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1.41k reviews by:
allonsythornraxx
28/02/2019
Wow I really enjoyed this, it was a cool mix of Three Dark Crowns + National Treasure.
FIND MY REVIEW AND OTHERS ON MY BLOG
★★★★☆
TW: Physical Abuse, Death, Betrayal, Colonialism, Racism (challenged), Loss of a Loved One, Bullying, Anxiety
TAGS: LGBTQIA+ Characters, 2019 Release, Fantasy, Historical Fiction
Character Guide ⇩
►Séverin → Biracial (Algerian & French), Leader of the group, Tristan’s adopted brother
►Enrique → Biracial, Queer? (bi probably, possibly pan), Filipino, European-Educated, “Journalist, Historian, and Debonaire spy”, Translator
►Laila → Indian (ownvoices rep), 18, dancer, magical abilities, loves baking
►Tristan → White, 16, Forger, Séverin’s adopted brother
►Zofia → On The Autism Spectrum, Engineer, Jewish, Polish, Anxiety
►Hypnos → Black, Queer (bi? pan?), Descendant of Haitian slaves & the son of a French aristocrat
House Guide ⇩
►House Nyx → Crescent Moon
►House Kore → Thorns
►House Vanth → Snake biting its own tail
►The Fallen House → Six pointed star
“Fear grew in places unlit by knowledge”
This book was amazing and so almost nearly perfect I want to cry. I’ve never read anything by Roshani Chokshi before but if this is what her characters are like in her other books, I’ll definitely have to give her other books a try! I feel like this book was the perfect combination of National Treasure + Three Dark Crowns (vibe) + Invictus (group dynamic), and I loved that about it.
These are some of my favourite books and one of my favourite guilty pleasure movies so the fact that this book felt like a culmination of all the best parts of all of them was honestly, such a PERFECT feeling.
It has mystery, puzzles and challenges for the characters to work on, a mysterious and dark vibe and atmosphere and an amazing, “lived-in” group dynamic. If you love a wonderful cast of characters who are all equally important in their team and who are all unique in their abilities and in themselves & you also love a good mystery to solve, I think this is a great book to try out!
“When you are who they expect you to be, they never look too closely. If you’re furious, let it be fuel.”
THE GOOD
The Gilded Wolves is set in Paris! I had no idea and it was such an exciting and unexpected bonus since I rarely read a book set outside of the US (aside from fantasy reads).
The world has its flaws and its limits but the atmosphere is there – it has a dark and mysterious but also a strangely elegant vibe to it which is really compelling! The main thing I loved in the book aside from the atmosphere is the team dynamic! You can tell the characters have been working together for a while – they have a great rapport and they work like a well-oiled machine when they get down to it. They don’t always get along with each other but they all have a friendship that goes beyond professional, they all respect each other and appreciate what each person does for the team as a whole. It’s honestly so refreshing to see characters actually get along and RESPECT each other instead of there being a love hexagon and a big drama between half the characters.
“Wolves were everywhere. In politics, on thrones, in beds. They cut their teeth on history and grew fat on war.”
THE BAD
This book has so many things going for it, but the worldbuilding is not one of those things, unfortunately, I think it’s the main thing that brings the book down and is the reason so many people have disliked it. The worldbuilding is poor if I’m being nice about it. I’ll talk about this in a second but, there are some things that are mentioned or never mentioned that you’re just expected to know what they are which really took me out of the story.
One of my first notes that I made while reading about the book was about the worldbuilding, I said that it was pretty poor, the book is very confusing and there's minimal explanation about the world. Also, and this is a point I really want to stress – I had heard this was Historical Fiction but I had no idea why. It’s never mentioned in the novel what year the story is set in. It says so in the blurb, but I don’t read blurbs so I didn’t know until I was almost finished the book and saw it in a review. I shouldn’t have to read the blurb to find vital information about the story – that should be in the book, no question.
Some things are never explained or they’re explained once and you’re expected to just know what it is from then on. For example, there’s something in the story called a “Sphinx” which is introduced quite early on and I still don’t know what it is. In my notes talking about this I literally wrote “If you miss something, you’re done for” and I completely agree with that after finishing the book – I really do think this is a good book to take notes on, whether you’re going to review it or not.
Some parts of this book were soo easy to read sort of like how I feel Caraval reads, you just get sucked in. But, other parts of the story are really confusing and underdeveloped. I mentioned the worldbuilding before and I think that’s the main issue with this book but, I feel like this needed another read through or round of edits focusing on the actual worldbuilding instead of the plot. I really think that would have improved the book as a whole, so so much.
Also, and this is a minor point, but it bummed me out at the time. The climax of the story is really anticlimactic.
EDIT: I know my “Bad” section is quite long but I really did love this book and will definitely be reading book 2 when it comes out! The worldbuilding is a letdown and is definitely what docked this book a star, but I read this in a few hours in between my classes at Uni, and I found this book absolutely compelling.
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Wow I really enjoyed this, it was a cool mix of Three Dark Crowns + National Treasure.
FIND MY REVIEW AND OTHERS ON MY BLOG
★★★★☆
TW: Physical Abuse, Death, Betrayal, Colonialism, Racism (challenged), Loss of a Loved One, Bullying, Anxiety
TAGS: LGBTQIA+ Characters, 2019 Release, Fantasy, Historical Fiction
Character Guide ⇩
►Séverin → Biracial (Algerian & French), Leader of the group, Tristan’s adopted brother
►Enrique → Biracial, Queer? (bi probably, possibly pan), Filipino, European-Educated, “Journalist, Historian, and Debonaire spy”, Translator
►Laila → Indian (ownvoices rep), 18, dancer, magical abilities, loves baking
►Tristan → White, 16, Forger, Séverin’s adopted brother
►Zofia → On The Autism Spectrum, Engineer, Jewish, Polish, Anxiety
►Hypnos → Black, Queer (bi? pan?), Descendant of Haitian slaves & the son of a French aristocrat
House Guide ⇩
►House Nyx → Crescent Moon
►House Kore → Thorns
►House Vanth → Snake biting its own tail
►The Fallen House → Six pointed star
“Fear grew in places unlit by knowledge”
This book was amazing and so almost nearly perfect I want to cry. I’ve never read anything by Roshani Chokshi before but if this is what her characters are like in her other books, I’ll definitely have to give her other books a try! I feel like this book was the perfect combination of National Treasure + Three Dark Crowns (vibe) + Invictus (group dynamic), and I loved that about it.
These are some of my favourite books and one of my favourite guilty pleasure movies so the fact that this book felt like a culmination of all the best parts of all of them was honestly, such a PERFECT feeling.
It has mystery, puzzles and challenges for the characters to work on, a mysterious and dark vibe and atmosphere and an amazing, “lived-in” group dynamic. If you love a wonderful cast of characters who are all equally important in their team and who are all unique in their abilities and in themselves & you also love a good mystery to solve, I think this is a great book to try out!
“When you are who they expect you to be, they never look too closely. If you’re furious, let it be fuel.”
THE GOOD
The Gilded Wolves is set in Paris! I had no idea and it was such an exciting and unexpected bonus since I rarely read a book set outside of the US (aside from fantasy reads).
The world has its flaws and its limits but the atmosphere is there – it has a dark and mysterious but also a strangely elegant vibe to it which is really compelling! The main thing I loved in the book aside from the atmosphere is the team dynamic! You can tell the characters have been working together for a while – they have a great rapport and they work like a well-oiled machine when they get down to it. They don’t always get along with each other but they all have a friendship that goes beyond professional, they all respect each other and appreciate what each person does for the team as a whole. It’s honestly so refreshing to see characters actually get along and RESPECT each other instead of there being a love hexagon and a big drama between half the characters.
“Wolves were everywhere. In politics, on thrones, in beds. They cut their teeth on history and grew fat on war.”
THE BAD
This book has so many things going for it, but the worldbuilding is not one of those things, unfortunately, I think it’s the main thing that brings the book down and is the reason so many people have disliked it. The worldbuilding is poor if I’m being nice about it. I’ll talk about this in a second but, there are some things that are mentioned or never mentioned that you’re just expected to know what they are which really took me out of the story.
One of my first notes that I made while reading about the book was about the worldbuilding, I said that it was pretty poor, the book is very confusing and there's minimal explanation about the world. Also, and this is a point I really want to stress – I had heard this was Historical Fiction but I had no idea why. It’s never mentioned in the novel what year the story is set in. It says so in the blurb, but I don’t read blurbs so I didn’t know until I was almost finished the book and saw it in a review. I shouldn’t have to read the blurb to find vital information about the story – that should be in the book, no question.
Some things are never explained or they’re explained once and you’re expected to just know what it is from then on. For example, there’s something in the story called a “Sphinx” which is introduced quite early on and I still don’t know what it is. In my notes talking about this I literally wrote “If you miss something, you’re done for” and I completely agree with that after finishing the book – I really do think this is a good book to take notes on, whether you’re going to review it or not.
Some parts of this book were soo easy to read sort of like how I feel Caraval reads, you just get sucked in. But, other parts of the story are really confusing and underdeveloped. I mentioned the worldbuilding before and I think that’s the main issue with this book but, I feel like this needed another read through or round of edits focusing on the actual worldbuilding instead of the plot. I really think that would have improved the book as a whole, so so much.
Also, and this is a minor point, but it bummed me out at the time. The climax of the story is really anticlimactic.
EDIT: I know my “Bad” section is quite long but I really did love this book and will definitely be reading book 2 when it comes out! The worldbuilding is a letdown and is definitely what docked this book a star, but I read this in a few hours in between my classes at Uni, and I found this book absolutely compelling.
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02/03/2019
2.5 ⭐
I won't say that I had high hopes for this since I knew next to nothing about it going in, but I had heard such rave reviews that I thought it would be better than the 2.5 stars I gave it. Mostly this was just a giant disappointment for me. I did like Naledi and I thought Thabiso got better as the story went along but this book just felt too long and too short all at the same time. I skipped most of the last 30-40% and the ending was so rushed it was ridiculous. I can definitely see why so many others loved this but it wasn't the book for me.
2.5 ⭐
I won't say that I had high hopes for this since I knew next to nothing about it going in, but I had heard such rave reviews that I thought it would be better than the 2.5 stars I gave it. Mostly this was just a giant disappointment for me. I did like Naledi and I thought Thabiso got better as the story went along but this book just felt too long and too short all at the same time. I skipped most of the last 30-40% and the ending was so rushed it was ridiculous. I can definitely see why so many others loved this but it wasn't the book for me.
04/03/2019
I'm honestly so torn with this book. I loved Wild Beauty when I read it last year but Blanca & Roja left a really bitter taste in my mouth. I loved the first 100 pages and thought this would be a new favourite and then the next 100 pages introduced one of my least favourite trope in existence, then the next 100 pages were pretty decent and I devoured it, and then the last 60ish pages were boring as b*tsh*t, it felt like pulling teeth to get myself to finish this book.
TW: Abuse, Violence, Racism/Colourism, Transphobia, Homophobia
I'm honestly so torn with this book. I loved Wild Beauty when I read it last year but Blanca & Roja left a really bitter taste in my mouth. I loved the first 100 pages and thought this would be a new favourite and then the next 100 pages introduced one of my least favourite trope in existence, then the next 100 pages were pretty decent and I devoured it, and then the last 60ish pages were boring as b*tsh*t, it felt like pulling teeth to get myself to finish this book.
TW: Abuse, Violence, Racism/Colourism, Transphobia, Homophobia
10/03/2019
For the first third this was going to be a four-star read but I kept not wanting to pick the book up and once we hit around the halfway point it became a 3 star read. This was so so interesting and the Ace rep (on page) was brilliant and so so relatable for me but there was something missing to keep me fully engaged with the characters and the story.
This is pretty gruesome, but I think if you loved Into The Drowning Deep or A Wrinkle in Time you should definitely try this out!
TW: Gruesome depictions of death/murder (wording: "ripping, tearing, flaying"), Sex scenes, Aephobic comment (challenged, apologised for), loss of a loved one, parental abuse, abuse, sexual abuse, talk of miscarriage, animal death
For the first third this was going to be a four-star read but I kept not wanting to pick the book up and once we hit around the halfway point it became a 3 star read. This was so so interesting and the Ace rep (on page) was brilliant and so so relatable for me but there was something missing to keep me fully engaged with the characters and the story.
This is pretty gruesome, but I think if you loved Into The Drowning Deep or A Wrinkle in Time you should definitely try this out!
TW: Gruesome depictions of death/murder (wording: "ripping, tearing, flaying"), Sex scenes, Aephobic comment (challenged, apologised for), loss of a loved one, parental abuse, abuse, sexual abuse, talk of miscarriage, animal death
17/03/2019
3.5/5 ⭐
This was so interesting but really missed the mark for me. This story could have been so much more but there was just something missing.
FIND MY REVIEW AND OTHERS ON MY BLOG
★★★☆☆
Recommendations: There’s an index at the end of the book which is really helpful for extra context! I also really recommend writing up a character guide while you read!
TW: Parental neglect, Drugs, Alcohol, Cheating (relationship), Swearing, Drug & Alcohol Abuse/Addiction, Rehab, Violence, Abortion, Death
MAJOR WARNINGS: Discussions of motherhood resulting in abortion & Drug abuse is a main theme for multiple characters
Thank you to Random House UK, Cornerstone for supplying this e-arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All quotes used in this review come from an advanced copy and may not match the final copy.
Character Guide ⇩
►Daisy Jones → Lead singer, joins “The Six”
►Simone → Daisy Jones’ best friend
►Billy Dunne → Lead singer of “The Six”
►Graham Dunne → Billy’s brother, guitarist
►Camila Dunne → Billy’s wife
►Rod Keyes → The Six’s manager, gay
►Pete → Member of “The Six”
►Warren → Member of “The Six”
►Karen Sirko/ “Karen Karen“→ Member of “The Six”, Keyboardist/Background vocals
►Hank Allen → Daisy Jones’ manager
►Artie Snyder → The Six’s lead engineer
►Niccolo → Daisy Jones’ love interest
*There are a lot of characters in the book so I really recommend writing their names down because chances are, they’ll turn up again later!
“That’s the glory of being a man. An ugly face isn’t the end of you.”
Okay, so right off the bat I want to say this: Don’t compare Daisy Jones & The Six to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. They’re nothing alike, absolutely and completely different. Content-wise they’re set in different scenes and the characters are completely different. Please don’t pick u this book because you think they’re going to be anything alike.
Daisy Jones keeps it real. There are some amazing quotes but the actual story ain’t that deep folks. Okay, so it is deep, there are a whole load of complex themes in play but they never feel fully fleshed out because the story is told through an interview format which never enables the reader to properly get to know the characters on a deeper level.
“It hurts to care about someone more than they care about themselves.”
THE GOOD
-Quick to read
-Great audiobook
-Really interesting to see how the songs got written
-You’ll probably like this if you enjoyed Bohemian Rhapsody & A Star Is Born
-Rise and fall of cons
-Not your typical romance from TJR which is a nice change
-Would make a great mini-series and I think it’s actually becoming one???
-Good to point out that a team can’t get along 100% of the time
-Didn’t want it to end toward the end
It felt real, like this band was real and all of this had really happened. I don’t think the story was bad, but I do think it was being told in the completely wrong medium – this story was made to be told in another way. I really think this is going to work so much better as a mini-series so thank god, Resse Witherspoon is adapting (for Amazon, I think).
If you enjoyed the behind the scenes look of Queen in Bohemian Rhapsody and the behind the scenes look at songwriting in A Star Is Born you will LOVE this. But, other than that, I think Daisy Jones is going to be a miss for a lot of people, it certainly was for me.
“The drugs aren’t so cute anymore when you wake up with dried blood under your nose so often that cleaning it off is part of your morning routine, like brushing your teeth.”
THE MEH
I just had this overarching “meh” feeling while reading this. I wasn’t quite disappointed because I knew there were a lot of average & DNF early reviews but I was expecting to either LOVE or HATE it. I don’t really like books about bands or music in general, so I was a bit unsure how I would feel about this book, but the music was actually the best thing about this book – it was really interesting to see how the songs were written!
Daisy Jones & The Six felt weak. It wasn’t until the last 10% of the book that I actually started to care what happened and I didn’t want the story to end. But, for the other 90% I was just waiting to start caring. I know that sounds harsh and I don’t mean to be, but this book had so much potential and I just don’t think it made sense in this medium!
The way the story is told is interesting but emotionless. You can’t see how the characters are feeling, I was listening to this on audiobook and reading along with my arc copy and honestly, the audiobook made such a difference to how I consumed the story! The audiobook gave the characters depth and emotion – it gave me more of a chance to know and understand them because the narrators did such a fantastic job!
Honestly, if I had just read Daisy Jones & The Six on my Kindle like I originally intended to, I probably wouldn’t have finished the book, or at least I would’ve given it a much lower rating.
“Acceptance is a powerful drug and I should know because I’ve done ’em all”
The characters in this book are manic and suffocating. You hear about all the characters’ struggles but you never feel it. They tell you how vulnerable they are but they never feel vulnerable when you’re reading their words. This book has some really good point and has resonated with a lot of people so I won’t not recommend this, but for me, it really missed the mark. I enjoyed the team dynamic and the behind the scenes aspects of making the music but the characters just felt skin deep and I never felt like I really got to know them.
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3.5/5 ⭐
This was so interesting but really missed the mark for me. This story could have been so much more but there was just something missing.
FIND MY REVIEW AND OTHERS ON MY BLOG
★★★☆☆
Recommendations: There’s an index at the end of the book which is really helpful for extra context! I also really recommend writing up a character guide while you read!
TW: Parental neglect, Drugs, Alcohol, Cheating (relationship), Swearing, Drug & Alcohol Abuse/Addiction, Rehab, Violence, Abortion, Death
MAJOR WARNINGS: Discussions of motherhood resulting in abortion & Drug abuse is a main theme for multiple characters
Thank you to Random House UK, Cornerstone for supplying this e-arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All quotes used in this review come from an advanced copy and may not match the final copy.
Character Guide ⇩
►Daisy Jones → Lead singer, joins “The Six”
►Simone → Daisy Jones’ best friend
►Billy Dunne → Lead singer of “The Six”
►Graham Dunne → Billy’s brother, guitarist
►Camila Dunne → Billy’s wife
►Rod Keyes → The Six’s manager, gay
►Pete → Member of “The Six”
►Warren → Member of “The Six”
►Karen Sirko/ “Karen Karen“→ Member of “The Six”, Keyboardist/Background vocals
►Hank Allen → Daisy Jones’ manager
►Artie Snyder → The Six’s lead engineer
►Niccolo → Daisy Jones’ love interest
*There are a lot of characters in the book so I really recommend writing their names down because chances are, they’ll turn up again later!
“That’s the glory of being a man. An ugly face isn’t the end of you.”
Okay, so right off the bat I want to say this: Don’t compare Daisy Jones & The Six to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. They’re nothing alike, absolutely and completely different. Content-wise they’re set in different scenes and the characters are completely different. Please don’t pick u this book because you think they’re going to be anything alike.
Daisy Jones keeps it real. There are some amazing quotes but the actual story ain’t that deep folks. Okay, so it is deep, there are a whole load of complex themes in play but they never feel fully fleshed out because the story is told through an interview format which never enables the reader to properly get to know the characters on a deeper level.
“It hurts to care about someone more than they care about themselves.”
THE GOOD
-Quick to read
-Great audiobook
-Really interesting to see how the songs got written
-You’ll probably like this if you enjoyed Bohemian Rhapsody & A Star Is Born
-Rise and fall of cons
-Not your typical romance from TJR which is a nice change
-Would make a great mini-series and I think it’s actually becoming one???
-Good to point out that a team can’t get along 100% of the time
-Didn’t want it to end toward the end
It felt real, like this band was real and all of this had really happened. I don’t think the story was bad, but I do think it was being told in the completely wrong medium – this story was made to be told in another way. I really think this is going to work so much better as a mini-series so thank god, Resse Witherspoon is adapting (for Amazon, I think).
If you enjoyed the behind the scenes look of Queen in Bohemian Rhapsody and the behind the scenes look at songwriting in A Star Is Born you will LOVE this. But, other than that, I think Daisy Jones is going to be a miss for a lot of people, it certainly was for me.
“The drugs aren’t so cute anymore when you wake up with dried blood under your nose so often that cleaning it off is part of your morning routine, like brushing your teeth.”
THE MEH
I just had this overarching “meh” feeling while reading this. I wasn’t quite disappointed because I knew there were a lot of average & DNF early reviews but I was expecting to either LOVE or HATE it. I don’t really like books about bands or music in general, so I was a bit unsure how I would feel about this book, but the music was actually the best thing about this book – it was really interesting to see how the songs were written!
Daisy Jones & The Six felt weak. It wasn’t until the last 10% of the book that I actually started to care what happened and I didn’t want the story to end. But, for the other 90% I was just waiting to start caring. I know that sounds harsh and I don’t mean to be, but this book had so much potential and I just don’t think it made sense in this medium!
The way the story is told is interesting but emotionless. You can’t see how the characters are feeling, I was listening to this on audiobook and reading along with my arc copy and honestly, the audiobook made such a difference to how I consumed the story! The audiobook gave the characters depth and emotion – it gave me more of a chance to know and understand them because the narrators did such a fantastic job!
Honestly, if I had just read Daisy Jones & The Six on my Kindle like I originally intended to, I probably wouldn’t have finished the book, or at least I would’ve given it a much lower rating.
“Acceptance is a powerful drug and I should know because I’ve done ’em all”
The characters in this book are manic and suffocating. You hear about all the characters’ struggles but you never feel it. They tell you how vulnerable they are but they never feel vulnerable when you’re reading their words. This book has some really good point and has resonated with a lot of people so I won’t not recommend this, but for me, it really missed the mark. I enjoyed the team dynamic and the behind the scenes aspects of making the music but the characters just felt skin deep and I never felt like I really got to know them.
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18/03/2019
5 ⭐
oh my god oh my god oH MY GOD. It hurts me that I almost never picked this up. This was absolutely amazing but such a heartbreaking read. I think this will be completely up your alley if you love Simon Vs by Becky Albertalli.
TW: Homophobia, Internalised Homophobia
LGBT+ Rep:
►Tanner (main character) → Bisexual (on page)
►Sebastian (love interest) → Gay (on page)
5 ⭐
oh my god oh my god oH MY GOD. It hurts me that I almost never picked this up. This was absolutely amazing but such a heartbreaking read. I think this will be completely up your alley if you love Simon Vs by Becky Albertalli.
TW: Homophobia, Internalised Homophobia
LGBT+ Rep:
►Tanner (main character) → Bisexual (on page)
►Sebastian (love interest) → Gay (on page)
23/03/2019
The MC is massively irritating and definitely a Marie Sue but I'm intrigued so I might continue in the series later on.
TW: Almost rape, discussion of rape, death, injury, loss of a loved one
The MC is massively irritating and definitely a Marie Sue but I'm intrigued so I might continue in the series later on.
TW: Almost rape, discussion of rape, death, injury, loss of a loved one
01/02/2019
This is a fantastic book with a really in-depth view on time travel - it really goes into the psychology behind actual time travel and what happens to the travellers. It also goes really deep into the rules of time travel which I really enjoyed, but besides all of those intricacies, the book was pretty mediocre.
This is a fantastic book with a really in-depth view on time travel - it really goes into the psychology behind actual time travel and what happens to the travellers. It also goes really deep into the rules of time travel which I really enjoyed, but besides all of those intricacies, the book was pretty mediocre.
17/02/2019
I really enjoyed this volume, it's so much fun to see the characters develop and I'm really excited for volume 9.
I really enjoyed this volume, it's so much fun to see the characters develop and I'm really excited for volume 9.
17/02/2019
I feel like this series has finally found its groove and I'm really loving it, I only wish we'd see more of Ed.
I feel like this series has finally found its groove and I'm really loving it, I only wish we'd see more of Ed.