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lisashelves's Reviews (976)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 3 stars
Hall of Smoke is a Vikings inspired fantasy story set in a world where gods rule and directly influence their followers.
The book was well written and relies more on religion and gods and less on the fantasy tropes. It was nice that it was a bit different like that. The world was vividly described and it was easy to picture it all, the map at the beginning also helped with the layout.
Most of the book is about Hessa travelling from one location to another and meeting a lot of people on the way. We meet many people from other nations and worshippers of other gods. The way the relations between these different nations were created where really interesting to read.
Hessa was a fierce, head strong female with a strong sense of purpose but very vulnerable at the same time. I really enjoyed seeing her grow more into herself instead of blindly following what she was thought to do. The gods have very important roles in this book and are constantly present, which was interesting. The many character names where sometimes a bit confusing and I did confuse some characters for others.
I also appreciate how the focus was on Hessa’s journey. There wasn’t any romance in it and Hessa was depending and surviving by herself. She didn’t need a lover for that. I did get a bit of love interest vibes from one of the characters, but nothing happened.
The reason I can’t give the book more stars is because I couldn’t connect with the characters. I felt a bit like looking at the characters from far away instead of living with them. I was also surprised seeing the book will have a sequel. It felt like a solid stand alone and it also felt like the end of the story when the book ended.
Overall, it was a good debut but it didn’t really feel like anything special. I greatly enjoyed the world that was created, but didn’t really feel for the characters.
Hall of Smoke is a Vikings inspired fantasy story set in a world where gods rule and directly influence their followers.
The book was well written and relies more on religion and gods and less on the fantasy tropes. It was nice that it was a bit different like that. The world was vividly described and it was easy to picture it all, the map at the beginning also helped with the layout.
Most of the book is about Hessa travelling from one location to another and meeting a lot of people on the way. We meet many people from other nations and worshippers of other gods. The way the relations between these different nations were created where really interesting to read.
Hessa was a fierce, head strong female with a strong sense of purpose but very vulnerable at the same time. I really enjoyed seeing her grow more into herself instead of blindly following what she was thought to do. The gods have very important roles in this book and are constantly present, which was interesting. The many character names where sometimes a bit confusing and I did confuse some characters for others.
I also appreciate how the focus was on Hessa’s journey. There wasn’t any romance in it and Hessa was depending and surviving by herself. She didn’t need a lover for that. I did get a bit of love interest vibes from one of the characters, but nothing happened.
The reason I can’t give the book more stars is because I couldn’t connect with the characters. I felt a bit like looking at the characters from far away instead of living with them. I was also surprised seeing the book will have a sequel. It felt like a solid stand alone and it also felt like the end of the story when the book ended.
Overall, it was a good debut but it didn’t really feel like anything special. I greatly enjoyed the world that was created, but didn’t really feel for the characters.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 4 stars
Dokkaebi is the companion novel to Gumiho and follows the same group of characters trying to stop the supernatural entities that are lurking after the events at the end of Gumiho.
Everything I loved from the first book came back! I loved learning more about Korean mythology and seeing modern-day Seoul filled with magic and creatures such as gumiho, dokkaebi, gwishin and jeosung saja.
I truly enjoyed seeing Seoul through the eyes of the characters. Also, the integrated Korean words and phrases in the dialogue didn’t annoy me at all. Instead, it added so much to the story.
The way the chapters are written, some very short and some long, didn’t throw me off as much I’d thought, but I would’ve liked it a bit more if they were more equal length. Also, the little folklore chapters in between captured my attention and created the atmosphere. I didn’t understand the link with all the chapters but did enjoy learning by reading them.
I loved Somin, she is such a loyal friend who’d go to the end to defend someone she loved or sees as family. Also, Junu is just amazing. I’ve adored his character since Gumiho and he didn’t disappoint. Learning more about him, his story and everything, was enjoyable as he was a bit of a mystery in the first book. I was also happy that Miyoung and Jihoon were back! Honestly Miyoung will always be my favorite character and I loved seeing her grow once more. The character I hadn’t expected was Hyuk, the jeosung saja. With his description I couldn’t help but keep picturing Lee Dongwook from his 2016 kdrama and I loved it!
I enjoyed reading the enemies to lovers very much, although they seemed to go from hate to love rather quickly. I would’ve enjoyed it more if that was stretched a bit more. Luckily the bickering stayed!
Overall, Dokkaebi provided the same fun as the first book, and I truly enjoyed exploring the characters more and learning more about Korean mythology. Also, the twists and the ending made it that much better.
Dokkaebi is the companion novel to Gumiho and follows the same group of characters trying to stop the supernatural entities that are lurking after the events at the end of Gumiho.
Everything I loved from the first book came back! I loved learning more about Korean mythology and seeing modern-day Seoul filled with magic and creatures such as gumiho, dokkaebi, gwishin and jeosung saja.
I truly enjoyed seeing Seoul through the eyes of the characters. Also, the integrated Korean words and phrases in the dialogue didn’t annoy me at all. Instead, it added so much to the story.
The way the chapters are written, some very short and some long, didn’t throw me off as much I’d thought, but I would’ve liked it a bit more if they were more equal length. Also, the little folklore chapters in between captured my attention and created the atmosphere. I didn’t understand the link with all the chapters but did enjoy learning by reading them.
I loved Somin, she is such a loyal friend who’d go to the end to defend someone she loved or sees as family. Also, Junu is just amazing. I’ve adored his character since Gumiho and he didn’t disappoint. Learning more about him, his story and everything, was enjoyable as he was a bit of a mystery in the first book. I was also happy that Miyoung and Jihoon were back! Honestly Miyoung will always be my favorite character and I loved seeing her grow once more. The character I hadn’t expected was Hyuk, the jeosung saja. With his description I couldn’t help but keep picturing Lee Dongwook from his 2016 kdrama and I loved it!
I enjoyed reading the enemies to lovers very much, although they seemed to go from hate to love rather quickly. I would’ve enjoyed it more if that was stretched a bit more. Luckily the bickering stayed!
Overall, Dokkaebi provided the same fun as the first book, and I truly enjoyed exploring the characters more and learning more about Korean mythology. Also, the twists and the ending made it that much better.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 stars
Sadie is a story about a missing girl on a journey of revenge.
This book hit me hard! I needed some time to really get into the story, about 80 pages and once I was in, I finished to other 250 pages in one sitting. The way the book is written is such an interesting take on writing a mystery novel.
The chills and feelings I got while reading it made it that much more real to me. Almost like it was a story that truly happened. The book is a bit uncomfortable to read sometimes, because it feels so real.
Sadie’s chapters are haunting and sometimes a bit creepy. The story of loss and betrayal wrapped around her while she’s dealing with heartache and grief. The love she has for her sister was heartwarming and heartbreaking to read at the same time. The podcast chapters were a really interesting take on telling Sadie’s story. You get really invested in what is being said by the characters about their side of the story and where it fits in with what you’ve read from Sadie’s POV.
Towards the end you feel the pace quicken and the urgency gets heightened. I felt the dread as the ending was approaching and the story pulled me in deeper and deeper. The horror’s coming to light every time a new truth was revealed was haunting and I somehow kept wishing my dark suspicions weren’t true. The many questions that keep swirling in your mind come down to one conclusion; I also can’t take another dead girl.
Overall, Sadie is a story that confronts you with horrible truths and the monsters that live on this earth. It’s haunting, chilling and heartbreaking. It felt like a true story that needed telling.
Sadie is a story about a missing girl on a journey of revenge.
This book hit me hard! I needed some time to really get into the story, about 80 pages and once I was in, I finished to other 250 pages in one sitting. The way the book is written is such an interesting take on writing a mystery novel.
The chills and feelings I got while reading it made it that much more real to me. Almost like it was a story that truly happened. The book is a bit uncomfortable to read sometimes, because it feels so real.
Sadie’s chapters are haunting and sometimes a bit creepy. The story of loss and betrayal wrapped around her while she’s dealing with heartache and grief. The love she has for her sister was heartwarming and heartbreaking to read at the same time. The podcast chapters were a really interesting take on telling Sadie’s story. You get really invested in what is being said by the characters about their side of the story and where it fits in with what you’ve read from Sadie’s POV.
Towards the end you feel the pace quicken and the urgency gets heightened. I felt the dread as the ending was approaching and the story pulled me in deeper and deeper. The horror’s coming to light every time a new truth was revealed was haunting and I somehow kept wishing my dark suspicions weren’t true. The many questions that keep swirling in your mind come down to one conclusion; I also can’t take another dead girl.
Overall, Sadie is a story that confronts you with horrible truths and the monsters that live on this earth. It’s haunting, chilling and heartbreaking. It felt like a true story that needed telling.
⭐️⭐️ / 2 stars
Wilder Girls is about girls in quarantine on an island called Raxter. When one of Hetty’s best friends goes missing, she’ll break the rules to try and find her.
I expected more of this book. At first, I started the book without having read the synopsis and was overall just very confused at everything. Once I’d read the synopsis, I expected more than I got.
I liked the atmosphere and dystopian feel I got from the island and loved the idea of a virus mutating those infected. That being said, the survival instinct or aspect were too absent for me. I’d expect that in a situation like that, you’d do everything to survive.
The book is more character driven than plot driven, but the problem with this was that I didn’t really feel for the characters and thus the book felt a bit flat to me. Their actions and decisions where mostly just one big question for me. I didn’t understand them or why they did what they did.
Also, the ending was frustrating and disappointing to me. It felt very rushed and honestly like it ended in the middle of a sentence.
Overall, the book just felt flat to me. I didn’t really care about the characters and with the book being character driven that became a problem. I think this book is either a hit or a miss and for me it was the latter.
Wilder Girls is about girls in quarantine on an island called Raxter. When one of Hetty’s best friends goes missing, she’ll break the rules to try and find her.
I expected more of this book. At first, I started the book without having read the synopsis and was overall just very confused at everything. Once I’d read the synopsis, I expected more than I got.
I liked the atmosphere and dystopian feel I got from the island and loved the idea of a virus mutating those infected. That being said, the survival instinct or aspect were too absent for me. I’d expect that in a situation like that, you’d do everything to survive.
The book is more character driven than plot driven, but the problem with this was that I didn’t really feel for the characters and thus the book felt a bit flat to me. Their actions and decisions where mostly just one big question for me. I didn’t understand them or why they did what they did.
Also, the ending was frustrating and disappointing to me. It felt very rushed and honestly like it ended in the middle of a sentence.
Overall, the book just felt flat to me. I didn’t really care about the characters and with the book being character driven that became a problem. I think this book is either a hit or a miss and for me it was the latter.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 4 stars
Cinderella is Dead is a story set in the same world of Cinderella, 200 years after she met prince Charming at the ball. Ever since, an annual ball is held in her honor where girls are mandatory to go and have a chance to get chosen by a suitor.
The first thing that I noticed was how different this book is from other retellings. Mostly retellings follow the same storyline or plot as the fairy tale they’re based on. This story is set in the same world, but many years later. I was really intrigued by that idea.
I also really liked how the author gave the tale we all know so well a darker twist to fit in with the story perfectly. Every time we hear something about the story we all think we know so well, something changes. It was just really cool and clever work.
The society created were really backward and “traditional”. I would’ve liked a bit more background or more worldbuilding to fit it better into the story. Especially in the beginning of the book.
I liked the characters, especially Sophia and Constance. What I did miss was a bit more dept to their personalities. Sophia wants to take the evil king down, but is that just because she doesn’t like his rules? I missed the part where you learn what really drove her to do what she did. With Constance, this was really clear.
The romance was a little bit to Insta-love for me. I would’ve liked it to be more drawn out. I had expected it to be quick, since it is basically a fairy tale, but still. Even though it was Insta-love, the romance was really sweet and something I enjoyed reading.
Overall, it was a fast-paced, fun book that I really enjoyed. I especially liked how it sets itself apart from other retellings.
Cinderella is Dead is a story set in the same world of Cinderella, 200 years after she met prince Charming at the ball. Ever since, an annual ball is held in her honor where girls are mandatory to go and have a chance to get chosen by a suitor.
The first thing that I noticed was how different this book is from other retellings. Mostly retellings follow the same storyline or plot as the fairy tale they’re based on. This story is set in the same world, but many years later. I was really intrigued by that idea.
I also really liked how the author gave the tale we all know so well a darker twist to fit in with the story perfectly. Every time we hear something about the story we all think we know so well, something changes. It was just really cool and clever work.
The society created were really backward and “traditional”. I would’ve liked a bit more background or more worldbuilding to fit it better into the story. Especially in the beginning of the book.
I liked the characters, especially Sophia and Constance. What I did miss was a bit more dept to their personalities. Sophia wants to take the evil king down, but is that just because she doesn’t like his rules? I missed the part where you learn what really drove her to do what she did. With Constance, this was really clear.
The romance was a little bit to Insta-love for me. I would’ve liked it to be more drawn out. I had expected it to be quick, since it is basically a fairy tale, but still. Even though it was Insta-love, the romance was really sweet and something I enjoyed reading.
Overall, it was a fast-paced, fun book that I really enjoyed. I especially liked how it sets itself apart from other retellings.
⭐️⭐️ / 2 stars
Thank you to Netgalley and Dundurn Press for gifting me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
The Boi of Feather and Steel picks up right after the first book. It shows how Eli is coping with her new magic and Kite’s plan to take control.
The book starts out with multiple POV’s, more than in the first book. At first this was a bit confusing for me. Especially since the changes happened within the chapters and not per chapter.
Everything the first book ended with this book continued. The first book ended on a confusing and weird note. I struggled to follow the story and this book wasn’t different in this aspect. When I’d read one third of the book, I still wouldn’t been able to tell somebody what was happening if I was asked. It was just confusing and even rereading chapters didn’t help.
Because it was so confusing, I became a bit irritated by the book. I didn’t want to reread chapters just so I could understand what I was reading. It felt like it took forever just to finish this book. The pacing also was really slow and the parts I did understand in the plot felt like everything went in circles. Their motives, background stories and everything I found missing in the first book weren’t told here. Their actions still didn’t make any sense and thus I still couldn’t believe in the characters.
I appreciated the found family bonds this book had, but I felt pretty indifferent the characters themselves. There was a lot of angst written in this book, and I just didn’t care for any of it. Whenever something bad happened, I was like; yeah okay, and just continued on without a thought.
Overall, the book just didn’t do it for me. I felt very indifferent and couldn’t enjoy it. The hopes I had for this book fell flat. I still love the idea of this series, but the executing didn’t do it justice.
Thank you to Netgalley and Dundurn Press for gifting me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
The Boi of Feather and Steel picks up right after the first book. It shows how Eli is coping with her new magic and Kite’s plan to take control.
The book starts out with multiple POV’s, more than in the first book. At first this was a bit confusing for me. Especially since the changes happened within the chapters and not per chapter.
Everything the first book ended with this book continued. The first book ended on a confusing and weird note. I struggled to follow the story and this book wasn’t different in this aspect. When I’d read one third of the book, I still wouldn’t been able to tell somebody what was happening if I was asked. It was just confusing and even rereading chapters didn’t help.
Because it was so confusing, I became a bit irritated by the book. I didn’t want to reread chapters just so I could understand what I was reading. It felt like it took forever just to finish this book. The pacing also was really slow and the parts I did understand in the plot felt like everything went in circles. Their motives, background stories and everything I found missing in the first book weren’t told here. Their actions still didn’t make any sense and thus I still couldn’t believe in the characters.
I appreciated the found family bonds this book had, but I felt pretty indifferent the characters themselves. There was a lot of angst written in this book, and I just didn’t care for any of it. Whenever something bad happened, I was like; yeah okay, and just continued on without a thought.
Overall, the book just didn’t do it for me. I felt very indifferent and couldn’t enjoy it. The hopes I had for this book fell flat. I still love the idea of this series, but the executing didn’t do it justice.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 stars
Red, White & Royal Blue is a story about two guys. One is the First Son and the other a British prince. Being forced to pretend to be best friends after a wedding cake fiasco, the two get to know each other.
Honestly, I couldn’t stop smiling the entire time I read this book, I loved every second of it! I was so invested in the story, I couldn’t keep my emotions in. I laughed, I swooned, I cried and I don’t regret any of it (weird looks I got from my sister where totally worth it).
This book is about family, friendship, diversity, freedom of thought, politics and searching for yourself in life. The whole book was heartbreaking, effective, genuine and honest.
I just loved all the characters in this book! Alex is just amazing, and his sarcasm is something I really enjoyed reading. Both Henry and Alex are amazingly written characters and so different from each other. Their way of speech also truly differentiated them, Henry just felt British and Alex felt American to me. I loved their dynamics, from the very first moment when they are enemies to their dynamics as boyfriends. Their witty banter and mails to each other are everything! Also, the other characters were super complementing to the story and the main characters. Bea, Pez, Zahra, Nora, June, all of them, even those who show up briefly leave a massive impact.
I’m not the biggest fan of reading about anything politics of political games, but this book made it fun to read. It really completed the dialogue and the story. To be honest, the complete dialogue just elevated this book to amazing. the humor, bickering, intense moments, everything.
Overall, it was a powerful, emotional love story and I have nothing but praise and love for this book! I loved the romance in this book and can’t recommend it enough!
Red, White & Royal Blue is a story about two guys. One is the First Son and the other a British prince. Being forced to pretend to be best friends after a wedding cake fiasco, the two get to know each other.
Honestly, I couldn’t stop smiling the entire time I read this book, I loved every second of it! I was so invested in the story, I couldn’t keep my emotions in. I laughed, I swooned, I cried and I don’t regret any of it (weird looks I got from my sister where totally worth it).
This book is about family, friendship, diversity, freedom of thought, politics and searching for yourself in life. The whole book was heartbreaking, effective, genuine and honest.
I just loved all the characters in this book! Alex is just amazing, and his sarcasm is something I really enjoyed reading. Both Henry and Alex are amazingly written characters and so different from each other. Their way of speech also truly differentiated them, Henry just felt British and Alex felt American to me. I loved their dynamics, from the very first moment when they are enemies to their dynamics as boyfriends. Their witty banter and mails to each other are everything! Also, the other characters were super complementing to the story and the main characters. Bea, Pez, Zahra, Nora, June, all of them, even those who show up briefly leave a massive impact.
I’m not the biggest fan of reading about anything politics of political games, but this book made it fun to read. It really completed the dialogue and the story. To be honest, the complete dialogue just elevated this book to amazing. the humor, bickering, intense moments, everything.
Overall, it was a powerful, emotional love story and I have nothing but praise and love for this book! I loved the romance in this book and can’t recommend it enough!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 4 stars
Girls of Paper and Fire is the first in a new trilogy. Every year eight beautiful girls are chosen as Paper Girls, and this year Lei is the ninth. While learning how to please the Demon King, she falls in love with someone else.
The first thing I loved, was the world created. The different castes in Ikhara where each caste brings something to the world were really interesting. The elements of Asian mythology mixed with everything shone through and I loved it.
How Lei goes as a Paper Girl to the palace and creates new friendships with the other girls and a romance. All of it is forged in the heat of a battle against their abusers. The friendships and romance warmed my heart.
I really liked the plot, but it seemed a bit lagging at some points. Some scenes felt repeated, almost as often as scenes felt exciting and engaging. It was very clear in which direction the book was heading. I would’ve liked a twist here or there to elevate the plot a bit more.
I needed a bit of time to warm up to Lei and was often more intrigued by other characters, but in the end, I loved her. Wren is a supportive and caring character, who likes to deal with her own problems by herself. I also can’t wait to see more of Blue and Aiko in the next book.
The focus of this book lies on recovering from trauma, reclaiming your body and learning self-empowerment, self-love, identity and finding yourself. All of this happens in a world with classism, homophobia and objectifying women. The whole book is powerful and I loved seeing the women in this book grow into multi-dimensional characters.
Overall, it is an amazing powerful book about reclaiming yourself. I am highly anticipating the sequel.
Girls of Paper and Fire is the first in a new trilogy. Every year eight beautiful girls are chosen as Paper Girls, and this year Lei is the ninth. While learning how to please the Demon King, she falls in love with someone else.
The first thing I loved, was the world created. The different castes in Ikhara where each caste brings something to the world were really interesting. The elements of Asian mythology mixed with everything shone through and I loved it.
How Lei goes as a Paper Girl to the palace and creates new friendships with the other girls and a romance. All of it is forged in the heat of a battle against their abusers. The friendships and romance warmed my heart.
I really liked the plot, but it seemed a bit lagging at some points. Some scenes felt repeated, almost as often as scenes felt exciting and engaging. It was very clear in which direction the book was heading. I would’ve liked a twist here or there to elevate the plot a bit more.
I needed a bit of time to warm up to Lei and was often more intrigued by other characters, but in the end, I loved her. Wren is a supportive and caring character, who likes to deal with her own problems by herself. I also can’t wait to see more of Blue and Aiko in the next book.
The focus of this book lies on recovering from trauma, reclaiming your body and learning self-empowerment, self-love, identity and finding yourself. All of this happens in a world with classism, homophobia and objectifying women. The whole book is powerful and I loved seeing the women in this book grow into multi-dimensional characters.
Overall, it is an amazing powerful book about reclaiming yourself. I am highly anticipating the sequel.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 3 stars
The Raven Boys is a paranormal tale about Blue and the four boys she meets, who are on a hunt.
I wanted to read this for a while, but never really came to it. I’ve listened to the audiobook instead of reading it and it took quite some time to finish the book. I’m not really sure if it’s because of listening to this book, but I didn’t have the drive to finish it. I could easily pause the story and not continue it for a week.
The characters are fascinating, but I felt a bit detached when listening to Blue’s chapters. It felt like she didn’t really have emotions. On the other hand, her chapters were the ones where interesting things happened.
The plot and story are interesting and quite fun and I loved the paranormal aspect of it. The twists were shocking and I enjoyed it. It started out a bit boring and cliché, but really picked up around the time the boys and Blue met.
Overall, Raven Boys is a good start to the series. It seemed like this book is mostly laying down the background and everything for the rest of the series and I’m looking forward to what the series will bring.
The Raven Boys is a paranormal tale about Blue and the four boys she meets, who are on a hunt.
I wanted to read this for a while, but never really came to it. I’ve listened to the audiobook instead of reading it and it took quite some time to finish the book. I’m not really sure if it’s because of listening to this book, but I didn’t have the drive to finish it. I could easily pause the story and not continue it for a week.
The characters are fascinating, but I felt a bit detached when listening to Blue’s chapters. It felt like she didn’t really have emotions. On the other hand, her chapters were the ones where interesting things happened.
The plot and story are interesting and quite fun and I loved the paranormal aspect of it. The twists were shocking and I enjoyed it. It started out a bit boring and cliché, but really picked up around the time the boys and Blue met.
Overall, Raven Boys is a good start to the series. It seemed like this book is mostly laying down the background and everything for the rest of the series and I’m looking forward to what the series will bring.