Between the awkwardly stiff narration style and the characters being generally obtuse, this series really isn't doing it for me. Which is a damn shameBetween the awkwardly stiff narration style and the characters being generally obtuse, this series really isn't doing it for me. Which is a damn shame and I'm not happy about it.
I'm looking high and low for the magic, the umami, the sparkle that makes this series special--and I can't find it.
Alsooooo I cannot get past a YA book that reads as middle grade but then als0 tries to develop chemistry and sexual tension by having the love interest ogle her boobs or whoopsie! graze her boob. I never want to hear the word "breast" one more time in this goddamn series ...more
Believe me when I say that there are authors the world over who strive to elicit this level of emotional investment in their characters by the reader,Believe me when I say that there are authors the world over who strive to elicit this level of emotional investment in their characters by the reader, and even though they have the luxury of space and a whole-ass novel to achieve that, THEY STILL CAN'T.
That Raven_maiden manages to do it in 3000 words is a feat.
I read this last summer and I just wrapped the re-read as we're mere weeks away from book two of the Crescent City series finally dropping.
A4.5 stars
I read this last summer and I just wrapped the re-read as we're mere weeks away from book two of the Crescent City series finally dropping.
And while some books do not hold up upon closer inspection the second time around, I am happy to say I had just as much fun reading this as I did the first time.
A word of advice: If you're finding yourself bogged down by the worldbuilding, I heartily recommend swapping to the audiobook. The narrator is fantastic, and the whole story moves at an excellent pace in her hands.
Also, if Hunt isn't endgame I'm going to RIOT. ...more
The North Wind is a dark take on classic Disney-style storytelling. Where the author takes inspiration from is abundantly clear, however, I'm not sureThe North Wind is a dark take on classic Disney-style storytelling. Where the author takes inspiration from is abundantly clear, however, I'm not sure if that is necessarily a good thing as it invites direct comparison.
Take for example the opening of the novel; I felt like I was reading a funhouse-mirror version of A Court of Thorns and Roses. We have a female main character who is a huntress and the sole provider for her family. And a gruff enemy male of power and wealth who sweeps into town with the sole purpose of taking one of the women back to their home.
And like Nesta from the ACOTAR series, Wren is extremely headstrong and loves to read smutty romance novels.
Thankfully, the novel carves its own path after Wren takes her sister's place as The Frost King's bride/stowaway and after you move past the worldbuilding that is served up rather all at once.
What I enjoyed about the novel: - Our main character, Wren, is both a woman of colour and a BAFM (badass mother f-er) - The North Wind/Frost King smells like cedar, which is my favourite scent in the entire world - The enemies-to-lovers setup is done correctly. They really do despise one another and Wren threatens to castrate him in one memorable scene. - I was obsessed with the dinner scene where hilarity ensues between The North Wind's extremely picky eating and Wren because characterized as 'The Beast' between her drunkenness, complete lack of table manners, and smelling like "a dead animal" because she refused to bathe
What I felt let down by: - The pacing. The novel has numerous moments where it seems to flounder - I wish everything didn’t have numerous names for the same thing, i.e. The Four Winds/Anemoi or Boreas/The Frost King/The North Wind - I love a good slow-burn. But this? Readers have to wait until the novel is very nearly done to see the payoff. If you have that kind of patience, fabulous. This tested even my resolve to keep going. - There were loads of things that simply did not make sense. See below
>>> Stop here if you don't want to see major spoilers <<<
Things that didn't make any sense - Wren says “I’m growing familiar with...” things related to Boreas. But at this point in the novel, she's only been there a week and 80% of that time was spent alone in a dungeon. - Why did she insist on holding the party? Surely that's a ridiculous thing to do given they're all in mortal peril. - Why invite her sister to the epicentre of all the danger? - We’ve spent 90% of the book witnessing Wren grow and evolve and fall in love with Boreas. But then The West Wind shows up and she’s actually considering killing him still? Like, what? - The entire storyline with The West Wind. How would Boreas have casual dinner with him when he’s the reason his wife and son died? Make it make sense. - Wren cracks her head against the stone and when she pulls her hand away, she's bleeding. But yet, immediately after this, she slashes the inside of her palm in order to coat the arrow in blood. - Why did she never think of using the god-touched bow and arrow to kill Boreas? This was lazily explained as, essentially, 'I forgot.' - Why is she never fearful of Boreas being a darkwalker? We get this big reveal, and then Wren pretty much shrugs it off. Huh??
All in all, this novel definitely has its problems, but I know there will be readers who absolutely eat this up and can look past most of the issues.
Trigger warnings for slight physical harm between the couple at each other’s hand, alcoholism...more
I found A Touch of Darkness to be very middle of the road. It's a cute, easy read with a broody love interest who's really just a cinnamon roll (I'm aI found A Touch of Darkness to be very middle of the road. It's a cute, easy read with a broody love interest who's really just a cinnamon roll (I'm a sucker for that). However, it also has its problems.
What I had the hardest time with was the vague and confusing way in which characters are placed in scenes. And by that, I mean literally where they are in space. I was pulled out of the love scenes because the description of what was going on didn't make any sense, forcing me to go back and re-listen to try to understand who is where and in what position. Not very sexy.
There's a scene where Hades is described as wearing nothing but a wrap around his waist. He closes the distance between himself and Persephone, picks her up, and boom-bam-thank-you-ma'am. Meanwhile, all I could think was "where did his wrap go?"
We also had moments of too much internal thought from Persephone, a strong indication of an author telling instead of showing. These moments felt very From Blood and Ash like, and not at all in a good way. Then, there were moments where, like the above example with the wrap, it felt like key sentences were mysteriously eradicated from the page.
An example of this is Lexa's new boyfriend -- where the hell did he come from? She went from pining after Adonis to dating someone else in what seemed like the span of a few pages.
I think it's also important to note that because I was listening to the audiobook, many of the more jagged criticisms of the writing were likely smoothed over, as audiobooks have a tendency to do.
With all that said, did I still like it? Yeah. I'm certainly not mad that I listened to it.
Maybe the Hades & Persephone myth retellings are like that meme about pizza. Even bad pizza is still good pizza.
Much of my opinion of it is anchored to the expectation I had going into it. That's one of the few downsides of being so active on BookTok. When otherMuch of my opinion of it is anchored to the expectation I had going into it. That's one of the few downsides of being so active on BookTok. When other content creators, as well as the book itself, lists out in bold 'degrading kink' maybe it's just my wild mind but I was expecting... well, not a love story? Or at the very least, not mutual pining with a side of kink exploration?
Because in all honestly, that's what it was. Insta-lust that within hours became a protective obsession and then before the end of the night, a 'when can I see you again' scenario.
Perhaps it's just my preferred taste that a novella within this genre stick to be exactly what it says on the tin. Attempting for anything more was biting off a bit more than it could chew in so few pages. ...more
Meh. Just meh. Sweet and fluffy but also kind of useless. Inoffensively so, to be sure! But still useless.
And before anyone comes for me, I know 2.5⭐
Meh. Just meh. Sweet and fluffy but also kind of useless. Inoffensively so, to be sure! But still useless.
And before anyone comes for me, I know that there were a few plot points sprinkled throughout that work to set up ACOSF. I just think they probably could have tacked them on to ACOSF in the opening chapters.
Again, I'm not mad at it though. The vibes is neutrality. One of, okay then, sure.
Lol, this might be my worst review yet but I honestly can't describe things any other way....more
Much the same as his first book. Adam Kay strikes a similar chord of being heartfelt and hilarious. But I couldn't help but feel that he was, after thMuch the same as his first book. Adam Kay strikes a similar chord of being heartfelt and hilarious. But I couldn't help but feel that he was, after the success of This Is Going To Hurt, mining the remaining dregs of his few years working for the NHS as a junior doctor in order to churn out another bestseller. ...more
Hot damn. Let this be a reminder to aspiring romance writers out there that if you want to learn how to write spicy scenes, your best bet is to learn Hot damn. Let this be a reminder to aspiring romance writers out there that if you want to learn how to write spicy scenes, your best bet is to learn from the pros. And those pros are fanfic writers. I dare you to show me a group who do it better.
4 stars only because my personal preference is to have some kind of backstory or narrative along with my, erm, corn. All reviews are subjective, and this one is no different. If I were rating this based on its ability to accomplish the goal of being a PWP (plot? what plot?) one-shot, lmao, yeah. Then it's a 5/5....more
4.5⭐️ I would die for this couple. Williams' balance between angst and humour is elite.
This was the first time I read a novel where the MC deals with4.5⭐️ I would die for this couple. Williams' balance between angst and humour is elite.
This was the first time I read a novel where the MC deals with the same disability and mental health challenges that I have: utterly horrific migraines and depression. Let me tell you it was a powerful experience to see myself reflected in the pages of a book I'm reading.
I absolutely loved: ✓ hurt/comfort trope ✓ detailed flashback chapters interspersed in the main narrative timeline ✓ one-liners that had me barking with laughter ✓ mental health and substance abuse challenges are grounded and the antithesis of gratuitous
It gets 4.5 stars only because the ending felt very rushed. But other than that, it's spectacular....more
Let's get the stuff I wasn't so thrilled about out of the way: - The main conflict is (sadly) the miscommunication trope - Which, like steak and potLet's get the stuff I wasn't so thrilled about out of the way: - The main conflict is (sadly) the miscommunication trope - Which, like steak and potatoes, is often paired with #idiots-in-love. This is indeed true here. - The best friend of the FMC is extremely cringe. If my best friend bullied me into sitting on the lap of my professor/boyfriend in a crowded auditorium, or running up and giving him a kiss also in front of loads of people, they'd swiftly be demoted from best friend status. - The self-referential moments (i.e. "your life is a romcom" and using the term 'fake dating trope' in conversation between characters) did not work for me.
Somehow, I'm still able to give this debut 4 stars; a feat all things considered.
My guess is that's because Adam, the love interest, is smart, moody, tall and brooding. He's a delight in his grumpiness who, as you'd expect, is actually a big cinnamon roll. The two falling for one another is 100% believable. And the setting, guided with expert precision by Hazelwood due to her own real-life experience in STEM, was thoroughly refreshing.
And so, despite including some of the tropes I despise most, this was still a great read. ...more
It's never a good sign when I start daydreaming and not paying any attention to an audiobook. And this happened constantly while listening to The Ex HIt's never a good sign when I start daydreaming and not paying any attention to an audiobook. And this happened constantly while listening to The Ex Hex. For me, that means there was nothing engrossing about the plot, and in the case of this book, in particular, the stakes were so low that I just wanted them to hurry up and get to their happy ending. I didn't care one iota how they would go about lifting the curse.
Books that have weak conflict or simple issues that are easily solved are just not my cup of tea. At all.
But if you like stories like that, you'll love this book.
In a sentence: The entire plot hinges on the reader (1) accepting a highly-contrived 'mystery' to keep them invested and (2) believing in an insta2.5⭐
In a sentence: The entire plot hinges on the reader (1) accepting a highly-contrived 'mystery' to keep them invested and (2) believing in an insta-love romance.
Two young magicians trained by their respective, equally callous guardians. A freaky gentleman's handshake involving a ring disappearing underneath skin, and the two young magicians are destined to duel...because? To what end? We honestly don't know. And thus begins my gripes with this novel.
There's a part deep into the narrative where Celia asks her father, "What are the rules of the game?" and he responds with (effectively) HuSh YoU dOn'T nEeD tO KnOw. And let me tell you, my eyes rolled way back into my head because I knew that was directed more to the reader than to Celia.
Long before that, at about 20% in, I was consulting google to figure out if Celia and Isobel were different people, a fact muddied by them having no discernable personality differences and a confusing chunk of dialogue about never giving people your real name.
For me, this is indicative of an overabundance of descriptive language into what we're seeing and a paltry amount of time spent detailing the various characters' personalities/desires/motivations.
At 50% through I wrote in my notes: I'm bored. Considering DNF'ing. Le sigh. Is there a plot? If a have to ask, that's the answer.
What is up with Morgensterns obsession with cruel and emotionally-detached characters? Or with insta-love? While I found it palatable enough in The Starless Sea, it grated on me here.
How does magic work in this world? HuSh YoU dOn'T nEeD tO KnOw.
If this was written by anyone other than Morgenstern, it would have been a DNF (1 star). I'm a sucker for lyrical prose and that, at the very least, is something she doles out in spades....more
"He released a low groan that sounded like a lifetime of agony fading from his soul."
This story cracked me open in the best way. It's everything a nov"He released a low groan that sounded like a lifetime of agony fading from his soul."
This story cracked me open in the best way. It's everything a novel should be. Fanfiction or not, if it's literature that sweeps the floor with 98% of everything else I read this year, I'm calling it a novel.
LovesBitca8 and her two brilliant beta-readers/editors deserve all the praise this story gets. The writing is gorgeous. The characterizations of not only Hermione and Draco but almost all the secondary characters were so well done, riding the line of being canon-compliant enough not to jar the reader while also being 100% believable within the context of the alternate universe (AU) we inhabit within The Auction.
I have no doubt I'll be re-reading this many times in the years to come. It's perfect....more
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