river24's reviews
147 reviews

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night, by Amélie Wen Zhao

adventurous emotional 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

4.25

 4.25/5

So long as we live on, we carry inside us all that they have destroyed.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. This review has been postponed in support of the HarperCollins Union Strike.

This book was great! It's a sweeping story that spans dynasties, sparks the flames of ancient history, and coils across the constellations of mythology. The author's construction of this story is so precise and so skilled.

There are no heroes left for us in this world.

The main aspect of this novel that blew me away was the writing. It was stunning! Normally when you encounter beautiful writing it's in writing shackled to emotions, to larger-than-life characters and their overpowering feelings, and although the writing in this book is always emotive and Zhao still shines in the heartfelt moments, it's the descriptions of settings that enamour you. You are transported into this world and it is impossible to look back, you hear every melody of the wind, you catch every glimpse of moonlight through the trees. Every sight, every sound is within your grasp, effortlessly written. It is such a skill to be able to enchant a reader like Zhao does.

The world is rich and frothing with history. Worldbuilding is always something I admire and you can tell that the author knows every depth and crevasse of her world. Legends and mythologies are wound into the fabric of it, into every story that is told, into words unspoken and forbidden, into books that are left to rot and cultures that are forgotten throughout time. We unravel the history of this world as we are swallowed by it, unlocking new pathways we never dreamed of walking. It is so complex and masterfully woven, sharing glimpses into the secrets of the past with sharp precision at the exact moments the reader needs the information revealed to them.

The characters are also spell-binding. They, too, have histories inside them, legacies and unknowns and ghosts that haunt them. They are complicated and fragile, they are determined and strong. They want to fight for their world, a world they do not know how to save. They want to fight against their enemies, enemies they do not know how to conquer.

So long as there was life, there was hope.

The further you read, the more all-encompassing this story grows and I cannot wait for the sequel! I would particularly recommend this story to those who like xianxia, to those who loved The Poppy War (particularly the shamanism side of it), and to those who like Chinese mythology retellings.

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, by Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

4.25/5

But it's 5 stars in my heart for Crowley and Aziraphale!

The Heartstopper Yearbook, by Alice Oseman

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

4.75/5

So cute it made me want to cry! 

City of Fallen Angels, by Cassandra Clare

medium-paced

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

1.5

1.5/5

Quite possibly the worst thing I've ever read. 

On A Sunbeam, by Tillie Walden

adventurous medium-paced

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

4.25

The Magic Fish, by Trung Le Nguyen

emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.5

Demon in the Wood Graphic Novel, by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Legends & Lattes, by Travis Baldree

hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

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

4.5

 4.5/5

High fantasy, low stakes, great coffee!

This was such a warm, comforting, cosy read, perfect for the winter! I loved Viv, the whole cast of characters, and the sense of community that encompassed the entire book. I devoured it in a day and absolutely adored escaping into this welcoming world.

If you've ever had a dream of opening your own café or bakery... this is the book for you! 

Godkiller, by Hannah Kaner

adventurous 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

4.75

4.75/5

People make gods, and, for better or worse, gods make people.

I absolutely adored everything about this book, it was phenomenal! The world was so vibrant and alive, teeming with history and ancient beings; the characters were so real and human, always flawed and always interesting; the prose was beautiful and evocative. I simply cannot fault it!

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. This review has been postponed in support of the HarperCollins Union Strike.

The world was so rich, flooded with possibilities, unique faiths and conflicting ideals that stirred intrigue and seeded mysteries throughout the story. From the very first page, I was completely immersed within it and felt its life as it lived and breathed all around me. Kaner’s prose was so mesmerising and emotional, it enthralled my every thought and I never wanted to put this book down. I’m astounded that this was a debut, it’s easily one of my favourite books I’ve read this year.

Funerals are for the living. The dead don't mind what the world does to them.

The characters were, to sum them up very plainly, incredible. They each were so fleshed out, with their own intriguing motivations and journeys, their own complicated and ensnaring relationships, their own beliefs and fears and treacheries. They were created so flawlessly that they felt less like creations, less like characters on a page, and more akin to humans. And I loved each and every one of them!

Kissen is a perfect main character, a perfect driving force throughout this story. She’s a veiga, a godkiller, in a world brimming with gods of old and new. She has ghosts that haunt her, the flames of her past contending with the brightness of the future under the ever-watching eye of the sun. She has a purpose in her life that directs her across this wide world, but all that changes when she meets Inara.

Inara is a young girl with mysterious powers and a magical friend (who, I would say, definitely counts as an animal companion). She wants answers to the secrets she has had to keep for years, she wants to understand her place in the world and perhaps create a new one. She goes to Kissen for answers and discovers more than she ever would have guessed.

Inara and Kissen’s relationship is so beautiful to behold and watch as it grows and contorts, fitting around old wounds and scars, shifting amongst their newfound care and shared resilience. It’s a relationship that parallels and reminds me of Geralt and Ciri in the Witcher, a bond of family that refuses to break. 

Kissen and Inara are also similar characters to Geralt and Ciri respectively, and this story holds the same comfort that the world of the Witcher does—a warmth of familiarity that makes it feel like coming home to a place you never wanted to leave.

Another of our main characters is a retired knight named Elogast. I love the ‘retired warrior must pick up his sword one final time’ trope and so I also loved seeing it here. He’s a disillusioned ex-knight, wearing the scars of his battles on his skin. But his worst scars are the ones that lie deep within, on the shards of his memories. He makes an unlikely traveller on the roads and an even more unlikely companion to Kissen and Inara as they travel to the ruins of a city—each with their own compelling motivations.

Even small lives are worth something.

The plot takes us on a winding adventure rooted in a world overflowing with magic. It’s unputdownable and so much fun to read. I cannot wait for the next book and I will fight anyone I must to get my hands on it!

The Tower of the Swallow, by Andrzej Sapkowski

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

 4.25/5

They are not demons, not devils . . . Worse than that. They are people.

The last quarter of this book saved it for me.