Patrícia
Not even gonna lie, I'm gonna need to read something light and happy to recover from this.
Overall I liked it, but the first half dragged on a lot and I personally prefer a bit more of plot in my reads. I get that Olivie intended to have the characters and their relationships be the plot itself but I'm not one who cares much for philosophical musings so I did get bored at times. I'm also not overly fond of how things turned out (not gonna give spoilers but yeah...i hoped for better for our six main characters).
This reads just like a studio Ghibli movie - dark yet whimsical with charming yet somewhat caricaturish characters. I really enjoyed it! I can't wait to read the next ones and find out more about Farouque's book and why it's so important to him. Also if Ophelia ever warms up to Thorn and forgives his misdeeds. Although, not gonna lie, I might drop the entire series if it becomes a love triangle story with Archibald 🙃
Well...this was...idek. It was still entertaining (partially because Joe Jameson is an incredible narrator) but the story was a bit all over the place. It felt like they kept having the same issues recycled over and over...like Luc would reassure Oliver of something and the next minute be having a mental breakdown over the same thing...it didn't make much sense to me. Also the ending felt a bit abrupt. I'll probably still read (listen to?) the sequel when it comes out though
I feel like I need to reread it even though I just finished it last night. It's like a lot and nothing happened at the same time (the Paradox title feels very fitting). We got a bunch of information but it still feels like we're very near where we started off plot-wise. I can't wait to see how it all unfolds in the final book.
Had to stop at 45% because I was just rage reading at this point and my time is more valuable than that. Sorry, but not for me. I couldn't stand Bonny or his sister, spent half the time wondering why Valentine didn't just up and leave - especially right at the first-time he was (very rudely) rejected - and the historical inaccuracies were really just the rotten cherry on top of a terrible tasting cake. I liked Boyfriend Material, but this was just not at all for me. I think I'm gonna give Alexis Hall books a break for a while...
I do believe my rating is mostly due to the narrator of this audiobook. I haven't laughed this hard while reading in a while. The cover had me believing it was gonna be a Red, White and Royal Blue knock-off but I was so wrong. I don't get why they put the union jack on the cover tbh, apart from the fact that the story takes place in London and everyone is British I guess. I'm glad I gave it a go. There were some bits that I didn't particularly like but overall it was a pretty awesome romcom and I loved the side characters. Any scene with Alex or Luc's mom and me rolling in stitches 😂 strongly recommend
This was amazing and I don't think I've been this excited about a series since I was a teenager. I loved everything about it, but especially how complex the characters were (I love imperfect characters, there's a little bit of everything among the six...from insecure to cocky, anxious to self-assured, righteous to morally grey...there's a full scope of personalities and emotions going on that constantly keep evolving according to the circumstances they're put under...it was really delightful to read). I was also surprised at how unpredictable I found some turns of events to be...which - as someone who reads a lot - doesn't happen very often. I'm so glad I ignored other people's reviews and just trusted my gut on this. AND that the final book comes out this month so I can jump right into the second one and not have to wait an eternity to find out how it all ends once I'm done with that one too. Fingers crossed that the next ones are as good (or better)!
A very cute story, perfect for middle grade readers and young adults (or older) alike! Sometimes the dialogue can be a bit awkward/corny but overall I enjoyed it quite a bit and it appealed a lot to my inner child. It gave me Ella Enchanted vibes, full with magic, intrigue, mystery and romance. It's not a masterpiece of literature but it achieves what it sets out to do and I will certainly be reading the sequel
This was one of my favourite reads of the year. If you enjoyed Babel by R. F. Kuang, then you must give this one a try (I personally liked it even better than Babel).
First off, the magic system was so fresh and interesting. It somewhat reminded me of computer coding - with having to create a spell and typing it into a machine to produce the actual magic. Very fresh and went perfectly with the academic setting.
I also loved how the author weaved current social and political issues into a fantasy narrative. Although it's not something unusual in the genre, the way it was done was very impectful and made it very easy for anyone to empathise with the struggles of the Kwen. Also, being a woman, it was very natural to relate to Sciona and how hard she hard to work to strive in a patriarchal society. It also brought to light that sometimes things are more complex than we think, and someone we might consider a good person will still look out for themselves first and foremost when faced with having to give up their comforts for the good of others less fortunate.
If I had to point out any negative (skip this paragraph if you want to avoid spoilers), it would probably be how the ending wasn't what I had hoped for (I'm a happy ending justice delivered kind of girlie). I also wish we had more closure in terms of what happened to the city of Tiran after Thomil left and also what happened to the Kwen group that left. Did Blight end? Did they find other Kwen survivors outside? What happened to Thomil and Carra? Did Tiran forsake magic altogether or did they go back to their ways? I have so many questions!!
Anyway, I truly loved this story and even though I doubt it will get a sequel, if it ever happens, I'll be first in line to read it!
Thank you so much to the author for the eARC. This review was left completely voluntarily and contains only my honest thoughts.
3.5 ⭐ (rounded up)
Thank you to the author for providing me with a free ARC!
I enjoyed this story. It was a cute M/M romance with a modern twist on fae lore that felt quite refreshing to read.
Even though the characters are adults in their early 30s, the story reads more like YA. As someone who enjoys reading in that genre, I wasn't phased by this much but I often had to remind myself of how old they were supposed to be because they often came across as much younger.
The pacing felt quite slow up until the last quarter of the book (even though, paradoxically, I felt like the romance had very little build up and they just became head over heels very quickly without many ups and downs) so I found myself losing interest at times. However, I really did enjoy the ending very much and I'm hoping the next book is a bit more plot focused than the first one (the book is the first one in a series but can be read as a standalone - no cliffhangers!!)
Overall, it was a strong debut book that tackled a lot of themes that will resonate with many people (addiction, mental health, LGBTQ+ struggles) while having it all happen in a world similar to our own but that is parallel with the whimsical world of faeries.
I will be eagerly waiting for the sequel!
3.75 stars
Weirdly enough, my favourite part of the book was actually the warfare/political storyline. The romance was okay and had some good moments, but a lot of their dynamics grated on my nerves at times. Especially the constant repetition of phrases from the first book (I didn't count but I think Raihn might have said “there she is” at least 20 times or more). I did like how the story wrapped up though. I was afraid the ending would let me down but thankfully that wasn't the case.
It seems the next book in the series is gonna focus on Mishe and the House of Shadow so I'll be looking forward to that one.
I don't know if I can give a fair rating to this one...
It just felt like I was reading a (very smutty) ao3 one shot - and I say ao3 because the writing was good, there was some very beautiful prose in it (although I spotted quite a few typos).
My main issue was that the plot felt like a bit of an afterthought and like it served mostly to prompt the sex scenes.
Overall, I wish the story had been developed further. The book is quite short so I feel like there was room to flesh out the characters and extend the plot a bit more.
I liked it okay, but it didn't leave me feeling that great. It had a lot of triggering content (the self-harm scenes were too much for me, I had to skim through the text to avoid reading that in detail). It read a lot like a true crime series but without any particularly exciting twists. It was still very well written, I just personally like my thrillers to be a bit more surprising in what concerns the crime solving parts of the plot line. If you're a fan of Law and Order and the like, this might be for you
“Always the same. They were angry. They wanted what wasn't theirs. They expected a willing sacrificial lamb.
No. No, no, no.”
I absolutely loved this book! Mathilda Zeller does a masterful job of world-building. It was very refreshing and the bee/hive parallels had me in awe each and every time. The storyline managed to keep me on the edge of my seat, and - while I predicted one of the major twists (I'm suspicious by nature and tend to look for clues everywhere), - I kept being surprised by the direction the story took. The story was compelling and, being a woman in a world built on patriarchy, I related very much to the main character Alice. Even though I'm not a particularly resentful or vengeful person myself, you can't help but feel angry in the face of the unfairness and mistreatment of the girls of Oxenbee. The female and lower class exploitation was one of the main themes throughout, and it left me reeling with sadness and anger but also...hope for the future. The ending was surprising, yet extremely satisfying. Justice was served and I could not be more glad!
To be honest, this was my first venture into the horror genre and - as someone who is a bit of a wuss and therefore does not really watch horror movies - I wasn't quite sure what I was signing up for. As it turns out, I was very much into it so I'm glad I took a gamble on it (apparently all those hours watching true crime documentaries and reading thrillers might have numbed me to the gorey stuff). Fantasy horror might just be my new favourite genre, who knew?
I absolutely recommend this book. Just be mindful of the trigger/content warnings. The physical injuries/deaths can get quite graphic, but other topics like sexual assault are only mentioned and there are no descriptive scenes. Still proceed with caution or skip this book if you find any of that triggering.
Thanks to Booksirens and Mathilda Zeller for kindly providing this ebook ARC for free, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.