tollylawrey's reviews
58 reviews

Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

SOOOOO GOOD!!

Vicious by V.E. Schwab

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

Had absolutely no clue what was happening, got gaslit by this book beyond belief and I loved it. By far the most interesting read of the year. Reading it by audio book defo didn’t help with the confusion though I must say, probs made it a lot worse so will be keen to reread in book form at some point. If I’m doubt, just jump in and let the vibes carry you. Defo recommend rereading certain bits immediately once you finish bc it helps make it all make sense hahaha.

Voyage of the Basilisk by Marie Brennan

adventurous emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

The Library of the Dead by T.L. Huchu
Did not finish book. Stopped at 47%.

Just wasn’t vibing with it.

A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan

adventurous funny medium-paced

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

3.75

Princess of Souls by Alexandra Christo

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

2.5

Unfortunately didn’t enjoy this as much as I hoped. Very predictable plot so didn’t really enjoy the development. The characters are enjoyable but writing fairly repetitive. If I’d read this as a teenager I would have loved it but I’ve read too many like this now for it to be fresh. Read it if you like darker fantasies! Solid YA read.

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Really loved this book and v much enjoyed the narration on the audiobook. These make or break an audiobook and Moira did a great job. The story is FANTASTIC. I loved all the characters, so many things I was not expecting and overall really original concept. 

The Empire of Gold by S.A. Chakraborty

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

Such an amazing conclusion to a 10/10 series! I haven’t read anything like this before, so refreshing and unique I loved every single page. This world that is created is so full of life and beautifully constructed, I was moved to tears frequently.

The final instalment in this trilogy is heart wrenching, incredibly tense, clever, exhilarating and finishes very satisfyingly.

In five phrases : Islamic mythology, civil war, familial political conflict, mega angst and divine retribution ✨

The Kingdom of Copper by S.A. Chakraborty

adventurous emotional 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? N/A

5.0

This book was amazing! From the get go we have political intrigue, politicking, hesitant alliances being made, characters going through huge levels of growth and maturing, and slowly this massive book develops with the interweaving threads of three storylines from Ali, Nahri and Dara’s POV. I love how the story developed, I could not predict what was going to happen at all which I loved, truly a unique plot and storyline! Nahri grows throughout this book and comes into her role as Banu Nahida, trying her best to stick it out under Ghassan’s rule. And Ali goes through so much growth, I really loved seeing him mature and grow as a character, and learning so much more about him. I found myself frequently rooting for him, and appreciating all the ways in which he was trying to the right thing, even if no one else wanted to support in. As always, some great antagonists, one of which is constantly a grey area in the novel and defo shed a tear for them. 

Honestly - go read this series, it’s one of the best I’ve read in years.