Marithé

4.5 ⭐️ rounded up because I had such an amazing time with this final book

Truly an epic conclusion to the Fableheaven series and universe. This series has been very dear to me since first reading it in high school, and I cannot recommend it enough.

This final book explored in depth the origins of magic in the Fableheaven universe, as well as an epic showdown between the dragons and the people standing for the humans. Mull's last books in series are generally this epic if Fableheaven book 5 was any indication, and this stays true for this one. My best takeaway was Seth's arc. He grows and learns so much in the span of this second series, but it's especially true in this book. He goes through hell and back for his family, even when he thinks that they would be right to turn their back on him because of his betrayals in the past. He has been through darkness, and in the end, rather than holding onto his power and the pain it brought him, he chose redemption and forgiveness. While I liked how Fableheaven showed, through Seth and Kendra being so different, that powers of light and dark can both be used for good, I ultimately also liked this resolution for Seth. My only complaint is that Kendra had less of a growth in this one, as for her it was moreso over the previous books. But the return of Bracken, of which we see too little in the entirety of the series, was well worth the wait. His choice to become mortal also felt sound to me, as an emphasis on the benefits of living a life to it's full potential.

There is a discussion to be had about the representation of death, as being once again too close to religious heaven and hell for my taste. However, thankfully, it was articulated enough that it didn't feel disconnected to the series and its establishment of magic's importance in the lives of the characters. This book emphasizes on forgiveness and the importance to right some wrongs, which made for very satisfying character arcs. In itself, this is also a topic of strong worth.

Thanks again Fableheaven for this incredible journey ✨

"Please, may the little light in Yamato never go out. May it someday burn bright again"

Tell me about inner light and childhood and friendship and emotions 😭

This volume was very cute and wholesome, and surprisingly healing. Volume 6 diverges from the main story and takes us back in the past, when Kakeru and Yamato became friends. They are children, yet they both have deeply emotional issues to contend with, and this volume is about how they both stepped up to be there for the other.

Both Yamato and Kakeru are dealing with the absence of a parent, and the volume explores wonderfully the complexity of emotions in children, and how they can't always manage them or understand their depth. Seeing the two boys open up their barriers to let the other in, and accepting to show vulnerability in front of the other, was very touching. And of course, they both need all the love and care in the world, they are very precious!

Volume 6 felt a little slow, mostly because we spend a lot of time standing still while we are waiting for the present version of Kakeru and Yamato to finally communicate. But this dive into their childhood felt necessary to understand who they are becoming as older teenagers, as well as the deep connection they share. It helps to establish them as close friends, which we didn't get to see as much as the present explores more the romantic aspect of their relationship.

Another great instalment in this series that I have come to love dearly, I cannot recommend it enough!

“Wei Wuxian was always destined to fall deeper, harder, more desperately in love with Lan Wangji. It was always him. It couldn't not be him.”

This fic is ranked number one of the MDZS fandom on AO3, in numbers of kudos!

Now, as far as fanfiction goes, this probably ranks in the very top I have read so far, across all fandoms. The characters are very true to themselves, the world is skillfully fleshed out, and the plot is quite engaging from start to finish. Not to mention the sheer amount of angst, pining, and hurt/comfort that we got as the chapters progressed. This is a very long fic, but it is so worth the time!

An arranged marriage to end all arranged marriages:
Jiang Cheng decides to deal with the Wei Wuxian problem by dropping him, along with the entire Wen clan survivors, on GusuLan's head. And to officially belong to the clan, WWX needs to marry into it, and who better than Lan Wangji to fill that role? The story picks up right before the disastrous events at Nevernight and continues from there, and as such, we don't jump ahead in time like in the novels, but the fic follows a what-if scenario that opens up many possibilities, including the potential for many characters to avoid their tragic ending. A fix-it fic, yes, but one where the happy endings come after much effort and work from the characters.

Speaking of which, the depiction of Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji in this fic is very well done. Lan Wangji is just as distant as ever, and has trouble communicating and expressing his emotions, which leads to WWX misunderstanding him quite a few times. However, he shows his caring side as the chapters progress, without falling into ooc territory. Wei Wuxian is also the shameless, reckless and passionate airhead we love so much, but with a maturity of someone who knows they almost lost everything and were given a second chance at life. I actually quite enjoyed this version of WWX, his emotional progression is believable and relatable.
As for the sheer joy of the wangxian moments...... this fic made me go through so many emotions and feels. The emotional toll that the events take on WWX directly runs through us, the build-up is very well crafted. LWJ goes to such lengths to protect and save WWX, and WWX holds on for dear life with LWJ's help. We also get to see a reversal of roles in this fic, with a pretty emotional moment where WWX gets to care for LWJ in return. I am just full of feelings after reading this fic; if you enjoyed the novels, are looking for more wangxian material and somehow stumbles upon this, don't discount this, it's a masterpiece of a fic :)

Apparently Goodreads doesn't distinguish between the different translations of Beowulf, so this is a review for Seamus Heaney's translation: [b:Beowulf 52357 Beowulf Unknown https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327878125l/52357.SY75.jpg 189503]This is an incredible translation that I just had the joy to read for the first time! This translation of Beowulf is amongst the very best out there, and also amongst the ones I have read. It does not aim at giving a word-for-word translated meaning of the Old English text, rather it looks for ways to convey the meaning in the most comprehensible and poetic way possible, while staying true to the epic poem form. If you are looking to make your way through this masterpiece of Anglo-Saxon poetry, this is the translation I would place at the top of the list.

“I'm sure one day, you'll meet someone who notices your compassion and loneliness. That person will surely be your lifelong friend.”

3,5 ⭐️
Always very sweet and comforting, even if this volume lost a few points this time around.

So, the word I would use for this one is uneven. The first chapter threw me off completely. We start off the volume in Mikoto's perspective. And while it was nice to get to know her better, the exploration of her feelings for her brother was a little wonky. The feelings are not clear, and can definitely be read as incestuous. While I commend the author for exploring the complications of these (quite unwarranted) feelings Mikoto has to contend with, the vagueness of them left too many things up in the air. It felt like a half-assumed attempt at giving more depth to Mikoto, all the while tackling a very difficult topic in this manga. There was definitely not enough time to do it in the span of the first chapter only. Not to mention the fact that casualness was definitely not something I wanted to see associated with this topic.

On the other hand, the middle chapters were an absolute delight! We are back to pining Yamato who is agonizing over what Kakeru is feeling and thinking in regards to their relationship. He's also dealing with how heightened his romantic feelings for Kakeru have become since he told him he was going to leave the door open and see how he feels about dating. Kakeru is a mess of emotions, he doesn't understand how he's feeling at all, the only thing he knows is that he's slowly realizing how Yamato has always been very important to him. We also see Kakeru dealing with crushingly low self-estime, which was another strong exploration of emotions done in this volume. Yamato does cross Kakeru's physical boundaries in this one, and Kakeru rightly tells him off about it. Both of them work things out after, which gives us one of the most heartwarming moment between them yet. We end the volume with a flashback chapter about how Kakeru and Yamato became friends, and yeah, it's no wonder Yamato is holding onto Kakeru for dear life. And, my goodness, that slow burn will be the end of me.......

“If I never told him, I wonder where these feelings would go. Desires without a place to reach, and words that could not be said... will they vanish someday, as if they never existed?”

This volume blends the coziness and the heartbreak so well, it hurts and heals at the same time. Kakeru and Yamato are trying to figure out how to mend things between them, when there is seemingly nothing wrong to begin with. Both of them have noticed the other one withdrawing lately, and they are both scared to lose their childhood friend. Kakeru is slowly working through his feelings and trying to understand exactly what Yamato means to him, and Yamato is trying (and failing) to keep all his feelings bottled up, so he doesn't destroy their friendship. As a result, they both hold onto the other very strongly, letting actions speak louder than words.

This volume made me so emotional with its simplicity and its coziness! The moments between Kakeru and Yamato are very touching, they speak to loneliness, friendships, and the hardships of growing up. They find themselves in a delicate situation, and they both know that if they misinterpret or make a mistake, they could lose the other forever. The manga has a way or writing out emotions that are so strong, and yet with a simplicity that resonates quite deeply. While the action may move slower in this one than in the first volume, we really get to spend time with each character and get more attached to them, as a result. All in all I highly recommend this series if you like a cozy, almost slice-of-life story and a brilliantly done slow burn.

Ahhhh what did I just discover?? This is so cute and heartwarming! This manga follows two best friends, Yamato and Kakeru, who have known each other since childhood. Now that they have reached their teenage years, things are getting a little bit awkward between them, as they both wonder if the subtle-not-so-subtle hints that the other might have feelings for them are only in their heads. Kakeru is the outgoing type, not exactly good at school, and a bit of an airhead. Yamato, on the opposite, is shy, introverted, a straight As student who doesn't have many friends, but holds onto Kakeru's friendship for dear life. While Kakeru is getting flustered by the situations that Yamato and him find themselves into, Yamato is clearly pining for his friend but doesn't think that there is any possibility that it could ever be reciprocated. This coming-of-age story explores unrequited feelings so well! Yamato has to go to great lengths to hide his feelings from Kakeru, and Kakeru, in turn, is stuck with many questions without answers. It's so cute, so cozy, and it's perfect for its age-range, following the two boys and their friends in their everyday life. If you enjoyed this manga, I would recommend [b:Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki's Conjecture (Light Novel), Vol. 1: Folklore Studies 64007860 Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki's Conjecture (Light Novel), Vol. 1 Folklore Studies Mikage Sawamura https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1679452485l/64007860.SX50.jpg 73355906], for an equally heartwarming vibe and unbreakable friendship.

Great start to this series! The art style is simply stunning!

We are following Coco, who has always dreamed of being a witch. But she believed that witches are born, not made, and therefore that she will never get the opportunity to learn. Her meeting with Qifrey, mysterious master and witch passing through her village, changes her perception of the world and sets her on her magical path after all, albeit at a greater cost than she would have imagined.

I was a really nice read! It's got a wonderful whimsical feeling, and Coco is quite fun to follow around. She's a full-on magic geek, getting excited about every new discovery, which feels very relatable as readers who discover this world ourselves at the same time! The setting got the magic academy vibes, and while much of this has been done before, then environment feels coherent and well-developed. This world's magic is written-based, which adds originality to the concept, and allows Coco to bring in her own strengths as a seamstress in innovative ways. I'm most intrigued by master Qifrey, however. He's certainly mysterious, he seems to be a bit of a rebel, but he's also somewhat of an airhead when it comes to teaching.

This series seems to have the potential for more depth and development, and we got to see glimpses of that already. From what I can tell in this first volume, it reads well for its age range. All in all, I quite enjoyed this one, the visuals are fantastic, and I am looking forward to continuing with the series!

I loved this book more than I can say
Full review to come :)

Incredibly comforting book, full review coming :)

This one is interesting to review. As described by the author, it is inspired by the traditions of Chinese Wuxia/Xianxia, but it is also a YA novel. Hence, I find that this novel does a lot of things wonderfully, but that it sets barriers to itself by trying to ascribe to two genres and two very different writing styles at the same time. It's not exactly a bad thing, but the novel gets in its own way sometimes with this choice.

I will preface this review by saying, however, that I adored this book. A few thing prevent me from giving it a full five stars rating, but I had a wonderful time reading this and I highly recommend it, at the very least for the prose and the character development, plus the very dramatic end section!

Why I loved it:
As I will discuss a bit further, I see this novel as a love letter to the Xianxia genre. It pays homage to the genre without trying to abide strictly to it.

Worldbuilding: Speaking of worldbuilding, the author brings to life a truly beautiful world with luscious landscapes and striking descriptions. The environment becomes alive in front of us and speaks for the love that the characters have for their land. The prose style is definitely a plus for me, as it allowed me to spend more time in this beautiful world that the author is bringing to life. The setting also allows for the depiction of the ravages of colonialism, not just on the land and on the people, but also on culture and hope for the future. I find that the beauty of the world emphasize the pain of the loss and the cost of difficult choices, which is rather the point, and so it worked in the favour of the novel.

Characters: Another great strength of this book is the characterization, specifically of the young generation of protagonists. Lan is someone that takes some getting used to, as she starts off a little bit whiney and skimpy. But as the novel progresses, she grows in maturity and the ambiguity of her character makes her decisions more understandable. Zen, however, I want to know more about! He is definitely a dark, broody character with a troubled past (a little too reminiscent of the trendy “bad boy that is actually good” in YA fantasy romance). But as the novel progresses, he makes some questionable choices that make him more than the unidimensional love interest he set out to be. And we get to see his soft side, and a genuine vulnerable moment between him and Lan that had me invested in their relationship! I also have a soft spot for Dilaya, which I think Lan treats rather poorly for most of the novel, but finally gets better by the end. I want to see more of her and her battle skills, and I am anticipating a lot of difficult decisions for her in the next book. But the two characters that stole the show for me were Shàn'jūn and Chó Tài. Herb Eater and Ghost Boy!! I will ship them to the end of the earth, please give us more time with these two!

A few issues:
My main complaint about this novel is that it tries to do too much at once. It tries to please both fans of Wuxia/Xianxia and western YA audience, and as such, it lands somewhat in the middle.

Pacing: The rhythm of the book is rather slow, especially in the beginning as we take more time to explore the land and explain the magic system. But it picks up in the last 100 pages or so and becomes a little bit hectic. While I liked the explosive ending, the rhythm lost me a little bit and came as a whiplash from all the description and exploration we have been getting since the beginning.

The ending:Right, this book took the “everyone dies at the end” to the next level. I think we lost over half of the people who were on the protagonists' side in the last 50 pages. And while I was pretty sad to see all of them go (I grew attached to the Masters of Skies' End), it made the deaths less impactful by their sheer numbers. And I'm also tired of seeing the older generation of a book having to die in order for the protagonists to learn how to manage by themselves. It has been overused, and I wanted to see all these Masters that were at the top of their ability be of some use to the protagonists in other significant ways than by dying to protect them. While I appreciate the sacrificing gestures, I think that a few less would have had a bigger impact in this context.

Inconsistencies in translation: The use of Chinese terms appears somewhat inconsistent in the book. For instance, some tools and items of clothing remained in Pinyin (dāo and jiàn are often used), but the names of places was fully rendered in English (for example, the Chamber of Waterfall Thoughts). I think I would have liked for the book to commit fully to one or the other. Also, the use of footnotes would have been of such help! I wish for the misconception that they discourage readers to go away, and for a full return of footnotes in novels!

About the genre(s):
First of all, I read this book at the best of times for me. I discovered the Wuxia/Xianxia genres earlier this year and I have been in love with them ever since. However, I admit to purchasing this book before that time, drawn in by the absolutely stunning cover (yes, give me a beautiful cover and I will fall for it). So when I figured out exactly what that book was, I happily dived in.

And that is where the mixture of writing traditions clashes a bit. As a novel written in English in the Xianxia genre, it appeals to a western audience, mostly YA, that may not have had come into contact with the genre before. However, much of this work is also done by translators who bring Chinese Wuxia/Xianxia stories to English-speaking populations (hence my difficulty to categorise this novel). As such, I feel like the novel tries to please many people all at once by placing itself in the middle ground. The many cultural explanations and direct translations of titles and relations, as well as the use of Pinyin, would help someone not familiar with the Xianxia genre to understand more of its context, but would sound repetitive and introductory to someone familiar with it. On the other hand, I found some worldbuilding and cultural elements underexplained, and some references were pretty obscure; as such, an unfamiliar reader such as myself a year ago, might have missed some of the richness of the culture that the author visibly wished to convey through her story.

A lot of misgivings regarding this book seem to come from the way it was marketed. As a YA novel many of its tropes make sense, as well as the fact that it doesn't seem like a historical fiction, but rather a definitive imaginary world inspired by cultural elements of the Wuxia/Xianxia genres. I went in warned about where it stands, and I had a better reading experience because of this knowledge.
Therefore, I recommend looking into what this book is before diving into this one. Which I still very much recommend, since I had such a fun time getting to know the characters and exploring their world, and following their adventures as their world gets more and more threatened. An overall great reading experience!

Definitely closer to 4,5*

Incredibly touching reflection of grief, and what it means to refuse to let someone be “ungrievable.” The juxtaposition of anecdotes, materiality, scholarly reflections and impactful raw emotions was unexpected, yet it gives this book wings.

The fact that this book was intended as a mourning process, not meant to be published, makes it even more impactful that we are able to let ourselves be touched by the importance that Paul Émile Savard has had in Toots' life. There is a fictionality in how the memoir is sewn together that holds all the parts, disjointed at times, brilliantly together.

What is this lovely fanfiction, honestly?? It is the sweetest, coziest, and most heartwarming modern AU I have read in a long time. The characters stay true to their live-action counterparts, all the while giving us all the romance and openness we've been craving from LA wangxian. I'm definitely staying for all the softness, despite some emotional situations that might steer into cliches, or for the more adult stuff in later chapters. I'm just here for all of it! If fluff and cuteness is your thing, give this one a go!

Clearly another 5 stars, stellar characterization, full review to come!

This instalment is the utmost perfect mix between comforting sweet moments and pure emotional pain. I feel like this also can be applied to the whole story, but it is particularly true in this second book.

This second book introduces new secondary characters, and develops our main cast further. Characters such as Xiao Xingchen, Song Lan, A-Qing, Xue Yang and Jin Guangyao become much more prevalent, and I enjoyed learning more about each and every one of them. We also spend some time with the juniors (looking at you Jin Ling, Lan Sizhui and Lan Jingyi), who develop a sweet and funny chemistry; they are a bunch of chaotic juniors and are all very precious.
Contrary to the first instalment, we don't explore the past of Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji too much in this one. Rather, we focus on the development of their relationship; Wei Wuxian learns to deal with this Lan Wangji of the present that he finds he doesn't know as well as he thought, and Lan Wangji keeps on enduring his shenanigans, all the while staying stubbornly at his side. As readers, we're still not clear on what happened to him in these 13 year-gap, nor are we clear on his intentions, although that part is becoming more and more clear. We are starting to get snippets of Lan Wangji's point of view, which offers insight on his perspective, and most importantly, on his feelings.

The book is divided into three clear arcs, each more impactful than the last. Here is where the emotional pain comes in, and I was not ready. Full spoiler review of each of them below:

1. The Yi City arc is in my opinion more painful in the book than in the live-action adaptation. Despite the fact that we don't have as many visual cues, the description of events and little details included in this arc are enough to twist the knife even further. Xue Yang imitating perfectly Xiao Xingchen, indicating how much time he spent with him? Song Lan's fatal injury was through his heart?? Xiao Xingchen's soul shatters when he dies??? This whole arc is so incredibly tragic, every one of them gets destroyed in a more or less painful way (let's be real, much more than less). It does an incredible job at showcasing how much they mean to each other, since their bonds are only amplified through everything they have to go through. Even Xue Yang didn't know what to do with himself after Xiao Xingchen dies, now that he defeated his enemy and finds himself all alone. I have particular feelings for Song Lan, who witnessed everything, lost everything, and now has to go on living. Wei Wuxian nodded. “What are your plans for the future?” Song Lan wrote: Carry Shuanghua, walk the worldly path. Exorcise evil together with Xingchen. He paused briefly, then wrote: Once he wakes, tell him – it was not your fault. The words he was unable to say to Xiao Xingchen while he was alive (MXTX p.176).

2. The second arc is a sweet one! Very much needed after the Yi City arc. We get our second scene with a drunk Lan Wangji, and things are definitely taken up a level between him and Wei Wuxian here! This scene is excellent, although it skirts consent a little close; it helps that Lan Wangji has deep feelings for Wei Wuxian, but he's still drunk! There are many very sweet moments in this arc, each more comforting than the last.

3. Can I call this arc Paperman Wei Wuxian?? This little spell of his is adorable. As we get to Jin Lintai, the plot progresses much more quickly. We learn a big deal of the main quest that our protagonists are undertaking, as well as who our antagonists are. I loved the dynamic between the Three Zun, it was very interesting to see where each of them came from and where they met up. Lan Xichen is becoming a favourite very quickly! He remains forever calm and kind, which serves as a good contrast to Lan Wangji's coldness and aloof stance. Speaking of our main cast, for Lan Wangji, the fact that he expresses himself through actions rather than words is an incredible strength of his character. Everything he does thus becomes much more impactful. The moments when he makes himself vulnerable, particularly with Wei Wuxian, are what allows us to grasp his intentions and feelings. As for Wei Wuxian, he's still as thick as in the first book! He's incredibly smart, and we get to see it in full action in this arc, as he sees through the events and the antagonists' intent. But when it comes to emotions and feelings, he's definitely putting his head in the sand. There is still the mystery of what happened to him 13 years ago that remains, and he's also not emotionally dealing with that at the moment. He's carrying some weight from it all, but he puts up his usual happy front, even for us the reader. Let me end this section on his realization at the end of the book: But he hadn't expected it to turn out like this. When everyone was praising him out of fear, Lan Wangji rebuked him to his face. When everyone spat and hated on him, Lan Wangji stood by his side (MXTX p.351)

All in all, this is a must try series. I can't recommend it enough, in any medium you prefer. Book 2 was a step up from book 1, which was already fantastic, from a storytelling perspective. I remain aware of the translation issues that persist in this book, thanks to the efforts of reviewers here. I still wish that more efforts had gone into the translation and edition process from the publisher. However, as English speakers, we do have access to this incredible story, and in itself, I am grateful for that too.

Hands down my favourite story (in any format) of 2023.

I am grateful to everyone on this site who has discussed the translation issues. I went into it fully warned, and I also believe that this edition would have greatly benefited from more proofreading/editing from the publisher.

If I go into the story itself, it is absolutely brilliant. I experienced it first with the live-action adaptation, and I'm now finally delving into the books... let's just say that this story both broke me and healed me at the same time. I currently don't have the words to express how much I love each and everyone of these characters, their arc, their development, how they get close to one another, and eventually how they learn to trust and open up. In both the adaptation and this book, emotional, impactful and even heartwrenching scenes are brilliantly intermingled with funny, goofy and cute moments. The story does us a good one: it gets us, the readers, to open up and trust these characters (as they do themselves as the story progresses), only to have our hearts broken if anything at all happens to them.

Why I love it so much, book 1 edition:
- We start off with a punch, a little bit lost in the setting and the numerous characters, but the pacing is solid enough to get us through the initial confusion.
- The characters: As we meet them at first, they are intriguing, we do get the sense that they all have a past and a history with one another. Especially at the beginning, this feeling is strong enough that I wanted to stick around to know more about them. But hear me out: the characters in this book/story are everything. The events themselves are impactful, but it's how the characters react and adapt that sticks. Their emotional journey is both heartbreaking and heartwarming, in the best possible way. When we meet Lan Wangji, we get the feeling that something terrible happened to him, and it MUST have something to do with Wei Wuxian. He tolerates every antics that wwx throws his way without faltering, so the real mystery here is to understand why. What did he have to go through to change this much? For Wei Wuxian, it's about understanding his past, and why he was so hated by everyone when he was alive thirteen years ago. And, more importantly, how did their relationship evolve through time? We'll get there, of course...... Our main cast of Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian is wonderfully funny, awkward, cute, chaotic, but also deeply emotional and very comforting. Our secondary cast (looking at you Lan Xichen and Jiang Cheng) are slowly being introduced, and at this point I'm looking forward to getting to know their book version!
- Mandatory relationship gushing: The longing... oh the longing is intense and I'm here for every moment of it! Wangxian, simply put, warms my heart
- All the little hidden details. As a first read, but having seen the adaptation, I can already spot a few that have me in awe at the foreshadowing and the future developments I know are probably coming. At a reread it would most likely be even better.

I know I still have a lot to learn about the genre, the context and other strong works in this space, and I am very excited to continue this journey. MDZS is already very dear to me, and I can't wait to get more of it with the next books.

More of a 3,5 stars

The (in)famous and very hyped Fourth Wing. I had fun reading this, it is a very “readable” book.
I was expecting to either absolutely love this, or really hate it. I'm suprised at myself that it landed in the middle of the road. A few thoughts as to why:

What I liked:
- The characters are likeable and approachable. Even the more shady ones are easy to grasp. I enjoyed the dialogue a lot in this book, lots of snappy comments and snarky remarks, without it being too over the top. The sweet moments between characters also land well.
- The setting is very interesting. A school for dragon riders, where riders have a very possibility of dying in training, has more stakes than your typical magical school.
- Again, it's very readable. Fast paced just how I like my adventure/fantasy/YA books. Once you get invested, which for me was at about the 200-page mark, it's easy to fly through this in no time.
- The ending: While it took me a while to adjust to the rhythm of the final fight scene, which I found to be a little disjointed, the stakes become real for our squad and I liked to see it. The final reveal is promising for book 2

What I disliked (sorry, might be a little bit ranty):
- The “violent” female main character. We see it too often in fantasy romance, and I have stopped long ago to find it engaging. Besides, that's not even her main character trait, as she tries to talk her way out of situations more often than anything.
- The “smartest” female main character. Show it to me, don't tell. I know that as readers, we have a different perspective on events, but the whole "evil government" and "legends are real" was too easy to catch on. Probably also because it's a recurrent theme in politically-driven fantasy romance. But as a former scribe/scholar, Violet should have known to look into censorship and politics much earlier.
- More explanation for the magic, please!!
- I don't have the grounds to discuss the chronic illness rep, but I wish we had seen more of the consequences of her body being permanently affected by this. Our main character adamantly fights the prejudice that it makes her weak, which I stand for, but as we progress in the book, the illness is less and less present, as if shoved aside.
- The language. It's very modern, and the impacts works in the setting, but the modern swearing in a fantasy setting always bugs me (where the origins of the words don't carry the same meaning). It's a choice I can understand, and adds to the readability, but it's not what I prefer in my fantasy books.

Overall I enjoyed this book, but it didn't make it to the top of the top for me. It also didn't do anything much “different” from many fantasy romance books out there. If it's your thing, you'll most certainly enjoy this one, but if you're looking for something new, this might not be it. Will be continuing on with book 2 eventually.

Such a comforting read, I want/need more of this!!

Ok, so the Scholomance :)
Something just does it for me, with this book. Even on second read, when I know about this world and I don't need all the exposition, I enjoyed every second of it. Following El around is a brilliant way to experience this story, and to explore this world. As grumpy and angsty as she can be, I adore her sass, and her humanity as she struggles to find her place in the world, and come into interaction with others. And for me, the worldbuilding really works. Since I like my fantasy worlds to be internally rich and consistant, I don't mind the exposition dumps, I actually crave them, especially from El's scathing point of view.
Naomi Novik as an author was definitely on my list of top discoveries for 2022, and she remains up there in 2023 as well. Delightful read, as usual!

Absolutely delightful, as usual ✨✨✨
Full review to come!

My year 2023 in books

What. A. Great. Book. Year!! If 2022 was my introduction to literature as an official student in EngLit, 2023 is my first full year of attempting to plan ahead and manage school and personal reading together. And I am quite happy of the result, and only wish to push it further for 2024.

I can see my book taste changing as I read more. It is such an interesting, and sometimes challenging, experience to try to reconcile old favourites with evolving interests. As an eternal reader of middle grade and YA fantasy, I lately found myself drawn more and more towards adult fantasy, cross-cultural works and queer stories. I see the trends and tropes of my two usual age ranges more and some of them are starting to bother me, so I'm on the lookout for something different. I found some incredible gems this way!
I also see that I tend to reread a lot less. I am in the mood to keep on discovering new books and stories. I'm not setting my faves aside, but I want to keep reaching for new stuff, and that is my goal for 2024.

DNF at p.165 of the French translation

Wow was young me not aware of Christian elements and religious agenda in MG books! The first one sent some flags up, but it was subtle, which I appreciated, so the story was still enjoyable and Alexa's adventures were interesting to follow.

But oh dear did this second one take an obvious turn! So we have Elyon as God/Christ. If the name didn't give it away, the character left the Country a long time ago, only to return at precisely the right time to save everyone from the misery he's been happy to ignore for all this time. We have Alexa as the chosen one, who hears the voice of Elyon and has unmovable faith that he has a plan to help them.We have characters such as Mary, Margaret and Balmoral (again with the names) who are portrayed as praying and being happy in their misery, very clearly indicating that this is what we should aspire to be. We have Abaddon and the Seraphs: Abaddon was Elyon's best friend, the most powerful of the Seraphs, but he was jealous and wanted more power. Fallen angels anyone?

The issue I have is with the fact that I wasn't explained any of this growing up. I read this on my own, and didn't see any problems with it. In fact, I was expecting to love this, since this one was my favourite book of the series at the time. I remembered a plot full of action, mysteries and secret reveals. I remembered adventures and a good time. Now I'm having trouble seeing past the obvious religious ideology. I don't mind the book being written this way, but just like Narnia, I would have loved for it to be described as Christian fiction. Then at least young me would have had an idea of what she was in for.

I'm going to finish this one, but I'm not continuing with the series. I'm not the target demographic and that's ok. I just know there's books out there that will be more for me.