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amelianotthepilot's Reviews (835)
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A Six of Crows-esque gang on an impossible mission with a Korean vibe.
I thought this was a fun read! Not particularly great writing, it felt a little childish and the plot wasn’t all that unpredictable but I think this was the author’s first delve into adult fiction.
The cast of characters includes Royo the hired bodyguard tough man who’s secretly a softy with a tragic past, Aeri the nimble fingered and childish thief with a twisted backstory, Mikail the king’s spymaster with a tragic past, Euyn the exiled supposed to be dead prince with a tragic past, Sora the poison maiden with a tragic past, and Tiyung the rich noble. Are you catching a theme? All characters are extremely trope-y with their own tragic pasts and traumas coming together to form the ultimate unlikely heist team against all odds and perhaps come to like each other along the way.
Where this was definitely Six of Crows-esque with its cast of traumatized characters and heist against all odds it certainly wasn’t as good as it. I don’t like to compare books like this but it seems inevitable when that’s what this genre and vibes so clearly are mimicking. i didn’t feel as connected to these characters as Crows nor did I find the romances all that interesting. They were enemies to lovers or exes to lovers or bodyguard trope romances but it all seemed to obvious and set up from the start without the real angst or will they won’t they. They were clearly written as pairs from the start and so it wasn’t surprising at all when the characters eventually give in to their desires. I also found the plot a bit slow and the different POVs al seemed sort of similar. There wasn’t a lot of action and I felt the scenes weren’t as descriptive as I would’ve liked.
Overall I enjoyed it but it really felt like a setup/prequel for the main plot Book 2.
Note about content tags: None of the content tags in the front were particularly graphic in this as it was largely a YA novel in my opinion. Mentions of assault, genocide, murder, and sex but in my opinion no particularly graphic descriptions of any of the above.
Recommended by CariCakes
I thought this was a fun read! Not particularly great writing, it felt a little childish and the plot wasn’t all that unpredictable but I think this was the author’s first delve into adult fiction.
The cast of characters includes Royo the hired bodyguard tough man who’s secretly a softy with a tragic past, Aeri the nimble fingered and childish thief with a twisted backstory, Mikail the king’s spymaster with a tragic past, Euyn the exiled supposed to be dead prince with a tragic past, Sora the poison maiden with a tragic past, and Tiyung the rich noble. Are you catching a theme? All characters are extremely trope-y with their own tragic pasts and traumas coming together to form the ultimate unlikely heist team against all odds and perhaps come to like each other along the way.
Where this was definitely Six of Crows-esque with its cast of traumatized characters and heist against all odds it certainly wasn’t as good as it. I don’t like to compare books like this but it seems inevitable when that’s what this genre and vibes so clearly are mimicking. i didn’t feel as connected to these characters as Crows nor did I find the romances all that interesting. They were enemies to lovers or exes to lovers or bodyguard trope romances but it all seemed to obvious and set up from the start without the real angst or will they won’t they. They were clearly written as pairs from the start and so it wasn’t surprising at all when the characters eventually give in to their desires. I also found the plot a bit slow and the different POVs al seemed sort of similar. There wasn’t a lot of action and I felt the scenes weren’t as descriptive as I would’ve liked.
Overall I enjoyed it but it really felt like a setup/prequel for the main plot Book 2.
Note about content tags: None of the content tags in the front were particularly graphic in this as it was largely a YA novel in my opinion. Mentions of assault, genocide, murder, and sex but in my opinion no particularly graphic descriptions of any of the above.
Recommended by CariCakes
This is the one where Jamie is in .prison for 20 years and then internment and then becomes a printmaker meanwhile Claire returns and finds him. Then Ian gets kidnapped and they follow him across the ocean to Barbados and then after get shipwrecked in Georgia. .
recommended by @caricakez
A magical realism story about sisters in a Bnb on a small island known for birding. Reminded me heavily of Practical Magic. Fun but definitely a kids book.
A magical realism story about sisters in a Bnb on a small island known for birding. Reminded me heavily of Practical Magic. Fun but definitely a kids book.
Racisim and the american dream in the applachians. A jewish family who runs a store in a mostly black neighborhood. A heist to help an incorrectly incarcerated young boy.
Evangeline is now a princess married to the Prince! She's living in her own fairytale! But things arent all they seem, she's having memories that don't add up? Has she forgotten something? Jacks is accused of causing her memory loss but she can't help but feel like its all wrong. Jacks only wants to protect Evangeline so once and for all he decided to burn his love heart (everyone has two heart apparently). He goes to burn it in the Phoenix Tree to be free of his feelings for her but Evangeline already happens to be there and kisses Jacks to break her curse. It works and she is now herself again and curse free but Apollo kidnaps her. Apollo is heartbroken and if he can't have her no one can and decides to be more strong and macho by sacrificing Evangeline to the Tree of Souls so he can become immortal. Instead, since Apollo loves himself most the tree kills Apollo.
We also find out Aurora Valor was in love with Jacks and cursed him with the ballad of archer and fox and with his true love death kiss. But also the rules of the true love kiss weren't that his true love would die but that only girls who would never love him would survive his kisses.
This was still a fun silly little fantasy with curses and true loves but it didn't hit the same. It didn't seem as high stakes as the others, there wasn't as much going on and the ending was eh. I think because it didn't have that surprise factor, the reader sorta knew where the story was going the whole time. Also we never reallllly found out why Jacks eats apples. I still have a lot of questions regarding the Fates and how they ?function? I guess. The whole world is such a fascinating story and I hope she continues to explore new stories and do more world building with the Fates and this fun little fantasy world.
not gonna lie when I say I picked these up for the beautiful (UK) covers but stayed for the dumb tropes
that had me kicking my feet and giggling all the way through 10/10
We also find out Aurora Valor was in love with Jacks and cursed him with the ballad of archer and fox and with his true love death kiss. But also the rules of the true love kiss weren't that his true love would die but that only girls who would never love him would survive his kisses.
This was still a fun silly little fantasy with curses and true loves but it didn't hit the same. It didn't seem as high stakes as the others, there wasn't as much going on and the ending was eh. I think because it didn't have that surprise factor, the reader sorta knew where the story was going the whole time. Also we never reallllly found out why Jacks eats apples. I still have a lot of questions regarding the Fates and how they ?function? I guess. The whole world is such a fascinating story and I hope she continues to explore new stories and do more world building with the Fates and this fun little fantasy world.
not gonna lie when I say I picked these up for the beautiful (UK) covers but stayed for the dumb tropes
that had me kicking my feet and giggling all the way through 10/10
the sequel was just as fun as the first!
its a unique little YA fantasy full of classic tropes and i ate it up
its for the disney girlies, the 'once upon a time' girlies, the vampire girlies, the peasant/royal girlies
I yet again love how it plays around the idea of fantasy kingdoms and has all the classic Disney fantasy vibes of baroque fancy colorful buildings and towns with friendly bakers and neighbors and evil step family with orphaned naive heroic girls who think they'll be saved. I loved how the MC is that classic damsel in distress believing in wishing on stars and true love and I can't wait for her to be slowly crushed by the realization that there is no prince coming to save her lol
Evangeline's new husband, Prince Apollo, is now trapped in a sleep state to manipulate her into opening the Valory arch. She can't trust Jacks or his feelings anymore, he has broken her trust too many times, but perhaps this time he means it? She finds and awakens the Valory arch on her own hoping to be able to outsmart Jacks and find something inside to save Prince Apollo. The arch is missing four pieces that she must find to open it: one for luck, one for truth, one for mirth, and one for youth. Evangeline begins her hunt with Apollo's personal bodyguard, Havelock. Meanwhile, the kingdom believes Apollo to be dead by his brother Tiberius's hand and the successor, Lucien Acadian, is set to arrive tomorrow.Jacks continues to appear and offer his assistance via new bargain but she continues to deny him, this time though we now find out that Evangeline and Apollo's bodies are somehow linked and any injury that happens to him will happen to her.
The successor Lucien is revealed to be Luc, her ex-boyfriend and also now a vampire for Lord Chaos. Jacks saves Evangeline a few times leading her to believe perhaps he does care. To heal her, Evangline needs to be bitten by a vampire and go through the painful transformation of wanting blood but not having it or she'll become a vampire by morning. She escapes Lord Chaos's den and flees to the woods only to be hunted by cursed Apollo. They discover that Apollo and Evangeline were cursed with the mirror curse and the Archer's curse so she enters into a new bargain with Jacks. Evangeline finds all four stones and also new history about the Valor family and the Ballad of the Archer and the Fox.
There's another girl with pink hair named Petra who has found one of the other stones and is also a key who Evangline kills in self defense. Apollo is whipped and she can feel it and Jacks takes her to a tree house safe haven to heal. Jacks shows up really hurt one night and they snuggle.
She finds one stone in Lord Chaos' house, one in a tomb at a party, one on Petra, one in the clock at the treehouse inn.
Evangeline opens the valor archway with Chaos (Castor Valor) and Jacks but once Chaos's helm is off he murders her and she dies in Jacks arms trying to tell him she loves him to break his curse.
Record scratch, Jacks uses the stones to go back in time to prevent Chaos killing Evangeline even though he will have to sacrifice something to do this. He turns back time and then yells at Evangeline until she leaves, she realizes she can break his curse by telling him she loves him and returns to the arch only to find it covered in golden blood and Apollo standing there. Apollo removes her memories!!!
We get so much lore man: we find out LaLa cursed Apollo and Evangeline because she wants the arch open to free her love the dragon and Chaos wants it open to get the helm off, and Jacks also want it open but not really. Jacks wants the stones so he can go back in time to before Donatella, his true love.
She discovers the Valor family are all considered good and loved until something big happens which leads to them being beheaded.
She learns of the "Merrywood Three", Prince Castor Valor (Chaos), the archer (Jacks), and Lyric Merrywood who were best friends. Lyric Merrywood, LaLa(Unwed Bride)'s brother, was in love with Aurora Valor, Castor’s sister, but Aurora was Vengeance Slaughterwood’s betrothed since birth. Aurora left Vengeance at the altar for Lyric but Vengeance than killed the entire Merrywood House. The Valors are all asleep behind the Valor archway.
I will say this one had a loottttt of lore dumped on you which was a bit difficult to follow since there are so many characters and each one has a name and then also an alias or two. But ya know I love some dramatic endings this whole book was spectacular and chaotic and i loved every second
not gonna lie when I say I picked these up for the beautiful (UK) covers but stayed for the dumb tropes
that had me kicking my feet and giggling all the way through 10/10
its a unique little YA fantasy full of classic tropes and i ate it up
its for the disney girlies, the 'once upon a time' girlies, the vampire girlies, the peasant/royal girlies
I yet again love how it plays around the idea of fantasy kingdoms and has all the classic Disney fantasy vibes of baroque fancy colorful buildings and towns with friendly bakers and neighbors and evil step family with orphaned naive heroic girls who think they'll be saved. I loved how the MC is that classic damsel in distress believing in wishing on stars and true love and I can't wait for her to be slowly crushed by the realization that there is no prince coming to save her lol
Evangeline's new husband, Prince Apollo, is now trapped in a sleep state to manipulate her into opening the Valory arch. She can't trust Jacks or his feelings anymore, he has broken her trust too many times, but perhaps this time he means it? She finds and awakens the Valory arch on her own hoping to be able to outsmart Jacks and find something inside to save Prince Apollo. The arch is missing four pieces that she must find to open it: one for luck, one for truth, one for mirth, and one for youth. Evangeline begins her hunt with Apollo's personal bodyguard, Havelock. Meanwhile, the kingdom believes Apollo to be dead by his brother Tiberius's hand and the successor, Lucien Acadian, is set to arrive tomorrow.
The successor Lucien is revealed to be Luc, her ex-boyfriend and also now a vampire for Lord Chaos. Jacks saves Evangeline a few times leading her to believe perhaps he does care. To heal her, Evangline needs to be bitten by a vampire and go through the painful transformation of wanting blood but not having it or she'll become a vampire by morning. She escapes Lord Chaos's den and flees to the woods only to be hunted by cursed Apollo. They discover that Apollo and Evangeline were cursed with the mirror curse and the Archer's curse so she enters into a new bargain with Jacks. Evangeline finds all four stones and also new history about the Valor family and the Ballad of the Archer and the Fox.
There's another girl with pink hair named Petra who has found one of the other stones and is also a key who Evangline kills in self defense. Apollo is whipped and she can feel it and Jacks takes her to a tree house safe haven to heal. Jacks shows up really hurt one night and they snuggle.
She finds one stone in Lord Chaos' house, one in a tomb at a party, one on Petra, one in the clock at the treehouse inn.
Evangeline opens the valor archway with Chaos (Castor Valor) and Jacks but once Chaos's helm is off he murders her and she dies in Jacks arms trying to tell him she loves him to break his curse.
Record scratch, Jacks uses the stones to go back in time to prevent Chaos killing Evangeline even though he will have to sacrifice something to do this. He turns back time and then yells at Evangeline until she leaves, she realizes she can break his curse by telling him she loves him and returns to the arch only to find it covered in golden blood and Apollo standing there. Apollo removes her memories!!!
We get so much lore man: we find out LaLa cursed Apollo and Evangeline because she wants the arch open to free her love the dragon and Chaos wants it open to get the helm off, and Jacks also want it open but not really. Jacks wants the stones so he can go back in time to before Donatella, his true love.
She discovers the Valor family are all considered good and loved until something big happens which leads to them being beheaded.
She learns of the "Merrywood Three", Prince Castor Valor (Chaos), the archer (Jacks), and Lyric Merrywood who were best friends. Lyric Merrywood, LaLa(Unwed Bride)'s brother, was in love with Aurora Valor, Castor’s sister, but Aurora was Vengeance Slaughterwood’s betrothed since birth. Aurora left Vengeance at the altar for Lyric but Vengeance than killed the entire Merrywood House. The Valors are all asleep behind the Valor archway.
I will say this one had a loottttt of lore dumped on you which was a bit difficult to follow since there are so many characters and each one has a name and then also an alias or two. But ya know I love some dramatic endings this whole book was spectacular and chaotic and i loved every second
not gonna lie when I say I picked these up for the beautiful (UK) covers but stayed for the dumb tropes
that had me kicking my feet and giggling all the way through 10/10
i love a celebrity memoir. this one was fine.
perhaps i only read it for the drama surrounding her inclusion of a call out of shitty men in the industry and for that it was 100% worth it. I'm glad she stuck her ground and called out Sasha Baron Cohen.
besides that the story is fine, interesting lore on her growing up and work in different movies but i feel like a good memoir will teach you something and be impactful on your life and i didn't really feel like this taught me anything impactful.
perhaps i only read it for the drama surrounding her inclusion of a call out of shitty men in the industry and for that it was 100% worth it. I'm glad she stuck her ground and called out Sasha Baron Cohen.
besides that the story is fine, interesting lore on her growing up and work in different movies but i feel like a good memoir will teach you something and be impactful on your life and i didn't really feel like this taught me anything impactful.
This is the one where Claire is in the future with Brie and Roger explaining everything but in the past Jamie and Claire are in France. The end of the book is Culloden.
