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inkandplasma
Full review live on my blog from 7th June: https://inkandplasma.com/2021/06/07/the-wolf-and-the-woodsman/
Thanks to Del Rey for the ARC of this book. It has not affected my honest review.
Content Warnings: graphic gore, torture, self-harm (including self-amputation), graphic animal death (not pets), antisemitism, genocide and ethnic cleansing, physical abuse by parental figures, vomiting.
I actually was able to listen to an advanced audiobook edition of this book, and I thoroughly recommend it if you like audiobooks. The narrator, Saskia Maarleveld, does an excellent job with all the characters and is very easy to listen to. The Wolf and the Woodsman started a little slow, to be perfectly honest. I was a little confused in the early chapters, and found myself slowing the audiobook down so that I could keep track of what was happening. Despite that confusion I was still very firmly enjoying it. The slow start gave the romance a real chance to develop naturally and shine. And when this book picked up? It picked up.
One of the most gorgeous things in this book is the way the folklore elements were threaded throughout. Combined with Ava Reid’s beautiful writing style, it made for a lyrical and potent read that felt steeped in magic. Even the graphic gore felt somehow poetic and I know I’ll be reading anything else that Ava Reid comes out with – her writing is just so wonderfully readable and they created characters that felt real. I loved the slow burn relationship between Évike and Gáspár. The isolation that their journey presses upon them makes them rely on each other despite their ingrained animosity, and I loved watching the complex way they have to learn to live with each other. There’s a scene in particular that actually HAUNTS me in its intense beauty, and despite being aro (and kind of ace), it was so hot that I literally had to sit down for a minute. That is rare for me, as I don't usually get much interested in m/f romance.
I couldn’t review this book without mentioning the way that it approaches the complexity of nation building and cultural identity, with Évike struggling to balance the facets of her heritage that she’s never known with the facets she does. Ava Reid covers the violence and intricacies of ethnic cleansing and persecution in a fantasy world, specifically focusing on the history of Jewish persecution. It was raw and painful to read at points, and all the more powerful for it.
Thanks to Del Rey for the ARC of this book. It has not affected my honest review.
Content Warnings: graphic gore, torture, self-harm (including self-amputation), graphic animal death (not pets), antisemitism, genocide and ethnic cleansing, physical abuse by parental figures, vomiting.
I actually was able to listen to an advanced audiobook edition of this book, and I thoroughly recommend it if you like audiobooks. The narrator, Saskia Maarleveld, does an excellent job with all the characters and is very easy to listen to. The Wolf and the Woodsman started a little slow, to be perfectly honest. I was a little confused in the early chapters, and found myself slowing the audiobook down so that I could keep track of what was happening. Despite that confusion I was still very firmly enjoying it. The slow start gave the romance a real chance to develop naturally and shine. And when this book picked up? It picked up.
One of the most gorgeous things in this book is the way the folklore elements were threaded throughout. Combined with Ava Reid’s beautiful writing style, it made for a lyrical and potent read that felt steeped in magic. Even the graphic gore felt somehow poetic and I know I’ll be reading anything else that Ava Reid comes out with – her writing is just so wonderfully readable and they created characters that felt real. I loved the slow burn relationship between Évike and Gáspár. The isolation that their journey presses upon them makes them rely on each other despite their ingrained animosity, and I loved watching the complex way they have to learn to live with each other. There’s a scene in particular that actually HAUNTS me in its intense beauty, and despite being aro (and kind of ace), it was so hot that I literally had to sit down for a minute. That is rare for me, as I don't usually get much interested in m/f romance.
I couldn’t review this book without mentioning the way that it approaches the complexity of nation building and cultural identity, with Évike struggling to balance the facets of her heritage that she’s never known with the facets she does. Ava Reid covers the violence and intricacies of ethnic cleansing and persecution in a fantasy world, specifically focusing on the history of Jewish persecution. It was raw and painful to read at points, and all the more powerful for it.
Full review available on my blog 10th June: https://inkandplasma.com/2021/06/10/near-the-bone/
Thanks to Titan Books for the eARC of this book. It has not affected my honest review.
Content Warnings: death, violence, gore, physical and verbal abuse, implied rape, kidnapping, murder, child abuse.
I ended up listening to the audiobook of this on release date, having had it preordered as soon as the links dropped. I highly, highly recommend the audiobook for this one. The whole atmosphere of the book is unbelievably unnerving. The narrator, Lisa Flanagan, does a fantastic job. Her characterisation of Mattie is really good and the whole story is really engaging as she tells it so well. It’s a quick listen, especially as once I started I couldn’t even think about stopping until I’d finished the whole story.
The way that Mattie’s past unfolded is played out spectacularly, and leans into the unnerving atmosphere as I found myself helplessly predicting what was about to happen with absolutely no way to fix or change it. William was completely and utterly unbearable. I spent most of my time reading this book muttering under my breath about how much I hate him. It’s a lot. This book is dark and delves into a lot of awful topics, including frequent discussion of abuse and reference to past rape, but I do feel like they were handled with as much sensitivity as could be expected for a horror novel.
I wasn’t expecting the fantastical elements to kick in in the way that they did, and ho boy did they kick in hard. There’s something terrifying about getting halfway through a book and feeling that everything is okay. When you get that ‘ending’ feeling in the middle of a book, you just know it’s all going to go horribly, horribly wrong. And it did. In the end I loved this book as much as I’ve loved all of Christina Henry’s previous books, and while I adore her retellings (and I’m looking forward to Horseman a LOT), I have been really enjoying the non-retelling horror she’s been writing!
Thanks to Titan Books for the eARC of this book. It has not affected my honest review.
Content Warnings: death, violence, gore, physical and verbal abuse, implied rape, kidnapping, murder, child abuse.
I ended up listening to the audiobook of this on release date, having had it preordered as soon as the links dropped. I highly, highly recommend the audiobook for this one. The whole atmosphere of the book is unbelievably unnerving. The narrator, Lisa Flanagan, does a fantastic job. Her characterisation of Mattie is really good and the whole story is really engaging as she tells it so well. It’s a quick listen, especially as once I started I couldn’t even think about stopping until I’d finished the whole story.
The way that Mattie’s past unfolded is played out spectacularly, and leans into the unnerving atmosphere as I found myself helplessly predicting what was about to happen with absolutely no way to fix or change it. William was completely and utterly unbearable. I spent most of my time reading this book muttering under my breath about how much I hate him. It’s a lot. This book is dark and delves into a lot of awful topics, including frequent discussion of abuse and reference to past rape, but I do feel like they were handled with as much sensitivity as could be expected for a horror novel.
I wasn’t expecting the fantastical elements to kick in in the way that they did, and ho boy did they kick in hard. There’s something terrifying about getting halfway through a book and feeling that everything is okay. When you get that ‘ending’ feeling in the middle of a book, you just know it’s all going to go horribly, horribly wrong. And it did. In the end I loved this book as much as I’ve loved all of Christina Henry’s previous books, and while I adore her retellings (and I’m looking forward to Horseman a LOT), I have been really enjoying the non-retelling horror she’s been writing!
Full review live on my blog as of 14th June: https://inkandplasma.com/2021/06/14/the-beautiful-ones/
Rating: 4.5 stars!
Thanks to Jo Fletcher Books for the eARC of this book. It has not affected my honest review.
Okay. I don’t usually read historical romance. I was swayed in by Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s name and the mention of telekinesis in the blurb and I’m so glad that I gave it a chance. This book was incredible, and I totally wouldn’t have picked it up normally. There’s a huge focus on society life, the socialites and the grand season and at several points I was literally breathless over the scandals and risk. I was genuinely worried about people finding out the truth about Hector and Nina, it was an emotional ride that I didn’t expect.
The book has all of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s usual, beautiful writing. It’s lush and descriptive, making it so easy to read. The characters were nuanced and interesting, emotive and infuriating in equal measures, and I adore the way that Silvia Moreno-Garcia consistently creates worlds that I sink into whole-heartedly. I think because in my head I thought it was horror (it wasn’t, that was entirely me) I was expecting this to go a different way than it did. I guess I was expecting something that was more Carrie, and instead I got a heart punch instead. The way that this book looked at the difference between cruelty and kindness, and the value of choosing kindness. A lot of that was down to Nina. Nina was so weird and genuine and honest. It made it totally impossible not to love her. Especially when she was compared to Valerie, her cousin and the motivating factor for a lot of the dramatic tension in the story. It made for a gorgeously dramatic romance with a little telekinesis to add a fantasy element.
Rating: 4.5 stars!
Thanks to Jo Fletcher Books for the eARC of this book. It has not affected my honest review.
Okay. I don’t usually read historical romance. I was swayed in by Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s name and the mention of telekinesis in the blurb and I’m so glad that I gave it a chance. This book was incredible, and I totally wouldn’t have picked it up normally. There’s a huge focus on society life, the socialites and the grand season and at several points I was literally breathless over the scandals and risk. I was genuinely worried about people finding out the truth about Hector and Nina, it was an emotional ride that I didn’t expect.
The book has all of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s usual, beautiful writing. It’s lush and descriptive, making it so easy to read. The characters were nuanced and interesting, emotive and infuriating in equal measures, and I adore the way that Silvia Moreno-Garcia consistently creates worlds that I sink into whole-heartedly. I think because in my head I thought it was horror (it wasn’t, that was entirely me) I was expecting this to go a different way than it did. I guess I was expecting something that was more Carrie, and instead I got a heart punch instead. The way that this book looked at the difference between cruelty and kindness, and the value of choosing kindness. A lot of that was down to Nina. Nina was so weird and genuine and honest. It made it totally impossible not to love her. Especially when she was compared to Valerie, her cousin and the motivating factor for a lot of the dramatic tension in the story. It made for a gorgeously dramatic romance with a little telekinesis to add a fantasy element.
DNF @ 21%
Unfortunately I couldn't get into this really. I got 20% in based on the writing alone, which was very lyrical and enjoyable to read, but at 20% I couldn't have told you much distinct information about the three POV characters or their individual story arcs. I don't think this is necessarily an issue with the book itself, and more a case of the book not being right for me and therefore not holding my interest, as I have seen lots of people enjoy this story and I have no real issues with it.
Thanks to Orbit for the eARC.
Unfortunately I couldn't get into this really. I got 20% in based on the writing alone, which was very lyrical and enjoyable to read, but at 20% I couldn't have told you much distinct information about the three POV characters or their individual story arcs. I don't think this is necessarily an issue with the book itself, and more a case of the book not being right for me and therefore not holding my interest, as I have seen lots of people enjoy this story and I have no real issues with it.
Thanks to Orbit for the eARC.
Full review live on my blog on 21st June 2021: https://inkandplasma.com/2021/06/21/in-the-ravenous-dark/
Content Warnings: major and minor character death (including parent death on and off page), suicide (off page), violence, blood, gore, body horror, alcohol addiction, forced marriage and pregnancy, threats of rape and abuse.
Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for the eARC of this book. It has not affected my honest review.
I think I might have an ongoing emotional crisis over this book for a few weeks. I knew, I just knew from 'polyamorous pansexual bloodmage' that I was going to enjoy this book but I totally underestimated just how much. This was just so good. I absolutely loved the characters first and foremost, but A.M. Strickland also created a world that was so vivid and brutal that I was utterly immersed. This story is dark and awful in parts and I loved every single second of it. I listened to the entire audiobook in one day because I couldn't stop, even finding myself extra chores to do so I could keep listening. I'm so glad that I ordered A.M Strickland's BEYOND THE BLACK DOOR a few days ago because their writing is so beautiful and their characters so excellent that I already know I'll love to read more from them.
The worldbuilding is interesting and unusual in lots of ways. Things were well explained for a YA standalone without dragging the story down or infodumping, and I never felt like I was out of my depth as information unfolded throughout the story. The magic system is super interesting. I'm a sucker for anything that includes blood magic and this was an unusual way to go about it. The blood magic allows mages to control anything living, or that has ever been living. It's a hugely powerful ability and therefore is heavily monitored and managed. That made for a super interesting dynamic where the main character was, very early on, hugely powerful. Rather than our usual YA fare of 'protagonist fights to get strong enough to overpower the Big Bad', IN THE RAVENOUS DARK instead felt like a story where Rovan had to take on complicated political factors and moral debates before she could choose what side to take. The bloodmages are 'managed' through the use of guardians, spirits that are tethered to each mage to keep them from going rogue with their power, and that made for the kind of complex and messy relationship that I just love to see.
And relationships bring me onto one of my favourite things about this book. It's so, so, so queer. SO queer. We have a central polyamorous relationship. The main character, Rovan, is pansexual, her love interest Lydea is a lesbian. Her best friend is a nonbinary asexual delight (they might be my favourite character) and the whole world is gloriously queer. The only time queer relationships are challenged are when they might impede heirs and succession, it never felt homophobic or transphobic. I am so in love with all the queernorm fantasy I'm reading lately. The characters were well fleshed out and very real, and I felt like the relationships developed very naturally. I liked that the polyamorous relationship developed openly, and with two very different types of attraction - one of trust and closeness and intimacy from the start, the other a complicated hate-to-love attraction. It made each feel like a strong relationship in their own right.
Content Warnings: major and minor character death (including parent death on and off page), suicide (off page), violence, blood, gore, body horror, alcohol addiction, forced marriage and pregnancy, threats of rape and abuse.
Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for the eARC of this book. It has not affected my honest review.
I think I might have an ongoing emotional crisis over this book for a few weeks. I knew, I just knew from 'polyamorous pansexual bloodmage' that I was going to enjoy this book but I totally underestimated just how much. This was just so good. I absolutely loved the characters first and foremost, but A.M. Strickland also created a world that was so vivid and brutal that I was utterly immersed. This story is dark and awful in parts and I loved every single second of it. I listened to the entire audiobook in one day because I couldn't stop, even finding myself extra chores to do so I could keep listening. I'm so glad that I ordered A.M Strickland's BEYOND THE BLACK DOOR a few days ago because their writing is so beautiful and their characters so excellent that I already know I'll love to read more from them.
The worldbuilding is interesting and unusual in lots of ways. Things were well explained for a YA standalone without dragging the story down or infodumping, and I never felt like I was out of my depth as information unfolded throughout the story. The magic system is super interesting. I'm a sucker for anything that includes blood magic and this was an unusual way to go about it. The blood magic allows mages to control anything living, or that has ever been living. It's a hugely powerful ability and therefore is heavily monitored and managed. That made for a super interesting dynamic where the main character was, very early on, hugely powerful. Rather than our usual YA fare of 'protagonist fights to get strong enough to overpower the Big Bad', IN THE RAVENOUS DARK instead felt like a story where Rovan had to take on complicated political factors and moral debates before she could choose what side to take. The bloodmages are 'managed' through the use of guardians, spirits that are tethered to each mage to keep them from going rogue with their power, and that made for the kind of complex and messy relationship that I just love to see.
And relationships bring me onto one of my favourite things about this book. It's so, so, so queer. SO queer. We have a central polyamorous relationship. The main character, Rovan, is pansexual, her love interest Lydea is a lesbian. Her best friend is a nonbinary asexual delight (they might be my favourite character) and the whole world is gloriously queer. The only time queer relationships are challenged are when they might impede heirs and succession, it never felt homophobic or transphobic. I am so in love with all the queernorm fantasy I'm reading lately. The characters were well fleshed out and very real, and I felt like the relationships developed very naturally. I liked that the polyamorous relationship developed openly, and with two very different types of attraction - one of trust and closeness and intimacy from the start, the other a complicated hate-to-love attraction. It made each feel like a strong relationship in their own right.
DNF @ 60%
I received an eARC of this for review.
Even the audiobook on 3.5x couldn't get me through this unfortunately. I think for some people this will absolutely be a perfect book but I just found myself frustrated.
It started off strong, with the first 100 pages or so being packed full of emotive language and beautiful, raw description. Then we kept getting that dramatic and emotive language used while absolutely nothing happened, which kind of just made it feel melodramatic instead. All the marketing I've seen seemed to advertise this as an adult Red Riding Hood retelling, but instead it was very much a YA Beauty and the Beast retelling. Honestly I feel like I've read this exact book dozens of times.
I was expecting a monster boy (I was promised a monster boy!!) but instead the 'monstrous wolf' is literally just a dude with long hair and some scars. It never makes sense why they sacrifice daughters to him and he literally offers to let her leave immediately after she arrives. The plot felt really slow and confused. I couldn't tell you what anybody's motivations were, like the entire plot was handwaved away in favour of a romance that wasn't nearly as interesting as the book thought it was. Tropes were shoved in with basically no build up or explanation and it just weighed the story down.
Ultimately I was just bored for the middle 40% of the book, and couldn't push through because I didn't care about self-absorbed Red or the bland Eammon. I had really high expectations and maybe that's part of why I'm so disappointed but honestly for an adult fantasy I want more depth and explanation, and to really feel the characters. This felt like a middling YA.
I received an eARC of this for review.
Even the audiobook on 3.5x couldn't get me through this unfortunately. I think for some people this will absolutely be a perfect book but I just found myself frustrated.
It started off strong, with the first 100 pages or so being packed full of emotive language and beautiful, raw description. Then we kept getting that dramatic and emotive language used while absolutely nothing happened, which kind of just made it feel melodramatic instead. All the marketing I've seen seemed to advertise this as an adult Red Riding Hood retelling, but instead it was very much a YA Beauty and the Beast retelling. Honestly I feel like I've read this exact book dozens of times.
I was expecting a monster boy (I was promised a monster boy!!) but instead the 'monstrous wolf' is literally just a dude with long hair and some scars. It never makes sense why they sacrifice daughters to him and he literally offers to let her leave immediately after she arrives. The plot felt really slow and confused. I couldn't tell you what anybody's motivations were, like the entire plot was handwaved away in favour of a romance that wasn't nearly as interesting as the book thought it was. Tropes were shoved in with basically no build up or explanation and it just weighed the story down.
Ultimately I was just bored for the middle 40% of the book, and couldn't push through because I didn't care about self-absorbed Red or the bland Eammon. I had really high expectations and maybe that's part of why I'm so disappointed but honestly for an adult fantasy I want more depth and explanation, and to really feel the characters. This felt like a middling YA.