Brittani S Avery

Being a computer programmer myself, I really loved the Black girl coder representation. I can relate to having long nights searching through Google, StackOverflow, etc. to find the right (or close to the right) thing to make my code work.

I really loved Kiera and her relationship with her sister, which somewhat reminds me of my relationship with my own little sister. I also enjoyed how her relationship with Cicada grows throughout the book. Harper and her little brother were annoying. Her little brother was almost intolerable. However, I understand their part in the story: the ignorant White friends. I honestly could not stand her boyfriend, Malcolm, from the beginning. My feelings for him only grew more negative as the book progressed. I find it a little odd that both the main male characters were portrayed with few (if any) redeeming qualities while the female characters had quirks that weren’t necessarily negative. I wish the characterization could have been more balanced in that aspect.

Some of the chapters took the reader away from Kiera’s point of view. The Cicada chapters were a nice way to intermix how her friendship with Kiera affected her and why she needed SLAY. However, the other chapters seemed more like filler with characters that had little effect on the plot. Those could have been cut to save some time and refocus on the plot.

Even though I really enjoyed the game of SLAY and the vivid descriptions of the cards taking form, I had some moments where it was difficult for me to suspend my disbelief. Thousands of members on multiple servers throughout the world with only two people moderating? I moderated a forum years ago and even with the few hundred we had, we needed way more than two. Also, I often asked myself what exactly were the sites rules regarding harassment and the like when a troll entered SLAY to disrupt it. As the creator, Kiera should have implemented rules regarding harassment and could have easily banned the troll for that. Due to the plot, she didn’t, but I found that a little hard to believe. I also doubted how hundred and then thousands of people (even if they were all Black) could have coexisted peacefully for three years without any incidents.

Overall, the female characters were great and the game SLAY was super creative, but the male characters were more like evil caricatures and the believability diminished as the book progressed. Those are the reasons why I would give Slay a 3.5 out of 5.

Slayer (Dragon Tamer Book #1) has an interesting premise while the actual tale of the book rushes through character development, conflict, and resolution. At the beginning Juilanna is eager to slay her first dragon, a long-lived tradition in her village. Though, I do feel that her village set her up for failure since she wasn???t taught anything about fighting dragons, like where to target or how to defend against the different types of dragons. It just seemed odd that there was no structured education on dragon slaying in a village of slayers. More details about life in the village would have solved this problem.

As the story progresses, various characters are introduced, but because the plot must continue, characters are not allowed to build any deep connections other than optimistic love interest, distrustful leader, jerk brother, kindly mother, or random citizen. The conversations were short and lacked much content before they were resolved and we moved onto the next point. Even Julianna herself isn???t truly allowed to absorb what is happening. A lot of her anguish is resolved quickly and a decision is made. Perhaps this is because she is an immature 18-year-old? To be honest, I could not see her as a young adult, but rather a teenager around the age of 14 or 15. Is this normal for other young adults in her village? I have no idea since the authors spent very little time in developing what her life was like before jumping into the action or even having her compare her life back in the village and Ash???s upbringing in his village.

Overall, I found it very hard to suspend my disbelief and become engrossed into the story. The conversations and Julianna???s telling of the story (it being in first person) seemed childish and underdeveloped. I could see myself loving this story at the age of 12 or 13 with all the drama and action, but a nearly 30-year-old woman, it is just not for me.

The Inkling is a fun, quick read that is great for a lunch break or bus ride. I managed to complete it while waiting for my work computer to reboot from an update with time to spare. Ivanrest throws you right into the action with Yeta???s little ink dragon hissing and running away from her. As she makes her way back home, there are descriptions of the world and the society, which I thoroughly enjoyed and even longed for more detail. The world is just so interesting that I wish more time was devoted to building it.

The banter between Yeta and Reku, especially when they first met, was a fast back-and-forth and the personalities of the two characters were established well enough. However, as more characters were introduced and the action picked up, I had a little trouble keeping track of what was happening. More interaction between just Yeta and Reku would have given me more time to really feel them out and to see their relationship without any additional conflict.

Overall, the world, the characters, and the magic were SO COOL, but I felt much of the development was rushed and by the time I caught up, the story was over. Simply put, a tad bit longer of a story would have been great to really flesh out things.

Dakiti (Ziva Payvan #1) is a cool combination of science fiction, military hierarchy, and political intrigue. The world of Haphez had a great set up by Fisch. The races are vividly described, including physical and cultural differences from the humans of the universe. The main characters of Aroska Tarbic and Ziva Payvan had a very interesting dynamic due to their shared history and their forced cooperation by assignment. Each of the side characters were also given personalities and purposes that continued to fill out the world. The plot allowed for small character movements between both side and main characters, showing the different interactions and how certain characters were viewed by others. For example, Ziva is highly respected by some and vehemently hated by others for the exact same quality of brutality.

I will admit that the beginning seemed a little slow to me, mainly that the plot took a bit of time to get going. To be honest, I didn???t care too much about the overall plot until about 30-40% into the book. Things picked up quite a bit then and the last half of the book is packed with action. I enjoyed the ending and how pretty much everything was resolved for a solid finish to this book but, there was still an opening for more adventures in the future.

Overall, I liked it, the world and the action especially. Despite the strong science fiction themes, it was easy to read and get invested in it.

Great beginning but couldn't stick the landing

I received a free physical copy of the book in exchange for an honest review, but that has not changed my opinion about the book at all. Just wanted to give a heads-up.

Before reading the book, I briefly looked at the Wikipedia page of the fairytale on which this book is inspired, East of the Sun, West of the Moon. It was new to me. I was looking forward to see where the author took it since it was a bit different from the classic Beauty and the Beast.

I enjoyed how the main two characters were quickly established in the beginning of the book. Peytra, being a talented artist with wood, had a playful and family-oriented personality but was still fueled with the desire to be recognized for her work. The Duke was a very mysterious and somewhat intimidating figure, being covered from head to toe in dark clothing and wearing a mask. However, Peytra as well as the reader was able to see glimpses of a man who was interested in art and literature and wanting to do his best as a duke and leader. They took time to find out more about each other and it was a slow build on their relationship, which I thought worked well.

The minor characters added just the right amount of variety to the cast. While in the start they may have seemed stereotypical (the all-business accountant, the fuzzy cook, the womanizer, etc.), there was enough revealed to make them fully fleshed out characters. The interactions between Peytra and the rest of the castle staff were some of my favorites.

Yet, toward the middle/end of the book, I felt a shift in the tone. Peytra and the Duke were no longer going slow but full speed ahead. It took me out of the story just a bit when it was said that only some months had passed since her time in the castle. Maybe I'm just old-fashioned or a pessimist when it comes to love, but I just can't see myself falling in real, true, and lasting love in just a few months.

I also felt the end of the book focused more on the explicit sex scenes (which I skipped over, just not my cup of tea—no fault of the author). The finale of the book felt rushed and sudden, introducing things only barely mentioned and then leaving it on a cliff-hanger. I realize that this is the first in a series and more will be explained in the coming book(s). Still, I wished a bit more time was taken to give this book a satisfying ending.

In addition, there are some strange formatting issues, missed typos, and confusing point-of-view switches. Sometimes, the point-of-view switched in the middle of a paragraph and left me quite unsure of who was speaking/thinking or even what was going on. There were some passages that I had to re-read to get a clearer picture of the current happenings.

Overall, I liked the step up and the characters had fun personalities. The middle and end fell flat for me, seemingly having less of what I got me hooked in the first place. I would give it 3.5 stars.