syd
Had no idea that Scotland saw such an extreme witch hunt in the 1600s - ~4000 accused people, compared to the couple hundred in the American colonies. It's so interesting that because the wrongdoings here were quickly acknowledged, a lot of the history is documented and taught. On the flip side, in Scotland (according to the authors) it's not general knowledge that their witch hunts were vastly worse. Overall, the book is an interesting read!
I was really having fun with this story until about the halfway point, when I started to get really tired of the extremely long flashbacks. This book spent so much time catching us up on Alice's life to date, and not a whole lot of time on Alice & Peter's trip to hell - which was a shame, because Hell and Peter were the subjects I was more interested in. Alice felt very flat, even Peter's flashback made him feel more human than her, and we spent most of the book on her past. I think this could've been a better read if a lot of the same points being hammered home were cut out/condensed down. It just got boring to read (listen to, for me, because it was an audiobook) after a while.
Waffling on my rating for this one. On the one hand, it's a fun and exciting read - the start of a dystopian series that seems to draw inspiration from Handmaids Tale and the Hunger Games. The characters are all fun, and it's action packed. However, the world is a little confusing the second you try to think about it beyond the surface level. The plot is pretty predictable, and it all just feels very familiar. I didn't feel like anything was being explored in a new or groundbreaking way. The FMC Emeline is dumb as hell, but she gets a pass for being a product of the oppressive system, I guess. Overall I'd recommend if a dystopian romance is something that is up your alley, otherwise - pass
this is the first big urban fantasy series I've picked up, at the recommendation of some friends. AMD I'M GLAD I DID! Mercy is such an entertaining main character, and the way these mystical/mythical creatures are woven into our world is so interesting. immediately checked out the next book in the series
This is a loose Sleeping Beauty re-telling, one where the evil fairy is the hero. I thought it was just ok, the little twist of what she was supposed to have done revealed at the end was annoying. Mostly because Toadling is just incredibly naive, she had a ton of training and knows everything and yet nothing. I do like how lonely and desolate it feels in the first part of the story, though. Overall, it's just okay!
The first installment in this series is just ok. It took me SO long to listen to, because I just did not care when I put it down. The world is interesting, I thought the planetary science woven into the fantasy was cool, and the magic system being based on sound is neat. But I did not love how the (few) female characters were written. The characters in general I just didn't really feel any connection to. I'm not sure I'll continue the series, definitely don't plan to just yet.
A very solid YA low-fantasy romance book. The characters are all pretty realistic portrayal of teenagers and their behavior is not overly exaggerated (in my opinion). I also don't think the adults just going with Kestrels logic is very realistic, but I don't mind it since this *is* a YA book, and meant to be empowering and inspiring to young teens. It's fun to read about adults taking kids seriously as a teen! The writing is also very good, though the world building is a bit meh. Kestrel as a female main character is a breath of fresh air. She's smart and musically talented, instead of being an edgy assassin character. I haven't read the rest of the series yet, but this is one I plan to add to my shelves for my son to read when he's older!
