Scan barcode
fhirdiad's reviews
59 reviews
Drowned Country by Emily Tesh
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Just not as good as the first one. This novella is about fairies but they don’t feature until the last 20 pages and I felt like this was really wanting Maud and Mrs Silver to be the main characters but not committing. Maud would have been interesting but she simultaneously takes time away from Silver and Tobias’ relationship struggles and still doesn’t manage to be a substantial character. She’s also just a weird mash of Silver and his mother and every other character is sidelined - especially Tobias - to give her more page time where she just demands to be taken seriously.
I deeply missed Tobias’ perspective; I don’t think this book did Silver justice. He fears the idea of an eternity alone in the Wood without Tobias or anyone else for that matter, but the flashbacks that flesh this fear out are maybe two paragraphs and the end wraps everything up in a bow so he doesn’t actually have to contend with his choices. He goes from “aren’t you the selfish one for leaving me” to “no I am selfish and therefore will martyr myself” within 15 pages. There’s also none of the beautiful atmosphere that makes the first novella worth reading. Very disappointing.
I deeply missed Tobias’ perspective; I don’t think this book did Silver justice. He fears the idea of an eternity alone in the Wood without Tobias or anyone else for that matter, but the flashbacks that flesh this fear out are maybe two paragraphs and the end wraps everything up in a bow so he doesn’t actually have to contend with his choices. He goes from “aren’t you the selfish one for leaving me” to “no I am selfish and therefore will martyr myself” within 15 pages. There’s also none of the beautiful atmosphere that makes the first novella worth reading. Very disappointing.
Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell
Not bad but I never found myself connecting to anything the book presented. A lot of the beginning is confusing due to how much this book’s plot relies on diplomacy and fictional, sci-fi diplomacy at that. It’s filled with interesting characters but Jainan was the only one I felt was given depth and the plot is definitely consistently competing with the romance aspect of this book so it feels half hearted in the first 200 pages and then is packed to the brim in the second half.
The romance was fine but I didn’t dislike them or love them as a couple; they have sweet moments but miscommunication is their biggest obstacle and the book’s. The first couple of times they’re interrupted before they can have a meaningful conversation is just classic romance trope-iness. The fact that for the first 250 pages, every time they get close to having a realisation that they’re misunderstanding each other’s intentions, there’s an irrelevant side character interrupting is frustrating to say the least. This makes so much of their development stagnant and like a fanfiction, there is A Moment where they’re forced to finally reveal their feelings to each other instead of more natural development.
Objectively it isn’t bad, but I did find myself skimming and struggling to pick it back up. Just wasn’t for me at the end of the day, which is a shame because gay political space marriages should have been right up my alley.
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
ARC provided by the publisher
Not bad but I never found myself connecting to anything the book presented. A lot of the beginning is confusing due to how much this book’s plot relies on diplomacy and fictional, sci-fi diplomacy at that. It’s filled with interesting characters but Jainan was the only one I felt was given depth and the plot is definitely consistently competing with the romance aspect of this book so it feels half hearted in the first 200 pages and then is packed to the brim in the second half.
The romance was fine but I didn’t dislike them or love them as a couple; they have sweet moments but miscommunication is their biggest obstacle and the book’s. The first couple of times they’re interrupted before they can have a meaningful conversation is just classic romance trope-iness. The fact that for the first 250 pages, every time they get close to having a realisation that they’re misunderstanding each other’s intentions, there’s an irrelevant side character interrupting is frustrating to say the least. This makes so much of their development stagnant and like a fanfiction, there is A Moment where they’re forced to finally reveal their feelings to each other instead of more natural development.
Objectively it isn’t bad, but I did find myself skimming and struggling to pick it back up. Just wasn’t for me at the end of the day, which is a shame because gay political space marriages should have been right up my alley.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Physical abuse
The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemisin
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Bit slow going, especially at first, and a bit of an anti-climatic end but the emotion in this book is visceral and the worldbuilding - even when it’s confusing - is beautiful and interesting. Nijiri was such a compelling character and was mainly the reason I finished this; he doesn’t seem to be in the sequel and I didn’t enjoy this enough to continue with the series but it’s not bad and it just makes me want more books about magic surrounding dreams.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse and Sexual assault
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ARC provided by the publisher.
This book is brutal in that my heart feels vaguely beaten up and I wanna go lie down. Shelley Parker-Chan did not hold back at any point and delivers a story with grounded violence, political intrigue and authentic discussions about gender, identity and gender expectations regarding multiple characters in the book, all packed into a tightly woven main plot about ambition and what becomes of you when you sacrifice everything to get what you want.
Set against the backdrop of a rebellion in the Mongol Empire's occupied China, we primarily follow Zhu Chongba, who as a child joined a monastery posing as her dead brother, and Ouyang, known as the Eunuch General, and their entwined stories about revenge and the fine line it treads with ambition. Every character in this is as messy as they come and the twists and turns in the plot are mimicked in these characters arcs; every character is involved in solid political intrigue but also are battling internal struggles about gender, expectations and what they believe are their pre-ordained fates. Ouyang was by far my favourite and is a masterfully written morally grey character, but just one of many. Every character in this book is chasing greatness and is dragged down by what greatness demands of them. Esen, a Mongolian prince and Ouyang's closest friend, Ma Yingzi, a woman haplessly dragged into rebellion politics and Baoxiang, Esen's brother who has shameful little interest in war, round out the brilliant, compelling cast of characters and with each of them comes complexity and fantastic dialogue. It was a joy to read a book where there's not a single character who is doing things without an ulterior motive; it keeps you guessing and I love all these horrible little people.
There is an epic scope to the plot - it deals with one of the largest Empire's rule, a rebellion and therefore war - but character stakes feel meticulous and intimate so even when plot was rapid and violent, I was deeply concerned with the decisions characters were making as well as their developing relationships. This book is not only very good at shaping grey morality, but the yearning in this book.... I'll be returning to that drunk Esen scene multiple times just to cry I think. In general the emotional dialogue in this book is gut-wrenching. The plot was interesting - if you know me, you know I love political fantasy and so I ate this right up - and the characters back it up so well that by the end I was crying in disbelief even when events came to their natural. inevitable conclusion. I think the pacing at the beginning was a little off in that it's a lot of set up with time jumps, but it's absolutely forgivable because the plot unfolding for the following 75% was brilliant and I sped through it just to be beaten up by a powerful, brutal ending.
Anyway I want book two and Shelley I'll be emailing you my therapy bills.
This book is brutal in that my heart feels vaguely beaten up and I wanna go lie down. Shelley Parker-Chan did not hold back at any point and delivers a story with grounded violence, political intrigue and authentic discussions about gender, identity and gender expectations regarding multiple characters in the book, all packed into a tightly woven main plot about ambition and what becomes of you when you sacrifice everything to get what you want.
Set against the backdrop of a rebellion in the Mongol Empire's occupied China, we primarily follow Zhu Chongba, who as a child joined a monastery posing as her dead brother, and Ouyang, known as the Eunuch General, and their entwined stories about revenge and the fine line it treads with ambition. Every character in this is as messy as they come and the twists and turns in the plot are mimicked in these characters arcs; every character is involved in solid political intrigue but also are battling internal struggles about gender, expectations and what they believe are their pre-ordained fates. Ouyang was by far my favourite and is a masterfully written morally grey character, but just one of many. Every character in this book is chasing greatness and is dragged down by what greatness demands of them. Esen, a Mongolian prince and Ouyang's closest friend, Ma Yingzi, a woman haplessly dragged into rebellion politics and Baoxiang, Esen's brother who has shameful little interest in war, round out the brilliant, compelling cast of characters and with each of them comes complexity and fantastic dialogue. It was a joy to read a book where there's not a single character who is doing things without an ulterior motive; it keeps you guessing and I love all these horrible little people.
There is an epic scope to the plot - it deals with one of the largest Empire's rule, a rebellion and therefore war - but character stakes feel meticulous and intimate so even when plot was rapid and violent, I was deeply concerned with the decisions characters were making as well as their developing relationships. This book is not only very good at shaping grey morality, but the yearning in this book.... I'll be returning to that drunk Esen scene multiple times just to cry I think. In general the emotional dialogue in this book is gut-wrenching. The plot was interesting - if you know me, you know I love political fantasy and so I ate this right up - and the characters back it up so well that by the end I was crying in disbelief even when events came to their natural. inevitable conclusion. I think the pacing at the beginning was a little off in that it's a lot of set up with time jumps, but it's absolutely forgivable because the plot unfolding for the following 75% was brilliant and I sped through it just to be beaten up by a powerful, brutal ending.
Anyway I want book two and Shelley I'll be emailing you my therapy bills.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Homophobia, and Misogyny
Minor: Gore and Violence
One main character is a eunuch and has a lot of self-hatred about his body, as well as experiencing both sexualisation (people compare him to a woman) and disgust (people compare him to an animal or creature) from side characters
Uprooted by Naomi Novik
4.0
Hands down, the best parts of the book were the parts that made me sit up in bed so I could see every corner of my room. The parts that made me turn back on the light because I was reading it at 2am. I obviously do not sleep in the middle of a wood, but reading and feeling the tension of Agnieszka every time she walked through the trees made me feel like I was about to make eye contact with something deadly.
I would have loved more about the creatures in the Wood. I was so fascinated by the walkers and the mantis, but I wanted more. That's not really a criticism, but I've loved monsters since I was a child and the brief mentions of the other things living in there were not enough for me. I lived for the parts where Agnieszka mentioned that walkers would come out and steal children, and the stuff early in the book about the cows becoming corrupted and it spreading. Those kind of urban legend types things, the kind of stories that would have been spread around in small villages, are my favourite things.
I wasn't a huge fan of the court. I think because I was so in love with the atmosphere of the little village Agnieszka grew up in, and the Wood, and the tower, the court ended up being outshone. It also was so heavily dominated by Marek and Solya, who I really just didn't like at all and found very boring (not to mention Marek tried to rape Agnieszka at the beginning of the book, and then just offhand mentioned that he was intending to force her to marry him?). Alosha was the saving grace of this part of the book, and even though I do feel like she fell into some stereotypes (she is black and aggressive and cold), I think she was fantastic (she was brave and dedicated and more intelligent than anyone else in the book).
Lastly, my favourite part of this entire book was Kasia and Agnieszka's relationship. I choose to read it romantically, because I'm a huge bisexual. And as much as Agnieszka and Sarkan's relationship was snarky and tense and brilliant, Kasia was such a great part of this book. Her entire journey was beautifully written, subtle, hidden between the lines. She managed to be so interesting, even though she was absolutely a side character. Even the relationship with her mother coming to light. But she and Agnieszka was absolutely incredible together - the witch and the knight. I could read a whole book just about Kasia.
So yes, if you couldn't tell, I adored this.
I would have loved more about the creatures in the Wood. I was so fascinated by the walkers and the mantis, but I wanted more. That's not really a criticism, but I've loved monsters since I was a child and the brief mentions of the other things living in there were not enough for me. I lived for the parts where Agnieszka mentioned that walkers would come out and steal children, and the stuff early in the book about the cows becoming corrupted and it spreading. Those kind of urban legend types things, the kind of stories that would have been spread around in small villages, are my favourite things.
I wasn't a huge fan of the court. I think because I was so in love with the atmosphere of the little village Agnieszka grew up in, and the Wood, and the tower, the court ended up being outshone. It also was so heavily dominated by Marek and Solya, who I really just didn't like at all and found very boring (not to mention Marek tried to rape Agnieszka at the beginning of the book, and then just offhand mentioned that he was intending to force her to marry him?). Alosha was the saving grace of this part of the book, and even though I do feel like she fell into some stereotypes (she is black and aggressive and cold), I think she was fantastic (she was brave and dedicated and more intelligent than anyone else in the book).
Lastly, my favourite part of this entire book was Kasia and Agnieszka's relationship. I choose to read it romantically, because I'm a huge bisexual. And as much as Agnieszka and Sarkan's relationship was snarky and tense and brilliant, Kasia was such a great part of this book. Her entire journey was beautifully written, subtle, hidden between the lines. She managed to be so interesting, even though she was absolutely a side character. Even the relationship with her mother coming to light. But she and Agnieszka was absolutely incredible together - the witch and the knight. I could read a whole book just about Kasia.
So yes, if you couldn't tell, I adored this.
Truthwitch by Susan Dennard
4.0
What a great introduction into this world. I'm endlessly fascinated by all the different types of witchery we were shown in this, with the possibility of so many more. The worldbuilding was subtle but detailed and every witchery, even the specialisations, felt really distinct. I will say, none of the settings in the book gripped me as much as the beginning chapters in the city and the early chapters on Merik's ship were not my favourite and were at times, confusing.
The characters were fantastic and the priority on Iseult and Safi's friendship was so wonderful. even the romantic aspects didn't overshadow the wonderful loyalty between the two girls. For a good chunk of the book, I wasn't sold on Merik, but he had some fantastic moments that really shone through, especially when it came to Kullen. Similarly Aeduan was another character I wasn't that interested in but within the last handful of chapters, really picked up and shocked me. I hope we see Mathew and Habim again, as well as Alma and Iseult's mother. I don't think we got enough time with them.
Also. I don't know whether it's just me and my obliviousness, but I didn't see any of the twists coming. Nearly every single reveal, if not every reveal, was a shock to me.
The characters were fantastic and the priority on Iseult and Safi's friendship was so wonderful. even the romantic aspects didn't overshadow the wonderful loyalty between the two girls. For a good chunk of the book, I wasn't sold on Merik, but he had some fantastic moments that really shone through, especially when it came to Kullen. Similarly Aeduan was another character I wasn't that interested in but within the last handful of chapters, really picked up and shocked me. I hope we see Mathew and Habim again, as well as Alma and Iseult's mother. I don't think we got enough time with them.
Also. I don't know whether it's just me and my obliviousness, but I didn't see any of the twists coming. Nearly every single reveal, if not every reveal, was a shock to me.
Armistice by Lara Elena Donnelly
4.0
I enjoyed this a lot and loved the secret keeping and heist-aspects and the new perspective of Lillian. I thought Cordelia was fascinating in this one. Ari broke my heart in this one. It's definitely a Second Book; it still feels fast-paced but there is far less action in comparison to the first book. Where the first built and built, this one felt very stable. Still interesting - the dynamics in this are all about who knows what information and who will do what with said information, which is good - just different. I think because the final chapters of the first were so intense, this book did feel underwhelming. But it leaves on a feeling of hope and change and makes me very excited and nervous for the final book.
I thought the supporting characters were interesting, though some were definitely lacking. Jinadh and Lillian....maybe this book managed to pull off heterosexual forbidden lovers? Ari and Cordelia's relationship in this book is really interesting too; not friends, not allies, but birds of the same feather. I loved their interactions in this so much. I loved how much this book was about the conversations these characters were having and what information they shared with each other. I also loved the new setting. So different from Amberlough, but Porachis is just as vibrant and fleshed out.
I did desperately missCyril, and I patiently await my coward son's return. Because I know he's fine. He is. Overall, this series so far has been wonderful. I'm very excited for the conclusion.
I thought the supporting characters were interesting, though some were definitely lacking. Jinadh and Lillian....maybe this book managed to pull off heterosexual forbidden lovers? Ari and Cordelia's relationship in this book is really interesting too; not friends, not allies, but birds of the same feather. I loved their interactions in this so much. I loved how much this book was about the conversations these characters were having and what information they shared with each other. I also loved the new setting. So different from Amberlough, but Porachis is just as vibrant and fleshed out.
I did desperately miss
Amberlough by Lara Elena Donnelly
4.0
4.5 stars
I had so much fun with this. We follow three immensely charming, fascinating and flawed characters who I just fell in love with. Aristide and Cordelia especially were wonderful and entertaining, and Cyril's cowardice and fear by the end of the book was palpable and so realistic. The setting is right up my alley and despite the politics, especially at the beginning, being very difficult to follow sometimes, this book was so action-packed and fast paced and constantly interesting.
I had so much fun with this. We follow three immensely charming, fascinating and flawed characters who I just fell in love with. Aristide and Cordelia especially were wonderful and entertaining, and Cyril's cowardice and fear by the end of the book was palpable and so realistic. The setting is right up my alley and despite the politics, especially at the beginning, being very difficult to follow sometimes, this book was so action-packed and fast paced and constantly interesting.
River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey
3.0
I really loved the concept of this book and the characters all had such interesting variety and quirks. I really appreciated that the author took cowboys, who were black and brown but have been whitewashed to high heaven, and made them diverse again and made them ride hippos. Amazing.
Archie is the most fleshed out I think; she felt the most realised. I thought Cal and Adelia really suffered from the fact that this is a novella and I really couldn’t connect to them at all. Adelia had some interesting lines but because she had very little genuine characterisation, her choices towards the end felt out of the blue. I thought Winslow and Hero were interesting - Hero’s first introduction was by far my favourite and Winslow is obviously the only character to get a backstory - but their romance was far too rushed for me and it was just another thing that suffered from the length of the book. They were cute but their emotional attachment to each other was just not believable for me.
There are aspects of this that I really enjoyed and I think the characters had fantastic potential but the length of this book just means not everything worked as well as I wanted it to. I will say though, this book was shocking. It brilliantly handled a switch in tone. It would go from almost campy, corny dialogue from very basic archetypal characters- the con artist, the assassin, the cheat etc - to very brutal violence and death and consequence. The first chapter had me laugh out loud three times and then gasp when it flipped it all on its head.
It’s definitely worth reading and I will read the sequel, if only to see if these characters develop and become more fully realised, because I did enjoy what we saw of most of them.
Archie is the most fleshed out I think; she felt the most realised. I thought Cal and Adelia really suffered from the fact that this is a novella and I really couldn’t connect to them at all. Adelia had some interesting lines but because she had very little genuine characterisation, her choices towards the end felt out of the blue. I thought Winslow and Hero were interesting - Hero’s first introduction was by far my favourite and Winslow is obviously the only character to get a backstory - but their romance was far too rushed for me and it was just another thing that suffered from the length of the book. They were cute but their emotional attachment to each other was just not believable for me.
There are aspects of this that I really enjoyed and I think the characters had fantastic potential but the length of this book just means not everything worked as well as I wanted it to. I will say though, this book was shocking. It brilliantly handled a switch in tone. It would go from almost campy, corny dialogue from very basic archetypal characters- the con artist, the assassin, the cheat etc - to very brutal violence and death and consequence. The first chapter had me laugh out loud three times and then gasp when it flipped it all on its head.
It’s definitely worth reading and I will read the sequel, if only to see if these characters develop and become more fully realised, because I did enjoy what we saw of most of them.
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
4.0
pros: great worldbuilding, very original and visceral. loved the descriptions of oregeny at work. handles multiple perspectives well, along with a second person perspective [which I don't see very much and usually don't really like very much] which is really beautifully written. overall, very well written, each perspective was interesting and I loved how they eventually all combined very seamlessly. loved alabaster. loved syenite. loved hoa.
cons: for me, the tragic nature of the book is just sticking with me and I can't move past it. I don’t think I was expecting the heaviness of this book, even though I knew it was adult. the almost too graphic descriptions of child sex abuse just hit me in the chest and I can’t forget them. I think if you’re prepared for the mentions of stuff like that, you’ll be okay, but unfortunately I wasn’t.
cons: for me, the tragic nature of the book is just sticking with me and I can't move past it. I don’t think I was expecting the heaviness of this book, even though I knew it was adult. the almost too graphic descriptions of child sex abuse just hit me in the chest and I can’t forget them. I think if you’re prepared for the mentions of stuff like that, you’ll be okay, but unfortunately I wasn’t.