escapistlit's reviews
267 reviews
The Monster of Elendhaven, by Jennifer Giesbrecht
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Sorry, Bro, by Taleen Voskuni
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
full review on my blog.
i wish i liked this more than i did. i had really high hopes for it, but i could not stand nareh, or her family.
while this is definitely a romance, it leaned more adult coming of age with a strong romantic b plot. this was more the story of nar’s identity and relationship with her armenian heritage and culture she’s shunned most of her life, and her repressed bisexuality.
i appreciated how honest her narration is, even if there was a way too much told to the reader. i was not rooting for her. she’s incredibly shallow and she read like she was 14 instead of late 20s most of the time between her behaviour, thoughts, and the writing itself.
but i did really like her love interest, erebuni, and she honestly deserves way better than nar. i also liked her friend group and wished they had been fleshed out more.
another thing i did actually like was the brief view into armenian-american culture. while nar has her issues to work through with her relationship with her heritage, the author’s love and care for her culture still comes through.
this really just wasn’t for me but if the premise interests you and you like romcoms that feature heavier topics, i’d say give it a try. i’m still going to keep an eye on voskuni’s future work and see if maybe her next book might work for me better.
thank you @netgalley and @panmacmillan for the review copy.
i wish i liked this more than i did. i had really high hopes for it, but i could not stand nareh, or her family.
while this is definitely a romance, it leaned more adult coming of age with a strong romantic b plot. this was more the story of nar’s identity and relationship with her armenian heritage and culture she’s shunned most of her life, and her repressed bisexuality.
i appreciated how honest her narration is, even if there was a way too much told to the reader. i was not rooting for her. she’s incredibly shallow and she read like she was 14 instead of late 20s most of the time between her behaviour, thoughts, and the writing itself.
but i did really like her love interest, erebuni, and she honestly deserves way better than nar. i also liked her friend group and wished they had been fleshed out more.
another thing i did actually like was the brief view into armenian-american culture. while nar has her issues to work through with her relationship with her heritage, the author’s love and care for her culture still comes through.
this really just wasn’t for me but if the premise interests you and you like romcoms that feature heavier topics, i’d say give it a try. i’m still going to keep an eye on voskuni’s future work and see if maybe her next book might work for me better.
thank you @netgalley and @panmacmillan for the review copy.
One Night in Hartswood, by Emma Denny
overall, i really enjoyed this! the quality of the prose was a huge part of it but i also really liked our main leads and the dual pov. right off the bat, i found the dynamics between their respective family members to be really well laid out.
however, there wasn’t much holding the setting together for me. this felt like it could have been almost any other historical time period or generic medieval fantasy without the fantasy era.
i also found the pacing to be very slow during the middle.
but overall, i did enjoy the main characters and i love mistaken identity and the yearning. there was so much romantic and sexual tension between penn and raff.
i will definitely be keeping an eye on any of denny’s future work after this great debut!
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the review copy.
adventurous
emotional
slow-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
4.5
this was a really strong debut and very romantic in the prose and story.
overall, i really enjoyed this! the quality of the prose was a huge part of it but i also really liked our main leads and the dual pov. right off the bat, i found the dynamics between their respective family members to be really well laid out.
however, there wasn’t much holding the setting together for me. this felt like it could have been almost any other historical time period or generic medieval fantasy without the fantasy era.
i also found the pacing to be very slow during the middle.
but overall, i did enjoy the main characters and i love mistaken identity and the yearning. there was so much romantic and sexual tension between penn and raff.
i will definitely be keeping an eye on any of denny’s future work after this great debut!
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the review copy.
Like Real People Do, by E.L. Massey
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Leina and the Lord of the Toadstools, by Nicolas Digard, Myriam Dahman
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Masters in this Hall, by KJ Charles
adventurous
funny
mysterious
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
4.25