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skillyillian's reviews
119 reviews
The Archived by V.E. Schwab
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
i loved this. i absolutely ripped through it as fast as i could. this is no surprise, V is my favorite author after all, but it's still worth saying. this is peak V.E. Schwab, with the graphic parts toned down a bit for the YA audience, but in a way that you don't feel like you're missing out on anything. her characters are unique and funny and believable and consistent. i love seeing what mackenzie (hopefully i spelled that right, i did audiobooks for these) values most and how it affects her decision making. the emo boy absolutely would've done me in when i was in high school lmfao. he's a goober and i love how hard he's trying for mackenzie in this book. i love them working together. just, a great book, and very fun.
The Unbound by V.E. Schwab
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
okay i'm a lazy shit and writing this review literally almost six months after reading this book, but i am still thinking about it. about both books, tbh. craving the third. our FMC is a badass, although like any teenager, susceptible to manipulative dummies who give them attention. i didn't adore how some of the plot this time felt kind of reiterated from the first one, but it wasn't ruining the book for me. i love imaginary friends lmfao. again as usual i'm not a huge fan of will-they-won't-they but i'm not the target YA audience. me a decade ago? i would have eaten that shit up. hell, i ate up the rest of this book in as little time as possible. v.e. schwab has written yet another really entertaining, dark, mysterious book, that had me staying up later than i should have been just to find out what happened next.
i love the world she created with this story, too. she always excels at writing worlds that are only ever a step away from ours. it feels more relatable and easy to get into, while still being far enough away that we can keep feeling safely separate from the monsters and maniacs she has imagined. she's an absolute master of magical realism and this is yet another example of it. her characters are intriguing and unique and have their own secrets and agendas and putting the pieces together is always so fun. i am itching for the third book in this trilogy but i know it's been so long since this book came out that the chances are getting slimmer by the minute. but V....please..... i am begging you to finish their story
i love the world she created with this story, too. she always excels at writing worlds that are only ever a step away from ours. it feels more relatable and easy to get into, while still being far enough away that we can keep feeling safely separate from the monsters and maniacs she has imagined. she's an absolute master of magical realism and this is yet another example of it. her characters are intriguing and unique and have their own secrets and agendas and putting the pieces together is always so fun. i am itching for the third book in this trilogy but i know it's been so long since this book came out that the chances are getting slimmer by the minute. but V....please..... i am begging you to finish their story
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Mental illness, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Gaslighting
Dark Heir by C.S. Pacat
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
oh my god, holy fucking shit??? i may never recover. shout-out to @lilycantstopreading on booksta for recommending C.S. Pacat (seriously give her a follow she's so funny and clever and sweet), but also, she and this author have ruined me. the emotional rollercoaster i just experienced !!!! oh my god!!!!! will and james!!!! oh my god!!!!!!!!
pacat is an excellent writer, beyond stellar. the plot, the word choice, the timing, is all so fucking good. switching POVs at just the right time to add suspense and emotional turmoil!!!!! keeping secrets!!!!!! i'm. i will never be the same. i am not who i was before reading dark rise and dark heir. please god let the third one come out as soon as possible. the content warning list needs an option for "crazy fucking secrets" istg. i love you c.s. pacat but how could you do this to me.
pacat is an excellent writer, beyond stellar. the plot, the word choice, the timing, is all so fucking good. switching POVs at just the right time to add suspense and emotional turmoil!!!!! keeping secrets!!!!!! i'm. i will never be the same. i am not who i was before reading dark rise and dark heir. please god let the third one come out as soon as possible. the content warning list needs an option for "crazy fucking secrets" istg. i love you c.s. pacat but how could you do this to me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Sexual content, and Fire/Fire injury
Grimoires and Gingerbread by Danielle Garrett
3.5
it's fine? there's really not a whole lot going on here haha but it wasn't bad or anything. i think maybe i'm just not a "christmas special novella" kind of girly.
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
dark
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
absolutely had to read this bc i grew up loving the movie. unfortunately, it took me the better part of six months to get through. most of that is me being busy, but part of it was because this book takes a long time to say anything. that being said, i did really like it. the way hoffman writes is magic in and of itself, but she is also seriously verbose to a fault, and can make the book feel like it's dragging on sometimes. gillian shows up to sally's with her, ahem, problem, and it takes literally ages for the story to get on after that. it's a lot of weird weather and romantic drama until the very end of the book, when everything gets solved in about a chapter, maybe two.
i did like how sally's girls are teens in the book, rather than little kids like in the movie. it made them feel more like their own people, rather than accessories for sally. i actually really wish the movie had kept them older, and included the love interests and everything too. i think the movie focused too much on sally, as much as i adore and relate to her. gillian deserved her love interest as much as sally did, but in the movie she doesn't get the kind of closure that you can get from finding a good partner after years of shitty ones. justice for movie gillian!!! maybe it'll be in the second one, idk.
moving on though! the descriptions hoffman writes are lovely. the way magic is as innate and intuitive as the sky is blue is so, so, so darling, even when she's describing sad or difficult things, it just makes you want to sigh and look out a window. i wish i could inject alice hoffman's writing style directly into my veins. i think it would probably cure my depression.
sally and gillian's relationship reminded me so much of my own relationship with my sister, like hoffman watched us grow up and then wrote our story with magic tossed in by the fistful. the same with antonia and kylie. god all four of them reminded me of my life with my sister. i cried several times. there's so much healing and love (and trauma bonding) and it just finds the cracked parts of your heart and soothes them in the same way you'd pet a grumpy cat until their hackles went back down and they cuddled with you.
i do wish the romance had taken longer, i'm not a huge fan of insta-love, but i'll give hoffman a pass because of the magic of it. it was better than the movie, where the aunts did it for sally bc she was so sad and pathetic in their eyes. i do wish the aunts had been in the book more, but i know they have a book of their own, so i might pick it up someday. anyway, long review short: good book. takes far too long to say or do any damn thing, but still worth the read, if you're here for the vibes and not in any kind of hurry. unfortunately i need stories with a little more plot and a lot less fluff, otherwise this would have definitely made it above four stars.
i did like how sally's girls are teens in the book, rather than little kids like in the movie. it made them feel more like their own people, rather than accessories for sally. i actually really wish the movie had kept them older, and included the love interests and everything too. i think the movie focused too much on sally, as much as i adore and relate to her. gillian deserved her love interest as much as sally did, but in the movie she doesn't get the kind of closure that you can get from finding a good partner after years of shitty ones. justice for movie gillian!!! maybe it'll be in the second one, idk.
moving on though! the descriptions hoffman writes are lovely. the way magic is as innate and intuitive as the sky is blue is so, so, so darling, even when she's describing sad or difficult things, it just makes you want to sigh and look out a window. i wish i could inject alice hoffman's writing style directly into my veins. i think it would probably cure my depression.
sally and gillian's relationship reminded me so much of my own relationship with my sister, like hoffman watched us grow up and then wrote our story with magic tossed in by the fistful. the same with antonia and kylie. god all four of them reminded me of my life with my sister. i cried several times. there's so much healing and love (and trauma bonding) and it just finds the cracked parts of your heart and soothes them in the same way you'd pet a grumpy cat until their hackles went back down and they cuddled with you.
i do wish the romance had taken longer, i'm not a huge fan of insta-love, but i'll give hoffman a pass because of the magic of it. it was better than the movie, where the aunts did it for sally bc she was so sad and pathetic in their eyes. i do wish the aunts had been in the book more, but i know they have a book of their own, so i might pick it up someday. anyway, long review short: good book. takes far too long to say or do any damn thing, but still worth the read, if you're here for the vibes and not in any kind of hurry. unfortunately i need stories with a little more plot and a lot less fluff, otherwise this would have definitely made it above four stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
This Love Hurts by Willow Winters, W. Winters
1.0
this love hurts to read. nothing makes sense from a legal/procedural standpoint and the characters are self centered and dumb as rocks. the will-they-won't-they isn't hot or flirty or fun, cody and what's her face could be together just fine, but instead they keep unnecessary secrets and it's all forced conflict for the sake of drama. almost none of the backstory is explained, either. something, somewhere, should make sense, but nothing, nowhere, is tracking. i made myself finish this bc it was fairly short but i regret the time i spent on it tbh.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
it hurts me to give this a low score bc ofc i love the movie so much, but this made me realize that the movie took the title of the book, the characters, and the bare bones and left everything else behind.
what the fuck do you mean howl is welsh???????
the narrator of the audiobook did excellent voices for everyone, and even did a welsh accent for howl. she did a great job. but that was also as much love as i could muster for the book. the story takes ages and ages for anything exciting to happen, there's oodles of stuff that didn't need to happen or be described to the length it was, and howl -- i'm so sorry -- is fucking insufferable. he's a narcissistic little shit and he's so mean to sophie!!! i know she's meddlesome but oh my god does he whinge about it endlessly and just make fun of her the entire time. there's no romance, no developing relationship or anything, it's just him calling her "mrs. big nose" until they hold hands at the very end of the story. good god it was exhausting. he's a spoiled brat!!!! and he did not grow out of it by the end of the book! this, for me, is one of the rare instances where i actually liked the movie better. there's too much book here for the whole lot of nothing that happens. it's all vibes, almost no plot, and the plot that is there is just howl being a whore with everyone in town (multiple towns, actually) while sophie, calcifer, and michael do everything for him the entire time and then he complains about it because it isn't exactly how he wants it done. no thank you.
what the fuck do you mean howl is welsh???????
the narrator of the audiobook did excellent voices for everyone, and even did a welsh accent for howl. she did a great job. but that was also as much love as i could muster for the book. the story takes ages and ages for anything exciting to happen, there's oodles of stuff that didn't need to happen or be described to the length it was, and howl -- i'm so sorry -- is fucking insufferable. he's a narcissistic little shit and he's so mean to sophie!!! i know she's meddlesome but oh my god does he whinge about it endlessly and just make fun of her the entire time. there's no romance, no developing relationship or anything, it's just him calling her "mrs. big nose" until they hold hands at the very end of the story. good god it was exhausting. he's a spoiled brat!!!! and he did not grow out of it by the end of the book! this, for me, is one of the rare instances where i actually liked the movie better. there's too much book here for the whole lot of nothing that happens. it's all vibes, almost no plot, and the plot that is there is just howl being a whore with everyone in town (multiple towns, actually) while sophie, calcifer, and michael do everything for him the entire time and then he complains about it because it isn't exactly how he wants it done. no thank you.
The Watchers by A.M. Shine
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
as i said in my review of The Creeper, A.M. Shine writes great descriptions of stuff and his view of Ireland's cultures and folklore is so interesting. i got through this in about four days, listening as often as i could. shine writes characters who are very individual, they don't feel like cardboard cut-outs and i like that a lot, but it feels like in both books of his i've read now, his characters are so focused on escaping The Horrors (tm) that they don't have room to really develop. They make sacrifices for each other, but it feels like stuff they'd be willing to do (for the people they care about) from the get-go anyway.
the watchers themselves were really fun, i liked how spooky they were, and how the characters had no idea what the hell their deal was until the back half of the story.
i felt like the two bigger twists weren't too difficult to spot, but there were still parts of it i hadn't expected, and i enjoyed getting more details once they happened. madeline being a watcher was the thing i spotted first, although i hadn't figured she was one of them until someone mentioned "what if they could come out during the day?" and then it clicked. i knew she was on their side but i didn't predict her being one of the ones who was trained on the doctor's wife, so mina finding that picture at the college was really fun. the bunker made sense, but the thing that bothered me a little was that it was covered in cement with a heavy table that left the cement with an indent. if the concrete had already been dry, and filled from the door to the level of the floor, it shouldn't have budged into denting with a table on top of it. if the table had been put there while the concrete was wet, it should've been cemented into the space. it didn't feel like the logic was 100% there. why did the doctor cover the one safe space with cement? if he left a "hey you found it" video, expecting someone to end up down there, why would he have covered it with concrete at all? if it wasn't him, then who? madeline? why would she do that, and how, instead of showing it to the other people trapped there? idk. maybe it got explained and i forgot already. i'm writing this review a couple weeks after finishing the book.
anyway, a fun story, if you don't think about certain parts of it too much, lmao. i'm planning on watching the movie at some point, but i don't think i'll read the second book.
the watchers themselves were really fun, i liked how spooky they were, and how the characters had no idea what the hell their deal was until the back half of the story.
i felt like the two bigger twists weren't too difficult to spot, but there were still parts of it i hadn't expected, and i enjoyed getting more details once they happened.
anyway, a fun story, if you don't think about certain parts of it too much, lmao. i'm planning on watching the movie at some point, but i don't think i'll read the second book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
the gasp i fucking gusped lmfao
i feel like you're meant to hate adam and amelia. they're narcissistic little shits with victim complexes the size of the sun. i spent the entire book going "oh my god just get a fucking divorce if you hate each other so much" and then the big plot twist hit and i had to pause my audiobook and just cackle. and then do a bunch of putting information together. and then cackle more. oh my god it was so good. i had genuinely considered DNFing if adam and amelia didn't get any better. robin was the only one keeping me interested, bc i wanted to know what her whole deal was, and i'm so glad i stuck around. i didn't adore the ending, but i kind of don't think you're supposed to. there weren't really any great options by the last chapter or two lmfao, but i think it fit the story perfectly. people that level of batshit bonkers don't have pretty endings tied with a bow. it was excellent. i will be reading more alice feeney asap.
as an aside, the narrators of the audiobook did such a great job. they both put the perfect "unhappy marriage" inflection into their dialogue and inner thoughts, i think part of the reason i didn't like adam or amelia was because they sounded so sick of each other that it made the audience sick of them too lmao. a great listening experiencde tbh.
i feel like you're meant to hate adam and amelia. they're narcissistic little shits with victim complexes the size of the sun. i spent the entire book going "oh my god just get a fucking divorce if you hate each other so much" and then the big plot twist hit and i had to pause my audiobook and just cackle. and then do a bunch of putting information together. and then cackle more. oh my god it was so good. i had genuinely considered DNFing if adam and amelia didn't get any better. robin was the only one keeping me interested, bc i wanted to know what her whole deal was, and i'm so glad i stuck around. i didn't adore the ending, but i kind of don't think you're supposed to. there weren't really any great options by the last chapter or two lmfao, but i think it fit the story perfectly. people that level of batshit bonkers don't have pretty endings tied with a bow. it was excellent. i will be reading more alice feeney asap.
as an aside, the narrators of the audiobook did such a great job. they both put the perfect "unhappy marriage" inflection into their dialogue and inner thoughts, i think part of the reason i didn't like adam or amelia was because they sounded so sick of each other that it made the audience sick of them too lmao. a great listening experiencde tbh.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Moderate: Child abuse
The Creeper by A.M. Shine
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This was a fun, spooky read, but nothing ground breaking. I think Shine is a good writer, I like his descriptions and the way he talks about the culture of Ireland is really lovely and intriguing. The characters in this book are unique and feel very human, which I liked, but I did take issue with his descriptions of Chloe. I understand she was described in a way that made her feel more like an almost surrogate daughter to Ben, and I appreciated that there wasn't really any romance between them because of that. But I think this could have been achieved without Chloe having to be described as yet another impossibly microscopic woman, with teeny tiny feet and so short you'd miss her if you looked up, and on and on. It wasn't as gratuitous as some authors are with their FMCs, but it was more than enough to notice that every time Ben stopped to actually look at Chloe, he noticed another thing about her that was small. Enough small women, please. She can be not-his-kid without being the size of a kid, you just have to develop the characters and their relationship a little bit more.
One thing I did really like though was how, at the end, the author doesn't shy away from the worst possible thing happening. He describes the creeper as being unavoidable once chloe and ben have seen him a third time, and he sticks with it. there's no miraculous escape or knight in shining armor. Chloe and Ben fully get murdered. it's not all that often you see main characters just get yote. i liked it. and i liked that sparling got what he fucking deserved. :)
One thing I did really like though was how, at the end,
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death of parent