Rowan's Bookshelf (Carleigh) > Recent Status Updates

I am just in love with this!! The characters, relationships, romance, the means of identity and the gray area of appropriation and appreciation. It's so cute and I just love it!

The setting is AWESOME. Easily the best part. Kind of disappointing that she becomes Duke and she's constantly worrying about marriage and coronations rather than the focus being entirely on the mystery or her learning magic or her gaining support of the below world

"magic is like love. You see how other people do it you have the stories and instructions they leave behind, but then you have to figure out how you do it"

Sort of a stereotypical story of a woman who hates society and doesn't want to be married and is constantly underestimated which is true but getting boring. And the witch aspect is just used to control the girl (on both sides) rather than give her power. And when she learns about the power all she wants is to shirk her responsibility and just do what she wants. Still great atmosphere

Too much focus on the parents at the beginning and how they deal with their trans daughter getting more obvious. I hope soon it's more focused on the kids feelings

Story is definitely more interesting. Hannah still is only concerned about how everything is her fault and everything sucks all the time. I get grief is terrible, but it's also annoying in a book character that only talks about it. I just wish and did more about it, ppl have been trying to help her

The age gap is just a bit weird coming from a female author, I wonder if actual mlm feel it's a bit weird. I think the letter structure is cool but kind of weird how they have to make an excuse to retell these big moments between them even tho they already know.

The plot is at least more interesting, but literally everything is about Hannah. She cant go a second without talking about how.much she's scared or hurt or only needs to do X not bc it's right but because she wants to be the hero. Everything is also her fault. The writing is also just still so plain

I still think a lot of the writing is a bit simple for a heavy story, and I'm already dreading this "court drama" plot line that undoubtedly is supposed to be like a rape trial (except the guy literally tried to murder them and a ton of adults were there)

Okay yeahAlexs gay panic is cute but I don't really care about how he's into politics and his controlling mom and stuff

The fanfiction feel doesn't bother me too much, I actually think it's interesting to already sort of know when background of some characters. The talking to the author thing can get annoying, and there's a LOT of characters to keep track of.

Alex certainly has personality for a YA MC! This is definitely older YA but not quite adult, which is refreshing. And I love a good enemies to lovers story

But wtf kind of mom talks to their kid like Ellen does??

I love this world! It's simple but very intriguing, and doesn't try for more than it's meant to be - beauty is pain, and the MC is learning that slowly, the hard way. The mysterious aspects are done quite well so far

I love them so much!! A great enemies to lovers story already, and the family is super entertaining (though it's taken me a while to get everyone straight) and now the drama is picking up!

The winter court!!! I want a book about them!!

Thought the first part was great, then a bit boring until the Ravens attacked the library and now I'm super invested again

Okay yeah the corronation part was pretty entertaining. Not really looking forward to the court of shadows though, I want Jude to do something else besides feel bad

I feel like nothing is really happening. The attempted escape with the human was interesting, but how she drowns just seems like a weird attempt at morbidity. I guess the whole tone with the mall and the bratty sis and terrible bullies just made me think this was too immature for that sort of morbid deaths

Soooooo cringey.....

The older sister is an annoying brat, the other fae are cardboard bullies, the MC doesn't even know what she wants since all she does is lament about not being a faerie, and there's a weird sort of child abuse scene?? Literally the only interesting character is Maddock

It's so weird??? Maybe I'm used to the elegant world of ACOTAR but this just seems a bit immature? Like theyre almost drowned, then go to the mall??? They go to basically a highschool? But also it wants this Court aesthetic in the faerie world and it doesn't really work. The MCs incredibly low self esteem is annoying

Liv was easily the worst part of the first book, but already it seems she's changed just Abit to be less completely unreasonable. It's also really nice to have a confident Male MC that's already learned in the ways of the novels, but needs to work on the actual being in love part after romancing

It's alright so far, not very interesting plot wise. Lots of characters it's hard to keep track, and besides from Yel, Rand, Valek and the commander no one is very distinctive. Some cool ideas like Valek's knife being cursed, but none of that is really explored. It's not really at all about poison anymore either

Characters are a bit one dimensional but not unacceptable. Does that annoying thing where the end of every chapter is a cliffhanger, only for the scene to keep going in the next chapter anyway