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inkandplasma
Full review: https://inkandplasma.wordpress.com/2020/05/04/the-harwood-spellbook-series-by-stephanie-burgis-(review-round-up)/
The mystery in this was so good? I've loved the plot aspects of the rest of Stephanie's novellas, but this one was above the rest. The fey altar, and not knowing who had placed it? The vines crawling in from the forest, trying to get into the school? It was so atmospheric and spooky, without ever losing the fun atmosphere that I've come to love from these stories. And having Cassandra and Wrexham without conflict between them? I'm soft, I love them so. We also got to meet my favourite couple, Caroline and Juliana, and see what happened to lead to Moontangled.
As Cassandra's biggest fangirl, I also loved seeing Cassandra in her element, teaching her first students and trying with that traditional Harwood stubborn spirit to get her school up and running against all odds, and there was just enough romantic strife to be fun and exciting without ruining the soft and fluffy relationship between the two.
The mystery in this was so good? I've loved the plot aspects of the rest of Stephanie's novellas, but this one was above the rest. The fey altar, and not knowing who had placed it? The vines crawling in from the forest, trying to get into the school? It was so atmospheric and spooky, without ever losing the fun atmosphere that I've come to love from these stories. And having Cassandra and Wrexham without conflict between them? I'm soft, I love them so. We also got to meet my favourite couple, Caroline and Juliana, and see what happened to lead to Moontangled.
As Cassandra's biggest fangirl, I also loved seeing Cassandra in her element, teaching her first students and trying with that traditional Harwood stubborn spirit to get her school up and running against all odds, and there was just enough romantic strife to be fun and exciting without ruining the soft and fluffy relationship between the two.
Full review: https://inkandplasma.wordpress.com/2020/04/27/gravemaidens-by-kelly-coon-review/
I think the biggest thing that sticks with me about this book is how much it’s fully committed to Kammani’s perspective. Everything we see, we see through her eyes, even when it’s biased. Nanaea is… super annoying. Really, really annoying. But I’m taking that as a good thing. Kammani is the picture perfect definition of the Long Suffering Older Sister, so it makes sense that from her perspective, Nanaea would seem flighty and irresponsible and completely reckless. Nanaea has been taken in by the legends of her town, and those legends claim that the Lugal’s chosen Sacred Maidens will accompany him in the afterlife for eternal glory. Kammani doesn’t believe that, and she’s terrified of losing the family she has left.
Kammani is conflicted, healing a man that she hates to save the sister that doesn’t want saving, and putting herself in danger in the process. There’s something afoot in the palace, someone unseen that doesn’t want her to heal the Lugal, and they’re willing to stop her at any cost. The stakes are ridiculously high the entire way through, and that makes the slow pacing feel so good. It’s not a bad kind of slow, but a steady pacing that totally matches the characters. I like that this fantasy isn’t about sword swinging and big battles but about healing, a steady trial and error to try and right wrongs. I was on the edge of my seat, watching little puzzle pieces fall into place and constantly watching for everything to go awry so I could get answers of the mystery within a mystery within a mystery plot.
The characters are all fully and beautifully formed, and I loved that, with the exception of a few awful men (I hate all of them and everything they did in this book – fantasy women continue to have the worst luck) it was impossible to tell who was good and who was bad. I didn’t see the plot twists coming until they twisted the rug out from under my feet. I didn’t love the side characters as much as other reviewers seemed to, I wasn’t engaged in the romance subplot and while Iltani was interesting, I didn’t see the character other readers seemed to find in her, but Nasu and Arwia were incredible and I loved them.
I’m sitting on a review copy of Warmaidens right now and I can’t wait to dig into it and find out how this story ends, and I’m praying that a certain asshole character is going to get what he deserves.
I think the biggest thing that sticks with me about this book is how much it’s fully committed to Kammani’s perspective. Everything we see, we see through her eyes, even when it’s biased. Nanaea is… super annoying. Really, really annoying. But I’m taking that as a good thing. Kammani is the picture perfect definition of the Long Suffering Older Sister, so it makes sense that from her perspective, Nanaea would seem flighty and irresponsible and completely reckless. Nanaea has been taken in by the legends of her town, and those legends claim that the Lugal’s chosen Sacred Maidens will accompany him in the afterlife for eternal glory. Kammani doesn’t believe that, and she’s terrified of losing the family she has left.
Kammani is conflicted, healing a man that she hates to save the sister that doesn’t want saving, and putting herself in danger in the process. There’s something afoot in the palace, someone unseen that doesn’t want her to heal the Lugal, and they’re willing to stop her at any cost. The stakes are ridiculously high the entire way through, and that makes the slow pacing feel so good. It’s not a bad kind of slow, but a steady pacing that totally matches the characters. I like that this fantasy isn’t about sword swinging and big battles but about healing, a steady trial and error to try and right wrongs. I was on the edge of my seat, watching little puzzle pieces fall into place and constantly watching for everything to go awry so I could get answers of the mystery within a mystery within a mystery plot.
The characters are all fully and beautifully formed, and I loved that, with the exception of a few awful men (I hate all of them and everything they did in this book – fantasy women continue to have the worst luck) it was impossible to tell who was good and who was bad. I didn’t see the plot twists coming until they twisted the rug out from under my feet. I didn’t love the side characters as much as other reviewers seemed to, I wasn’t engaged in the romance subplot and while Iltani was interesting, I didn’t see the character other readers seemed to find in her, but Nasu and Arwia were incredible and I loved them.
I’m sitting on a review copy of Warmaidens right now and I can’t wait to dig into it and find out how this story ends, and I’m praying that a certain asshole character is going to get what he deserves.
DNF @ 16%
There was nothing wrong with this book in particular. The prose was excellent and well-written, and I think the world is interesting with a lot of potential. I like the powers and the way that they're used, but I couldn't personally connect with the characters and found it difficult to engage in the story. I fully believe that this book probably has lots of very interesting things to come, and lots of readers will absolutely and rightfully love it, but it wasn't for me.
Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for a review copy of this book, it has not affected my honest opinions.
There was nothing wrong with this book in particular. The prose was excellent and well-written, and I think the world is interesting with a lot of potential. I like the powers and the way that they're used, but I couldn't personally connect with the characters and found it difficult to engage in the story. I fully believe that this book probably has lots of very interesting things to come, and lots of readers will absolutely and rightfully love it, but it wasn't for me.
Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for a review copy of this book, it has not affected my honest opinions.
I picked up 'A River in Darkness' as part of a prime first reads offer a while ago, and never got around to reading it before. I don't generally read memoirs, but I'd kept it on my kindle for a long time after reading a couple of reviews about how powerful it was. It turns out calling 'A River in Darkness' powerful is an understatement. This memoir isn't especially long, novella length at less than 200 pages, but every single part of it stayed with me and I found myself thinking about it for days. I don't know much about North Korea, I'll admit, and I didn't know anything about the so called 'repatriation' of Japanese citizens to North Korea so this was my first introduction to the things that happened during that time. This memoir broke my heart. The things that Masaji Ishikawa went through after being forced to move to North Korea were haunting and I will definitely be reading more memoirs after this one opened my eyes to atrocities happening that I didn't even know about and the way that people were being let down by their governments.
I've already read this one twice before I've managed to review it, because sometimes I just gotta revisit Nimona and Blackheart. I love the relationship between the two of them, with Blackheart's not-quite-a-bad-guy attitude and Nimona's morally grey taste for blood. They have this mentor/mentee relationship that I'm weak for, and I love the way they care about each other so deeply. I also adore Blackheart and Goldenloin. Who knew we were all waiting for friends-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-friends-to-lovers? Not me!
The characters are what really give this graphic novel its heart, and whenever I'm drawn back to it it's for those characters. They're fleshed out and hilarious and Noelle Stevenson balances plot/humour/backstory perfectly to make sure the reader isn't overbalanced by any one of the three. The plot itself does still stand up, though, and it makes me a little weepy every single time I get to the end, though I won't go into it because of spoilers. Overall this is a super addictive read with characters you'll fall in love with and is definitely worth picking up.
The characters are what really give this graphic novel its heart, and whenever I'm drawn back to it it's for those characters. They're fleshed out and hilarious and Noelle Stevenson balances plot/humour/backstory perfectly to make sure the reader isn't overbalanced by any one of the three. The plot itself does still stand up, though, and it makes me a little weepy every single time I get to the end, though I won't go into it because of spoilers. Overall this is a super addictive read with characters you'll fall in love with and is definitely worth picking up.
More 3.5 stars than 3 stars, this novella was a fun romp through demon infested waters. The unnamed narrator is morally gray, and he tells you from the start that you're not going to like him. Which, of course, made me love him. The page count is short, but there's so much depth packed into it that you wouldn't notice how short it was if it wasn't so damn easy to read that you're finished in a heartbeat.
The narrator's job is to hunt demons. There's 72,936 of them on Earth and they can't be killed, but they can be banished. The nature of his job means that, often, he has to make the tough decisions. He'll be the first to admit that he does bad things for the purposes of good, and I love that he's not even that apologetic about it. The plot of this novella revolves around our narrator realising that demons have infiltrated the smartest man in the world, Prosper, a genius raising a boy king. It's his choice to make, let them live and let Prosper create great technology and science and the boy king survive, or banish the demons and risk all their lives.
Prosper's Demon is dark, violent and absolutely hilarious. It's also full of twists and surprises as the narrator is so entirely unpredictable you can't quite be sure which side he'll fall on when you hit the end of the story.
The narrator's job is to hunt demons. There's 72,936 of them on Earth and they can't be killed, but they can be banished. The nature of his job means that, often, he has to make the tough decisions. He'll be the first to admit that he does bad things for the purposes of good, and I love that he's not even that apologetic about it. The plot of this novella revolves around our narrator realising that demons have infiltrated the smartest man in the world, Prosper, a genius raising a boy king. It's his choice to make, let them live and let Prosper create great technology and science and the boy king survive, or banish the demons and risk all their lives.
Prosper's Demon is dark, violent and absolutely hilarious. It's also full of twists and surprises as the narrator is so entirely unpredictable you can't quite be sure which side he'll fall on when you hit the end of the story.
I'm a sucker for a beauty and the beast retellings. I first read this one in 2016 and I still have such a soft spot for it. Nyx was promised to the Gentle Lord, prince of demons since she was born, and she's been training to kill him since she could walk. While this, obviously, has a fair amount of similarities to other beauty and the beast style tales, there's actually a few major differences that I really enjoy.
Unlike a lot of 'chosen ones', Nyx isn't gunning to sacrifice herself for the good of her family. In fact, she's resentful towards her father and sister, and angry at the world. She hates fiercely, and that makes me love her even more. And there's Ignifex, who isn't quite what we'd expect from our 'beast'. I really loved his development, and I liked the use of the 'hearts' and the complex magical concepts threaded throughout the book.
I also highly recommend the audiobook.
Unlike a lot of 'chosen ones', Nyx isn't gunning to sacrifice herself for the good of her family. In fact, she's resentful towards her father and sister, and angry at the world. She hates fiercely, and that makes me love her even more. And there's Ignifex, who isn't quite what we'd expect from our 'beast'. I really loved his development, and I liked the use of the 'hearts' and the complex magical concepts threaded throughout the book.
I also highly recommend the audiobook.
I put this on my wish list after seeing one of my GR friends reading it, and I'm so glad I did. Matriarch is intoxicating and atmospheric. It's a tale being told by the titular matriarch to one of her great-granddaughters on her deathbed, about how she met her husband one hundred years ago. It's a story about secrets wrapped in secrets, magic and myth and legend all tangled up in one family's history. I won't talk too much about the plot, and especially the ending, because the way it unfolds is too beautiful to be spoiled but this novella had my heart in my throat the entire time I was reading it. I couldn't put it down for a single second and honestly I screamed when I reached the end of the story.
Full review: https://inkandplasma.wordpress.com/2020/05/21/tender-is-the-flesh-by-agustina-bazterrica-(review)/
This book is truly haunting. The way it’s written is a perfect match for the tone, and I’m really impressed with the translation. I didn’t find it quite as gory as everyone else seemed to, but there’s a good chance that that’s because I read a lot of gory and gross books so my tolerance for it is pretty high. The way it was handled is, however, absolutely chilling. There’s something about the detachment that Marcos shows about the entire system that makes it feel even colder and crueller than I’d anticipated. The book focuses on characters who remember Before, but almost none of them question the new way of life. Some of the characters are gleeful about it, they enjoy the process of raising and slaughtering heads.
This is a book designed to make you think. It’d be easy to take it all at face value and think nothing of it, the real enjoyment of this book comes in the moments between reading when it knots in your thoughts and makes you imagine a world where the world is upside down. The longer you think about it, the more the book speaks to you too. More than a story about cannibalism, Tender is the Flesh is a story about loss and love and family, and how your whole world can shift with a tiny event while everyone else continues on as normal.
The ending, without spoiling anything, is powerful and doesn’t let you forget a word that the book has told you. Uncomfortable truths are a fact of life in Tender is the Flesh, and it won’t let the reader be anything but complicit in the points it is making. We’ve sat with our protagonist the entire novella, rooting for him and villainising him in different moments, and Agustina Bazterrica uses him as a tool to strip back human nature to its barest sense. This is easy to read and hard to read all at once, and definitely not for the faint of heart. If you can brave it, it’s a very worthy read.
This book is truly haunting. The way it’s written is a perfect match for the tone, and I’m really impressed with the translation. I didn’t find it quite as gory as everyone else seemed to, but there’s a good chance that that’s because I read a lot of gory and gross books so my tolerance for it is pretty high. The way it was handled is, however, absolutely chilling. There’s something about the detachment that Marcos shows about the entire system that makes it feel even colder and crueller than I’d anticipated. The book focuses on characters who remember Before, but almost none of them question the new way of life. Some of the characters are gleeful about it, they enjoy the process of raising and slaughtering heads.
This is a book designed to make you think. It’d be easy to take it all at face value and think nothing of it, the real enjoyment of this book comes in the moments between reading when it knots in your thoughts and makes you imagine a world where the world is upside down. The longer you think about it, the more the book speaks to you too. More than a story about cannibalism, Tender is the Flesh is a story about loss and love and family, and how your whole world can shift with a tiny event while everyone else continues on as normal.
The ending, without spoiling anything, is powerful and doesn’t let you forget a word that the book has told you. Uncomfortable truths are a fact of life in Tender is the Flesh, and it won’t let the reader be anything but complicit in the points it is making. We’ve sat with our protagonist the entire novella, rooting for him and villainising him in different moments, and Agustina Bazterrica uses him as a tool to strip back human nature to its barest sense. This is easy to read and hard to read all at once, and definitely not for the faint of heart. If you can brave it, it’s a very worthy read.
3.5 stars.
I've had my eye on this one for a while, drawn in by the tagline and the UK cover. When I got my hands on an ARC of We are Bound by Stars I decided to jump into this one first to familiarise myself with the universe, and I'm glad that I did. Both are standalones, but this one definitely gives a stronger explanation of the universe.
The worldbuilding is my absolute favourite part of this book, the magic is inventive and interesting and I love the world that's been crafted. It's also put across in an interesting way that means we can get a lot of information without it feeling like an info dump. I didn't like the way that the ableism in Duke's Forest wasn't really addressed. Characters with disabilities are mistreated and 'Marked' and sent to the crypts, but while this was implied to be backwards, the main character never really addressed that thinking. I liked the dual POVs though, and Lena and Constance both gave very different perspectives that made me curious about the mysteries threaded through the book.
I found the book a little slow to start with, but around two-thirds of the way through it picked up a LOT and I was hooked for the rest of the story. I thoroughly enjoyed it, it's just a shame that it took me a little while to get into it. I did finish the book really excited for the second book in the series, though.
I've had my eye on this one for a while, drawn in by the tagline and the UK cover. When I got my hands on an ARC of We are Bound by Stars I decided to jump into this one first to familiarise myself with the universe, and I'm glad that I did. Both are standalones, but this one definitely gives a stronger explanation of the universe.
The worldbuilding is my absolute favourite part of this book, the magic is inventive and interesting and I love the world that's been crafted. It's also put across in an interesting way that means we can get a lot of information without it feeling like an info dump. I didn't like the way that the ableism in Duke's Forest wasn't really addressed. Characters with disabilities are mistreated and 'Marked' and sent to the crypts, but while this was implied to be backwards, the main character never really addressed that thinking. I liked the dual POVs though, and Lena and Constance both gave very different perspectives that made me curious about the mysteries threaded through the book.
I found the book a little slow to start with, but around two-thirds of the way through it picked up a LOT and I was hooked for the rest of the story. I thoroughly enjoyed it, it's just a shame that it took me a little while to get into it. I did finish the book really excited for the second book in the series, though.