phaedraismyusername's reviews
696 reviews

The Fury of the Gods by John Gwynne

adventurous dark tense medium-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? Yes

5.0

I cannot stress how phenomenal of a final book this is. Technically speaking, the pacing alone puts to shame 90% of the authors I've read from, the craft that has gone into this conclusion is just incredible, then add to that how much emotional pay off there is for the plot beats and themes through the two previous books, and the authors note explaining just how insanely difficult this whole process must have been for John Gwynne I'm genuinely left so blown away by what he's achieved here.

This might be the best fantasy trilogy I've ever read. 

The Hunger of the Gods by John Gwynne

adventurous dark medium-paced

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

5.0

Reread but still excellent. I can't wait to get into Fury next 

Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente
Did not finish book. Stopped at 23%.

Nothing wrong with it it's just not to my taste 

Foul Days by Genoveva Dimova

adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-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? Yes

4.0

This was a really solid read. I've been  enjoying a lot of Slavic inspired fantasy books lately and this is another great example of the very particular sense of humour and an almost sarcastic flavour of whimsy that are absolutely cultural markers that just add so much tone to this kind of story and yeah I had a good time I'll definitely pick up the next one 

The Fireborne Blade by Charlotte Bond

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss

dark tense fast-paced

• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This book made me glad I've never had a dad

The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

I liked the first half more than the second...

it was tied up a little too neatly for my tastes I was hoping for more exploration  of the cosmic horror rather than a creature horror

When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I liked all the individual pieces that make up the foundation of this novel, including the writing which was beautiful in places especially during the scenes where she's reminiscing about her childhood, but unfortunately the heavy handedness of the delivery in the last act left me a little wanting

Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

The love triangle and love interests are soooo tedious already man. I also got to 50% and truly felt like nothing had happened it was incredibly disappointing compared to the pacing of the last two. 

And don't get me started on the way rape was used in this. It felt incredibly unnecessary and generally left a bad taste in my mouth for reasons beyond the actions on the page.

I dunno I'll try the next one but woof the shine has worn thin on this series already lol 

Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews

adventurous dark funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

Look at me discovering the joys of finding a book series that requires absolutely no brain  power to read. These 2000's paranormal series are so incredibly easy to consume, the girlies were right, this feels like a holiday compared to my normal books I'm having a great time