Jessica
Oof, this is a tough one for me. I was so looking forward to the release of Sunbringer after giving Godkiller nearly 4 stars. Unfortunately, the pacing issues that prevented the first book from being a five star read were prevalent here.
We pick up right where the first book ended with the addition of King Arren as a POV character. The first chapter was really dynamic and exciting, but then the action just slowed to a crawl. There were too many POVs (with really short chapters) to keep me pushing through. Not only that, I found myself confused by what was actually going on and who all the other characters were.
It does pick up at the end, but it wasn't enough for me. I was also disappointed that our characters are kept separated for most of the book - their dynamic together was what I was most invested in through the first book. Two stars, unfortunately.
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Dear Goodreads, please give us half stars! This book was a 3.5 star for me, but I had to round.
Initial thoughts: the banter and the dialogue were classic Ali and I loved them! I liked both Misery and Lowe, and I was shocked to see that Misery was tall - way to change it up! I also really liked Lowe's sister. I did not care for Serena, Misery's best friend.
The political machinations were probably a little vague for my taste - I still don't feel like I understand at all how the vampire society functions, or even how big Lowe's territory is.
My biggest complaint, unfortunately, was the spice. Yes, I knew what it was about going in. I've never read a wolf (or probably any monster) spicy romance, so I was really not prepared even with the advanced warning.
I'm not a spice person, but I will sometimes read it. This one though - I was cringing with second-hand embarrassment the whole time. I think part of it is that I don't like the Fated Mates trope - I want to see them fall in love, not have them be into each other because of pheromones or what have you.
But other than that it was delightful. I would recommend it, but if (like me) you are spice averse be prepared to do some skimming.
3.5 stars. This was a decent follow-up to Leviathan Wakes, if not quite as exciting as the first volume.
We once again follow James Holden and his crew as they attempt to find a missing girl - this time it's a child named Mei who has been kidnapped out of her school by doctors involved in a mysterious experiment. The set-up for the plot is similar to book one, but this is actually quite different.
While the first book was almost a detective story, this book spent more time delving into the politics of the world. We are given two new female POV characters - Bobbie, a Martian Marine and Avasarala, a UN official. They were both delightful, particularly Bobbie. The other new character is Prax, the father of the missing girl. I found him less compelling, and frustratingly impulsive, but I guess that's to be expected with his daughter missing!
The ending - wow! I can't wait to read the next book. Overall a solid second entry in the series.
I have a BookTube channel if you would like to hear more of my thoughts on books!
Color me disappointed by this one. I am fascinated by WWI and love to read novels set during the conflict. I think the colliding of two worlds - the old and the new - make for such fascinating reading. The author's note makes clear that this dichotomy was what she was trying to bring out in the plotline of the book. Unfortunately, this one ultimately left me cold.
Our main characters are Laura and Freddie, siblings who have both served in the war. Freddie is missing, and Laura is determined to find out about his fate.
What I liked:
Freddie and Winter, the German soldier who he befriends under difficult circumstances.
The setting - I had not heard of the explosion in Halifax before, and I fell far into an internet rabbit hole learning about the disaster.
What I didn't like:
The supernatural elements - Honestly, they could have been skipped. I didn't feel like they added to the book. I expected more ghosts is what I'm saying.
The pacing - The second half of the book slowed to a crawl for me. By the time we reached the end I was trying to read as quickly as possible to finish and move on.
It's possible that this book suffered because I read “In Memoriam” by Alice Winn earlier this year. It treads a lot of the same ground (minus the ghosts) and just does it all much better. If you have an interest in WWI novels you should definitely read it.
2.5, rounded down because I'm annoyed at the wasted potential. Sorry, but I still want to read the author's other works!
I have a BookTube channel if you would like to hear more of my thoughts on books!
The earth is gone, destroyed by the Majoda. The residents of Gaea station stand alone in their defiance. Kyr, our main character, has been raised in community with the other survivors of earth's destruction.
I really believe that this book was incorrectly categorized. It's marketed as an adult sci-fi, but to me it really felt like a good young adult book. That's not a criticism, and I'm not saying that because the characters are mostly teenagers. This book has a lot to say about fascism, propaganda, the meaning of family, and many other themes. The exploration never went quite as deep as I would have liked, but I enjoyed the entire ride.
Our main character, Kyr, is tremendously unlikeable at the beginning. I think it's important to know that because I think it would be easy to give up. Her journey of growth was possibly the best part of the book for me. It does not happen quickly, and it's not a sudden realization either. It's very well done.
This was a 3.75 for me, rounded up to a 4. Recommended, and I would give it to teen readers as well.
I have a BookTube channel if you would like to hear more of my thoughts on books!
“Truth is, people are as fluid as time is. We adapt to our situation like water in a strangely shaped jug, though it might take us a little while to ooze into all the little nooks. Because we adapt, we sometimes don't recognize how twisted, uncomfortable, or downright wrong the container is that we've been told to inhabit.”
What a delightful story! I really wasn't sure what to expect going into this one, as I had avoided spoilers very carefully. I was delighted by Tress and her story. She was the perfect blend of sweet and stubborn. If you like found families, there is a very sweet one here.
This is ultimately a very optimistic and hopeful story about empathy, humans, and the value of good intentions. Was it perfect? Perhaps not, but I had a smile on my face the entire time. It's not Sanderson's usual, which might throw some fans off, but if you are a fan of cozy fantasy (ie T Kingfisher or the Emily Wilde books) I think you will love this one.
I have a BookTube channel if you would like to hear more of my thoughts on books!
I had to take a couple of days to think about my rating for this one. This was sold to me as Romantasy with healthier relationship dynamics than some books. For most of the book I really agreed - our MMC Raihn does a good job of clearly asking for consent and does not order her around/be creepily possessive/... growl. You know what I'm talking about.
To be completely honest though, the ending kind of ruined it for me. No spoilers, but I did not appreciate the twists whatsoever. It really ruined the romance.
Also, I get that everyone loved Vincent, but his relationship with his adopted daughter felt really unhealthy to me. I did not like his character at all, and I didn't think anything he did was justified.
The world-building was light, but about what I expected. I enjoyed that for the most part the vampires were truly horrible creatures. I didn't really understand the trials - why do they need to happen, and why on earth would characters who care about each other both enter if only one is supposed to survive?
4 stars for the first 85% 2 for the ending. Averaged to about a 3.5.
I have a BookTube channel if you would like to hear more of my thoughts on books!
“I thought how strange it was that I ever feared the end. That I had ever tried to escape it. And like that, it was done. My hand releasing from its fist. The battle fought. The life slipped from this old tether”
This is a hard review to write. Everything about this book is so different from anything I have ever read before. I nearly DNF'd twice. And yet... in the end I was captivated by the story and the enormous way in which is was told.
It's the story of myth and gods and everyday humans. There are talking animals, magic, and, yes, there is also a love story. The story is told in a mix of second and third person, which would ordinarily be something I would hate, but it worked here on every level.
There are two main POVs, but there are a huge number of smaller POVs. The author chooses to give us the words of the incidental characters in the story, in a kind of greek chorus, throughout. I loved this device, which I thought brought a real sense of reality and gravity to the story. So often in fantasy we see the world through the POV of powerful characters, but we give little thought to the story of those who are cut down on their way. No chance of that here, and quite frankly I may never read a fantasy in the same way again.
This book will not work for everyone, but if you can get behind the framing structure I think you will love it! Five stars and highly recommended.
I have a BookTube channel if you would like to hear more of my thoughts on books!
“But Gideon was experiencing one powerful emotion: being sick of everyone's shit.”
This book really surprised me. I don't know exactly what I was expecting, but I certainly was not expecting such an entertaining ride!
Gideon was a delight throughout. She's full of wit and, yes, sick of everyone's shit. Even so, she is surprisingly sensitive. I grew to really care about her, and I wanted to see her succeed in escaping the ninth house.
The plotline involves nine ancient houses. Each has been asked to send a representative and their champion to the first house - for what reason isn't entirely clear. There are trials and political intrigue and quite a few characters who I struggled to keep straight (but there is a list of names in the front to help.)
I loved everything about this book and I highly recommend it. Be ready for more humor and more popculture references than you are expecting, but also be ready for detailed fight scenes and not a small amount of horror. This was utterly unique and I can't wait to read the next one.
Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands is the rare example of a sequel that is better than the first book. Even more - it's the second book in a trilogy, traditionally the volume that I like the least! And yet I found myself completely charmed and invested from the very first page of this volume.
I find Wendell, the MMC, to be completely, utterly charming. He's definitely comparable to Howl from Howl's Moving Castle, so if you liked that story I think you would also love the Emily Wilde books. Wendell is a deposed fairy king, though he lives in human form for the two books we have so far. He's witty, funny, and great with a sewing needle. I loved him and his devotion to Emily.
I found Emily to be a bit prickly and difficult to love in the first book, but she was a delight in this story. She provides the perfect counterpart to Wendell's flighty fairy nature. She's no longer hiding herself away from people, and has retained ties with some of the characters from the first book.
There are two new characters in this book who I also found delightful - Emily's niece, Ariadne, and Rose, another researcher from the university who is not impressed with Emily and Wendell's research methods.
The story concerns the search for a way into Wendell's kingdom, where his Step Mother has stolen the throne. There are assassins and terrifying (and oddly cute) fox fairies. Shadow the grim continues to be delightful, and we see the addition of a fairy cat.
The writing was beautiful. It was poetic while managing to never lose its charm or sense of humor. I would highly recommend this series!
What a sweet little story - perfect for Valentine's day!
Val (short for Valentina) has given up on true love. It didn't work out for her parents, and this way she can keep her heart safe. One Lunar New Year she receives a paper heart that changes her story.
Val has had an imaginary friend from a young age - St Valentine, who appears to her as a cupid. At first, he encourages her to love valentines day, but after she experiences heartbreak in her family, he transforms and tells her that her family is cursed to never find true love.
She takes up lion dancing as a hobby, where she meets two cousins who will teach her about love.
I loved the characters in this book - they were endearing and had believable flaws. There's no real villain, even when characters act out and hurt each other. The art is beautiful, particularly the scenes of lion dancing. I could almost see them dancing on the page! Special shout out to Val's grandma, who was just consistently the best.
Recommended if you are looking for a quick Valentine's day read - it made my heart happy!
“I love you. I love you. I love you. I'll write it in waves. In skies. In my heart. You'll never see, but you will know. I'll be all the poets, I'll kill them all and take each one's place in turn, and every time love's written in all the strands it will be to you.”
I am a sucker for a well written love letter, and This is How You Lose the Time War has many. This is the a love story between soldiers on opposite sides of a time war that neither seems close to winning.
It's more romance than it is science fiction, and it's not particularly invested in attempting to explain the rules of time travel. My best description is literary sci-fi. I loved it, and I recommend it if the premise sounds interesting to you.
“I believe there are far more possibilities than happily ever after or tragedy. Every story has the potential for infinite endings.”
Once Upon a Broken Heart turned out to be a sweet and enjoyable read!
We follow Evangeline, who fears that her true love has been struck by a love curse. Desperate to break the spell, she makes a bargain with Jacks, the Prince of Hearts. He is one of the fates, a group of mystical beings who aren't exactly Gods, but seem to enjoy meddling with humans in much the same way as the Gods of Greek mythology.
This is a story of myths and stories, legends that may or may not be true. I really don't want to spoil any of the twists and turns that the store takes, as there were several that really caught me by surprise!
This isn't really a romance, at least not in this volume. I'd expect to see much more in the rest of the trilogy. I'm definitely planning to read the other books this year, and I can't wait to get more of Jacks!
“She discovered the pure joy of reading for pleasure, and was rarely - if ever - seen without a book in her hand. Even in slumber, she was often to be found clutching a volume with one slender hand, her fingers wrapped right around its spine, as if she feared to wake into a world where all books had been forgotten and removed, and this book might become the last she had to linger over.”
Confession: I love this series, but this volume was a struggle. Primarily because I simply could not understand why on earth Lundy had any desire to return to the Goblin market, which seemed like a terrible place (and oddly absent of Goblins.) Maybe it's because a world composed of such strict rules sounds terrible to me, but I could not relate.
Three stars because the writing was beautiful, and because the opening section, explaining why Lundy was so lonely, was perfect.
I'll just say it: this is Ali Hazelwood's best book. Not only is the plot not just a copy/paste of her earlier books, but Jack is blonde so we all know he's different.
He's still a huge tall person though. And Ali Hazelwood is absolutely laughing at herself about her own tropes, writing lines like:
“He takes a tiny step closer to the board, towering over me like a towering tower.”
Love, Theoretically takes place in the world of academia and the politics therein. Speaking as someone who worked for years as an adjunct professor, she did not pull any punches. The lack of healthcare? Working full-time hours but not being able to afford to live? Lack of respect from colleagues? Yes, all that. She does not pull any punches laying that system bare. I've been out of that world for eight years now, and I still found myself getting angry for the characters.
The politics and the way academic interviews work were also true to life. But you know what else was great about this book? How funny it was. Hazelwood writes excellent side characters, from Jack's salty grandma to Hedgie the hedgehog who secretly hates our heroine.
My only criticism is Spoiler how telegraphed it was that Elsie's mentor would turn out to be the real villain all along. Having said that, the amount of power that mentors hold over Phd students in real life is crazy, so I can't say it's not realistic either.
This book was sweet, surprisingly emotional, and honestly just what I needed after reading a lot of fantasy and sci-fi. A great palate cleanser. 4.5 stars, rounded down, but I might change my mind and come back and round it up if I keep thinking about it.
3.5, rounded up to 4 stars.
““What kind of half-assed apocalypse are they running down there?” Amos said. “Give 'em a break. It's their first.”
Space opera isn't usually my jam, but this one came highly recommended to me.
I really enjoyed this for what it is! The plot moves quickly, and it kept me interested for nearly 600 pages (no small feat for me.)
Set somewhere in between present day and the far distant future where we have conquered the stars, this felt like a somewhat realistic idea of what space colonization might look like for us. No utopian societies here - we've created new groups and rivalries the way humans have always done.
The characters were a little thin, but decent versions of their archetypes.
SpoilerAbout halfway through I started getting really frustrated with Holden - his impulsive desire to share everything he knows causes people to die, which he doesn't seem to learn from... but by the end I felt like his worldview had been challenged. I hope that in the rest of the series we are given better female characters. Nothing against the characters in this volume, but I need characters who aren't partially defined by their relationship to the male MCs.
Overall a solid start. Recommended to fans of sci-fi looking for something quick and not super sciencey.
I saw this book on Kindle Unlimited, and I was interested because of the older gamer main characters.
Unfortunately, I thought they read as younger than they were. Maggie in particular was pretty immature in the way she reacted to conflicts. I'm younger than she is supposed to be, but I couldn't imagine myself or one of my friends reacting like her (at one point she has to be restrained from LITERALLY ASSAULTING another character after she is unpleasant.
And speaking as someone who is a gamer, all the references to gamer culture seemed pretty out of date - like the author watched a few episodes of The Guild and decided that was how games work.
Aiden was sweet, but he was a doormat. I would have liked to see him with someone who matched his chill energy.
I gave this three stars, then thought about it and took it down to two, then kept thinking about it and took it down to 1.5. I love older MC representation, male MCs who aren't skinny, and nerd love. This one just did not work for me at all.
“It was the Hell you'd feared in childhood, come to devour the children. It was treading over the corpses of your friends so that you might be killed yourself. It was the congealed evil of a century. “
In Memoriam is Alice Winn's debut novel, and the story she crafted was compulsively readable. I tore through the book in two days, staying up far too late to find out where the story would end.
We are introduced to Gaunt and Ellwood, two British schoolboys carrying a secret torch for one another near the beginning of WWI. Gaunt is definitely my favorite character - he is steady and true, a good contrast to Ellwood's flighty and impulsive personality. Ellwood is a poet, and the poetry of the war plays a large part in the story.
“Ellwood frequently compared himself to Tennyson and Gaunt to Tennyson's closest friend. Mostly, Gaunt found it charming, except when he remembered that Arthur Hallam had died at the age of twenty-two and Tennyson had spent the next seventeen years writing grief poetry. Then Gaunt found it all a bit morbid, as if Ellwood wanted him to die, so that he would have something to write about.”
They both enlist, and most of the book is about their experience in the trenches on the front of the war. The scenes in the trenches are horrifying, and death is a constant presence in the novel. We see how the British class system led to inexperienced boys being in charge of men decades their senior.
The love story is both tender and frustrating. Both men are damaged, and the society in which they live does not allow for the expression of their love.
“A sudden, dry bleakness spread over Gaunt's heart as he thought of Hercules, and Hector, and all the heroes in myth who found happiness briefly, only for it not to be the end of the story.”
I don't want to spoil the plot, which is less straight forward than you might imagine. If you have any interest in learning about this time period I would recommend this book!
“I will die far from home, with words I wanted to say but never did.”
Divine Rivals was one of my favorite books of the year. I put in for a hold at the library as soon as possible for the sequel, and I was lucky enough to get it almost right away.
The first book destroyed me - Roman and Iris were easily my favorite pair of the year, and the ending left me a sobbing wreck.
What did I think of the conclusion to their story? Well, it's complicated. I feel utterly satisfied with where our couple ended up by the end. I have a few quibbles about how they ended up there, however.
TBH, I feel like the first book could have been a few hundred pages longer instead of dividing into two volumes. The pacing at the beginning of Ruthless Vows was slow, and we spent too long with Roman missing his memory.
Rebecca Ross is an excellent writer. Her prose is lyrical and lush. I may not have loved this book the same as the first in the series, but I would absolutely recommend reading both. 3.75 stars rounded up to 4 for me.
Sword Catcher is easily my biggest reading surprise of the year. I have only ever read one Cassandra Clare novel before this one. I remember nothing about that experience other than that I apparently liked it (I gave it five stars a decade ago, but never continued on with the series.) So I'm not approaching this novel with the years of history with the author (good or bad) that lots of reviewers seem to.
I was immediately impressed with how well described the world was. I felt as though I could picture the geography of the city and the setting. I love a good description - nothing gets me more upset than feeling like I can't picture the characters or setting of a book.
The characters were largely distinct and vivid. Kellian, our main character, felt fully realized to me. He is perhaps a bit too understanding of Connor, but that's understandable in his position. I really enjoyed Prince Connor as well - he was frustrating at times, impulsive and headstrong, but that made sense for someone in his position.
The female characters were my favorite, especially Lin and Antonetta. I am so invested in Lin's struggle to be recognized as a physician and Antonetta's manipulation of the world she lives in.
There is a lot of world building, a lot of set-up, and a lot of politics. Sometimes that can make me weary, but here I was invested in the characters.
The book ends by setting up the next in the series, and I cannot wait!
Whoa, was this book a downer! Looking for a light Christmas read? This isn't it. Looking for a Christmas carol or It's a Wonderful life style tale of a character's redemption on Christmas? You might find it. Personally I found Eva to be insufferable and stubborn, and I didn't buy that she eventually saw the error of her ways. I get that she has trauma, but that's really no excuse to make everyone around her miserable. I honestly have no idea why I finished this book, but I did, and I cannot recommend it.
I'm trying to decide why I didn't love this volume quite as much as Foundryside. I don't know if it's second book syndrome? I did enjoy Shorefall, but not as much as the first book.
SpoilerI think there was simply too much action in this book. Although I don't want a slow pace, I felt the pace of this book made it difficult for any character development to happen.
I struggled with the villains - the motivations of Gods or god-like beings is not my favorite thing to read about, and here they did feel a bit impersonal at times.
I really missed Clef for most of the book. He brought a lot of humor to the first book, along with Orso. This book in comparison was much more serious, and I struggled with the darkness of the plot.
I am still excited to read the conclusion to the trilogy - I often don't love second books as much, so I'm anxious to read #3.
My feelings about this book swung back and forth, but I settled at three stars - I didn't love it but I didn't hate it either. It was ok.
Pros
1. Shadow. I love a magical animal in a story (see: Nettle and Bone) He was the goodest boy.
2. Poe. Poe was a brownie who Emily befriends. He was both charming and utterly bloodthirsty. I loved him, and wished we could have had more of him.
3. The setting. The wintry village setting was adorable and very cozy. I loved the interactions between the villagers and our main characters.
Cons
1. Emily. I don't believe Emily was meant to be neurodivergent, due to the lack of indication by the author. She definitely had social anxiety and was introverted. However, she was also rude, and didn't seem to have done any research on the culture of the village whatsoever. Her decision-making was confusing at times. She was also pretty mean to Brambleby for seemingly no reason.
2. The pacing. I did not mind the format of the book (the story is told through journal entries) but there were long stretches where I didn't feel any kind of forward momentum. It was cozy, sure, but I still like to know where the plot is headed.
Neutral
1. Brambleby. He was super charming, good at cleaning, and a whiz with a sewing needle. I liked all those traits. I struggled with understanding why he was in love with Emily, because she treats him with nothing but suspicion. My biggest question about him is a spoiler: Spoiler So he's a faery. Ok, fine - but he was so different from the courtly fairies we meet in this book that he might as well have been human.
2. The fairys. The fae in this book are on the dark and violent side. There were times where that clashed with the cozy feel of the book. Be aware that there is plenty of violence, though it isn't super graphic for the most part. There were a few places that made me uncomfortable.
There is actually very little romance in the book, and it's very clean. I have seen people classifying this as a romantasy, but to me it's clearly a cozy fantasy story. The writing is charming, so if you're looking to read something with cozy vibes this might be for you.
“They can't keep scraping away layers of me thinking they can find the girl they want underneath.”
I devoured this book in under 24 hours. Full of themes of trans rights and feminism, we follow Silas. Silas wants only to be allowed to live as himself and attend school to become a surgeon. The story is set in an alternate England where the veil between the spirit and human worlds has worn thin. Mediums hold a great deal of power in this society, but female mediums (identified by their violet eyes) are prized only for their ability to bear violet eyed male children. After Silas is discovered attempting to impersonate a medium candidate, he is thrown into a very creepy boarding school with the aim of breaking his spirit.
You should look up the trigger warnings for this book and take them seriously. There is a great deal of medical horror, and even I (who is not squeamish) found it to be a lot. There are also themes of physical abuse, (implied) rape, and misogyny.
Silas is a fantastic character. Throughout the book he refers to “the rabbit” when talking about the voice in his head that tells him to be afraid. I loved that device, which was very well used throughout. There is a sweet little love story, and there are several great female characters in the form of the other students in the school.
My rating is 4.5 stars, and the only thing that keeps it from being five is a few unresolved plot threads. If you think you might like this, do not let the young adult categorization throw you off. This absolutely does not read like YA. Highly recommended.