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charliauthor's Reviews (531)
Another enjoyable read in the Old Kingdom saga albeit a lot slower than its predecessor.
Lirael is a lot more character driven than Sabriel and opens up the world in a much bigger way. The writing is palatable and if not for other commitments, i might have finished a lot earlier as it was such an easy read.
The main character Lirael was a little less to my taste as she was full of self pity that i found particularly unattractive. While I understood her reasons for this, as she continued to look at her glass as half empty it really started to annoy me.
Im excited to continue and find out at the story pulls together now that our MCs have met and see how theyll take down yhe big baddie.
Lirael is a lot more character driven than Sabriel and opens up the world in a much bigger way. The writing is palatable and if not for other commitments, i might have finished a lot earlier as it was such an easy read.
The main character Lirael was a little less to my taste as she was full of self pity that i found particularly unattractive. While I understood her reasons for this, as she continued to look at her glass as half empty it really started to annoy me.
Im excited to continue and find out at the story pulls together now that our MCs have met and see how theyll take down yhe big baddie.
(3.5) This was my first re read of Sabriel after 20 something years and I am so pleased that i enjoyed it as much as I did before.
Garth Nix is basically one of the founding fathers of true YA Fantasy before it got all Sarah J. Maas’d. While there are no hunky fae or drawn out descriptions or excessive worldbuilding, everything is still present and very much lifting off the page. Sabriel is an easy read both for its style as well as its plot and i was invested the entire way through.
With older reading eyes i can respect that I would have liked a bit more side story build up or a slow burn romance etc. but at its heart, this is a simple story about a very competent young woman who we watch learn and grow into her powers in an organic way without feeling annoyed by her.
I also realised how much Nix had influenced my own writing has i saw so many elements from this in The Antonides Legacy and Genesis of Dragons!
If youve not read these, try them and see how you go as they’re a wonderful introduction to Fantasy.
Garth Nix is basically one of the founding fathers of true YA Fantasy before it got all Sarah J. Maas’d. While there are no hunky fae or drawn out descriptions or excessive worldbuilding, everything is still present and very much lifting off the page. Sabriel is an easy read both for its style as well as its plot and i was invested the entire way through.
With older reading eyes i can respect that I would have liked a bit more side story build up or a slow burn romance etc. but at its heart, this is a simple story about a very competent young woman who we watch learn and grow into her powers in an organic way without feeling annoyed by her.
I also realised how much Nix had influenced my own writing has i saw so many elements from this in The Antonides Legacy and Genesis of Dragons!
If youve not read these, try them and see how you go as they’re a wonderful introduction to Fantasy.
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While this is a wonderful book I do feel ive been spoiled by the fast paced action of newer YA Fantasy that made me feel like the end part of this was a bit of chore.
A fitting end for the band of Charter Magicked misfits but the end felt rushed considering we basically spent almost two books travelling.
I really enjoy the characters and the animal sidekicks and the writing isnt overly complex which is great, its just very slow. Saying that, its the third in a trilogy so of youre reading the series it wraps everything correctly, you get answers and you get a little teaser for ongoing adventures.
All in all a good ride!
A fitting end for the band of Charter Magicked misfits but the end felt rushed considering we basically spent almost two books travelling.
I really enjoy the characters and the animal sidekicks and the writing isnt overly complex which is great, its just very slow. Saying that, its the third in a trilogy so of youre reading the series it wraps everything correctly, you get answers and you get a little teaser for ongoing adventures.
All in all a good ride!
I took a break from reading for a while due to my Mental Health and general lack of will or energy to read or write anything, but this was the perfect book to get me back into the swing of things.
Honey & Spice is the most Black British thing ive read in a very long time and it was amazing to read my experiences and have them leap of the page in such an engaging way.
Technically, they leapt out of the speakers as I listened to this book and the narrator did such an excellent job of the different characters and the African accents and idiosyncrasies of Black youth culture, that i was immersed the entire way through.
I can see where the dialogue might get lost on those not apart of the culture, but if you're able to listen or read past that, then H&S is a really funny, smart and sweet book about relationships, popularity and everything that happens in ones young life.
Delayed, but H&S is about a girl called Kiki who distances herself from the politics of uni relationships but instead talks about them on her radio show Brown Sugar. This gets her into a mishap that forces her into a fake relationship with new boy Malachi and of course, sparks fly.
Admittedly this book is very dialogue heavy which i found off putting at times and the end felt dragged out a bit but other than that, it was such a fun treat to get me back into reading.
I loved this from front to back and implore everyone to try it for the laughs and realness all the way through.
Honey & Spice is the most Black British thing ive read in a very long time and it was amazing to read my experiences and have them leap of the page in such an engaging way.
Technically, they leapt out of the speakers as I listened to this book and the narrator did such an excellent job of the different characters and the African accents and idiosyncrasies of Black youth culture, that i was immersed the entire way through.
I can see where the dialogue might get lost on those not apart of the culture, but if you're able to listen or read past that, then H&S is a really funny, smart and sweet book about relationships, popularity and everything that happens in ones young life.
Delayed, but H&S is about a girl called Kiki who distances herself from the politics of uni relationships but instead talks about them on her radio show Brown Sugar. This gets her into a mishap that forces her into a fake relationship with new boy Malachi and of course, sparks fly.
Admittedly this book is very dialogue heavy which i found off putting at times and the end felt dragged out a bit but other than that, it was such a fun treat to get me back into reading.
I loved this from front to back and implore everyone to try it for the laughs and realness all the way through.
A cosy diverse christmas contemporary romance? Bring it on!
#LoveinWinterWonderland is about Ariel and Trey, two socially polar opposites who have to team up to save Trey’s family’s bookshop from financial ruin.
This book is super sweet and sits firmly in the YA section but was still really enjoyable. Its set in East London and while not from the far reaches of Mordor myself lol it was refreshing to read about my similar college experiences in this Black British setting.
I loved that the MMC, Trey Anderson was sexy and came from a nuclear unproblematic family. His friends werent toxic and he was a wonderfully positive depiction of black maleness in a book.
Ariel, the FMC is the artistic type and is on the fluffy side which was also refreshing. Although she struggles with her weight and theres a really sad bit when she goes on a binge after someone calls her fat, shes works through her insecurities and it was sweet to witness.
Overall LIWW is a wonderfully festive and cute story about friendship and the love that can blossom from truly understanding someone for who they are and not what they are.
Defo check this one out it you can!
#LoveinWinterWonderland is about Ariel and Trey, two socially polar opposites who have to team up to save Trey’s family’s bookshop from financial ruin.
This book is super sweet and sits firmly in the YA section but was still really enjoyable. Its set in East London and while not from the far reaches of Mordor myself lol it was refreshing to read about my similar college experiences in this Black British setting.
I loved that the MMC, Trey Anderson was sexy and came from a nuclear unproblematic family. His friends werent toxic and he was a wonderfully positive depiction of black maleness in a book.
Ariel, the FMC is the artistic type and is on the fluffy side which was also refreshing. Although she struggles with her weight and theres a really sad bit when she goes on a binge after someone calls her fat, shes works through her insecurities and it was sweet to witness.
Overall LIWW is a wonderfully festive and cute story about friendship and the love that can blossom from truly understanding someone for who they are and not what they are.
Defo check this one out it you can!
(4.5) Every now and then ill take a fantasy read break and a lot of the contemporary will make me wonder why i ever tried something new but this is not one of them!
7 Days in June is about an erotic paranormal writer named Eva and a literary fiction writer named Shane who knew and loved each other a long time ago and cross paths when they are adults.
To say that their relationship was riddle with toxicity and co dependency is an understatement but there is something about their honesty and willingness to work through their issues both together and apart, that make this so believable and appreciated.
Set in a world of high end fashions donned by the literary social elite and well articulated self criticisms, Williams is able to shed light in the failings of the publishing industry in relation to Black authors in a way that was screaming at me from the page. The intelligent mocking of new aged ‘woke’ individuals is woven expertly well with relatable humour and real literary world issues.
The characters and their subsequent relationships are all so entertaining in a mixture of ways that had no one pov holding more interest than the others. Eva and Shane have a distinct voice and their subsequent issues both physical, mental and medicinal were interesting to learn about and see from a real perspective.
Learning that the author drew from her own experiences to do this makes it even more special and i was really impressed.
All authors should read this and everyone else in between because it is really funny and relatable on so many levels!
7 Days in June is about an erotic paranormal writer named Eva and a literary fiction writer named Shane who knew and loved each other a long time ago and cross paths when they are adults.
To say that their relationship was riddle with toxicity and co dependency is an understatement but there is something about their honesty and willingness to work through their issues both together and apart, that make this so believable and appreciated.
Set in a world of high end fashions donned by the literary social elite and well articulated self criticisms, Williams is able to shed light in the failings of the publishing industry in relation to Black authors in a way that was screaming at me from the page. The intelligent mocking of new aged ‘woke’ individuals is woven expertly well with relatable humour and real literary world issues.
The characters and their subsequent relationships are all so entertaining in a mixture of ways that had no one pov holding more interest than the others. Eva and Shane have a distinct voice and their subsequent issues both physical, mental and medicinal were interesting to learn about and see from a real perspective.
Learning that the author drew from her own experiences to do this makes it even more special and i was really impressed.
All authors should read this and everyone else in between because it is really funny and relatable on so many levels!
(3.5)
I really enjoyed this! I am always a lover of black fiction that doesnt follow the struggle narrative and this was really sweet all the way through!
Prince is the local teen radio personality who gives advice on love. Dani is a wannabe writer with dreams of moving to NYC for college who doesnt even believe in love. She has been through something that shes struggled to come to terms with and Prince unexpectedly serves as the person to help her learn to love herself again.
This is simply a really cute book all the way through with great respect given to black films and music and an appreciation of black love. There is an incredible meet-cute at the start and so many rom com worthy date moments that i sped through this in just a day. I loved Prince and Dani’s maturity throughout the novel although it did feel like they were perhaps a little too grown up at times.
Although i wasnt a fan of the “black father is not around” trope, i did like the family dynamic of Prince’s home and how responsible he is happy to he for his family. There was no toxicity in any of it which was amazing.
The fact that Dani and Prince discover their love for each other through their love of the arts was another great part and i loved the almost educational part of their dates and the writing as a whole.
My only real issue was that some of the dialogue passages was a bit long and also that Dani’s reaction to something that happened to her seemed a little over exaggerated. Everyone reacts differently to trauma but i personally wouldnt have acted the way she does which made it feel a little extreme for me, especially in relation to completely ghosting her friends.
Despite those small parts, #LOVERADIO was an extremely fun and cute read.
I really enjoyed this! I am always a lover of black fiction that doesnt follow the struggle narrative and this was really sweet all the way through!
Prince is the local teen radio personality who gives advice on love. Dani is a wannabe writer with dreams of moving to NYC for college who doesnt even believe in love. She has been through something that shes struggled to come to terms with and Prince unexpectedly serves as the person to help her learn to love herself again.
This is simply a really cute book all the way through with great respect given to black films and music and an appreciation of black love. There is an incredible meet-cute at the start and so many rom com worthy date moments that i sped through this in just a day. I loved Prince and Dani’s maturity throughout the novel although it did feel like they were perhaps a little too grown up at times.
Although i wasnt a fan of the “black father is not around” trope, i did like the family dynamic of Prince’s home and how responsible he is happy to he for his family. There was no toxicity in any of it which was amazing.
The fact that Dani and Prince discover their love for each other through their love of the arts was another great part and i loved the almost educational part of their dates and the writing as a whole.
My only real issue was that some of the dialogue passages was a bit long and also that Dani’s reaction to something that happened to her seemed a little over exaggerated. Everyone reacts differently to trauma but i personally wouldnt have acted the way she does which made it feel a little extreme for me, especially in relation to completely ghosting her friends.
Despite those small parts, #LOVERADIO was an extremely fun and cute read.
Too much
Im all down for fetishes and smut and alternative interests but this was just…too much.
Thank God they’re short stories because endless activity of this nature trying to disguise itself as a full novel would have been entirely too much.
Not a fan of the questionable consent element but the writer has a good style that really makes the fantasy/modern blend that more believable.
Not one j would recommend or share but it is what is if you’re into this sort of thing
Im all down for fetishes and smut and alternative interests but this was just…too much.
Thank God they’re short stories because endless activity of this nature trying to disguise itself as a full novel would have been entirely too much.
Not a fan of the questionable consent element but the writer has a good style that really makes the fantasy/modern blend that more believable.
Not one j would recommend or share but it is what is if you’re into this sort of thing
Very Sexy!
Such a great introduction to the BDB world and Wrath is an instant fave. A bit of Insta Love in this which was a tad u realistic but the smut scenes are great, the characters are fun and the plot was sufficiently paced. Im really giving this a 3.5 but the the end was little dragged out trying to cram a whole lot of new stuff in.
Great for Guild Hunter and Night Huntress fans!
Such a great introduction to the BDB world and Wrath is an instant fave. A bit of Insta Love in this which was a tad u realistic but the smut scenes are great, the characters are fun and the plot was sufficiently paced. Im really giving this a 3.5 but the the end was little dragged out trying to cram a whole lot of new stuff in.
Great for Guild Hunter and Night Huntress fans!
Great!
I love HF but it’s hard to find the right kind but this one ticks all the boxes. Both MCs are great and the tension between them was great. The writing was great without being fussy but still of the time. A great sensuous escape.
I love HF but it’s hard to find the right kind but this one ticks all the boxes. Both MCs are great and the tension between them was great. The writing was great without being fussy but still of the time. A great sensuous escape.