lowclasswarrior's reviews
79 reviews
Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard by Tom Felton
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction
Ebony Gate by Ken Bebelle, Julia Vee
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Did not finish book. Stopped at 50%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 50%.
I'm literally halfway through when I decided to DNF this book.
This is a ROMANCE book. I thought it'd be a cool action-adventure fantasy about witches. My bad for going in blind. It started off interesting. A 30-something year old witch with a PhD is a researcher at Oxford when she accidentally stumbles upon an ancient lost manuscript. Eventually daemons, vampires, and other witches are now targeting her in hopes to get it.
I'm not sure what happened to that plot. But the story has just devolved to her relationship with a vampire. Said relationship makes me so uncomfortable. It's like watching a friend lose her identity in the midst of a toxic relationship. He's only in her life because he was literally stalking her in order to get his hands on this manuscript. He's quick to anger, possessive, territorial. He even physically restrains and threatens her, and she describes it like he's a predator and she's his prey. In my head, alarm bells were going off and I was thinking, "Red flag! Red flag! Run, girl, RUN!!" But I guess this is supposed to be romantic?? She's constantly self monologuing about what not to do/say so she won't set off his anger. Um, this is a red flag. I hope people don't aspire to a relationship like this.
Fast forward to halfway in the book. The plot is gone. Now it's just the vampire boyfriend infantilizing her. We're constantly reminded how he's so old, and he treats this college-educated historian like a child. All she does is eat, drink wine, sleep, and go on dates with him. (Seriously, like how is she taking a nap like every 20 pages!!) Btw he's the one commanding her to nap/take a bath/eat or scolding her if she behaves inappropriately all while showering her with expensive gifts. Meanwhile, her internal monologue has shifted to her insecurities and how he's oh so perfect.
I was going to tough it out and finish it. But after reading others' reviews, I learned that the toxicity and abuse is supposed to read as romantic. What kept me going so long was thinking the witch falling in love with her abuser was going to be a plot point. And she'd eventually break free because she's a powerful witch and can fend off a vampire (which her aunt reminds her of in the beginning). But no! This is supposed to be romantic! Witches historically are about female empowerment, but this feels like a step backwards. It started off interesting, but I can't get behind abusive relationships masquerading as romance.
This is a ROMANCE book. I thought it'd be a cool action-adventure fantasy about witches. My bad for going in blind. It started off interesting. A 30-something year old witch with a PhD is a researcher at Oxford when she accidentally stumbles upon an ancient lost manuscript. Eventually daemons, vampires, and other witches are now targeting her in hopes to get it.
I'm not sure what happened to that plot. But the story has just devolved to her relationship with a vampire. Said relationship makes me so uncomfortable. It's like watching a friend lose her identity in the midst of a toxic relationship. He's only in her life because he was literally stalking her in order to get his hands on this manuscript. He's quick to anger, possessive, territorial. He even physically restrains and threatens her, and she describes it like he's a predator and she's his prey. In my head, alarm bells were going off and I was thinking, "Red flag! Red flag! Run, girl, RUN!!" But I guess this is supposed to be romantic?? She's constantly self monologuing about what not to do/say so she won't set off his anger. Um, this is a red flag. I hope people don't aspire to a relationship like this.
Fast forward to halfway in the book. The plot is gone. Now it's just the vampire boyfriend infantilizing her. We're constantly reminded how he's so old, and he treats this college-educated historian like a child. All she does is eat, drink wine, sleep, and go on dates with him. (Seriously, like how is she taking a nap like every 20 pages!!) Btw he's the one commanding her to nap/take a bath/eat or scolding her if she behaves inappropriately all while showering her with expensive gifts. Meanwhile, her internal monologue has shifted to her insecurities and how he's oh so perfect.
I was going to tough it out and finish it. But after reading others' reviews, I learned that the toxicity and abuse is supposed to read as romantic. What kept me going so long was thinking the witch falling in love with her abuser was going to be a plot point. And she'd eventually break free because she's a powerful witch and can fend off a vampire (which her aunt reminds her of in the beginning). But no! This is supposed to be romantic! Witches historically are about female empowerment, but this feels like a step backwards. It started off interesting, but I can't get behind abusive relationships masquerading as romance.