beckythebibliophile's reviews
107 reviews
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Please don't hate me!
Honestly, I normally avoid hyped books but I read this one as it was my book club read.
It was fine. It was a fun and fast read which didn't feel like a chore at any point to read. The prose was good and genuinely, the concept was excellent! Unfortunately, that makes the execution even more disappointing.Β
The premise is a war between gods with human soldiers caught in the middle: totally on board with that! Enter Iris and Roman, rival journalists who go to the front to be war correspondents: also on board with this! The magic typewriters were cool and I really wanted to love the story for its potential...
However, there was literally no worldbuilding. We get one very basic myth to try and set up some premise for the war and that is literally the extent of it. Nothing else is explained. I don't really understand where it is set either. It takes place in fictional towns (Oath and Avalon Bluff) but it clearly has a WWI vibe. The author is American but then used British spellings / words (e.g. mum and snogging) but then included baseball of all things - something very not British which also felt out of place in this fictional world. They only 'magical' thing explained properly in this world are the typewriters. Literally everything else is so basic world building wise and that was so disappointing for such great potential.
The characters were also given no room to breathe. I'm not going to go into spoilers but I didn't really feel anything because the characters just moved from one thing to the next without really experiencing emotions / consequences.
I will read the sequel because I do have hope. Like I said, the premise was awesome and I can only hope that book 2 is executed better than book 1.
Honestly, I normally avoid hyped books but I read this one as it was my book club read.
It was fine. It was a fun and fast read which didn't feel like a chore at any point to read. The prose was good and genuinely, the concept was excellent! Unfortunately, that makes the execution even more disappointing.Β
The premise is a war between gods with human soldiers caught in the middle: totally on board with that! Enter Iris and Roman, rival journalists who go to the front to be war correspondents: also on board with this! The magic typewriters were cool and I really wanted to love the story for its potential...
However, there was literally no worldbuilding. We get one very basic myth to try and set up some premise for the war and that is literally the extent of it. Nothing else is explained. I don't really understand where it is set either. It takes place in fictional towns (Oath and Avalon Bluff) but it clearly has a WWI vibe. The author is American but then used British spellings / words (e.g. mum and snogging) but then included baseball of all things - something very not British which also felt out of place in this fictional world. They only 'magical' thing explained properly in this world are the typewriters. Literally everything else is so basic world building wise and that was so disappointing for such great potential.
The characters were also given no room to breathe. I'm not going to go into spoilers but I didn't really feel anything because the characters just moved from one thing to the next without really experiencing emotions / consequences.
I will read the sequel because I do have hope. Like I said, the premise was awesome and I can only hope that book 2 is executed better than book 1.
A Gathering of Shadows: Collector's Edition by V.E. Schwab
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really loved this book and I think, if I just went off of how much I enjoyed reading it, I could have given it 5 stars. However, there were a couple of glaring faults I could not overlook. I'll get those out of the way first.
A Gathering of Shadows is such a tone shift from book one. Book one had really high stakes, and set up this really interesting world of stacked London's. This book was super fun but had really low stakes. It essentially went from saving the world, to fighting in a pretty safe competition... Normally, as books go on, the stakes go up. If this had been the plot of book one, I think it would have made more sense. It did at the end however, set up the start of book three which sounds like the stakes are going to be higher.
Second, one of my favourite things about book one was how quickly the plot got moving. That was not the case in this book... Kell and Lila don't have any direct interactions until page 427!
However, I did enjoy most of the character interactions (if we ignore Lila literally telling Alucard that she is 'not like other girls'... *sigh* And as my only criticism of book one was not really getting to know Rhy very much - this was a great thing. I did think that Kell was a bit overdramatic when it came to his hostility with Alucard seeing as Rhy was the one injured and he didn't even seem to care. I really hate both the king and the queen and I really hope the end up being even more arseholes so that I have an excuse to continue hating them.
All in all, an excellent book but a little bit tonally apart from book one. Just going into it expecting a lot of fun and low stakes.
A Gathering of Shadows is such a tone shift from book one. Book one had really high stakes, and set up this really interesting world of stacked London's. This book was super fun but had really low stakes. It essentially went from saving the world, to fighting in a pretty safe competition... Normally, as books go on, the stakes go up. If this had been the plot of book one, I think it would have made more sense. It did at the end however, set up the start of book three which sounds like the stakes are going to be higher.
Second, one of my favourite things about book one was how quickly the plot got moving. That was not the case in this book... Kell and Lila don't have any direct interactions until page 427!
However, I did enjoy most of the character interactions (if we ignore Lila literally telling Alucard that she is 'not like other girls'... *sigh* And as my only criticism of book one was not really getting to know Rhy very much - this was a great thing. I did think that Kell was a bit overdramatic when it came to his hostility with Alucard seeing as Rhy was the one injured and he didn't even seem to care. I really hate both the king and the queen and I really hope the end up being even more arseholes so that I have an excuse to continue hating them.
All in all, an excellent book but a little bit tonally apart from book one. Just going into it expecting a lot of fun and low stakes.
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I read this not knowing much about it but wanting to get through it before book 4 comes out at the end of the month.
I was pleased by how great a time I had!
The world, multiple Londons stacked next to each other, was a really interesting concept and although parallel worlds is by no means a unique concept, I thought that the way it was done was different enough.
I really liked the character of Kell and I'm interested to see where his character goes. I also, surprisingly to me quite unpopularly, liked Lila. I have some theories about her and I'm excited to see if they are true.
This book read as a complete novel but with just enough threads left hanging that I don't think that having two more books is unneeded at this point.
My only criticism is that Rhy wasn't all that developed. Not a huge issue as he is only a minor character but this meant that his relationship with Kell also wasn't developed which had some meant that some aspects of the story didn't pack the same punch that they could have.
All in all, an excellent opening to the trilogy and I am keen to move on to book 2!
I was pleased by how great a time I had!
The world, multiple Londons stacked next to each other, was a really interesting concept and although parallel worlds is by no means a unique concept, I thought that the way it was done was different enough.
I really liked the character of Kell and I'm interested to see where his character goes. I also, surprisingly to me quite unpopularly, liked Lila. I have some theories about her and I'm excited to see if they are true.
This book read as a complete novel but with just enough threads left hanging that I don't think that having two more books is unneeded at this point.
My only criticism is that Rhy wasn't all that developed. Not a huge issue as he is only a minor character but this meant that his relationship with Kell also wasn't developed which had some meant that some aspects of the story didn't pack the same punch that they could have.
All in all, an excellent opening to the trilogy and I am keen to move on to book 2!
Berserk Deluxe Volume 3 by Kentaro Miura
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
As always, Berserk continues to be a brutal experience, choked to the brim with violence and manipulation. It absolutely lives up to its dark fantasy genre. This volume ended on an almost positive note, but I can't imagine this is going to last... π
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I went in completely blind, not having even read the blurb, and was pleasantly surprised by how quickly it grabbed my attention. These Violent Delights is a Romeo and Juliet retelling, set in 1920s Shanghai. It was also the first book I've read on my Kindle, and that was hugely more successful than trying to read eBooks on my phone.
Positives:
β οΈ Unique set of characters with their own personalities and motivations.
β οΈ Beautiful prose - often YA authors can 'dumb' down their prose; Gong does not do this.
β οΈ Retelling of well-known story without becoming too predictable and boring - this story is applied to a completely different context.
β οΈ Gong did not mess around with the conflict. I physically cringed when the first victim started pulling out their own throat. Gross. π€£
Negatives:
βοΈ This book is pretty fantasy lite. It's almost entirely historical fiction with just a splash of fantasy. Not necessarily bad, I just like more fantasy elements in my reads. π
βοΈ It's quite typically YA in that Gong wants to have a really brutal world and hard characters without actually having them be cruel or brutal. You can't tell me Juliette is morally grey - you have to show me through her actions. YA authors, from my experience, can't seem to do morally grey.
βοΈ I did think there was a bit of a lull at the halfway point (but it did pick up at around 70 .
βοΈ The final twist, in my opinion, was predictable, and I saw it coming. This may be due to the whole Romeo and Juliet thing.Β
Positives:
β οΈ Unique set of characters with their own personalities and motivations.
β οΈ Beautiful prose - often YA authors can 'dumb' down their prose; Gong does not do this.
β οΈ Retelling of well-known story without becoming too predictable and boring - this story is applied to a completely different context.
β οΈ Gong did not mess around with the conflict. I physically cringed when the first victim started pulling out their own throat. Gross. π€£
Negatives:
βοΈ This book is pretty fantasy lite. It's almost entirely historical fiction with just a splash of fantasy. Not necessarily bad, I just like more fantasy elements in my reads. π
βοΈ It's quite typically YA in that Gong wants to have a really brutal world and hard characters without actually having them be cruel or brutal. You can't tell me Juliette is morally grey - you have to show me through her actions. YA authors, from my experience, can't seem to do morally grey.
βοΈ I did think there was a bit of a lull at the halfway point (but it did pick up at around 70 .
βοΈ The final twist, in my opinion, was predictable, and I saw it coming. This may be due to the whole Romeo and Juliet thing.Β
Avatar: The Last Airbender--The Search Omnibus by Gurihiru, Gene Luen Yang
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Again, with the previous instalment (The Promise), and just like the series, this comic balances serious topics with humour and lighthearted moments perfectly.
I have waited a loooong time to find out what happened to Zuko's mum! I loved all of the parts with Ursa's backstory and how she came to marry Ozai - although I didn't like the twist that ended up not being true at the end anyway.Β
I also thought that the messaging with Azula and siblings was a bit silly. Yes, Katara and Sokka fight but would still do anything for each other because they're siblings works; they only ever fight over silly things but actually have a positive relationship. Trying to apply that same message to Zuko and Azula is silly and promotes the toxic message that you have to forgive family for anything just because they're family. I'll be interested to see where they go with this in the next instalment.
As always, the art is fantastic, and the characters are so brilliant. π I love any opportunity to revisit the world that I love!
I have waited a loooong time to find out what happened to Zuko's mum! I loved all of the parts with Ursa's backstory and how she came to marry Ozai - although I didn't like the twist that ended up not being true at the end anyway.Β
I also thought that the messaging with Azula and siblings was a bit silly. Yes, Katara and Sokka fight but would still do anything for each other because they're siblings works; they only ever fight over silly things but actually have a positive relationship. Trying to apply that same message to Zuko and Azula is silly and promotes the toxic message that you have to forgive family for anything just because they're family. I'll be interested to see where they go with this in the next instalment.
As always, the art is fantastic, and the characters are so brilliant. π I love any opportunity to revisit the world that I love!
Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
So I decided to reread Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick - an old favourite of mine.
It is impossible for me to give these books any kind of realistic star rating as they are too wrapped up in nostalgia for me so it's going to be purely based on how much I enjoyed the reread and how well it held up.
Hush, Hush was published in 2009 when all these YA fantasy teen romances were huge, but it never blew up like some of the others, and I honestly have no idea why. I can completely see upon reread why I loved it so much! Honestly, I had a blast and was done within 2 days.
β οΈ The dialogue was witty, and interactions between characters were realistic and characsmatic.
β οΈ Unlike some of its contemporaries *cough* Twilight *cough*, Nora is an active character who, although bad things happen to her, does drive the story herself.
β οΈ Our two leads have interactions with each other outside of 'oooh he's so handsome!
β οΈ It's a fun story that, despite having three sequels, ties together nicely. TBF, I think I remember the sequels becoming more and more convoluted.
Now for the things that didn't hold up:
π© The age gap... It doesn't explicitly say how old Patch is, but Nora is 16, and Patch talks about Adam and Eve, so I'm going with it's on the larger side... π π
π© Vee is a terrible friend.
π© Blythe is a terrible mother.
π© Patch is very aggressive in his pursuit of Nora... As it is written in first person from her perspective, we know that she isn't as hesitant as she says out loud but honestly Patch ignores a lot of nos and leave me alones before they become a couple... π
π© Nora would be dead in the real world. She puts herself into a lot of dangerous situations.
π© As someone who teaches year 6, and therefore has to teach sex ed, (albeit to 11 year olds, not 16 year olds) that was the weirdest sex ed ever... π Β Also, in the US, does the PE teacher actually also teach biology?! π
It is impossible for me to give these books any kind of realistic star rating as they are too wrapped up in nostalgia for me so it's going to be purely based on how much I enjoyed the reread and how well it held up.
Hush, Hush was published in 2009 when all these YA fantasy teen romances were huge, but it never blew up like some of the others, and I honestly have no idea why. I can completely see upon reread why I loved it so much! Honestly, I had a blast and was done within 2 days.
β οΈ The dialogue was witty, and interactions between characters were realistic and characsmatic.
β οΈ Unlike some of its contemporaries *cough* Twilight *cough*, Nora is an active character who, although bad things happen to her, does drive the story herself.
β οΈ Our two leads have interactions with each other outside of 'oooh he's so handsome!
β οΈ It's a fun story that, despite having three sequels, ties together nicely. TBF, I think I remember the sequels becoming more and more convoluted.
Now for the things that didn't hold up:
π© The age gap... It doesn't explicitly say how old Patch is, but Nora is 16, and Patch talks about Adam and Eve, so I'm going with it's on the larger side... π π
π© Vee is a terrible friend.
π© Blythe is a terrible mother.
π© Patch is very aggressive in his pursuit of Nora... As it is written in first person from her perspective, we know that she isn't as hesitant as she says out loud but honestly Patch ignores a lot of nos and leave me alones before they become a couple... π
π© Nora would be dead in the real world. She puts herself into a lot of dangerous situations.
π© As someone who teaches year 6, and therefore has to teach sex ed, (albeit to 11 year olds, not 16 year olds) that was the weirdest sex ed ever... π Β Also, in the US, does the PE teacher actually also teach biology?! π
Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I'll talk about the book first:
This is an unusual book as it doesn't read in a conventional way. There isn't an overarching plot as it were but instead we spend time building the relationship between the characters. First, Geralt and Ciri (with a little of Triss and the other characters at Kaer Mohren) and then the relationship between Ciri and Yennefer. I think, if I weren't already invested after the two books of short stories, I may have found this a slow read - but alas, I am invested, so I don't mind if time is taken to build up relationships. Beside this, I have the same praise as I did for the previous books. The prose is still excellent (props to the author AND the translator for that), the world is still great and the characters are engaging. It was an easy and quick read, and I will be promptly moving on to the next book in the series.
Now to compare it to the show:
Supposedly, series two was based on this book. I see no resemblance... Literally, the only thing they have in common is that Ciri and Geralt go to Kaer Morhen, and then he takes her to the temple of Melitele. That's literally it. All of the stuff with Eskel doesn't happen in the books, and all the stupid stuff with Yennefer trying to kill Ciri doesn't happen in the books. Also, no Francesca and Fringilla spin off... I will admit, that they did need to make some changes for the show as there isn't a lot of plot but what they came up with was daft! And they even cut some stuff out!
One last complaint I must make about the show though, is about casting. Everyone moans about Yennefer, Triss and Fringilla, but no one moans about the person most miscast! What does it matter if Triss has red hair. Freya Allen was absolutely not the right person to play Ciri. Nothing against the actress - she's a solid actress - but she is just WAY too old! The relationship between Ciri and Yennefer works in the books because Ciri is a child. The age gap between Freya and Anya just is not large enough for them to convincingly play a mother and daughter. Also, the book doesn't absolutely butcher their relationship but build it up over time.
This is an unusual book as it doesn't read in a conventional way. There isn't an overarching plot as it were but instead we spend time building the relationship between the characters. First, Geralt and Ciri (with a little of Triss and the other characters at Kaer Mohren) and then the relationship between Ciri and Yennefer. I think, if I weren't already invested after the two books of short stories, I may have found this a slow read - but alas, I am invested, so I don't mind if time is taken to build up relationships. Beside this, I have the same praise as I did for the previous books. The prose is still excellent (props to the author AND the translator for that), the world is still great and the characters are engaging. It was an easy and quick read, and I will be promptly moving on to the next book in the series.
Now to compare it to the show:
Supposedly, series two was based on this book. I see no resemblance... Literally, the only thing they have in common is that Ciri and Geralt go to Kaer Morhen, and then he takes her to the temple of Melitele. That's literally it. All of the stuff with Eskel doesn't happen in the books, and all the stupid stuff with Yennefer trying to kill Ciri doesn't happen in the books. Also, no Francesca and Fringilla spin off... I will admit, that they did need to make some changes for the show as there isn't a lot of plot but what they came up with was daft! And they even cut some stuff out!
One last complaint I must make about the show though, is about casting. Everyone moans about Yennefer, Triss and Fringilla, but no one moans about the person most miscast! What does it matter if Triss has red hair. Freya Allen was absolutely not the right person to play Ciri. Nothing against the actress - she's a solid actress - but she is just WAY too old! The relationship between Ciri and Yennefer works in the books because Ciri is a child. The age gap between Freya and Anya just is not large enough for them to convincingly play a mother and daughter. Also, the book doesn't absolutely butcher their relationship but build it up over time.
The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Β I think okay is the best description I could give this book...
Normally, with YA fiction that doesn't click with me, I preface it by saying that I understand that I am not the target audience. However, I am not entirely sure who the target audience of this book would be... It is written in the simplistic style often favoured by YA authors but then features a fairly graphic scene.
As always, I will start with the things I liked:
I thought that the premise showed potential. Although the enemies to lovers arranged marriage set up is a little clichΓ©, I thought that Danielle Jensen showed enough uniqueness in the world and set up for it to work.
The world. It wasn't super developed but I thought the idea of the bridge and the kingdom of Ithicana was cool. I wish we got a little bit more of a sense of culture from the story, and the other nationalities were developed even a little, but that is to be expected from a book of this length. Inevitably, a fast and easy read is not going to have a super developed world.
The latter part of the book was fast paced and the characters became much more engaging. The story was a little predictable but fast paced and still enjoyable.
The book ended on a cliff hanger and I am invested enough that I want to find out how the story will end.
Now for the things I didn't love:
First and foremost, I hate the cover... I don't love covers with people on anyway but the UK edition of this book has odd angular people and it is really just not to my taste.
The prose and story telling. This is written quite juvenilely which is why I had assumed it would have been written for a young audience but then the graphic scene and the language make that clearly not true. I often struggle with YA books for this very reason. I find that often the prose and middle grade level is excellent, and the prose for adult books is excellent. I don't really understand why it is often substandard for YA books. This book also promotes the childish stereotypes about man-eating sharks... The odds of being killed by a shark is 1/3.75 million. You are more likely to get killed by a cow or struck by lightning...
The characters. The supporting cast were all quite bland and difficult to tell apart. With regards to Aren and Lara - they did become better as the book went on. Lara starts as the typical, faultless 'badass' that plagues modern media. The 'strong female character' that has absolutely no flaw and can kill dozens of people with ease. Luckily, as the pages went on, Jensen stopped raving about how perfect she was which helped me to tolerate her. Aren was fine and was probably the strongest of the characters but I think that was just because the other characters were lacking rather than him being an example of good character work.
All in all, this was an okay read. Nothing I am going to gush about, but also not something I hated. I am curious enough about what will happen to read the sequel, but I probably won't bother with books 3 and 4 which are about different characters set in the same world.Β
Normally, with YA fiction that doesn't click with me, I preface it by saying that I understand that I am not the target audience. However, I am not entirely sure who the target audience of this book would be... It is written in the simplistic style often favoured by YA authors but then features a fairly graphic scene.
As always, I will start with the things I liked:
I thought that the premise showed potential. Although the enemies to lovers arranged marriage set up is a little clichΓ©, I thought that Danielle Jensen showed enough uniqueness in the world and set up for it to work.
The world. It wasn't super developed but I thought the idea of the bridge and the kingdom of Ithicana was cool. I wish we got a little bit more of a sense of culture from the story, and the other nationalities were developed even a little, but that is to be expected from a book of this length. Inevitably, a fast and easy read is not going to have a super developed world.
The latter part of the book was fast paced and the characters became much more engaging. The story was a little predictable but fast paced and still enjoyable.
The book ended on a cliff hanger and I am invested enough that I want to find out how the story will end.
Now for the things I didn't love:
First and foremost, I hate the cover... I don't love covers with people on anyway but the UK edition of this book has odd angular people and it is really just not to my taste.
The prose and story telling. This is written quite juvenilely which is why I had assumed it would have been written for a young audience but then the graphic scene and the language make that clearly not true. I often struggle with YA books for this very reason. I find that often the prose and middle grade level is excellent, and the prose for adult books is excellent. I don't really understand why it is often substandard for YA books. This book also promotes the childish stereotypes about man-eating sharks... The odds of being killed by a shark is 1/3.75 million. You are more likely to get killed by a cow or struck by lightning...
The characters. The supporting cast were all quite bland and difficult to tell apart. With regards to Aren and Lara - they did become better as the book went on. Lara starts as the typical, faultless 'badass' that plagues modern media. The 'strong female character' that has absolutely no flaw and can kill dozens of people with ease. Luckily, as the pages went on, Jensen stopped raving about how perfect she was which helped me to tolerate her. Aren was fine and was probably the strongest of the characters but I think that was just because the other characters were lacking rather than him being an example of good character work.
All in all, this was an okay read. Nothing I am going to gush about, but also not something I hated. I am curious enough about what will happen to read the sequel, but I probably won't bother with books 3 and 4 which are about different characters set in the same world.Β
Vinland Saga, Volume 4 by Makoto Yukimura
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Β This excellent historical narrative continues into another volume. Lots of twists and turns that I didn't see coming - particularly towards the end. A little less cohesive a story than previous volumes but still fantastic. Looking forward to the next instalment.Β