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lisashelves's Reviews (976)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 stars
Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC of this book via TBR and Beyond Tours in exchange for an honest review!
Silver in the Mist is a fantasy story about a country split in two. Devlin, a spy in Aris, is given the mission to kidnap Alyse, the strongest magic caster, from Cerena, to save Aris from succumbing to the mist threatening their lives.
“Well, maybe we can learn to break the rules together.”
I immensely enjoyed diving into this created world and plot! When thinking about it, the world is actually quite simple. What I love is the simple way but complex feeling the world has. The two countries, divided by the mist, are not so unique, but I loved it. The magic system as well is something I really loved!
The plot is fast and engaging from the very beginning! I also loved how little Easter eggs are given from the start, but you only notice this at the very end. A very cleverly written story that drew me in and wasn’t boring for even a moment!
The characters were written so damn good! I loved getting to know them and how they all complemented each other. Devlin, driven by the love and recognition she wants was a very strong and likable character. Alyse, driven by hope and wanting a better world, stole my heart. Both very different but perfect for the story and each other.
I loved Devlin being asexual and no romance whatsoever being present in the story. The only relationships given are the familial and friendship ones. I loved how strong friendships were formed and became the backbone of this story. It was very empowering to read. I also really liked how there wasn’t really a villain or “bad guy”. Those who acted selfishly were understandable, which made them relatable and thus not a villain in my eyes. Those who do bad, but their actions were understandable, are honestly the best.
Overall, I loved and enjoyed every second of the journey these characters took me on. With a badass spy, lots of humor and loveable characters.
Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC of this book via TBR and Beyond Tours in exchange for an honest review!
Silver in the Mist is a fantasy story about a country split in two. Devlin, a spy in Aris, is given the mission to kidnap Alyse, the strongest magic caster, from Cerena, to save Aris from succumbing to the mist threatening their lives.
“Well, maybe we can learn to break the rules together.”
I immensely enjoyed diving into this created world and plot! When thinking about it, the world is actually quite simple. What I love is the simple way but complex feeling the world has. The two countries, divided by the mist, are not so unique, but I loved it. The magic system as well is something I really loved!
The plot is fast and engaging from the very beginning! I also loved how little Easter eggs are given from the start, but you only notice this at the very end. A very cleverly written story that drew me in and wasn’t boring for even a moment!
The characters were written so damn good! I loved getting to know them and how they all complemented each other. Devlin, driven by the love and recognition she wants was a very strong and likable character. Alyse, driven by hope and wanting a better world, stole my heart. Both very different but perfect for the story and each other.
I loved Devlin being asexual and no romance whatsoever being present in the story. The only relationships given are the familial and friendship ones. I loved how strong friendships were formed and became the backbone of this story. It was very empowering to read. I also really liked how there wasn’t really a villain or “bad guy”. Those who acted selfishly were understandable, which made them relatable and thus not a villain in my eyes. Those who do bad, but their actions were understandable, are honestly the best.
Overall, I loved and enjoyed every second of the journey these characters took me on. With a badass spy, lots of humor and loveable characters.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 4 stars
Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC of this book via BookOfMatchesMedia in exchange for an honest review!
The Syren’s Mutiny is a story about Brigid, who has been a syren for 10 years. When she comes face to face with Caelum, the boy that had tried to save her 10 years ago, she can’t drown him.
“It’s frightful bad luck to have a woman aboard.”
I love pirate stories, something I have often talked about in previous reviews hihi. I thus keep on looking for new stories about pirates, mermaids etc. I really looked forward to reading this story and did enjoy it!
The story is actually quite simple when you look at the plot line. Brigid, a syren tasked with drowning man, doesn’t drown the one who previously tried to save her and thus she is cast out and goes on to help him. I liked the story and plot, but felt it could’ve had a bit more detail. Same with the worldbuilding. I really liked the syren’s world and how they worked, but the world above seemed rather simple. I had a harder time navigating and orientating where they were and went.
The writing was easy to follow along and I really liked the dual POV this story has. It gives a lot of perspective from both POV’s, especially when both characters are temporarily separated. It gives a clear and wholesome picture.
The characters themselves were nice. Brigid was quite stoic at the beginning, but confident at the same time. I liked her more in the second half, when she seemed more sympathetic towards situations then before. Caelum was nice as well and a bit noble.
Their chemistry and relationship could’ve been fleshed out better I believe. I liked them together, but whereas it was a bit repetitive in the beginning, after that the growth was a bit rushed. It seemed to have made a big jump all of a sudden and I would’ve liked the relationship and their feeling to have grown more gradually. I did like how Caelum put her first and they communicated good! It did help them grow in a healthy way.
Overall, I liked the story and the progression. The ending was a bit predictable, but still enjoyable. I look forward to reading the sequel in the future.
Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC of this book via BookOfMatchesMedia in exchange for an honest review!
The Syren’s Mutiny is a story about Brigid, who has been a syren for 10 years. When she comes face to face with Caelum, the boy that had tried to save her 10 years ago, she can’t drown him.
“It’s frightful bad luck to have a woman aboard.”
I love pirate stories, something I have often talked about in previous reviews hihi. I thus keep on looking for new stories about pirates, mermaids etc. I really looked forward to reading this story and did enjoy it!
The story is actually quite simple when you look at the plot line. Brigid, a syren tasked with drowning man, doesn’t drown the one who previously tried to save her and thus she is cast out and goes on to help him. I liked the story and plot, but felt it could’ve had a bit more detail. Same with the worldbuilding. I really liked the syren’s world and how they worked, but the world above seemed rather simple. I had a harder time navigating and orientating where they were and went.
The writing was easy to follow along and I really liked the dual POV this story has. It gives a lot of perspective from both POV’s, especially when both characters are temporarily separated. It gives a clear and wholesome picture.
The characters themselves were nice. Brigid was quite stoic at the beginning, but confident at the same time. I liked her more in the second half, when she seemed more sympathetic towards situations then before. Caelum was nice as well and a bit noble.
Their chemistry and relationship could’ve been fleshed out better I believe. I liked them together, but whereas it was a bit repetitive in the beginning, after that the growth was a bit rushed. It seemed to have made a big jump all of a sudden and I would’ve liked the relationship and their feeling to have grown more gradually. I did like how Caelum put her first and they communicated good! It did help them grow in a healthy way.
Overall, I liked the story and the progression. The ending was a bit predictable, but still enjoyable. I look forward to reading the sequel in the future.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 4 stars
Spells for Forgetting is a story about August and Emery. August had left the island after a fire that had killed Emery’s best friend, which he was accused of. After years he comes back to bury his mother’s ashes there.
“There are spells for breaking and spells for mending. But there are no spells for forgetting”
I have read more adult fantasy books as of this year, but haven’t enjoyed them as much as the young adult or new adult ones to be honest. It is always a gamble if I’m going to enjoy the book. I have read more books by Adrienne Young and enjoyed those and as expected I enjoyed this one as well, seeing as I read the book in one day.
The book starts of quite slow and it has multiple POV’s and dual timelines which we follow. While I really liked the dual timeline, even when they came at inconvenient times haha, the multiple POV’s weren’t always. I liked the POV’s of August and Emery, but those of the others, which had only one chapter throughout the whole book, seemed a bit unnecessary. I think it would’ve brought the story more dept if the POV’s were kept with August and Emery and what happened in the others were incorporated in another way.
The magic present in the book was really subtle and I liked how it fitted the overall feel of this book. It complemented that perfectly! It is beautifully written as a layer to the characters and their stories instead of being really present.
I really liked the characters. They are noticeably older, but I was really blown away by the way they different from the dual timelines, in correspondence with their age. It was really cleverly written and it gave the characters a lot of depts.
The romance is truly a case of second chance, and I really liked how it developed. I do think a lot of miscommunications or waiting could’ve been prevented by the characters just communication with each other. On the other hand, than there wouldn’t have been such a story hahaha.
Overall, I really liked this book. It is a bit predictable, but is still enjoyable to read. It felt like a comfort read to be honest, very calm and serene instead of high intensity and fast-paced, which was a nice contrast to the other books I’ve recently read.
Spells for Forgetting is a story about August and Emery. August had left the island after a fire that had killed Emery’s best friend, which he was accused of. After years he comes back to bury his mother’s ashes there.
“There are spells for breaking and spells for mending. But there are no spells for forgetting”
I have read more adult fantasy books as of this year, but haven’t enjoyed them as much as the young adult or new adult ones to be honest. It is always a gamble if I’m going to enjoy the book. I have read more books by Adrienne Young and enjoyed those and as expected I enjoyed this one as well, seeing as I read the book in one day.
The book starts of quite slow and it has multiple POV’s and dual timelines which we follow. While I really liked the dual timeline, even when they came at inconvenient times haha, the multiple POV’s weren’t always. I liked the POV’s of August and Emery, but those of the others, which had only one chapter throughout the whole book, seemed a bit unnecessary. I think it would’ve brought the story more dept if the POV’s were kept with August and Emery and what happened in the others were incorporated in another way.
The magic present in the book was really subtle and I liked how it fitted the overall feel of this book. It complemented that perfectly! It is beautifully written as a layer to the characters and their stories instead of being really present.
I really liked the characters. They are noticeably older, but I was really blown away by the way they different from the dual timelines, in correspondence with their age. It was really cleverly written and it gave the characters a lot of depts.
The romance is truly a case of second chance, and I really liked how it developed. I do think a lot of miscommunications or waiting could’ve been prevented by the characters just communication with each other. On the other hand, than there wouldn’t have been such a story hahaha.
Overall, I really liked this book. It is a bit predictable, but is still enjoyable to read. It felt like a comfort read to be honest, very calm and serene instead of high intensity and fast-paced, which was a nice contrast to the other books I’ve recently read.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 4 stars
Babel is a historical fantasy fiction book about Robin, an orphan from Canton, who is brought to London by professor Lovell to study languages to enroll in the Royal Institute of Translation; Babel.
“Who doesn’t dream of living in a library.”
At first, reading the title, I had a very different idea of what this book was about haha. But having read the book, I do understand the title and its meaning and have to say it if very cleverly chosen!
This whole book was very, very intense to read. So much information was constantly given and it was a lot to process for me personally, so it made it a harder book for me to read. It also was a very slow read for me. I felt like I couldn’t read for too long, since it would’ve become too much and I wouldn’t be able to follow along anymore.
The whole story is very much character driven, as it felt very slow and dragged a bit sometimes. You really follow along Robin and the others in their studies and life at the Institute.
The characters, because it was character driven, are excellently written and very layered. All have different characters but they fitted really well together. Robin, of course, we know best since he is the main character. But we really learn about the other three through his eyes. Rami especially really stole my heart.
The friendship theme is really strongly present in this book, and I really liked that. Seeing the dynamics between the four together but also in pairs was really interesting. It also really tackles topics like racism, sexism and white supremacy.
The plot itself seemed really slow at the start, but at a certain point it picks up and I became a lot more invested in all that was happening. While I hadn’t expected the book to end as it did, it did feel like the perfect ending to the story.
Overall, it is an interesting book that you can really learn something from (all the information about languages, words etc.) and really makes you think about the topics and discussions mentioned in the book.
Babel is a historical fantasy fiction book about Robin, an orphan from Canton, who is brought to London by professor Lovell to study languages to enroll in the Royal Institute of Translation; Babel.
“Who doesn’t dream of living in a library.”
At first, reading the title, I had a very different idea of what this book was about haha. But having read the book, I do understand the title and its meaning and have to say it if very cleverly chosen!
This whole book was very, very intense to read. So much information was constantly given and it was a lot to process for me personally, so it made it a harder book for me to read. It also was a very slow read for me. I felt like I couldn’t read for too long, since it would’ve become too much and I wouldn’t be able to follow along anymore.
The whole story is very much character driven, as it felt very slow and dragged a bit sometimes. You really follow along Robin and the others in their studies and life at the Institute.
The characters, because it was character driven, are excellently written and very layered. All have different characters but they fitted really well together. Robin, of course, we know best since he is the main character. But we really learn about the other three through his eyes. Rami especially really stole my heart.
The friendship theme is really strongly present in this book, and I really liked that. Seeing the dynamics between the four together but also in pairs was really interesting. It also really tackles topics like racism, sexism and white supremacy.
The plot itself seemed really slow at the start, but at a certain point it picks up
Spoiler
when they come back from Canton and Robin kills LovellOverall, it is an interesting book that you can really learn something from (all the information about languages, words etc.) and really makes you think about the topics and discussions mentioned in the book.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 4 stars
All Your Twisted Secrets is a story about six teenagers, who are locked in a room together with a bomb going off in one hour, forced to choose one person to kill if they want to stop the bomb.
“It wasn’t our mistakes that defined us, but how we learned to overcome them. Everyone should have a chance to overcome theirs”
I don’t own a physical copy of this book, but listened to it while driving to and from work (really a great time to listen to books haha). I have had this book on my “want to buy” list for some time and seeing it on Storytell I decided to listen to it.
Classed as similar to One of Us if Lying and Agatha Christi books, which I both love, I had high hopes for this book. I love good mystery books and the way the mystery keeps unfolding and keeps you guessing is something I love. I had hopes for this book the be like that.
The opening really was attention grabbing from the very start. Being locked in a room with multiple others and a bomb present was really shocking. The way the chapters were named with time left of time before the date was also cleverly done.
I liked the writing style in present time. The writing style in the past seemed a bit slower. With the way the chapters alternated between past and present, it sometimes broke the pacing of the story a bit. When something really shocking happened in the present and suddenly a slower chapter from the past came next, it broke the flow a bit. I also wasn’t as invested in all that had happened, but wanted to know what was going to happen.
The characters were nice. I liked Amber, but it didn’t really seem as if she’d grown all that much. Even with the alternating chapters, she seemed quite the same; driven, determined and sometimes a bit egoistic in her pursuit.
The ending really felt a bit anticlimactic to me. The whole time, everything that happened in that room and the secrets that were revealed kept upping up the tension and the build-up to the big reveal. The reveal in the end didn’t seem worthy of the big build-up before. I didn’t really like it.
Overall, it was a good mystery story, but the ending wasn’t as explosive as I would’ve expected it to be.
All Your Twisted Secrets is a story about six teenagers, who are locked in a room together with a bomb going off in one hour, forced to choose one person to kill if they want to stop the bomb.
“It wasn’t our mistakes that defined us, but how we learned to overcome them. Everyone should have a chance to overcome theirs”
I don’t own a physical copy of this book, but listened to it while driving to and from work (really a great time to listen to books haha). I have had this book on my “want to buy” list for some time and seeing it on Storytell I decided to listen to it.
Classed as similar to One of Us if Lying and Agatha Christi books, which I both love, I had high hopes for this book. I love good mystery books and the way the mystery keeps unfolding and keeps you guessing is something I love. I had hopes for this book the be like that.
The opening really was attention grabbing from the very start. Being locked in a room with multiple others and a bomb present was really shocking. The way the chapters were named with time left of time before the date was also cleverly done.
I liked the writing style in present time. The writing style in the past seemed a bit slower. With the way the chapters alternated between past and present, it sometimes broke the pacing of the story a bit. When something really shocking happened in the present and suddenly a slower chapter from the past came next, it broke the flow a bit. I also wasn’t as invested in all that had happened, but wanted to know what was going to happen.
The characters were nice. I liked Amber, but it didn’t really seem as if she’d grown all that much. Even with the alternating chapters, she seemed quite the same; driven, determined and sometimes a bit egoistic in her pursuit.
The ending really felt a bit anticlimactic to me. The whole time, everything that happened in that room and the secrets that were revealed kept upping up the tension and the build-up to the big reveal. The reveal in the end didn’t seem worthy of the big build-up before. I didn’t really like it.
Spoiler
Amber being the one behind it all was really expected to be honest, as in all the chapters there wasn’t really a reason for her to have been locked up in that room because of something she did or a secret she has.Overall, it was a good mystery story, but the ending wasn’t as explosive as I would’ve expected it to be.
