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A review by birbpal
Blood of Desiderium by Ali Stuebbe
3.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Stars
Okay, so I've got a lot of thoughts about this book. It was really fun to read, not going to lie; but there were also a lot of issues with the plot and the writing. For a debut novel though, I am happy.
First, the good:
• I loved the side characters. Cora, Fynn, Kye (my fav), Emil, etc. They made the story so enjoyable. I wish we got to learn more about them organically instead of through exposition dumps. But seriously, Kye. Oh my god, that man made me feel gooey. I want to see more of him in the next book, desperately!
• Lore and world-building left more to be desired, but when it was included, I felt so intrigued. It was different from how other Fae worlds work, and I really liked it!
• The descriptive writing was the perfect blend of detailed but not overbearing. I did not feel the need to skip any lines because the author fell into the trap (that many fantasy writers fall into) of over describing.
Now for the bad:
• I did not like how the author included what I felt was useless POVs. Seriously, I could have inferred a lot of the information on my own without the need to read it directly from a character's perspective.
• That leads into my next issue, I feel as if the author treated us readers like we are dumb. I am not smart, don't get me wrong. But I easily called 90% of the plot twists in this book. That proves my point that only an actual idiot could not see the breadcrumbs being left through the book. I can't fault her fully. This is her debut novel, after all. It's hard to write plot twists that simultaneously leave readers in shock but also make sense in the context of the story.
• But along those lines, I really, REALLY question the intelligence of her characters. It feels like the author dumbed everyone down for the sake of the plot twists, but it was so annoying. I personally highlighted so many lines of characters making statements that made me go, "Okay, now rub your two braincells together and CONNECT THE DOTS." FMC, Emma was the worst offender, I felt. That girl was so oblivious and ignorant. I understand that there is an initial reason for that, but she really could not use her head for a second. She was beyond immature, making me question the fact that she is technically 24 in the book. As of writing this review, I am 21. I can NOT understand most of her decisions/interactions between characters.
• My final problem with the book is the overall plot holes and discrepancies. If you do decide to read this book, be prepared to constantly question the logistics of things. An example is the fact that at one point, Emma gets hurt fighting with a character called Draven. Cora has healing powers and could easily heal the wound, but instead, Emma gets dragged by Draven to the Healing chambers?? Yeah, that made no sense and was never explained. That is just one small example, though. The book is full of things that will make you go, "Huh? wtf?"
My overall thoughts are that I did enjoy this book. It was fun at times, rolling my eyes at the characters' decisions but also following Emma on this journey of self-discovery. Yes, the book ends of a cliffhanger, and in case you are curious, this is not a Why Choose/RH book. There is one love interest for Emma. It's just a mystery who it will be. I will be reading the next book, as I am too curious to know how this story will pan out!
Okay, so I've got a lot of thoughts about this book. It was really fun to read, not going to lie; but there were also a lot of issues with the plot and the writing. For a debut novel though, I am happy.
First, the good:
• I loved the side characters. Cora, Fynn, Kye (my fav), Emil, etc. They made the story so enjoyable. I wish we got to learn more about them organically instead of through exposition dumps. But seriously, Kye. Oh my god, that man made me feel gooey. I want to see more of him in the next book, desperately!
• Lore and world-building left more to be desired, but when it was included, I felt so intrigued. It was different from how other Fae worlds work, and I really liked it!
• The descriptive writing was the perfect blend of detailed but not overbearing. I did not feel the need to skip any lines because the author fell into the trap (that many fantasy writers fall into) of over describing.
Now for the bad:
• I did not like how the author included what I felt was useless POVs. Seriously, I could have inferred a lot of the information on my own without the need to read it directly from a character's perspective.
• That leads into my next issue, I feel as if the author treated us readers like we are dumb. I am not smart, don't get me wrong. But I easily called 90% of the plot twists in this book. That proves my point that only an actual idiot could not see the breadcrumbs being left through the book. I can't fault her fully. This is her debut novel, after all. It's hard to write plot twists that simultaneously leave readers in shock but also make sense in the context of the story.
• But along those lines, I really, REALLY question the intelligence of her characters. It feels like the author dumbed everyone down for the sake of the plot twists, but it was so annoying. I personally highlighted so many lines of characters making statements that made me go, "Okay, now rub your two braincells together and CONNECT THE DOTS." FMC, Emma was the worst offender, I felt. That girl was so oblivious and ignorant. I understand that there is an initial reason for that, but she really could not use her head for a second. She was beyond immature, making me question the fact that she is technically 24 in the book. As of writing this review, I am 21. I can NOT understand most of her decisions/interactions between characters.
• My final problem with the book is the overall plot holes and discrepancies. If you do decide to read this book, be prepared to constantly question the logistics of things. An example is the fact that at one point, Emma gets hurt fighting with a character called Draven. Cora has healing powers and could easily heal the wound, but instead, Emma gets dragged by Draven to the Healing chambers?? Yeah, that made no sense and was never explained. That is just one small example, though. The book is full of things that will make you go, "Huh? wtf?"
My overall thoughts are that I did enjoy this book. It was fun at times, rolling my eyes at the characters' decisions but also following Emma on this journey of self-discovery. Yes, the book ends of a cliffhanger, and in case you are curious, this is not a Why Choose/RH book. There is one love interest for Emma. It's just a mystery who it will be. I will be reading the next book, as I am too curious to know how this story will pan out!