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heartbrekker's Reviews (797)
This was an intriguing story set in a formidable natural landscape that threatens the citizens of a kingdom, which gradually has gotten worse.
This story, in many ways, reminds me of the damsel in distress trope, but instead of a woman locked away to be sacrificed- it's a man. Lina is our daring heroine, but she, honestly, gave me major naiveté. She runs constantly throughout this novel headfirst into danger and seems to only care about the boy she loves after he is taken. The first few chapters follow her trying to protect her brother, but that relationship falls away when she starts blaming her brother for the reason her "lover" is gone. He also is not actually Lina's lover either because their relationship is extremely insta-love based. She was certainly not my POV of choice, but her parts became more bearable once Queen Eva took a stroll into her life. Her lessons learned by the end did counteract the previous obnoxious behavior, but this book is so short that I couldn't really cut Lina slack. Truthfully, this book very much felt like a satire on old fairytales/ damsel in distress stories. I don't know maybe that was only me.
Anyway, the saving grace of this novel: Queen Eva. She was an enthralling character who suffers from the PTSD of #1 her older sister's (previous queen) death #2 not quenching the villainous tide #3 failure to her people- who also kinda hate her now. I completely understood where she was coming from in her pain. Eva likes to lash out at those around her, but it was so nice to see her have some core relationships to support and help her during this troubling time. I also think her decision at the end- albeit I saw it coming- was perfect. I was applauding this queen until the end of her days. It was a full circle moment that I appreciated. I only wish I didn't see it coming because it's a shocker.
Overall, I think this book was strong in many attributes. The messages it holds around tradition and order were ones most fairytales need to hear. Fate does not define a person- or kingdom- to its whims, but you must be strong enough to make those changes yourself into your own fate. The major downfall was how short it was. I think if characters, setting, and lead-up to the events were further elaborated then this could've been a fantastic book. I just wanted more and did not receive that.
Thank you SourceBooks for sending me an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This story, in many ways, reminds me of the damsel in distress trope, but instead of a woman locked away to be sacrificed- it's a man. Lina is our daring heroine, but she, honestly, gave me major naiveté. She runs constantly throughout this novel headfirst into danger and seems to only care about the boy she loves after he is taken. The first few chapters follow her trying to protect her brother, but that relationship falls away when she starts blaming her brother for the reason her "lover" is gone. He also is not actually Lina's lover either because their relationship is extremely insta-love based. She was certainly not my POV of choice, but her parts became more bearable once Queen Eva took a stroll into her life. Her lessons learned by the end did counteract the previous obnoxious behavior, but this book is so short that I couldn't really cut Lina slack. Truthfully, this book very much felt like a satire on old fairytales/ damsel in distress stories. I don't know maybe that was only me.
Anyway, the saving grace of this novel: Queen Eva. She was an enthralling character who suffers from the PTSD of #1 her older sister's (previous queen) death #2 not quenching the villainous tide #3 failure to her people- who also kinda hate her now. I completely understood where she was coming from in her pain. Eva likes to lash out at those around her, but it was so nice to see her have some core relationships to support and help her during this troubling time. I also think her decision at the end- albeit I saw it coming- was perfect. I was applauding this queen until the end of her days. It was a full circle moment that I appreciated. I only wish I didn't see it coming because it's a shocker.
Overall, I think this book was strong in many attributes. The messages it holds around tradition and order were ones most fairytales need to hear. Fate does not define a person- or kingdom- to its whims, but you must be strong enough to make those changes yourself into your own fate. The major downfall was how short it was. I think if characters, setting, and lead-up to the events were further elaborated then this could've been a fantastic book. I just wanted more and did not receive that.
Thank you SourceBooks for sending me an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Is there an infinity button to rate this book?
The Empire of Gold is my favorite book of 2020. Obviously.
I have not been this satisfied with a finale in a long time, and it’s truly in my top tier list of favorite books ever. I think I enjoyed it even more because I marathoned the entire trilogy one after the next once I got my hands on an ARC. Since it’s the finale, I won’t be going into too much detail besides a few non-spoilery thoughts.
Like the previous books, there’s fascinating politics, relationships, and surprises. These three points in particular have successfully carried the series, and it’s amazing to see the end pull off the best yet. This series certainly has done its fair share of brutality and death tolls, and while the finale doesn’t shy away from that, it adds something more powerful: hope. I think that’s the most important aspect to this novel, and I smiled like a damn idiot the entire time reading it. During quarantine I needed that hope to guide me into a healthier mood, and I can’t thank this book enough for it. It’s what I needed.
I cried. I laughed. I screamed. I most certainly gawked. Everything in the finale adds up into this stunning ending that meant everything to me. Nothing is better than loving a series whole heartedly and then the finale being the cherry on top to solidify your love.
I loved that Shannon extended the mythology. I loved that Shannon took risks. And I loved the fact that each ending, for our cast of characters, was perfect for their arc.
In my opinion, this book was one of the most well planned that I’ve ever read, which is partly why it’s so satisfying.
That’s really all I can say.
Oh and Nahri will forever be the thief from Cairo, and one of the best female leads in literature.
Also side note: one of the big twists in TEOG is incredible, and I’m content to say I saw it coming hehe.
The Empire of Gold is my favorite book of 2020. Obviously.
I have not been this satisfied with a finale in a long time, and it’s truly in my top tier list of favorite books ever. I think I enjoyed it even more because I marathoned the entire trilogy one after the next once I got my hands on an ARC. Since it’s the finale, I won’t be going into too much detail besides a few non-spoilery thoughts.
Like the previous books, there’s fascinating politics, relationships, and surprises. These three points in particular have successfully carried the series, and it’s amazing to see the end pull off the best yet. This series certainly has done its fair share of brutality and death tolls, and while the finale doesn’t shy away from that, it adds something more powerful: hope. I think that’s the most important aspect to this novel, and I smiled like a damn idiot the entire time reading it. During quarantine I needed that hope to guide me into a healthier mood, and I can’t thank this book enough for it. It’s what I needed.
I cried. I laughed. I screamed. I most certainly gawked. Everything in the finale adds up into this stunning ending that meant everything to me. Nothing is better than loving a series whole heartedly and then the finale being the cherry on top to solidify your love.
I loved that Shannon extended the mythology. I loved that Shannon took risks. And I loved the fact that each ending, for our cast of characters, was perfect for their arc.
In my opinion, this book was one of the most well planned that I’ve ever read, which is partly why it’s so satisfying.
That’s really all I can say.
Oh and Nahri will forever be the thief from Cairo, and one of the best female leads in literature.
Also side note: one of the big twists in TEOG is incredible, and I’m content to say I saw it coming hehe.
I definitely prefer the sequel to this duology than the first.
The relationships were way more realistic and natural in this installment than the previous, and I was actually able to feel for the characters this time around. Res especially was a high point because he's just the cutest little crow baby in all the land. I think it would have been more successful to have more scenes with Res in the last book, so we don't have to play catch up in this one since he's been in the series for such a short amount of time.
Moreover, I really like how Kalyn writes battle scenes. She's successful at creating a detailed scene for me to picture, and I think it's one of her strong suits as a writer. Those scenes, specifically at the end, were such a joy to read and picture. I don't think anybody would deny that her descriptions of Thia and Res in the sky aren't out of this world. You can feel the moments of peace when its just Thia and res, but when there's tension when they're flying- it's pungent.
To be honest, there needed to be a larger page count to this duology overall. The 350-ish count did not do this story justice. Res learns more about his abilities at the start and middle portions of this finale, and we just flickered over it as if it was not that important in the grand scheme of things. It was disappointing because Res was one of the shining lights to this duology, and I was sad that his development was stunted.
Overall, I think the weakest point to this story was the lack of world building. We didn't really have any of it in the first book, and Kalyn had to do a lot of info dumping in this installment, which was confusing in and of itself because she didn't give enough even then. The Sellas were sooo interesting, and I'm sad they were such a big part of this novel, but we still know/ saw little parts of their abilities/ folklore. It felt like a constant tease. I wish the Sella folklore had been a larger portion to the first book, so we, as readers, did not have to filter through/ understand these new characters/ villains in such a short amount of time.
We were left with more questions then answers.
I will certainly look into Kalyn's next books because she is a fantastic scene writer, and I'm hoping some of these issues I had could be resolved in future projects because she has a lot of talent.
I may come back to this review sometime because there's more I'd like to say, but here is the largest summary of my feelings post-reading that I could think of.
Thank you to SourceBooks for sending me an eARC to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The relationships were way more realistic and natural in this installment than the previous, and I was actually able to feel for the characters this time around. Res especially was a high point because he's just the cutest little crow baby in all the land. I think it would have been more successful to have more scenes with Res in the last book, so we don't have to play catch up in this one since he's been in the series for such a short amount of time.
Moreover, I really like how Kalyn writes battle scenes. She's successful at creating a detailed scene for me to picture, and I think it's one of her strong suits as a writer. Those scenes, specifically at the end, were such a joy to read and picture. I don't think anybody would deny that her descriptions of Thia and Res in the sky aren't out of this world. You can feel the moments of peace when its just Thia and res, but when there's tension when they're flying- it's pungent.
To be honest, there needed to be a larger page count to this duology overall. The 350-ish count did not do this story justice. Res learns more about his abilities at the start and middle portions of this finale, and we just flickered over it as if it was not that important in the grand scheme of things. It was disappointing because Res was one of the shining lights to this duology, and I was sad that his development was stunted.
Overall, I think the weakest point to this story was the lack of world building. We didn't really have any of it in the first book, and Kalyn had to do a lot of info dumping in this installment, which was confusing in and of itself because she didn't give enough even then. The Sellas were sooo interesting, and I'm sad they were such a big part of this novel, but we still know/ saw little parts of their abilities/ folklore. It felt like a constant tease. I wish the Sella folklore had been a larger portion to the first book, so we, as readers, did not have to filter through/ understand these new characters/ villains in such a short amount of time.
We were left with more questions then answers.
I will certainly look into Kalyn's next books because she is a fantastic scene writer, and I'm hoping some of these issues I had could be resolved in future projects because she has a lot of talent.
I may come back to this review sometime because there's more I'd like to say, but here is the largest summary of my feelings post-reading that I could think of.
Thank you to SourceBooks for sending me an eARC to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
3.5
Fable was a ride!
I initially will say that Sky in the Deep felt very rushed to me, so I've always been conflicted on whether I wanted to try another one of Adrienne's novels. I'm so excited I did because this book was hypnotic with the lush sea faring background and sarcastic retorts.
I'll forever give credit to Adrienne for her beautiful writing style. I loved this novel because I could picture everything in my mind down to the taste of the air. She's amazing with imagery and description without being too overwhelming and that's all I ever ask for. It's my favorite part of reading.
Now.. I'm always very particular about sea voyage stories, but Fable is definitely my favorite. The characters were dynamic, especially Willa (my fav!), and Fable was a great protagonist vying first for acceptance and then later on her own identity/ independence. She's cutthroat in many ways, but she does still have a heart of gold for those she us loyal too, which isn't many.
The incredibly fast paced ending and weird cut away scenes (I wanted to experience the dredge that happens later in the book!) are my biggest core complaints, but the romance did seem rushed after a certain point. It was fine up until the confession, and then I felt oddly about the two lovers. It went from natural to insta-love.
Overall, I'd recommend this story. I'm intrigued about what's going to happen to Fable, especially after the final line in the eARC. I have more questions than answers, and we cannot have that.
Fable was a ride!
I initially will say that Sky in the Deep felt very rushed to me, so I've always been conflicted on whether I wanted to try another one of Adrienne's novels. I'm so excited I did because this book was hypnotic with the lush sea faring background and sarcastic retorts.
I'll forever give credit to Adrienne for her beautiful writing style. I loved this novel because I could picture everything in my mind down to the taste of the air. She's amazing with imagery and description without being too overwhelming and that's all I ever ask for. It's my favorite part of reading.
Now.. I'm always very particular about sea voyage stories, but Fable is definitely my favorite. The characters were dynamic, especially Willa (my fav!), and Fable was a great protagonist vying first for acceptance and then later on her own identity/ independence. She's cutthroat in many ways, but she does still have a heart of gold for those she us loyal too, which isn't many.
The incredibly fast paced ending and weird cut away scenes (I wanted to experience the dredge that happens later in the book!) are my biggest core complaints, but the romance did seem rushed after a certain point. It was fine up until the confession, and then I felt oddly about the two lovers. It went from natural to insta-love.
Overall, I'd recommend this story. I'm intrigued about what's going to happen to Fable, especially after the final line in the eARC. I have more questions than answers, and we cannot have that.
"Once upon a time there were three witches."
Wow. This book was not what I was expecting in the slightest.
Alix Harrow has a very unique writing style- a mix between straightforward and lush. Her atmosphere was incredible within this book, so I just kept picturing scene after scene with such clarity.
Now my biggest complaint for this book is that it's a bit slow. I'm usually one for slow paced novels that set up the scene and character relationships, but this one bordered on too slow. It made me feel like I was dragging my feet every once and a while.
Now. My favorite part. I think the whole last two parts were beyond incredible. They not only gave us the answers we were seeking, but also the best parts of the relationship between Juniper, Agnes, and Bella. I was so satisfied.
Another favorite part was the little fairytale retellings sprinkled around the book. They not only gave more strength to the original female characters in said fairytale but they were just calming. I wish there were more, but I understand the fear of those stories taking away from the actual plot of the novel.
This book is very much a feminist outlook on witch huntings for this period, and it was interesting to read it alongside the suffrage movement. Suffrage via Black women is even a point of discussion within this novel, which I think was very important because white women obviously have more privilege and bias in the late 1800’s. White women tended to fight only for their specific rights and no other POC women's rights.
Overall, this novel takes place in the 1890's, and it was successful at adding in diverse voices. Do I wish there was a bit more at times? Yes, but I'm glad Alix didn't just think, "oh this takes place in the past and there was no diversity because it was run by white men." There's an f&f romance, Black female rep (through a main supporting character so take with that what you will- she was one of my favorite characters), and transgender rep (side character). While I understand Alix's decision to wait so long to inform the audience who this trans rep refers to in the book because the character does not know who to trust, I will say I was upset that it wasn't discussed sooner. It was a short little scene, and I would have definitely preferred more for this representation. It did fit the character's history, but it can feel a bit tokenized when there's such little discussion. Lastly, there is a main character in the story who talks about not feeling the need for romance/ sex ever, and I'm not going to label them but some could infer this as asexual and/or aromantic rep. Again, I'm not going to blatantly say that's the case because the author never explicitly says it, but I was led to infer that personally. I could also be wrong, and please let me know if I am.
There's trigger warnings for abandonment, childbirth, torture, jail violence, sexual assault (though not shown, implied), etc.
Thanks Orbit Books for an eARC of this lovely novel. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
P.S. I may come back to this and add more.
Wow. This book was not what I was expecting in the slightest.
Alix Harrow has a very unique writing style- a mix between straightforward and lush. Her atmosphere was incredible within this book, so I just kept picturing scene after scene with such clarity.
Now my biggest complaint for this book is that it's a bit slow. I'm usually one for slow paced novels that set up the scene and character relationships, but this one bordered on too slow. It made me feel like I was dragging my feet every once and a while.
Now. My favorite part. I think the whole last two parts were beyond incredible. They not only gave us the answers we were seeking, but also the best parts of the relationship between Juniper, Agnes, and Bella. I was so satisfied.
Another favorite part was the little fairytale retellings sprinkled around the book. They not only gave more strength to the original female characters in said fairytale but they were just calming. I wish there were more, but I understand the fear of those stories taking away from the actual plot of the novel.
This book is very much a feminist outlook on witch huntings for this period, and it was interesting to read it alongside the suffrage movement. Suffrage via Black women is even a point of discussion within this novel, which I think was very important because white women obviously have more privilege and bias in the late 1800’s. White women tended to fight only for their specific rights and no other POC women's rights.
Overall, this novel takes place in the 1890's, and it was successful at adding in diverse voices. Do I wish there was a bit more at times? Yes, but I'm glad Alix didn't just think, "oh this takes place in the past and there was no diversity because it was run by white men." There's an f&f romance, Black female rep (through a main supporting character so take with that what you will- she was one of my favorite characters), and transgender rep (side character). While I understand Alix's decision to wait so long to inform the audience who this trans rep refers to in the book because the character does not know who to trust, I will say I was upset that it wasn't discussed sooner. It was a short little scene, and I would have definitely preferred more for this representation. It did fit the character's history, but it can feel a bit tokenized when there's such little discussion. Lastly, there is a main character in the story who talks about not feeling the need for romance/ sex ever, and I'm not going to label them but some could infer this as asexual and/or aromantic rep. Again, I'm not going to blatantly say that's the case because the author never explicitly says it, but I was led to infer that personally. I could also be wrong, and please let me know if I am.
There's trigger warnings for abandonment, childbirth, torture, jail violence, sexual assault (though not shown, implied), etc.
Thanks Orbit Books for an eARC of this lovely novel. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
P.S. I may come back to this and add more.