dlrosebyh's Reviews (773)

A young lady discovers an antique book and a stockpile of yellowing letters written ominously to 'My dear and unfortunate successor' late one night while browsing her father's library. Her revelation transports her to a world she never imagined existed - a labyrinth where the mysteries of her father's past and her mother's tragic fate are linked to an evil concealed in the depths of history. 

 

During those few calm moments, she unintentionally embarks on a mission that she will find is her birthright: a search for the truth about Vlad the Impaler, the medieval king whose barbaric reign inspired the Dracula legend. Deciphering cryptic clues and buried passages, deciphering codes woven into the fabric of ancient monastery traditions, and escaping deadly foes, one lady gets closer to the truth about her own history and a confrontation with the very meaning of evil. 

 

This book is different from the usual assortment of novels I read, and the very notion that it is different terrified me into picking it up. Going into this, all I hoped for was that it would be rich with history, since as someone who loves history and researches, I enjoy seeing those in books— and it did not disappoint. 

 

The Historian has such lovely prose that if I were reading it as an owned copy, I would have underlined a lot of it. The manner the narrative was conveyed was also really interesting—though some portions felt a little protracted. This novel could have been a hundred pages shorter—and the fact that the finale wasn't really satisfying—killed my mood as I enjoyed the book for the first three quarters. 

This novel is about a grouchy and elderly fae who looked after an infant. If you love plot-heavy novels, this isn't for you. It's mellow and bizarre, charming; it reminded me of a folklore. If you prefer atmospheric prose over dialogue, you've found the right book for you. 

 

I don't have much to say about this book; it's simply a matter of taste. The pace was too slow for me, and I wasn't a fan of the writing style, which felt like a rip-off of Tolkien's prose—The Hobbit style. 

the ending ruined it, sorry

Reading a book from the Riordanverse for the first time feels like I’m eight again. I’m almost twice as old now, and the nostalgia is hitting me like a truck. I felt the same way Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield fans felt when they appeared on the large screen during No Way Home. THIS is MY Now Way Home. THIS is MY Joker.

Starting right off the bat, Nico has always been one of my favorite characters. He was the blueprint for the “religiously traumatized, queer, neurodivergent, and burnt out” characters aka people that represent me. Ever since Rick Riordan started expanding on his character from the little collector boy to one of the most deadly demigods alive in a span of a book, eight-year-old me wanted a book with Nico di Angelo. And of course, after reading House of Hades, and most especially Trials of Apollo, I wanted a Solangelo novel. It’s been a long time coming, but it’s finally here. And the best thing about this novel is that it’s co-written by someone in the LGBTQIA+ community— so you know it’s real and organic. 

Aside from Nico, Will Solace has always intrigued me— and I’ve always seen him rather underrated. Usually, he is just perceived as Nico’s boyfriend when he’s so much more to that. And don’t even get me started on how overlooked his trauma is— especially during The Last Olympian. I’ve always wanted a deeper dive to his character because according to the previous books, he was distinct to his siblings. He wasn’t as talented in music as his siblings are, but he did have a gift for being doctorly. 

As for the book, yes, it did feel cheesy in some parts, but I especially loved that aspect. Nico deserved that cheesiness, I don’t care. Plus, they’re teenagers, so it’s pretty expected. The target audience for this novel is definitely for younger queer people— the Nico, the Will, the Piper, and etc. Compared to the other Riordanverse novels, this one was more of a character study into Nico and Will and into their relationship. It was less climactic and for two people going to the Tartarus, I can admit that the climax was easily resolved— but I don’t think that’s something to be criticized on heavily because this novel had such a great message. 

This is probably the closest we’ll ever have to Nico going to therapy; I mean that guy has been through a lot and even Hades at the end of the book admitted that. This was such a beautiful story about further self discography, self love, and healing. We tackle Nico’s PTSD for a pretty big chunk of this book. Some people might say that the ending was anti-climactic, but I waited patiently for three Riordanverse series for Nico to GET that ending. It was so beautiful, it made me tear up.

As a queer teenager who struggles with identity, it was refreshing to read about two people being so open about their sexuality. No one knows how much I cry whenever I just see the words “he is my boyfriend” in this novel. It felt like a love letter, especially that it was co-written by a queer author. The novel was so alluring to me because even if it did tackle so many heavy stuff, it was well-balanced out with the wit, sarcasm, and wholesomeness. 

Although I gave this book five stars, I’ll still run over some of the “not so great” things in this book.

Stella enters a contest with Instagram-famous influencer Evelyn St. James in an effort to rescue the Christmas tree farm she's loved since she was a child. Stella may be able to salvage the farm from financial ruin with the additional publicity and $100,000 cash reward. There is only one issue. To make the farm appear to be a romantic holiday getaway, she lied on her application and claimed to own Lovelight Farms with her partner. The only difference is that there is no lover. 

 

This book was really terrible. The entire plot did not occur until 75% of the way through. I literally skimmed the first half of the book and understood everything, which is a shame because I am a sucker for the fake dating trope. If this book were a cliché, it would be "friends to lovers but they're actually already lovers but they're too scared to ruin the friendship" and I despise it. 

 

The main characters were unbearable to me; the only one I liked was Beckett, but this book did not even persuade me to read his novel—and that says a lot given his book is a second chance romance, which I like. 

 

Apart from the Christmas Tree Farm, the only "Christmasy" feature in this novel was the scenery, which I did love. Apart from that, I don't think I enjoyed anything. If I'm being honest, it was more of a Thanksgiving book. Overall, this book was simply not for me; and the fact that it had so much hype destroyed it for me; it's not a horrible book, just not for me. And if you ever intend on reading this book, please be informed that it can be quite cringy and too sweet at times.