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jtoews's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
maddycat8's review against another edition
3.0
Pros:
-I like the unique story as well as the world that Mulford has created
-Side characters are solid and I can see how at least one is going to have a future book
Cons:
-first 50% of the book. Not wanting to fully bash this book because it has an overall good story but I feel like it took so many of our favorite tropes and threw them into the first 50% of the book and each trope lasted like 3 pages before moving on to the next trope see below:
1. Near the beginning of the book Remy gets angry at Hale but I didn't feel there was any justification behind it, I was confused. I see it as trying to make Remy sassy as the lead but it felt out of context
2. pg 35 she says Hale is getting under her skin yet we've only had 3 genuine conversations between the two?
3. Classic tropes- hotel and only 1 bed situation (pretending to be 'together'), Remy almost died in a scene and we have the moment Hale is v dramatic saying he almost lost her, yet I felt no connection between the two.
-Fast paced but felt like it missed details
Those are just a few of the examples that stood out. The first 50% of the book felt forced and not long enough to create relationships and really build the book relationships. The story improves after 50% but honestly this book either should have been longer OR separated to fully go into each portion of the story. It was definitely fast paced but it was like problem, problem problem with quick solutions. Maybe I just appreciate more context in the story? I've started the 2nd book so let's see how it improves.
Overall, it's a solid start to her writing, will be curious for improvements.
-I like the unique story as well as the world that Mulford has created
-Side characters are solid and I can see how at least one is going to have a future book
Cons:
-first 50% of the book. Not wanting to fully bash this book because it has an overall good story but I feel like it took so many of our favorite tropes and threw them into the first 50% of the book and each trope lasted like 3 pages before moving on to the next trope see below:
1. Near the beginning of the book Remy gets angry at Hale but I didn't feel there was any justification behind it, I was confused. I see it as trying to make Remy sassy as the lead but it felt out of context
2. pg 35 she says Hale is getting under her skin yet we've only had 3 genuine conversations between the two?
3. Classic tropes- hotel and only 1 bed situation (pretending to be 'together'), Remy almost died in a scene and we have the moment Hale is v dramatic saying he almost lost her, yet I felt no connection between the two.
-Fast paced but felt like it missed details
Those are just a few of the examples that stood out. The first 50% of the book felt forced and not long enough to create relationships and really build the book relationships. The story improves after 50% but honestly this book either should have been longer OR separated to fully go into each portion of the story. It was definitely fast paced but it was like problem, problem problem with quick solutions. Maybe I just appreciate more context in the story? I've started the 2nd book so let's see how it improves.
Overall, it's a solid start to her writing, will be curious for improvements.
the_bookwolf's review against another edition
5.0
And amazing read!
I loved reading every moment of this book. I enjoyed the storyline, and can’t wait to read more in the series. I stumbled across this book today, not realising who it was by, and that I follow her on tick-tock.
I loved reading every moment of this book. I enjoyed the storyline, and can’t wait to read more in the series. I stumbled across this book today, not realising who it was by, and that I follow her on tick-tock.
abigails_books's review against another edition
4.0
The first thing I loved about [b:The High Mountain Court|58310153|The High Mountain Court (The Five Crowns of Okrith, #1)|A.K. Mulford|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1623357402l/58310153._SY75_.jpg|91419672] was how easy it was to get into after picking up. I'd been going through a book hangover and nothing felt interesting to me until this book.
The second thing I loved was the below line:
"They weren't going to help a witch."
I had just been talking to a friend about witches and how in stories they are often considered the lowest of the low for being evil and, more importantly, sensual. I loved this line because it really solidified so much of the witch lore I've heard and put me right into the world where witches are being hunted by an evil tyrant.
So what's this book about?
Remy is an elusive red witch, hiding in plain sight as another kind of witch. In this world, witches are split into various clans and each clan has a special power. After her entire family was murdered when she was 6, Remy has been on the run with two witches from another clan who help her blend in and survive. That is until a group of Fae warriors find them and pull them into a quest that may allow Remy to not live in hiding anymore. Hijinks like discovering a soul mate, long-lost siblings, and saving the world ensues.
"He looked at her like she was beautiful, but, more than that, he looked at her like she was brave."
There were a few themes I really enjoyed throughout this tale, the first being the story of witches and their reviled history. I also loved the fae lore being mixed with witchcraft! It's been said that this series is similar to the world-building of ACOTAR, and it's true, but I loved that in this world there is witch magic and there is fae magic — the two are not the same, and there are different levels in which individuals can be sensed and recognized for their magic.
One thing I found interesting was how this book almost seemed to imply that humans, witches, and fae are three different races. I've always thought witches to be human, just humans attuned to magic, but in this story, it seemed that witches were something entirely and completely different from humans, which was an interesting way of envisioning A.K.'s world.
Similar to ACOTAR, I loved the theme of a somewhat weak or physically unskilled woman learning to be fit for the purpose of defending herself.
"One day she'd see the ocean. One day she'd feel as mighty as those giant waves."
"The world would not make her. She would make the world."
The love story to me was a bit rushed, and while in the end, I understood why the rush happened, I still felt it happened too fast without a whole lot of build-up. It felt inevitable from the moment the MMC was introduced and that took some of the fun out of it for me.
"Now you belong to me too."
"The very fabric of their beings had woven so tightly together they would never unravel from each other again."
I really did love the plot of this story and how it continued to wind in ways I didn't expect, which was great for a book that has been referred to so constantly as similar to another series.
The themes of sisterhood, found family, and the physical effects of trauma were also key in this story. I will say there was a little cheese throughout the story, but I didn't mind it. It just felt like a little younger YA than I usually go, but I still found a lot of enjoyment in it.
Ratings:
4/5 stars
2/5 chili peppers -- yes this is YA, but this is also very SJM as far as spice level
CW: loss of a parent, loss of a loved one, death, descriptive violence, assault
The second thing I loved was the below line:
"They weren't going to help a witch."
I had just been talking to a friend about witches and how in stories they are often considered the lowest of the low for being evil and, more importantly, sensual. I loved this line because it really solidified so much of the witch lore I've heard and put me right into the world where witches are being hunted by an evil tyrant.
So what's this book about?
Remy is an elusive red witch, hiding in plain sight as another kind of witch. In this world, witches are split into various clans and each clan has a special power. After her entire family was murdered when she was 6, Remy has been on the run with two witches from another clan who help her blend in and survive. That is until a group of Fae warriors find them and pull them into a quest that may allow Remy to not live in hiding anymore. Hijinks like discovering a soul mate, long-lost siblings, and saving the world ensues.
"He looked at her like she was beautiful, but, more than that, he looked at her like she was brave."
There were a few themes I really enjoyed throughout this tale, the first being the story of witches and their reviled history. I also loved the fae lore being mixed with witchcraft! It's been said that this series is similar to the world-building of ACOTAR, and it's true, but I loved that in this world there is witch magic and there is fae magic — the two are not the same, and there are different levels in which individuals can be sensed and recognized for their magic.
One thing I found interesting was how this book almost seemed to imply that humans, witches, and fae are three different races. I've always thought witches to be human, just humans attuned to magic, but in this story, it seemed that witches were something entirely and completely different from humans, which was an interesting way of envisioning A.K.'s world.
Similar to ACOTAR, I loved the theme of a somewhat weak or physically unskilled woman learning to be fit for the purpose of defending herself.
"One day she'd see the ocean. One day she'd feel as mighty as those giant waves."
"The world would not make her. She would make the world."
The love story to me was a bit rushed, and while in the end, I understood why the rush happened, I still felt it happened too fast without a whole lot of build-up. It felt inevitable from the moment the MMC was introduced and that took some of the fun out of it for me.
"Now you belong to me too."
"The very fabric of their beings had woven so tightly together they would never unravel from each other again."
I really did love the plot of this story and how it continued to wind in ways I didn't expect, which was great for a book that has been referred to so constantly as similar to another series.
The themes of sisterhood, found family, and the physical effects of trauma were also key in this story. I will say there was a little cheese throughout the story, but I didn't mind it. It just felt like a little younger YA than I usually go, but I still found a lot of enjoyment in it.
Ratings:
4/5 stars
2/5 chili peppers -- yes this is YA, but this is also very SJM as far as spice level
CW: loss of a parent, loss of a loved one, death, descriptive violence, assault
reineke's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
thisistrashpsyd's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
mackyjj25's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
kendallk5's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
_winterwriter's review against another edition
1.0
Guys... this is literally a knock off of ACOTAR. Like, I can point out so many scenes that are as close to replicas of SJM's book while barely avoiding plagiarism. Hale and Remy are just cheaper and less interesting versions of Rhys and Feyre.
I get it. There's no such thing as an original story, just new ways of telling it. This was just blatant mirroring. Choppy writing really had me struggling early on (to the point I figured I was going to throw another book in the DNF pile). However, I had heard good things about this being a good fantasy romance with diversity (because we don't see enough of that in the fantasy world). Except that also fell flat--the characters felt forced and had no personality, we are only a few chapters in and suddenly everyone is buddies, and there is still this wishy-washy behavior between our MCs which had me wanting to pull out my hair.
I wish I wasn't so disappointed because I would love to have a fantasy story with good representation and strong women. I mean, I loved ACOTAR and was excited to get a book that people compared to the series... I was not expecting to basically read the exact same book down to specific scenes.
I get it. There's no such thing as an original story, just new ways of telling it. This was just blatant mirroring. Choppy writing really had me struggling early on (to the point I figured I was going to throw another book in the DNF pile). However, I had heard good things about this being a good fantasy romance with diversity (because we don't see enough of that in the fantasy world). Except that also fell flat--the characters felt forced and had no personality, we are only a few chapters in and suddenly everyone is buddies, and there is still this wishy-washy behavior between our MCs which had me wanting to pull out my hair.
I wish I wasn't so disappointed because I would love to have a fantasy story with good representation and strong women. I mean, I loved ACOTAR and was excited to get a book that people compared to the series... I was not expecting to basically read the exact same book down to specific scenes.