thyroyalreader's reviews
38 reviews

Brilliant Maps for Curious Minds: 100 New Ways to See the World, by Ian Wright

funny informative inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

3.75

Fun trivia and things I didn’t know about. If you want to know more or reflect on the state of the world, high recommendations for this book! Generally, a quick but good read.

The Final Gambit, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny mysterious tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

Thoroughly appreciated seeing Avery grow as a character throughout the series. This felt like the High School Musical 3 of the series- recapping what has happened and how much the characters has grown. However, unlike the HSM franchise, this book is my favourite out of the series! Avery’s introspections later in the book (

Spoiler

as she reflects on who Tobias was and who he hurt, comparing to his and Blakes messages to her. I was scared it was going too hard on the “they don't believe in me because I am a girl” but the book found a balance that didn’t harp on it- until it truly mattered

) felt so realistic and like a total pay off. The title becoming useful to the story also is always a fun touch :)

As for characters, I see others commenting on Grayson acting childish and I get that. However, I think it’s along a similar path of why everyone complains about Harry Potter in book 5:

Spoiler

Eve’s presence has him grieving. Being able to deconstruct the feelings of perfection has him wounded. Watching him unpack this is frustrating but I couldn’t get mad in the end.

.

Seeing the background characters from other stories pop up was a bit of a whiplash, since it’s been a second since I read the last book, but the novel did well catching me back up. Jennifer Lynn Barnes does an exceptional job showing how the characters react to new situations— especially

Spoiler

when Eve arrived. The individual reactions from the characters was a process that was heartbreaking just enough it made me suspicious of *everything*

Overall, I don’t give 5 stars often so I felt it warranted discussion on why. Some of the mysteries I did solve, but any good mystery book won’t have all it’s secrets that easily revealed…

This book was a fantastic conclusion to the series and I can’t wait to read “The Brothers Hawthorne”! I’ll probably return to this review in a few days to see if it truly warranted all 5 stars or if I was on the hype train… Time will tell!
Overall, highly recommend!!!

Persephone, by Loïc Locatelli-Kournwsky, Edward Gauvin

Go to review page

adventurous hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

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

5.0

A friend “gifted” it to me (we did a library book swap!) and it was such a fantastic read. The art style reminiscent of Miyazaki and the wonder of the tale, the love of the characters- it’s beautiful. A retelling unlike any other!

Ace of Spades, by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced