hard it is to put an effective graphic novel together.
And it was, effective, that is. Because Nimona is a different story for everyone, it acts as a shapeshifting device itself. Because the story can shape shift its meaning for different people. That's the great thing about comics or graphic novels. You aren't just working on words. You are working with elements of art too.
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Blackheart This cinnamon roll needed a section to himself, because I have never seen a villain so pure and so hero-like. The development of Ballister is one that you see right at the end. It's worth it. So so so worth it. He's a very multi-dimensional character in the sense, even though he tends to say the least - the message screams out the most.
Can we also take a moment... [image] No comment.
I loved every swirly wirly red minute of this novel and this review is now a shark....more
“His gaze drifted to Reve. Bound or not, desperate men did stupid things, but Reve remained still, his gaze fixed away. Firelight flickered over h “His gaze drifted to Reve. Bound or not, desperate men did stupid things, but Reve remained still, his gaze fixed away. Firelight flickered over his features, turning him briefly into a prince of tales, forlorn and tragic. Mathias dunked his head under the water to clear it.”
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DNF at 42% In Allegiance was a beautifully written story, with a world that was woven and built in such a believable manner. However, I am pulling out the "it's not you, it's me..." card for this one - there were so many aspects to this novel that just didn't work for me. #sorrynotsorry _______________
The Plot
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I first heard of this story in the Captive Prince group and in a m/m forum on GR that recommended this book for lovers of mlm fantasy with slave themes etc etc etc. So the first time I saw the premise of a young prince becoming a slave to a different kingdom - I was genuinely intrigued. Then the second time when this hit my radar, I thought well if I'm not trying to find this book, this book is definitely trying to find me
Reading this, straight off the bat I can assure you - If you are looking for something reasonably similar to Captive Prince (although no m/m book in the whole fucking cosmos will ever hold a light to that book for me) - this is the closest you're going to get.
“Perhaps someday you’ll find someone you want to serve.”
The Little Things Kate Islay's writing is sophisticated. It's the type of writing I wish half the books I read had. She used words not because she could - but because she had to. That's how I knew this book had to be more than one star.
Needless to say, she made reading not-so-useful detail intoxicating. But this is where the 'kinda good' parts of the book finishes up folks...
Maybe it was the timing I chose to read this, because I see a whole lot of great reviews on this book, or maybe it was just these little things that added up for me.
- I could not get behind the chemistry. Reve and Mathias seemed to have no build up in their romance, and romance being one of the sub-plots in this novel - I assumed we would be seeing how their relationship grew onwards and upwards. It felt like there was attraction definitely. Just not chemistry.
- I stopped reading once I realized that I was reading to get through the story, and not reading because I wanted to know the story. There was no build-up and the story didn't hook me and keep me there. Mind you, the plot was so promising for me - but the execution felt a little lax.
- Mathias. Was. A. Brick. Wall. - A. Horny. Brick. Wall. When reading a novel, with two mc's that have to explain two different sides of the story, I do enjoy understanding their emotional outtake on the shit thats happening around them. I got none of that from the capitols darling commander.
I wish I enjoyed this more... I really do - But I didn't and so all the sighs will be given....more
The Raging Ones ★ Most Anticipated 2018 Expected publication: 2018
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Stop whatever you are doing.
*ahem*
- Everybody The Raging Ones ★ Most Anticipated 2018 Expected publication: 2018
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Stop whatever you are doing.
*ahem*
- Everybody knows the bloody day they will die. - Fantasy, baby. - Possible Love Triangle - Krista and Becca 'we own your asses' Ritchie are coming at us. - With a fucking Young Adult novel - That sounds like a killer already.
Alex ✰ Comets and Comments ✰
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