thebookishatelier's reviews
112 reviews

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.0

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

adventurous emotional hopeful 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

Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater

adventurous emotional lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Drizzle, Dreams, and Lovestruck Things by Maya Prasad

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen

adventurous challenging dark 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

3.75

Year of the Reaper by Makiia Lucier

adventurous dark 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? It's complicated

4.0

The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

5.0

A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark
Did not finish book. Stopped at 22%.

Brisingr by Christopher Paolini

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious reflective slow-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? It's complicated

4.0

I grew up loving the Eragon books, and had to do a reread as an adult. While I will always hold my childhood love for them near and dear to my heart, I don't enjoy them as much as I used to. 

Brisingr has many flaws, namely being the pacing and irrelevant information. This book could have comfortably been 400 pages without sacrificing key (and some unimportant elements). Reading about Eragon running places multiple times for 50+ pages was not necessary. While some may enjoy it, I found the dwarves' politics to be tiresome and too lengthy. The best part of the book is the final 100-150 pages. 

So, while I'm not sure 4 stars fits, I can't rate this book lower then that. This rating is not only about how the book is written, but about how much I loved this books. While I have grown as a reader and can see the flaws I didn't as a child, these books are still magical to me. It was worth reading, because the parts that are good held me captivated even now.

Dark Water Daughter by H.M. Long

adventurous hopeful mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0