epsyphus's reviews
265 reviews

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.0

I love this idea of parallel Londons and the characters felt very fleshed out. I think I may have liked it a bit more if I had read it rather than listened to it just because I didn't love the narrator and it was kind of distracting. I'm excited to read the other two!

Nevertheless by Wendy Videlock

emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

I really enjoyed this; there are several poems I want to go back to. 

Light Bringer by Pierce Brown

adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Again, I think few things can really encapsulate my feelings on this book better than the dozens of the screaming texts sent to my friend who read this before me, but I'll try. As much as Lysander drives me crazy, I did enjoy seeing more of his internal conflict and watching his character develop. I love Lyria more and more and I love her relationship with Volga. Ah, Volga, my beloved.

I loved seeing Cassius, Sevro, and Darrow back together! They really deserved that. I really liked seeing Darrow interact with the other narrating characters. I absolutely loved Darrow's and Fa's duel and the way Darrow found a rhythm of his own. Cassius's death broke my freaking heart. Him telling Lysander that the guilt of killing him would crush him but that he was willing to be the millstone that brought him down?? Stunning but also you belong in federal prison for that Pierce, my goodness.

This felt like a good sort of cool down from the intensity and darkness of Dark Age, while still clearly ratcheting up the stakes and building toward the last book. I definitely found myself purposely slowing my pace while reading this because I am going to be waiting with bated breath for Red God.

Paladin's Faith by T. Kingfisher

adventurous emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Holy freaking crap, this was so good. I think this might be my favorite of this series so far. I was almost reluctant to read it because I didn't want it to be over. Shane was such an interesting character. His relationship with the Saint of Steel and the Dreaming God was so intriguing. I could really feel the complexity of his feelings toward them and his purpose. I'm glad I read Clockwork Boys and The Wonder Engine before reading this one, I feel like it gave me a context about demons that was helpful. (Plus I loved the mentions of those characters in this book!)

I really thought that Shane might die, which is ridiculous because they are romance books at heart, but damn

when I tell you I was on the edge of my seat I mean it. I was definitely sobbing toward the end, it was so emotional. I also loved that Wren was there

and Judith at the end! Her book must be next and I can't wait to see how that will go with her being possessed. I'm pretty sure Ursula said she was ace so that's exciting.

I wonder if we might see more of Davith too. 

Reforged by Seth Haddon
Did not finish book. Stopped at 19%.

May come back to this but it’s just not holding my interest. 

Angelika Frankenstein Makes Her Match by Sally Thorne
Did not finish book. Stopped at 6%.

Really promising idea but I immediately detested the main character and what she was doing. 

Radiance by Grace Draven

funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.0

This felt very Beauty and the Beast-esque and I loved it. There wasn't a lot of plot or like conflict, but that was fine. It was just a quick and easy romance and it was great. I didn't realize it was a series; I don't know if I'll finish it. 

Stay Safe: Poems by Emma Hine

3.0

Year of the Reaper by Makiia Lucier

adventurous dark hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the worldbuilding, the political intrigue and the back drop of the plague. I loved the main character and I liked the romance. The ending did feel a bit rushed and there were some questions left unanswered that I would have liked to know  (

like about his being able to see ghosts

and even the origins of the plague although I recognize that wasn't necessarily relevant to the events of the book), but I don't mind. I had a really good time reading this book. 
(Also did anyone else feel like the name of the book was a little misleading/didn't make sense?? Like I said, loved the book but I finished and was like ?? why did she name the book that?? Anyone else or am I just dumb?)

Dark Age by Pierce Brown

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Damn. Honestly, like what a freaking ride this one was. I'm tempted to just have what surely is at least 4 pages worth of texts I sent Ashlyn (she has already read it) stand as my review. It's a lot of caps lock yelling and demanding Pierce Brown meet me in the parking lot. It was a very brutal book that contained a lot of death and the horrors of war. I knew it would be like that, I knew to expect characters to be introduced only to die, but damn man. Tear my heart out why don't you.

Giving us back Alexander and the hope for him and Rhonna to have time together only to have Lysander shoot him point blank was freaking diabolical. I knew Ephraim would die from the moment he swore to Sefi that he would rather die than have Volga be her heir, but it was so much more devastating and even rather hopeless than I thought it would be.

And yet, throughout all the parts that made me want to scream (and there were a lot) there were moments that were so sweet and had me laughing out loud. This book had me gasping and making faces in public like a crazy person, had me feeling all types of emotions, and I just loved it. I'm getting Light Bringer from the library tomorrow.