emirane's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
sarah_thatlibrarian's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
mglovestruck's review
5.0
THIS BOOK...
I cannot even begin to say how good this book is. I thought this would be another generic YA novel, but instead, A.G. Howard served a book that was like no other. The way she incorporated all the different aspects of famous fairy tales such as Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Maleficent, The Little Mermaid, AND MORE. You don't realize that it's a mashup of retellings turned into a new fairy tale, until the end, then you're just left sitting like, wow, she really brought all of that together. Howard has a talent for weaving a story. She talks about Crony weaving memories into a web, but it seems she was describing her own talent for story-telling. The storyline, the characters, the settings all come together to make a world you feel as if you could fall right into. As the reader, you laugh, cry, scream, and smile. You ache for Lyra, then rejoice as she gets her revenge. You feel her loneliness, then blush as she finds her beastly prince. The characters seem to come alive as you read, and Mrs. Author made each one have a life and story. Because of this, no one outshines the other. Overall, this is the best book I've read so far this year. Absolutely go read this book!
I cannot even begin to say how good this book is. I thought this would be another generic YA novel, but instead, A.G. Howard served a book that was like no other. The way she incorporated all the different aspects of famous fairy tales such as Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Maleficent, The Little Mermaid, AND MORE. You don't realize that it's a mashup of retellings turned into a new fairy tale, until the end, then you're just left sitting like, wow, she really brought all of that together. Howard has a talent for weaving a story. She talks about Crony weaving memories into a web, but it seems she was describing her own talent for story-telling. The storyline, the characters, the settings all come together to make a world you feel as if you could fall right into. As the reader, you laugh, cry, scream, and smile. You ache for Lyra, then rejoice as she gets her revenge. You feel her loneliness, then blush as she finds her beastly prince. The characters seem to come alive as you read, and Mrs. Author made each one have a life and story. Because of this, no one outshines the other. Overall, this is the best book I've read so far this year. Absolutely go read this book!
badwolfbooks's review
3.0
It took me a month and a half to read this. That says something.
The beginning of this book was amazing. The story was beautiful and uplifting, cruel and inhumane, filled with a rush of emotion.
The middle made me want to pluck my eyes out, with Crony being the only sustainable character.
The end was good. The end brought back the emotion and the turmoil and the fairytale.
And all I’ll say about the epilogue is that I shouldn’t have read it.
This was my least favourite A.G Howard novel for many reasons. One of them being the middle of the novel was filled with filler and repetitions that didn’t need to happen. Lyra, or Stain, had her moments of a strong protagonist but until the last 70 pages, she falls flat. The stubbornness and fierceness is swallowed by Scorch and it’s really sad.
3.5, rated down for the piss off that is the epilogue.
The beginning of this book was amazing. The story was beautiful and uplifting, cruel and inhumane, filled with a rush of emotion.
The middle made me want to pluck my eyes out, with Crony being the only sustainable character.
The end was good. The end brought back the emotion and the turmoil and the fairytale.
And all I’ll say about the epilogue is that I shouldn’t have read it.
This was my least favourite A.G Howard novel for many reasons. One of them being the middle of the novel was filled with filler and repetitions that didn’t need to happen. Lyra, or Stain, had her moments of a strong protagonist but until the last 70 pages, she falls flat. The stubbornness and fierceness is swallowed by Scorch and it’s really sad.
3.5, rated down for the piss off that is the epilogue.
lucindaslibrary's review
5.0
I loved this book so so much! It was much darker than I expected. It gave me everything I crave in a good old fashioned fairytale. Evil, magic, terrible people, small love story, overcoming mountains, pain, and self discovery. Read this. Pick it up. Stare at the beautiful cover and then dive in.
pascaleb's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. I LOVED this book. The writing, the aspects of fairy tales/nightmares, the characters woven together throughout the story, ugh. so good.
Update: LOVED this book on audio just as much <3
Update: LOVED this book on audio just as much <3
riverlasol's review
5.0
I love A. G. Howard for two reasons. First of all, she has an amazing imagination. The stories she writes, though they are retellings, are so original. They are always filled with magic and intrigue, while also putting a slightly dark spin on things. Stain is the darkest and most intriguing one so far and I am loving it. LOVING IT!
The other reason I love A. G. Howard is the simple beauty of her writing. I get a little weak-kneed every time there is a musical metaphor or a dazzling description (see what I did there? *winks*). But this author really does have a gorgeous writing style.
In this particular novel, she didn’t tell the story in the first person like she has in the past and I admit I was a bit taken aback at first. Turns out that no matter what point of view she uses, her writing still maintains its beauty.
Anyway, now that I have spent a while ranting about my awe of the writing I should get down to the real business...
Finish reading my review here: https://libraryinmymind.com/2019/04/13/stain/
The other reason I love A. G. Howard is the simple beauty of her writing. I get a little weak-kneed every time there is a musical metaphor or a dazzling description (see what I did there? *winks*). But this author really does have a gorgeous writing style.
In this particular novel, she didn’t tell the story in the first person like she has in the past and I admit I was a bit taken aback at first. Turns out that no matter what point of view she uses, her writing still maintains its beauty.
Anyway, now that I have spent a while ranting about my awe of the writing I should get down to the real business...
Finish reading my review here: https://libraryinmymind.com/2019/04/13/stain/
tylexie's review
5.0
A few things I liked about this book:
- A real villain. She’s relatable. She’s got a story. She has ambitions and sorrows and reasons. She’s not merely “the villain.”
- Things were not easy for the main characters. They really struggled. They faced every possible hardship, every possible wrench thrown into their plans. Despite this, you could see the story creeping closer to everything coming together. It was a pretty wild ride.
- The characters. In general. They underwent growth and change, they learned from their mistakes, they had scars and flaws and strength. Also, the mains weren’t naïve or clueless, which I had not realized was so common in YA books until it wasn’t there.
- The fairytale format. Complete with a “once upon” beginning and lessons wrought throughout, ending with a “hopeful ever after” rather than a “happy ever after.” I thought it was all beautiful.
- Scorch. Nothing more to say there.
- The romance. It wasn’t too prominent, which was kind of nice. Even later in the book, when the romance could’ve taken over, it was still a story of wiles and strength with a healthy amount of love thrown in. I also loved the morph of a friendship to a pegasus into a love for a prince. It was a beautiful thing.
- The suspense. Yes, it was torturous, but it also made the book impossible to put down. Watching everything fall apart, then the pieces fall into place ever so slowly, was both painful and immensely satisfying.
- A real villain. She’s relatable. She’s got a story. She has ambitions and sorrows and reasons. She’s not merely “the villain.”
- Things were not easy for the main characters. They really struggled. They faced every possible hardship, every possible wrench thrown into their plans. Despite this, you could see the story creeping closer to everything coming together. It was a pretty wild ride.
- The characters. In general. They underwent growth and change, they learned from their mistakes, they had scars and flaws and strength. Also, the mains weren’t naïve or clueless, which I had not realized was so common in YA books until it wasn’t there.
- The fairytale format. Complete with a “once upon” beginning and lessons wrought throughout, ending with a “hopeful ever after” rather than a “happy ever after.” I thought it was all beautiful.
- Scorch. Nothing more to say there.
- The romance. It wasn’t too prominent, which was kind of nice. Even later in the book, when the romance could’ve taken over, it was still a story of wiles and strength with a healthy amount of love thrown in. I also loved the morph of a friendship to a pegasus into a love for a prince. It was a beautiful thing.
- The suspense. Yes, it was torturous, but it also made the book impossible to put down. Watching everything fall apart, then the pieces fall into place ever so slowly, was both painful and immensely satisfying.