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abby_ace_of_books
Why did I giggle and kick my feet so hard the first time I read this a few years ago...and what changed?
The Prison Healer is one of those books where I'm grateful for my slightly poor memory when it comes to books because the plot twists are actually pretty unpredictable, and, yeah, maybe they've blindsided me despite having read the book before. This was my fourth read-through, apparently (I read this 3 times in 2022? Why?), but the story is pretty much just as enjoyable as it was the first time.
The plot is relatively simple. Kiva is a healer working at a prison when the rebel queen arrives injured, and Kiva is given the orders to keep her alive. The queen is sentenced to undergo four "elemental" trials which basically means anyone with elemental magic (aka literally everyone except the royal family), so Kiva decides to step in and take them for her. The pacing is fast, and there's a good mixture of action, mystery, and romance. The main complaint I've seen - and I agree with - is that the major plot twists are in no way predictable. They're a bit convenient, but they set up nicely for the next two books.
The characters are all pretty cool, but I feel like they're not developed super well. I like Kiva as a narrator, especially with hindsight on my side, but I just think her personality works well for her character type. I loved Jaren the first few times I read this, but now he feels a bit generic to me... Tipp is still my absolute favorite and should be protected at all costs, but Naari and Mot are also super intriguing to me.
The Prison Healer is a YA fantasy novel perfect for fans of rebellion stories, easy banter, and mysterious plagues.
4.25/5
The Prison Healer is one of those books where I'm grateful for my slightly poor memory when it comes to books because the plot twists are actually pretty unpredictable, and, yeah, maybe they've blindsided me despite having read the book before. This was my fourth read-through, apparently (I read this 3 times in 2022? Why?), but the story is pretty much just as enjoyable as it was the first time.
The plot is relatively simple. Kiva is a healer working at a prison when the rebel queen arrives injured, and Kiva is given the orders to keep her alive. The queen is sentenced to undergo four "elemental" trials which basically means anyone with elemental magic (aka literally everyone except the royal family), so Kiva decides to step in and take them for her. The pacing is fast, and there's a good mixture of action, mystery, and romance. The main complaint I've seen - and I agree with - is that the major plot twists are in no way predictable. They're a bit convenient, but they set up nicely for the next two books.
The characters are all pretty cool, but I feel like they're not developed super well. I like Kiva as a narrator, especially with hindsight on my side, but I just think her personality works well for her character type. I loved Jaren the first few times I read this, but now he feels a bit generic to me... Tipp is still my absolute favorite and should be protected at all costs, but Naari and Mot are also super intriguing to me.
The Prison Healer is a YA fantasy novel perfect for fans of rebellion stories, easy banter, and mysterious plagues.
4.25/5
The only thing I remembered about this book was that one of the characters gave Evelyn from The Incredibles 2 vibes...
I've been meaning to reread The City of Dusk for a while, the sheer size of it and the fact that I remembered basically nothing about it left me hesitant. Now I have the second one, so I'm rereading it with the intention of finishing the series this time (or at least preparing for book 3 when it comes out). Honestly, I think what really threw me off the first time was that world-building was pretty vague, meaning the readers have to scrape together an understanding of the world by themselves.
There are a dozen interweaving plotlines taking place over the course of the book, which is probably why the book is over 500 pages long. Each of the main characters has a different goal, but most of them are trying to save their world, which has begun dying after being sealed away from the other realms. My main issue with the plot was that we didn't really get to see the world actually dying, so there wasn't much of a sense of urgency. I liked the mystery elements throughout (who is behind the Conjurations, how can a ritual to save the world be performed, etc), and I'm actually super excited about the ending this time. Even though I think the book could've been a few hundred pages shorter, I just enjoyed the vibes of the world and the complexity of the plotlines.
There are way more characters in this book than I remembered, but I'm realizing that I only really like the minor characters. The story follows four noble houses, so there are four "main" characters. However, the siblings of the main characters and some specific other characters get special attention as well. Angelica was probably my least favorite of the POV characters because she was so isolated from the other main characters. I'm interested to see how her character arc goes with Cosima, but overall I didn't connect to her. I also had issues with Taesia. I get that she's morally gray, but I've seen it done enough times now that she didn't come across as intriguing, just another selfish character who manipulates people. Even though Julian interested me as a side character (who slowly grew into a more important role), I didn't like his interactions with Taesia because they came across as almost toxic to me. I much preferred Dante's chapters to Taesia's, and I wish he'd been the more important sibling. Nik was fine as a main character, but he was a bit boring. I'm embarrassed to admit I didn't remember Fin's existence at all, but in my defense, Nik has other more pressing matters. Of the main four characters, Risha was my favorite. I felt the most connection to her (maybe because she actually had morals) and I enjoyed her investigations into Conjuration. Her budding relationship with Jas is one of the few I enjoy.
Although The City of Dusk may appear daunting in length, it's a high fantasy story filled with ruthless gods, necromancy, and mystery perfect for young adults looking to branch into the world of adult fantasy.
3.75/5
I've been meaning to reread The City of Dusk for a while, the sheer size of it and the fact that I remembered basically nothing about it left me hesitant. Now I have the second one, so I'm rereading it with the intention of finishing the series this time (or at least preparing for book 3 when it comes out). Honestly, I think what really threw me off the first time was that world-building was pretty vague, meaning the readers have to scrape together an understanding of the world by themselves.
There are a dozen interweaving plotlines taking place over the course of the book, which is probably why the book is over 500 pages long. Each of the main characters has a different goal, but most of them are trying to save their world, which has begun dying after being sealed away from the other realms. My main issue with the plot was that we didn't really get to see the world actually dying, so there wasn't much of a sense of urgency. I liked the mystery elements throughout (who is behind the Conjurations, how can a ritual to save the world be performed, etc), and I'm actually super excited about the ending this time. Even though I think the book could've been a few hundred pages shorter, I just enjoyed the vibes of the world and the complexity of the plotlines.
There are way more characters in this book than I remembered, but I'm realizing that I only really like the minor characters. The story follows four noble houses, so there are four "main" characters. However, the siblings of the main characters and some specific other characters get special attention as well. Angelica was probably my least favorite of the POV characters because she was so isolated from the other main characters. I'm interested to see how her character arc goes with Cosima, but overall I didn't connect to her. I also had issues with Taesia. I get that she's morally gray, but I've seen it done enough times now that she didn't come across as intriguing, just another selfish character who manipulates people. Even though Julian interested me as a side character (who slowly grew into a more important role), I didn't like his interactions with Taesia because they came across as almost toxic to me. I much preferred Dante's chapters to Taesia's, and I wish he'd been the more important sibling. Nik was fine as a main character, but he was a bit boring. I'm embarrassed to admit I didn't remember Fin's existence at all, but in my defense, Nik has other more pressing matters. Of the main four characters, Risha was my favorite. I felt the most connection to her (maybe because she actually had morals) and I enjoyed her investigations into Conjuration. Her budding relationship with Jas is one of the few I enjoy.
Although The City of Dusk may appear daunting in length, it's a high fantasy story filled with ruthless gods, necromancy, and mystery perfect for young adults looking to branch into the world of adult fantasy.
3.75/5
For once there's a prince and a bodyguard, but absolutely no love triangle (and a cat named Barf!).
I've now read The Merciful Crow three times, and I think each time I like it more. The first time I read it was during the middle of a reading slump, so I didn't fully appreciate the story as much as I do now...but upon my third read, I'm super excited to read the sequel, and I really wish I would've picked it up sooner.
One of my favorite things about this book is the worldbuilding. The magic system is based on teeth; the magic is distributed throughout a caste system with Phoenixes at the top and Crows at the bottom. Fie is a Crow, part of the caste in charge of disposing of bodies afflicted by the plague. When she and her fellow Crows are roped into helping the crown prince and his bodyguard/body-double fake their deaths, Fie is thrown into a world of politics and corruption. The plot is well-paced and peppered with a handful of plot twists and action scenes. Overall, the book is quite tense and I found myself on the edge of my seat multiple times, despite the fact that I've read this before. The only reason I didn't continue the series in the past is because it doesn't really end on a cliffhanger.
I really like the dynamics between the characters, too. Fie is a wonderful protagonist. I enjoyed her narration style, her sense of justice, and her fiery personality. I liked how naturally her relationships progressed with the other characters. Tavin was interesting, too, and while he wasn't my absolute favorite, I loved the contrast between him and Jas. The few chapters where Fie and Jas are alone together were some of my favorites simply because of their clashing personalities and also because I find Jas really intriguing, and I want to know more about him.
The Merciful Crow is the first book in a YA fantasy duology featuring a unique magic system, a slowburn yet not overpowering romance, and delightful character dynamics.
4.25/5
I've now read The Merciful Crow three times, and I think each time I like it more. The first time I read it was during the middle of a reading slump, so I didn't fully appreciate the story as much as I do now...but upon my third read, I'm super excited to read the sequel, and I really wish I would've picked it up sooner.
One of my favorite things about this book is the worldbuilding. The magic system is based on teeth; the magic is distributed throughout a caste system with Phoenixes at the top and Crows at the bottom. Fie is a Crow, part of the caste in charge of disposing of bodies afflicted by the plague. When she and her fellow Crows are roped into helping the crown prince and his bodyguard/body-double fake their deaths, Fie is thrown into a world of politics and corruption. The plot is well-paced and peppered with a handful of plot twists and action scenes. Overall, the book is quite tense and I found myself on the edge of my seat multiple times, despite the fact that I've read this before. The only reason I didn't continue the series in the past is because it doesn't really end on a cliffhanger.
I really like the dynamics between the characters, too. Fie is a wonderful protagonist. I enjoyed her narration style, her sense of justice, and her fiery personality. I liked how naturally her relationships progressed with the other characters. Tavin was interesting, too, and while he wasn't my absolute favorite, I loved the contrast between him and Jas. The few chapters where Fie and Jas are alone together were some of my favorites simply because of their clashing personalities and also because I find Jas really intriguing, and I want to know more about him.
The Merciful Crow is the first book in a YA fantasy duology featuring a unique magic system, a slowburn yet not overpowering romance, and delightful character dynamics.
4.25/5
