A mermaid political thriller. No, I'm not joking. Heavy classism/racism, and a young girl coming of age and standing up for the equality she believes iA mermaid political thriller. No, I'm not joking. Heavy classism/racism, and a young girl coming of age and standing up for the equality she believes in. A beautiful world and a cool concept. My only issue is the romance felt flat. I just didn't feel the longing or lust of it. I was far more into every other plot thread than that one. And I'm a shipper. Also, lets take a beat to thank the gods for the cover artist. Like seriously, I hope they got paid well because they *deserve* it....more
I am so obsessed with theme parks and behind the scenes at them right now (I've also got my eyes on the Fairyland Romances by JThis was such good fun.
I am so obsessed with theme parks and behind the scenes at them right now (I've also got my eyes on the Fairyland Romances by Jaxon Knight), so I was excited for this one, but also hesitant because I'm wary of "girl dates another girl to get a guy's attention" plots, because they are often riddled with problematic ideas. Fortunately both the pov character and her 'accomplice' brought up many of these problems, and the point was much more about getting close to him in a non threatening way (supposedly) not using the other girl to make her sexier or more appealing to him.
I love love love bi leads <3 Though I was a little confused, because we were thrown into her being obsessed with Nick, but the fact she had crushes on girls didn't come up for several chapters, so by then, mentally I had her straight in my head. Not to mention her crush on Nick felt so very real(and was so strongly and repeatedly established) it made me a bit sluggish to shift focus, even though Seeley is very crush-worthy too. I feel like if there'd been more scene of Lou enjoying time spent with Seeley(especially when it was also time with Nick so sometimes she was more focal than him still), admiring Seeley ect even while shenanigans with Nick were happening I could have shifted gears quicker.
Lou as a character is very well fleshed out, but she suffers (as a few teens I know do) with a severe case of selfishness. For real, this girl doesn't care that her dream guy has a girlfriend, doesn't care about her friend's feelings (not just the ones she doesn't know about, but even when she says, I don't like this' Lou goes puh-puh-puh-please, and makes her), doesn't care that Mr. P might have his own, very valid reasons for selling the park off. She doesn't give a fuck. Well, not until the end anyway. She's also totally one of those dog-with-a-bone characters, but frustrating as all that is, it makes her feel more real to me (even though I would pay money to slap her face).
And while we're on characters can we all take a moment to appreciate Nick. Nick was a magnificent character who deserved so much better than he ended up getting (view spoiler)[ cheated on by his princess girlfriend, cheated out of his hot dog girlfriend by bad timing. (hide spoiler)]. Seriously, Dugan, write a follow up story where this boy gets his HEA please. He deserves it. I will buy it.
A quick read, often fluffy, occasionally a teeny bit problematic, but over all quite fun....more
Still sassy and fun, but heads up if you're planning on getting this for someone on the much younger end of the YA age range it's fairly bloody. CanniStill sassy and fun, but heads up if you're planning on getting this for someone on the much younger end of the YA age range it's fairly bloody. Cannibalism, throat slitting, ect. These are pirates after all. Also drownings, because sirens.
So glad we thoroughly got a good look at how wrong Alosa's relationship with her father really is. Though a bit disappointed I didn't get a real look at his motivations beyond "yar har I'm a nasty pirate, arg".
Loving the sirens, also i got the more swashbuckling/less espionage that I'd hoped for after reading the previous volume.
The politics in this one felt a bit muddier. I knew what was going on in the first volume and while I didn't agree with everyone, I knew why they wereThe politics in this one felt a bit muddier. I knew what was going on in the first volume and while I didn't agree with everyone, I knew why they were doing what they were doing, in this one I felt less certain. I also still wasn't on board with the romance yet. They just didn't feel like a 'new' couple to me, especially not a new young couple.
Despite that, I still had fun with the intrigue and adventure. (view spoiler)[ the 'was he really sent by the king' and the 'who on the team is after her life' plots were good fun, also, adpoting a baby dragon and introducing it to your pet dolphin - if only I had those problems in my life ;p Also, tbh, I ship Jade with the guard captain (whose name escapes me now since I'm writing this review a month later and after having read another ten books since, sorry, I really need to get more prompt with writing my reviews), more than with her actual beau. Sorry, the heart wants what the heart ships ;p (hide spoiler)]
I look forward to the next book, though I'm waiting for the audiobook, because I'm a mum with two jobs, so my time for paper and ebooks is minimal ;p...more
So wow. I'm not sure if it was something about the epistolary style or what but this story grabbed me by the heartstrings and puppeted me around my hoSo wow. I'm not sure if it was something about the epistolary style or what but this story grabbed me by the heartstrings and puppeted me around my house (I tend to read audiobooks while doing housework if that line made no sense ;p ).
There was something just so cute about the slow and steady progress of these two boys falling for one another, something so touching about their struggles and the way they came together. The characters are deeply and wonderfully fleshed out. I want to read more of Henstra's stuff so i can start to analyse her characterisation techniques ;p
There were times that the realist in me was like "C'mon there is no way they would write this out in letters to each other", Henstra did try to address this by having the characters even write their reasons for doing so down in the letter, but I wasn't always buying it. What I did buy however was the emotional journey. Hook, line, and sinker y'all. I actually got misty eyed in one of the romantic bits around the middle of the story, and repeatedly enjoyed giddy moments right alongside the boys.
A sensible adult part of me was wary from the start about the boys' age gap. Three years is HUGE in high school. It's like if I'd hooked up with my husband in high school. Yeah, no way that would have happened. (For the record I am three years older than my husband and we did attend high school together and did know each other back then, but as the elder of the two I can assure you he wasn't even on my radar that way back then ;p ) I was also a bit wary of the age gap dynamics, but then Jo ended up being such a mature young man, and a lot of the time Kurl seemed like he was so deep in love that I didn't feel any creepy 'grooming' vibes that I'd feared(as I would if I saw an 18yo guy dating a 15yo girl).
All up the book was a delight. It really swept me up. I'm tempted to try a reread later this year to see if it still hits the same emotional resonance a second time....more
In the middle of the well-known Beauty and The Beast story, there was another secret aside. after being gifted the library by the Beast Belle discoverIn the middle of the well-known Beauty and The Beast story, there was another secret aside. after being gifted the library by the Beast Belle discovers a book she really can disappear into. Will the luxurious life in the pages tempt her to literally escape reality forever?
Honestly, while I overall enjoyed the book the major element of the plot felt a little too obvious - I mean is Belle a dumbass? How did she not think, 'hmmm, this is a bit too good to be true'? She's a savvy girl. I mean, she can think it then dismiss it, or justify it away but I'm horrified there were no alarm bells for her until it was waaaaaay to late. Disney's Belle never came across as an idiot to me.
I loved the concept of Love and Death, especially their being the opposing forces, not life and death. I thought their bookending scenes (the prologue and epilogue) were wonderfully set up and executed.
Like in my earlier review of 'The Beast Within' the end of the story was rushed, the romance compacted, abbreviated. I assume this has been done because everyone already knows how Beauty and the Beast ends, but c'mon! I read this story to revel in the romance - don't fast forward my HEA moment.
I really loved the flair still put into the side characters like Cogsworth and Mrs. Potts, they were so vivid and fun despite so little page time.
Also the ending felt a little too convenient. (view spoiler)[ the beast just *happened* to give her a necklace just before she went into the book and it was EXACTLY what she needed to get out? I don't remember any hints that something like the glass heart would prove strong against Death. (hide spoiler)] I did like how (view spoiler)[Belle was able to give life to and save some of her foes in the lead up to the final showdown, but not all of them, it felt like the perfect balance between fairy tale and realism. (hide spoiler)]...more
This book committed one of my gravest series sins - were it not for that this book would have been four stars like many of its predecessors - and thatThis book committed one of my gravest series sins - were it not for that this book would have been four stars like many of its predecessors - and that crime is ending on a total cliffhanger. Don't get me wrong, you can leave me in the lurch on something huge, but you need to have wrapped something up, given me a sense this book actually had a climax and we are now in the denoument (eg/ In Dhonielle Clyton's The Belles (cue spoilers for the aforementioned book)(view spoiler)[ there was a tragic death the main character and her sister were arrested for due to evil machinations by the main villain, and the secret betraying villain was revealed in the same process. The girls managed to escape the jail and sail off, but the future is still full of danger and uncertainty. Clayton left me in the lurch, but she revealed things in a dramatic climax and wrapped something up (the escape from jail) to give me a feeling of, this book is done though the series clearly is not (hide spoiler)], but in this book, nothing felt wrapped up...
On the plus sides we finally get to dig in properly to the Odd sisters, discovering why they did all that they did....more
Something about this book lacked some of the sparkle of the first. I five starred the first book, that how much I loved it (I try to be stingy with mySomething about this book lacked some of the sparkle of the first. I five starred the first book, that how much I loved it (I try to be stingy with my five stars, saving them for my real hits), but this book while still, fun, intriguing, and expanding on the quality worldbuilding set up in the earlier volume wasn't quite as good. the pacing was a little off and Camille didn't seem to do very much except fret. TBH it felt like a middle book of a trilogy for the fair majority of pages, then BAM, the book's over and everything's wrapped up like it was the final book. I'm also a tad miffed we didn't get all the story behind some of the important facets of the world building (like why being Gris makes people go mad. I thought in the first book we didn't see anyone that way so assumed it was lies and propaganda, but in this book it was established it was a fact, but not revealed as to why). I assume there will be other stories set in this world forthcoming....more
It was really hard for me to keep the movie Maleficent separate in my head, so I was regularly halting wondering if I was mixing the two up. Just likeIt was really hard for me to keep the movie Maleficent separate in my head, so I was regularly halting wondering if I was mixing the two up. Just like the movie, this story gives Maleficent a backstory that shows why she became the villain we all remember from Sleeping Beauty. Again 'good guy' characters are turned into the villains, this time in a way that makes it almost impossible to see them as good at all, so I'm now assuming these stories exist in their own universe....more
The book feels more like it's about Princess Tulip (from the Beast's book) and the Odd sisters more than Ursula, which was a little frustrating. I meaThe book feels more like it's about Princess Tulip (from the Beast's book) and the Odd sisters more than Ursula, which was a little frustrating. I mean it's Ursula's story, let her rock it. I mean I did feel bad for Tulip in the previous book, and am glad she earned her HEA, but c'mon, this was Ursula's chance to shine like the glorious sea queen she is.
Something I liked in the earlier two books was how no one who already existed in canon had been explicitly at fault for the villains becoming, well, villainous, thus meaning these books could exist without breaking from it. This book however put a lot of blame on (view spoiler)[ Triton, thus making it much harder to see him in the movies as a sympathetic father if you take these books as canon. (hide spoiler)]
As a Disnerd a part of me was so joyous when Ursula was literally saying the lines of her song in this book XD
The story jumped around a bit, and there were a lot of extra characters all around swamping out the Ursula part of the storyline, but also just making the story feel a bit more choppy. However I still read the story like pop corn and will be going straight on to the next book, so it wasn't too bad....more
Returning to the villains universe with the Beast this time.
I liked the idea of the prince and Gaston once having been besties, and even highly competReturning to the villains universe with the Beast this time.
I liked the idea of the prince and Gaston once having been besties, and even highly competitive asses together. The inclusion of the Odd sisters connects this story to the last, but TBH the Odd Sisters seem like they're supposed to be sinister, but most of the time it's just their goofy simultaneous speaking. I did really enjoy the inclusions of (view spoiler)[ their sister Circe and how she was involved too. Also did anyone else feel terrible for the other princess, Tulip? (hide spoiler)]
There was less of the motivational depth that I was hoping for the the previous book in the series gave me, and the actual romance between Beast and Belle felt super rushed and again with the no naming. I'm hoping future books don't continue to do this because it's kinda starting to bug me.
Overall this wasn't as powerful and moving as the first book, but was an interesting different view....more
I love love love seeing the villain motivations, especially well-crafted ones like this. I'm obviously a Disnerd, so this series was a must read for mI love love love seeing the villain motivations, especially well-crafted ones like this. I'm obviously a Disnerd, so this series was a must read for me that I'm glad I got around to.
I loved the queen, terrible happenstance after terrible happenstance leads to a downward spiral of depression, and the abuse she suffered from her father molded her so she barely had any choice in the matter. As a result the story is heartbreaking as everything destroys the good person she once was. It's weird to say it but I loved that ;p Anyone who's read my Charming stories knows I love the pitiable villains, so this was right up my alley. I was disappointed however they never gave the queen's name. It occasionally felt awkward the way they were avoiding it. But I thought she already had a canon name?
Overall a good short book for fans of Disney and more complicated villains....more
This is a YA book that faces the question of what to do with the 'rest of your life' after graduating high school. I'm always a bit partial to these sThis is a YA book that faces the question of what to do with the 'rest of your life' after graduating high school. I'm always a bit partial to these sort of threshold books. This book tackles it with fun and wit.
Set in a very small town (like the one I lived on a farm near) in Australia it rang with nostalgia for me. I loved Alba and her friends, it all rang so true. I also really loved how Alba had always loved her curves.
The end of the world prophecy was so much fun, and brought a lot of life to the story. I can totally see so much of this happening IRL too.
I did have a slight problem that right at the start Alba says the story is about two boys but 'not in that way', (view spoiler)[but then it turns out to be EXACTLY that way. It left a bad taste in my mouth. I don't mind a bit of 'unreliable narrator', but that's just a 600% outright lie, and not a 'the narrator was misled so unintentionally mislead you sort of lie. (hide spoiler)]
Overall this is a fun, real and witty YA threshold tale....more
A good conclusion to the series, expect all the fae skulduggery of earlier books but a bit more YA romance. Why did i specify YA in front of romance? A good conclusion to the series, expect all the fae skulduggery of earlier books but a bit more YA romance. Why did i specify YA in front of romance? Because the trope of the (view spoiler)[ guy makes the decision to break up (or equivalent) for the safety of the girl, and she of course thinks it's because he doesn't love her, cue angst. I'm really over that particular device in romantic stories, but I'll forgiveit for this book because I enjoyed so much of the rest of it. (hide spoiler)]...more
An interesting read, but I've liked other books by the author far more.
I liked some of the introspection on vampirism in the book, the 'are they diseaAn interesting read, but I've liked other books by the author far more.
I liked some of the introspection on vampirism in the book, the 'are they diseased or demonic?' concept specifically - but was mildly miffed it remained unanswered. I also liked that vampires seem to still decay just at a massively slowed pace (older ones had gaunt cheeks, or arthritic looking hands, and many smelled of decay). However Tana wasn't someone I truly empathised with. We just didn't quite click as protagonist and reader. I didn't hate her, but didn't love her either. First chapter or two were great, but after that I was enjoying myself but not enthused. Perhaps because I don't get Tana's many dumbass decisions and (as I often do in vampire books) never understood why she so adamantly refused to change. I get it's supposed to be a trope, but it rarely makes sense to me, especially when their love interest is a vampire. On the plus side there were some good fun twists, and a few nice emotional gut punches.
I loved the worldbuilding, how coldtowns work, the way the internet and social media would warp around it, the fact that the story acknowledged that coldtowns weren't adopted world-wide, other countries had their own differing ways (OMG America acknowledging the rest of the world doesn't just follow along/not exist, IKR! ;p ). ...more
I read this book because one of my friends in my writers group used it's opening line as an example of how an opening line should hook you. It did. I I read this book because one of my friends in my writers group used it's opening line as an example of how an opening line should hook you. It did. I was 600% "shut up and take my money" ;p
The book seems to share the fae world that exists in the 'Folk of the Air' series (which is currently the only other Holly Black I've read thus far, and I kept trying to see if there was any real crossover. I love the idea of the town of Fairfold, so close to fae for so long that everyone just rolls with it, and if you aren't just infatuated with the idea of a horned boy on a glass coffin in the forest then clearly fairy tales and fae worlds are not your jam.
I liked the character of Hazel quite a bit, the neglected upbringing, the knightly aspirations from a young age. However Ben felt flat to me, a bit like he was an accessory, there to enhance her story - when he should have been more. This didn't really diminish my enjoyment of the story however. I did love Jack and wish we'd got to see more of him, an Severen too ;p The character relationships were all nicely complicated and delicious.
A good fun romp through the darkside of fae which seemed over all too soon....more
A great ending to a very cool trilogy. You already know the world building is cool and the characters are great so what you want to know is how the enA great ending to a very cool trilogy. You already know the world building is cool and the characters are great so what you want to know is how the ending holds up. I'm going to be a bit vague in describing what I like so as not to spoiler things for you.
-Loved the deepening of of the Darkling, and the empathy of Alina. -Mal's twist is great, definitely did not see that one coming. -Unlike some YA fantasies while the love quadrangle does still get plenty of page time, the war/uprising doesn't get back-seated to the point of ridiculousness -I very much enjoyed seeing the truth behind the 'myth' of Sankt Ilya and how it helps so many of the puzzle pieces slide together....more
A solid 'middle' book of a trilogy. Darker than its predecessor. Also a little more melodramatic as the triangle becomes a quadrangle and a bit of 'woA solid 'middle' book of a trilogy. Darker than its predecessor. Also a little more melodramatic as the triangle becomes a quadrangle and a bit of 'woe is me' starts circulating. Nikolai is the best - but I knew he would be since I'm a weirdo who started with 'King of Scars' ;p ...more
This book has a wealth of strong characters doing fun things in a cool world. The story has some great page-turning velocity which made it a quick reaThis book has a wealth of strong characters doing fun things in a cool world. The story has some great page-turning velocity which made it a quick read - I'm certainly glad I had the next book already in my possession so there was no wait ;p
I kinda wish I hadn't read 'King of Scars' first(I had thought it was a truly standalone story, and while it works that way it spoilers a *lot* of this series) since that meant I already knew the big mid-point twist and it ruined half the fun of the love triangle. Though it definitely was a better rendered love triangle than a lot of what's floating around in YA these days. It is still very solidly a YA tale though, with a lot of the familiar YA tropes and overall feel (not a bad thing ;p )
The world building and magic system were an original take. I loved the concept of the fold.
Alina is a great female lead. Even with all things against her she still has so much pluck, and aside from a little self-degradation around her looks she never perceives herself as useless or a waste of space....more
This one gave me all the YES of the very first book of this series. A totally understandable back story that made you realise how someone could turn iThis one gave me all the YES of the very first book of this series. A totally understandable back story that made you realise how someone could turn into the villain that could believeably fit into canon (though I'm now pretty sure this is a paralell universe series), but also makes you feel so damn bad for them. Though there was a LOT of putting hazelnut spread on bread. I didn't realise people actually did that. I know they show it on the label but I and everyone I've ever known just eats it with a spoon right out of the jar like a savage ;p...more
Oh wow. I read the blurb a while back and promptly put this book in my Audible cue, but then proceeded to listen to about thirty other books before itOh wow. I read the blurb a while back and promptly put this book in my Audible cue, but then proceeded to listen to about thirty other books before it finally reached the top of my cue and since the book prior to this was 'Lost In A Book'(a Disney spin-off book) and i new this book was from a Disney publisher my brain thought I was about to leap back into another Beauty and the Beast retelling/reimagining. Lol, nope - but in a good way.
So what does this book have? Magic, mystery, intrigue, romance, familial love, representation, and of course drama. We'll start with mystery: why are the people of Orléans *actually* cursed to be grey-skinned, red-eyed, and gross haired? What's the truth of the Belles, thier magic, and how they're born? What lies beyond the realm of Orléans? (there was some mention of walls and foreign trade, but nothing about whether there are other people out there that don't turn grey without Belle powers). So many questions. There is no way I wouldn't pick up the next volume because I need to know.
Magic: the 'Arcana' the Belle's use to make grey people beautiful is an intriguing power. It's blood ties, it's need to be replenished, sometimes by leeches (lol, yuck). It's a very cool magic system, and I feel sure we're going to find it goes much deeper yet.
Intrigue: This was the good kind of politics! no boring machinations extensively laid out by talking heads, instead just a young woman stuck between political powers that all want her to do things that are counter to someone else's wishes.
Representation: The lead character is a gorgeous woman with dark brown skin but she isn't a token, there are many other people of colour and it seems like people embrace all those different colours without hesitation (though they also embrace unnatural colours as well, as long as it's not grey). While it's almost a throw away line there was a headline about how the queen passed a law that allowed a young trans woman to use the Arcana to finally transition. There's also so many girls with other girls which made me happy(though I'm miffed that the only on-page fatality was a queer woman >:( nope thanks), but I'm trying to remember if there were any men with men (I might just have missed it in all the other awesome tho).
I honestly did not pick (view spoiler)[ the betrayal by August, but it didn't matter because I already preferred Remy anyway ;p (hide spoiler)]
I loved the feel of the world, the society felt reminiscent of the Capitol in The Hunger Games: the decadence, the self-centeredness, the passion for fashion, but it didn't feel like a carbon copy. There was way more to it all. Also I want a teacup dragon, but I wonder if there are any non-teacup pets. It was always tea cup this, tea cup that, no one just had a dog or cat.
Most importantly, Camille herself started out determined to show everyone how they were beautiful in their own way - character in hooked noses, adorableness in freckles, ect - but she was coming up against people adamant to not see what she could see. I'm sad she didn't reach the point of growth (view spoiler)[where she could stand up to Sophie until it was too late for it to make a difference, but I suppose in a series you can't do all the growing in the first book ;p (hide spoiler)]
I really need to get into the habit of reviewing books as soon as I finish, but so often I'm reading via audiobook so finish when I'm driving or in thI really need to get into the habit of reviewing books as soon as I finish, but so often I'm reading via audiobook so finish when I'm driving or in the middle of chores, so just jump straight into the next audiobook, then repeat ad infinitum until it is two months later (exactly in this case ;p ) and all you can remember is you liked the book, the ash crown was such cool imagery + awesome torture, there was a love triangle but it wasn't a crap one and there were really good depictions of someone coming out from under an abuser and fighting back but struggling still because of the trauma.
I can still recommend the book, because I went straight onto the next one when done, and got cranky that the third book is still a while away ;p...more
Labyrinths, maps, apprentice cartographers, magic, and girls dressing as boys, this hit like half of my favourite things in one fell swoop. It did nonLabyrinths, maps, apprentice cartographers, magic, and girls dressing as boys, this hit like half of my favourite things in one fell swoop. It did none of them an injustice. Strong themes of friendship and family and a young woman's plot that didn't revolve around romance. ...more
Wow. No seriously, wow. So much fairy tale magic, beautiful characters, terrible villains, good people doing good things even though it might not win thWow. No seriously, wow. So much fairy tale magic, beautiful characters, terrible villains, good people doing good things even though it might not win them what they want, all the things! I am going to go out and buy a paper copy of this book so when Harley is old enough to sit still for it i can read this to her....more
I'll probably be burned at the stake for admitting this, but I've not read the original Jane Eyre, so I came into this book pretty damn fresh. I'm notI'll probably be burned at the stake for admitting this, but I've not read the original Jane Eyre, so I came into this book pretty damn fresh. I'm not sure how close or far the characters are to their originals. But that also means I'm not distracted by any diversions from the original plot.
Like this books predecessor, My Lady Jane, there's a lot of modern style humour and plenty of laughs. Quite a few references to pop culture such as The Princess Bride and Harry Potter as well. Fortunately some of the issues I had with the previous book were not here. The narrator interjection was less frequent and overbearing, and there was no massive end of book infuriation as a result of a particularly egregious interjection either.
The plot was both fun and funny. I especially loved the fun poked at the age gap between Rochester and Jane, and the eventual reason we find out for it all.
One issue that confused me, near the end there was a scene where the ghosts of Lady Jane and G from the previous book were seen but absolutely no mention was made anywhere in the book of the existence of edians (people who transform into animals). None. At all. Not even a 'Edians were a thing but now they're not because...' sentence/paragraph/snippet of explanatory dialogue/egregious info dump. Considering the reactions had when G the ghost turned into a horse you'd think no one had a clue what Edians were. Seriously, if this isn't covered in the next book I'll consider this a MAJOR fail or this book.
Overall, a good bit of fun, especially if you enjoyed the first book....more
A hilarious and sweet rewrite of the history of Lady Jane Grey.
The characters are good fun: the young, ill-fated king who just wants a pash before he A hilarious and sweet rewrite of the history of Lady Jane Grey.
The characters are good fun: the young, ill-fated king who just wants a pash before he shuffles off this mortal coil, and the young couple to be with their plentiful misconceptions about one another, all three of them being pushed about on the political chessboard.
The setting is mostly familiar, Tudor period England, but with shifters (or rather, edians). It was interesting, but not a great deal of description was given to somethings which I would have loved to have gotten a better picture of. I assume the authors figured most people reading were already familiar with the period and setting.
Be forewarned a lot of the humor is more modern, which technically works because the frame story is that the frequently interjecting into the story narrators are historians of some sort who researched the 'truth', but if you don't like modern humor in your historical fiction then this one might be one to avoid.
There are a LOT of references in this. Some of it's quite funny, but some of it is just distracting. There was of course plenty of Shakespeare (which makes sense with a narrator comment on the fact near the end, and I'd suspected as much myself), but also many other pop culture sorts of things like 'tales of my demise have been greatly exaggerated', and 'frying pans, who knew?' to name just a few. But it happens. A lot. Occasionally it actually threw me from the story. Though not half so bad as some of the narrator interjections. Some were funny, like the one about where she got the rope (though that did also break the tension which would have been fine to be left high IMO), but there was one that really infuriated me (view spoiler)[ right before the battle leading into the climax the narrators took a break to point out the reader should be aware anyone could die. They were pointing out what's expected in a climatic battle scene, and then worst of all - no one did. I'm sorry. If you're going to break the narrative flow to interject for the purpose of reminding the reader that character death is a possibility and then no one dies you have broken a promise to the reader(as well as breaking the flow/velocity). I expect their goal was to make readers more aware of the possibility but FFS it's battle in the Tudor period, heads rolled regularly then, no need to remind us. (hide spoiler)]
The story overall was good fun and I look forward to the next volume which is supposedly about Jane Eyre....more
Since cheeky Razo was one of my favourite side characters in the previous two books I was really glad to see him take center stage in this one, and alSince cheeky Razo was one of my favourite side characters in the previous two books I was really glad to see him take center stage in this one, and also his advancement as a character.
Because of the POV character River Secrets feels like a return to the slightly lighter tone compared to Enna Burning, but when you actually think about the contents, it's not fully - it's just Razo. The mystery elements were good fun for me, but again if you're looking for a fairy tale retelling, you'll not really find it.
The shift from female POVs to a male POV was smoother than I might have thought, but again, largely because Razo is so fun. Have I drilled that home enough yet? ;p
I really love how in this series the first love isn't always the true love.
A really fun series so far, I'm looking forward to starting the next one tomorrow....more
This book has a grimmer tone and content that the previous book, The Goose Girl. It's still a good read, but if ou're expecting a fairy tale retellingThis book has a grimmer tone and content that the previous book, The Goose Girl. It's still a good read, but if ou're expecting a fairy tale retelling and much of the lightness that implies, you may be disappointed. However I loved the views and turns this book took.
I'm really intrigued by the magic system, how specifically fire works and moves and is moved. (view spoiler)[ and the way knowing another complimentary magic can help ease the all-encompasing force of the first. (hide spoiler)]
Once the world was alive with magic until the king tried to stamp it out, murdering thousands and severing the peoples' connection with the gods. Now Once the world was alive with magic until the king tried to stamp it out, murdering thousands and severing the peoples' connection with the gods. Now he raises his children to help him continue to suppress those with white hair - those who would have possessed magic. But now relics have resurfaced, there is a chance for magic to be restored.
I love a good fantasy which has a message but doesn't beat you over the head with it. Even without the author's note at the end I'd guessed some of what drove Adeyemi to write this book. Funnily enough the book I read before this was The Hate You Give, so I was in an extra receptive mood for it. I really liked the way she dug into those emotions too. Zélie's connection with her mother and to a lesser extent Amari's connection to Binta were so much of what I loved about this book.
The interplay of relationships in the main team is delicious. I won't ruin it with detailing the multiple changes and shifts throughout, but it's a delight to watch their relationships change and grow along with them all.
Also, it's a rollicking good time, jaunting about the world-scape. We go to jungles, mountains, deserts, capital cities, and sea side (or more accurately on the sea) villages and islands that only appear once every hundred years. This is what epic fantasy is all about people! I'm also totally into the much more diverse cast since this is a very West African setting (I think someone mentioned Nigeria specifically, but IDK if that was fact or their best guess). I loved the whole pantheon and its history too.
On the not so good sides, I struggled a bit with differentiating between Amari and Zélie's voices, partly because the audiobook narrator didn't seem to put on a different voice for them, but also partly they felt very similar in general. They shared a similar past pain(one fresher than the other but still), had similar goals, and opinions. If I didn't concentrate on whose name was at the start of the chapter I sometimes got confused when they referred to their brothers, since you know one was the bad guy and the other not...
Here be some ending spoilers: (view spoiler)[ the solution of the end complication was pretty dang cool. Actually the end complication itself was pretty cool - having her lose her connection to her goddess through her torture was a great stumbling block, even if it was a bit of a cop out that they just happened to find some great sea faring mercenaries who hadn't been hinted at earlier in the book, just conveniently showed up to ferry them over and fight for them at the right price...(I wouldn't have this problem if I had heard of the mercenaries a couple of other times earlier in the book, but they showed up, got their 'I just appeared on stage' info dump introduction(don't worry it wasn't epicly infodumpy) and saved the day. Even if I did enjoy the captain's blatant flirting with Zélie quite thoroughly, it's too convenient and abrupt, especially when just slipping a few mentions, literally just a line or two, earlier in the book would have smoothed this away for me.)
And now for Inan. TBH in that climactic scene when Inan so fully betrayed Zélie by making her destroy the scroll with her magic, when he died all I could think of was [image] But I also would have liked it more if I'd not been so happy he died. I love to cry, and this was the perfect set up of it, but the fact that even as he died like the horrible little zealot he reverted to he only felt remorse he hadn't made her believe with him, not that he'd really actually hurt her and screwed everything up (he did feel a little that way, but not in the right ways to tug my heartstrings). I know that someone who would do what he did would probably die thinking that way, but I wasn't upset by his death, and I totally could have been if his dying thought looking at Zélie were just that little bit different. Make me cry damnit, I love it! (hide spoiler)]
There were a few really awkward weird lines too (though nothing as good as 'The Lovely Bones' "pupils like ferocious olives" no one can beat that XD ). (view spoiler)[Like Amari's "my brother is either about to betray us or something else". WTF? If you read that line like the foreshadowing it actually was it make sense for the first half but then the second half is too vague to work, but on the first read before you see what it is foreshadowing it looks like she's saying her brother falling in love makes him behave like he's about to betray everyone, which makes me wonder WTF? It was just so weird a line, and it 100% jarred me out of the story. A little bit of a finer toothed-comb in editing might have smoothed out this rough line into a easier read that still did it's job as foreshadowing. (hide spoiler)]
I'm hoping subsequent volumes will make some of the past a little clearer, because if the king and his father really were betrayed so badly as he seems to remember I can see why he turned out the way he did(not saying his actions were justified, just meaning I can see why how he'd ended up a nut case), but it all seemed a little too perfect when he was telling it to Inan and Amari so I'm wondering how much is conscious lies and how much is lies he's told so often he believes them himself now, or if there's yet another explanation. Either way, I'm ready for the next volume please Adeyemi....more
Mostly this book has a light and fun tone with sassy humour, but heads up, it's fairly bloody. Like literally playing bullet chicken with half her creMostly this book has a light and fun tone with sassy humour, but heads up, it's fairly bloody. Like literally playing bullet chicken with half her crew against an accosting other pirate in the first chapter, but heh y'know they weren't her core crew so who cares. Being a pirate's daughter it makes sense she'd be hard-hearted in that fashion, but it makes it a little harder to really connect with the character.
I'm glad that despite being a pirate Alosa herself touches nary a drop of liquor and we do see characters who live their life soused so we get the look in both directions.
I did wish there was a bit more swashbuckling, perhaps instead of all the low-key espionage(I mean seriously why would they give her all her things? Idiots). The romance was good, though I found no appeal personally in Riden myself, I could still appreciate Alosa's distraction....more
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