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howlinglibraries's Reviews (1.85k)
#0.1-#0.5 The Assassin’s Blade ★★★★★
#1 Throne of Glass ★★★★☆
Upon her return to Rifthold, Arobynn surprises Celaena by apologizing, and offering her a mission picked specially for her: to kill a man who wants to help the King of Adarlan create a booming slave business. This story was positively gut-wrenching to watch unfold. Without spoiling anything, I’ll just say that certain aspects of Celaena’s mission seemed suspicious from the beginning; Sarah J. Maas is the queen of painful foreshadowing, but like any other trickery she inflicts upon her readers, all you can do is sit back and watch it unfold.
#0.1-#0.5 The Assassin’s Blade ★★★★★
#1 Throne of Glass ★★★★☆
After the debacle with the Pirate Lord, Celaena is sent away for a while, as part of her punishment. In this installment, she stays at the White Pig Inn, where she meets Yrene Towers, a young healer barely scraping by as a waitress, and in desperate need of learning how to defend herself. Who better to teach her than a trained killer? This was my least favorite of the stories, but I still thought it was enjoyable enough for 4 stars. It just didn’t feel nearly as three-dimensional as the other novellas (which is to be expected, since it’s substantially shorter at only 40 pages).
Read via the Worlds Seen in Passing anthology.
A heartbreaking story about an EMT and her drinking pal, who has come to her to ask if she thinks there could ever be a way to be “unmade”. He doesn’t want to kill himself, he just wishes he’d never existed at all. Major content warnings for suicidal ideation on this one, but Seth writes like someone who genuinely gets depression, and the ending is positively stunning.
ETA: It's been two years since I read this short story and I still think of it constantly. Damn.
A heartbreaking story about an EMT and her drinking pal, who has come to her to ask if she thinks there could ever be a way to be “unmade”. He doesn’t want to kill himself, he just wishes he’d never existed at all. Major content warnings for suicidal ideation on this one, but Seth writes like someone who genuinely gets depression, and the ending is positively stunning.
ETA: It's been two years since I read this short story and I still think of it constantly. Damn.
CHIT CHIT CHIT CHIT.
I went into this graphic novel with high hopes, and I wasn't disappointed! The artwork, first and foremost, was deliciously creepy, though a little dark at times (as in "I'm sure that detail would be creepy if I could tell exactly what it is"). I really loved the illustrations of the wytches, though; they're exactly the sorts of nasties that I would hate to meet in the woods at night (or anywhere, at any time).
The story felt a tiny bit hard to follow for me, which is why I knocked off a star for the rating. Perhaps it was just me, but I normally am pretty good at piecing together a back story. This one just felt a little erratic at points and I found myself flipping back to previous pages to see if I had missed a detail or two. That said, I really enjoyed the twists, none of which I felt like were overly predictable.
I really loved the relationship between Sail and her dad, more than anything. Despite this being primarily a horror graphic novel, it beautifully demonstrated the power of a parent's love for their child; being a mother, I really appreciated how authentic their exchanges felt, from the goofy inside jokes to the panicked fear Sail's dad experiences throughout their traumatic experiences.
Besides the jumpy nature of the plot development at points, I had no complaints about this graphic novel. As it was a library rental, I will definitely be adding it to my wishlist and would recommend anyone who enjoys a good, dreadful horror novel to check it out.
I went into this graphic novel with high hopes, and I wasn't disappointed! The artwork, first and foremost, was deliciously creepy, though a little dark at times (as in "I'm sure that detail would be creepy if I could tell exactly what it is"). I really loved the illustrations of the wytches, though; they're exactly the sorts of nasties that I would hate to meet in the woods at night (or anywhere, at any time).
The story felt a tiny bit hard to follow for me, which is why I knocked off a star for the rating. Perhaps it was just me, but I normally am pretty good at piecing together a back story. This one just felt a little erratic at points and I found myself flipping back to previous pages to see if I had missed a detail or two. That said, I really enjoyed the twists, none of which I felt like were overly predictable.
I really loved the relationship between Sail and her dad, more than anything. Despite this being primarily a horror graphic novel, it beautifully demonstrated the power of a parent's love for their child; being a mother, I really appreciated how authentic their exchanges felt, from the goofy inside jokes to the panicked fear Sail's dad experiences throughout their traumatic experiences.
Besides the jumpy nature of the plot development at points, I had no complaints about this graphic novel. As it was a library rental, I will definitely be adding it to my wishlist and would recommend anyone who enjoys a good, dreadful horror novel to check it out.
Read via the Worlds Seen in Passing anthology.
A woman lives as the Traitor King’s taste tester, while her husband works as the head baker, creating pastries that forcibly conjure up memories for the person eating them. The entire idea of this plot was so incredibly fascinating, and I’ve never read anything quite like it.
A woman lives as the Traitor King’s taste tester, while her husband works as the head baker, creating pastries that forcibly conjure up memories for the person eating them. The entire idea of this plot was so incredibly fascinating, and I’ve never read anything quite like it.
#0.1-#0.5 The Assassin’s Blade ★★★★★
#1 Throne of Glass ★★★★☆
As Celaena arrives in the Red Desert, she begins her punishment: training with the Silent Assassins, and earning a letter of recommendation from their leader, the Mute Master. This was such a fleshed out, well written story, and while reading this one, I remember thinking to myself that this was where the real story telling in this collection began. I loved getting to know the ins and outs of the Silent Assassins and their homes, as well as watching Celaena’s friendship with Ansel come into form. Most of all, I enjoyed the world-building that was given in bits here and there, like the story of Spidersilk.
Read via the Worlds Seen in Passing anthology.
What if angels answered phone calls in a… call center? Laurie Penny’s writing is weirdly hilarious, and this was so delightful and strange. It’s a little sad, too, as the angel reminisces over lost loves throughout the ages, but more than anything, I just loved her demon best friend’s weird antics and endless adoration of heavy metal music.
What if angels answered phone calls in a… call center? Laurie Penny’s writing is weirdly hilarious, and this was so delightful and strange. It’s a little sad, too, as the angel reminisces over lost loves throughout the ages, but more than anything, I just loved her demon best friend’s weird antics and endless adoration of heavy metal music.
That was super boring, honestly, and the art style was... very, very not my taste and bland.
Another amazing Talia Hibbert read! With this being one of her older works, you can tell her writing has matured and grown even more beautiful in the years since this was written, but I still thought this was incredibly lovable and I feel like that says so much about her level of talent.
I loved these characters so much. I loved the humor, the rep was brilliantly done as always (Jennifer is Black, fat, and bi, and Theo is Asian), the steam factor was off the charts, the chemistry was tangible between the little lovebirds, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much suspense there was! I think this book might have had the most "drama" of any of Talia's books, or at least off the top of my head, and it was really thrilling and fun. I found myself so worried for what was happening, but I love that I know I can always count on Talia for a sweet HEA. ♥
Most of all, I'm so excited to know I have 2 more books ahead of me in this series, because I can't wait to read more about Aria and to meet Lizzie!
I loved these characters so much. I loved the humor, the rep was brilliantly done as always (Jennifer is Black, fat, and bi, and Theo is Asian), the steam factor was off the charts, the chemistry was tangible between the little lovebirds, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much suspense there was! I think this book might have had the most "drama" of any of Talia's books, or at least off the top of my head, and it was really thrilling and fun. I found myself so worried for what was happening, but I love that I know I can always count on Talia for a sweet HEA. ♥
Most of all, I'm so excited to know I have 2 more books ahead of me in this series, because I can't wait to read more about Aria and to meet Lizzie!