blewballoon's Reviews (763)

I'm being a little generous with my rating because I really like the idea of this book, and the execution isn't bad. The prose is a little cliche at times, but overall this delivers a nice young adult historical romance from the perspective of a black family. There are several characters and romances to follow, and they aren't all resolved in this book. I'll be grabbing the sequel to see how those loose threads get tied. I will also caution that if you don't like 3rd Act break ups, you will probably dislike this story, because there are multiple. But if you are looking for something like Bridgerton and Downton Abbey but aimed at a younger audience and a focus on black characters, this is a good pick and a fun read. 

I'm not sure how to rate this because I didn't really have any strong feelings about the book. I had mostly a bland reading experience. Apart from maybe Violet, I didn't feel attached to any of the characters, and that made it harder to care what was going on with them. It felt like I was just skimming the surface level of plot and characters for the most part. 

The writing style reminded me of Sabriel by Garth Nix, which is nice, but that style doesn't help when the text is fairly repetitive and the book is mostly predictable.

There are several twists towards the very end, but if you know there is a twist and you try at all to predict what it is, you will probably figure them all out long before the characters do. I didn't feel like any of the twists improved my opinion of the book or gave me that "oh I want to re-read now that I know the twist!" type feeling that would re-contextualize the story, and they didn't make me excited for a sequel. It's more that the whole first 90% of the book feels like it was just filler.

 

I'm trying not to be too harsh, but there really isn't much I liked, despite wanting to like it and having high hopes for it. It has elements that sort of reminded me of other books I do like, but as if I only got the seltzer drink wisp of flavor of the real fruit. I don't even mind when stories are predictable and characters are a bit cliche as long as the book is still immersive and fun to read, but I didn't have much fun with this. I didn't hate it, though. For me, the book was a lot of death and dullness, and it's the combination of sad/bored that risks putting me into a reading slump if I don't find something good to snap me out of it. I will say the audiobook narrator is very good, but I kept speeding the poor man up (I think I finished on 1.6 speed) because I wanted it to be over.

 I didn't know how this book would compare to Winter's Orbit. What got me most interested in that book was the arranged marriage plot, and then I found myself more and more invested in the political intrigue and found family aspects. Here we have the concept of a forced mental link rather than a forced marriage, which plays out a bit differently. Also like in Winter's Orbit, we have a character who is more rambunctious paired with a character who is more steadfast, and yet they also feel different. I think either story could be read as a standalone, but perhaps the world building might feel more steep if you jumped in at this book. The author has stated that there is no overlap in characters or locations, and that's an accurate statement from my recollection of the first book. 

I love Everina Maxwell's writing. It is focused and conveys the plot and characters clearly, while also leaving room for some beautiful flourishes that immerse you further into the story rather than taking you out of it. I loved getting to know these new characters and watching them get to know each other. There were some bits towards the end that I think were meant to be big reveals, but I had sort of assumed those things already and I wasn't as shocked as the characters were, although their shock did make sense in context. Even though I saw things coming, there is still a nice web of political drama to flow along with the slow burn romance. Slow burn romances are my favorite and I appreciate that the author worked with the pacing of the story to pace the romance so you can see it growing and developing at each stage, and it never diverts the main plot or feels forced.

I listened on audiobook (at 1.4 speed) and I think the narrator was great.

This is an excellent book and a great fantasy story. The world that Davinia Evans creates feels unique and lived in. The characters are interesting and charming. The overarching plot is suspenseful, with high stakes. The writing quality was fantastic. There are so many great things about this book, and yet I found myself having a hard time getting into it and being enthusiastic to pick it up. I'm honestly not sure why, perhaps I just wasn't in the mood? I still had a good time, but it took me a lot longer to get through than I expected. I would recommend this to fantasy readers, either adult or young adult. I do plan on picking up the next book in the series (eventually). 

This was my first Allie Therin book, and I'm sorry I hadn't picked them up sooner! I wouldn't recommend starting here like I did, because this series is clearly a spinoff of another series. The world-building and character introductions were still done well enough that I knew what was going on and I wasn't confused, but it made me really want to read the other series to get all the background I was missing. The grumpy-sunshine type romance is excellent, a lot of Sebastian and Wesley's initial dialogue had me chuckling out loud. I listened to this on audiobook and the narrator was great. They also narrated The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen, and I'd recommend that as well if you liked this.

I really love this Belles of London series. I appreciate the group of female friends and how they always show up and support each other, both in their general lives and in their romantic escapades. The romance here was teased in the previous two books, which is great for the reading experience of a second-chance romance. We feel the history between the two leads because we've seen the remnants of it brewing for two books already. I will say that I found this entry a little less immersive and captivating than the previous two, but it still hit the spot for an intelligent historical romance.

Normally I struggle with books where the main character, especially if you're in their perspective, is unlikable. I found Vanja compelling despite her severe flaws, and I had a feeling I'd enjoy following her character journey. I was right. I also found myself getting very immersed in the setting and growing mystery. I loved the group of characters that came along for the ride and pushed Vanja to grow. I felt like the ending was rewarding as it brought different plot points together. I enjoyed the portrayal of the gods. I found myself giddy to read more, and it's that excitement to get back to the book that made me rate it 5 stars. I listened on audiobook and the narrator was great. I was a little worried because the only other book I had listened to narrated by Saskia Maarleveld was one I didn't enjoy, but the problem clearly wasn't the narration. This book is technically the start of a series, but it can be enjoyed as a standalone in my opinion.

A strong conclusion to this series, I think. I was a little disappointed by the 2nd book in the series, but I enjoyed this one much more. My favorite element was the found family aspect, I was really happy to have the whole gang working together and seeing how the romances from the previous books were still thriving. Jack and Alan are fine, but I wasn't as captivated by their romance and character arcs as I was by Edwin and Robin. Edwin and Robin are hard to beat, though. I will say I didn't really care for the type of spicy scenes we had with Jack and Alan, so I zoned out for those. All of the books in the series were great as audiobooks, so I do recommend reading the series that way if you're interested.

There are so many fun ideas here. I love the idea of a Sapphic fantasy romance in a pseudo Victorian England setting. I like the concept of the different types of magic users and a found family of female bodyguards. The execution just wasn't working for me, though. None of the items I just listed felt like they were done well. The dialogue felt unnatural, the main character was hard to like, and the writing went too far over the edge of whimsy to become convoluted. If you liked The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels but wanted more swearing, drugs, poverty, alcohol, and casual sex, you might like this? 

I honestly only picked this audiobook up because it was narrated by my favorite narrator Moira Quirk and I have been in the mood for historical fiction. Apart from the narration, I went in with very low expectations and was pleasantly surprised! Due to the choice of setting, there is so much tension right from the start and all the way to the end. Not only do we have the sexism faced by a lone young woman in the group of pilots, the underlying competition among the flyers, and the clashing political views from the various countries the pilots represent, it's also right at the edge of WWII breaking out for real. There's plane sabotage and a murder mystery on top of all that! I enjoyed the characters of the young pilots and how (mild spoiler)

despite the suspicion just after the first instances of sabotage, they did come together as friends and help each other. It was wholesome how much they cheered each other on in the race and celebrated each other's successes.

  This book is categorized as young adult, but I would often forget how young the characters were, they were quite capable and mature.  Poor Moira Quirk was really put through her paces here having to cover such a wide range of accents, but she did a fantastic job and made the characters distinct and the action sequences engaging.