It was a quick read and I overall enjoyed it, but it just didn't live up to my expectations. I wasn't too surprised or shocked by the ending, though I did enjoy the conflicted feelings towards one of the narrators I had by the ending.

Additionally, while the book sells parallel stories, the unevenness of information provided in the two made it feel more of a single main story with an epilogue (that happened to be told at the same time). If we had been given more information about Ella, the future narrator, she would have had more life as a character, and may have made the ending stronger as well.

“Life isn’t fair.It’s taken me a while to get that. It’s always going to disappoint you in some way or another. You’ll make plans, and it’ll push you in another direction. You will love people, and they’ll be taken away no matter how hard you fight to keep them. You’ll try for something and won’t get it. You don’t have to find meaning in it; you don’t have to try to change things. You just have to accept the things that are out of your hands and try to take care of yourself. That’s your job.”

Stars (Out of 10): 9.5/10 Stars

Favorite Character:

Spoiler Free: So I’m an idiot and put off this review until after I finished the series. However, this book has a pretty big event at the end, so I should be able to distinguish what happens in this one and what happens in book 3!

Let’s start with by commenting on the trend that this series seems to have: it likes to fuck with your feelings and make you cry, a lot.

Originally, I put this book aside because of how upset I was by the ending of book 1, and how scared I was of the series, and the tone of the series, changing now that Ruby was working with the Children’s League, and that the side characters I had grown so attached to didn’t seem to be making an appearance in this book. I was worried for no reason. This is one of those series that seems to get better as it continues on and as it develops, rather than expending all its interesting twists in the first book.

Having Ruby working with the Children’s League puts her in a position to show more of the world to the reader, and expand her knowledge past what the kids are feeling in the crisis, as she now regularly sees how the adults are handling the change as well. This book just seems to expand the reach of the characters, and gives us some of the puzzle pieces that were missing in book one.

Like I mentioned above, I was at first worried at how Ruby, and the story itself, would change now that she wasn’t on the run. I had gotten used to this free and in charge Ruby, and was worried that putting her back under the thumb of someone else would make her lose her strong will again. This was not the case, and Ruby actually seemed to blossom in the Children’s League, at least in the sense that she learned more control over her abilities and strengthened her body and mind. Now she wasn’t just a girl with a fierce personality, but had the skills to back it up. Additionally, she never bought into some of the bullshit of the Children’s League, and therefore it gave an interesting perspective on the rebellion, one we don’t often get to see in dystopias. Normally, the rebellion is seen as the single shining star in a dark world, pure and full of hope. Often, that’s not the case, as every light casts a shadow, creates a darkness. Having Ruby as our eyes into this instance of rebellion gave the entire book a really interesting perspective.

Additionally, another worry was losing all our side characters and having to meet new ones that I assumed I would not like as much. Not only does the book one cast play a large role in this book, the new characters we are introduced to are also just as layered as Chubs, Liam, Zu, and Clancy were. Ruby is also less trusting of them at first, as she had recently been burned by Clancy, which also made the process of befriending Nico, Vida, Jude, and Cate an interesting one to follow. The variation in the characters also meshed really well together, and meshed well with the personalities of the old cast as well. Additionally, they all felt really well established, and there wasn’t really an overlap in personality/character. They all felt like actual individuals.

The plot was, once again, really well paced and action-packed. Something about the way this series is planned and written manages to keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time, but in a way that doesn’t overwhelm you. I never noticed a true lull in the book, and whenever I started getting bored of a setting, or it started to feel repetitive, the book changed things up once again.

Overall, I loved this installment just as much as book 1, if not more! It tied together so many characters and so many elements, and I am just constantly amazed by what this series accomplishes.

Careful! Spoilers beyond this point!

Spoilers:

Spoiler

The ending still gives me goosebumps, even though there’s a good 10+ days in between finishing this book and writing this review.

Also, JUDE. What the heck Bracken! He was the light in the darkness and he just gets crushed to dust, literally! Unfortunately, I did accidentally spoil this death, or at least the fact that something bad was going to happen to Jude, but the way it was written made it hurt so much more. It was left up until the very end, and with Ruby believing he had made it out right along with them. It just hurts so much.

First off, I would like to thank the publisher and author for providing me this ARC to review. Please note that the version I read was an advanced copy, and certain events/language may be changed in the published edition.

“The crown of Dihya had been stripped from me, my face changed, my body broken. But I was not a slave and I was not a spare.”

Stars (Out of 10): 9/10 Stars

Favorite Character: Amani

I was approved for this ARC months ago, and I hate that I only just now got to it! It beat all of my expectations, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the rest of the series.

From the beginning, Mirage hooked me. Something about Amani, our main character, felt so genuine and real, yet she was still an incredibly kind and likable person. She’s the type of main character I haven’t seen in a while, as most YA Fantasy narrators seem to all be “stubborn” and “strong” lately, so it was really refreshing to read something new. Additionally, Amani was quite a layered character. She had a heart of gold that truly cared about those hurting around her, regardless of their race, but she was also still a strong character, making decisions for herself and her own happiness. At the same time, she was still touched by the influence of power, and this led to some great inner monologue as Amani struggled between the identity of her past and the girl she was forced to become.

Not only does Mirage have a fantastic main character, the supporting cast is extremely fleshed out as well. The love interest is more than just his looks/love for the main character, but is also seen grieving for his family, and also struggling between his childhood identity and the one first upon him by the conquerors and his need to stay alive. (Also, I must say that this romance feels really well done, as it isn’t the main focus of the novel/does not define either of the characters, but rather adds and builds upon the characters and story that is already there). Additionally, we also have the cruel princess that Amani is a body double for, and while at first she gives off the impression of your standard evil princess, she ends up being so much more. She faces an internal struggle just like everyone else, and reading that was one of my favorite parts of the book.

All of this leads to a book that is rather character driven. The effects of colonialism in this world is explored through the personal effects on the characters, as well as the overarching effects on the native culture of the planet. It gives a new perspective on this topic, compared to recent YA Fantasy novels that deal with this topic, as it aims to show us the pain of the conquered through less overtly violent means. While there is still action and violence, it is mainly kept in the beginning of the tale, and the story seems to move towards a different way of losing yourself in a world conquered.

I also really loved the world and culture built into this book. While we don’t learn a lot at all about the conquerors, the Vath, we do learn a lot about Amani’s own culture and religion. Amani specifically is an extremely religious character, and the stories and poetry built into her culture and religion is a large driving force in the personal narrative of Amani, and even some of the other stories taking place in the book. It adds a whole other layer to Mirage, and works to fully immerse you in both the world and the story, since it is so well intertwined.

The only reason I dropped my rating a little was due to certain aspects of the plot and the pacing of the story. The plot itself was wonderful and interesting, but just occurred rather passively. Most of the events in the story are enacted by others around Amani, rather than herself, and she mainly seems to be reacting towards everything and following the actions and plans of others. However, this is the most realistic option, as Amani is in no position to be making her own plans and choices for most the book. My other issue was pacing. In terms of that, this book felt almost like a flat line. It was an incredible read nonetheless, but there weren’t really moments of surprise or increased intensity, and even the ending had me reading at the same speed and pace as the beginning of the book.

All in all, I absolutely loved this debut, and am so lucky to have gotten the chance to read it early! I highly recommend this novel to those that have found some YA Fantasy novels falling short lately, and want to be reminded what makes the genre so great.

Let me just start this off by saying this is, by far, my top read of 2018 so far.

This book was everything I wanted and needed, and every single part of this story was absolutely perfect. It was a beautiful and magical journey, and I feel lucky to have gotten the chance to read it. Full review to come, but it probably won't be much more than me just gushing over how fantastic this story was.

First off, I would like to thank the publisher and author for providing me this ARC to review. Please note that the version I read was an advanced copy, and certain events/language may be changed in the published edition.

Stars (Out of 10): 5/10 Stars

I took a few days to think over this book, and what I thought of it, as different parts of this book spoke to me more than others. All in all, I’d say it had a pretty weak start, and didn’t play up the plot points I thought it would, but I still found myself sucked into the story by the end of it.

I’m just gonna start off by saying that the synopsis gives away the entire main twist of the book (I had guessed it before I had even started reading), and even when I started reading, the foreshadowing was a smidge too obvious. Since that twist ended up being the climax of the plot as well, it led to a subpar finale overall. It also made the book feel as if it didn’t truly have an ending, as both the knowledge of the twist and reveal of the twist made it feel like more was needed to tie everything together.

Additionally, the beginning was fairly weak too. We spend a few chapters learning a small bit of the world, and of the main characters in Adelaide’s life, as well as the mundane worries in her day to day life, including of wanting to be liked by a boy. It wasn’t an intriguing start at all, and the only thing that kept me reading was the whispers of something grander and more magical later on. Additionally, the beginning was so heavy with obvious fairy tale references that it became tacky, especially in regards to the Cinderella character. I assume this is to either introduce the author’s other future works in the world, but it felt out of place here, since she never came again, not even in the narrator’s thoughts.

While Adelaide was interesting in her unique motivations, wanting to settle rather than travel and explore, it didn’t make for as interesting a narrator. Adelaide wasn’t interested in learning about the rest of the world + her/her mother’s past, even as more and more clues were laid before her, which made the reader less interested in it all as well. Adelaide also has the tendency to steal, and is seen as a successful thief, due to her rough childhood after her mother’s death. However, I had two main issues with this. Firstly, she doesn’t seem to be all that successful at all. The book starts with her in the middle of a robbery, and she explains how long it took to plan, but she still makes a mistake (just to introduce the Cinderella character). Then, throughout the rest of the book, she almost never is able to be successful alone, in terms of stealing and sneaking, and always requires being led by other characters. Secondly, Adelaide seems to randomly steal things, even though she doesn’t need to in the competition, as she’s surrounded by gowns and jewelry that were given to her as well as entirely taken care of. Since her stealing habit was born out of need, it feels weird to see it continued as strongly throughout the book, though I get it is a habit. Additionally, it seems to be an active trait as well, in the sense that the author needs to continuously remind us that she does this, with the moments sometimes breaking the flow of the story.

In terms of plot, it felt like there was both too much in focus and not enough actually happening. We seem to have two main plots, the competition and the heist, but instead of blending together well, they fought with each other instead. And still, even with two main plots battling for the domination of a scene, there were many dull moments, of simply characters hanging around or just to show time is passing. Also, even though the pacing didn’t feel weird, in hindsight it all moved rather fast. There was more than a week between stages of the competition, but we almost never saw any of it, making it seem like people were getting eliminated every other chapter.

However, despite all the issues I had with it, I still ended up getting hooked into the story around 50% of the way in. Something about the writing kept interested in the story (once the competition started/Adelaide left Ericuria), and it all seemed to move by really fast, perhaps due to how the story was paced. Most of the individual parts were fairly well planned and written, I just wasn’t a fan of how it all came together to form the overall novel. I’m curious about where the story will continue to go, but I’m not sure if I’ll be picking the next books up yet.

Stars (Out of 10): 3/10 Stars

I had such high hopes for this book after the redeeming of the series (for me) in book 4. Just in general, there was so much potential for this series, and I had such expectations both from books 1 and 2 and from Clare’s and Black’s prior works.

Now, I get this is a middle grade series. It won’t be as deep as Black’s The Cruel Prince/Tithe/etc. or Clare’s The Infernal Devices/The Dark Artifices/etc. I also get that these books are not necessarily aimed towards me, and both the humor and plot are aimed for those younger than I. However, this series, this book, being a part of a younger genre does not excuse some of the issues this series had, especially in terms of pacing, plot, and characters. It does not excuse the illogical nature of some of the decisions in this book, or the lack of effort (it seems) in the planning of this book, and series as a whole. I was honestly surprised when it seemed as if this book left things purposely open for a sequel series, as it honestly felt, while reading, that the author duo seemed to be less and less interested in these books.

You can possibly blame my earlier love for the series on my younger age, but I’d argue that those books were just overall better, in terms of character dynamics, plot, and pacing (oh god, especially the pacing). Yes the trio and world heavily mimicked Harry Potter, and the series definitely needed to move away from that, but that doesn’t mean that the series needed to lose the normal pacing it had in books 1 and 2. And yes, the plot was not complex at all in the earlier books, but it doesn’t need to be, as that’s not necessarily what I expect from a middle grade book.

Let’s just get the worst over with and discuss pacing. In books 1 and 2 this was fairly well done, with the books spanning an entire school year, and sometimes a bit of the summer beforehand. A standard pacing style for a school based series. Book 3 already broke this pattern by ending about half way through the year (if I remember correctly, it’s been a few years now), and that sharp contrast in time period definitely left the book feeling unfinished. The time period of book 4 is honestly a mystery to me, but at the start of book 5, 4 years of schooling have supposedly passed (I don’t know how). Book 5, while when looked at logically, takes place over a few months or something, reads like it all takes place within the first week of school or something. There is almost no build up or problem solving in this book. Nothing stalls the constant moving plot, and this constant action, combined with weird time jumps/lack of focus on anything but events that directly solve the plot, makes the book read really quickly, as well as feel weirdly timed. I’d have to actually study this book to figure out how the timeline all works together, and even then I can’t promise I’d find an answer. Additionally, the allocation of pages to different periods of time didn’t add up at all. There are a few moments of travelling and driving in this book, but the pacing and logistics of them is so ridiculous that I couldn’t even fully take those seriously and as a part of the actual plot/story. It honestly just felt like badly written filler, even when it contributed directly to the plot.

As I’m already on the subject, let’s talk about the plot. Arguably, the second worst part of this book next to the pacing. There is no true conflict in this book. Nothing goes wrong, nothing is lost, and anytime something gets in the way of Call/Tamara/Aaron, even the main evil of the book, almost no effort goes to actually solving the problem, as a solution is almost always presented immediately. Additionally, this lack of struggle means the entire book reads at the exact same amount of tension. There are no highs and lows. It is all action, and since there are no dull moments to make that action exciting by comparison, the action itself becomes boring. Additionally, there is almost no build up to this installment. Book 4 seemed to neatly wrap up everything in a bow for our duo/trio, so this book definitely needed something to bring that evil back to the forefront, some whispers of dark magic or evil returning rather than just a single hint and then sudden entrance of the big bad.

The characters themselves were also just weaker than in past installments. Call’s main focus was staring at Tamara and worrying about college, admittedly mundane worries for someone with an evil soul who also happens to be harboring the spirit of his dead best friend inside of him. Call ended up being such a let down that I won’t even spend more words on him. Additionally, what the heck was this villain? He was ridiculous to the point of absurdity, and nothing close to the level of evil the past books seemed to contain. I mean, Alex freaking killed someone for their powers, and you can’t even meet that level for your finale? Come on guys.

I almost never say this, but this but this series should have been shorter. This series would have actually been stronger if things had just ended on book 4. I can’t say much good about this particular book, but at least it was a quick read.

“Life isn’t fair, dear one. And sometimes, neither is death.”

Stars (Out of 10): 10/10 Stars

I’ve taken a while to finally get to this review, but I still don’t think I’ll be able to properly vocalize how I feel about this book, and a series as a whole.

This sequel contains everything I loved about book 1, and even more. We’ve got the flip flopping past and present POVs, the same characters and tenuous relationships, and both Tea and the Bard narrate as well. What’s added is more action, more plot, and even some romance. One issue many people have with The Bone Witch is its long build-up and slow beginning, but this book does not “suffer” from those same traits. Both the present and past plots deal a lot more with direct actions and consequences, and the tension between the characters increasing as well. It all leads to a much more intense and exciting book.

Specifically in terms of characters, Rin continues to do such a fantastic job of creating fleshed out and real characters. Our main character, Tea, both in past and present, holds so much conflict within her, and her navigation of the truth and lies within her society is such an interesting path to follow. It also helps that we still aren’t sure if her present actions are explained by her past, or if we, as readers, also turn against her later on. The supporting cast all also stands on their own, with almost all characters developing their own stories and backgrounds further. They also work to complement Tea really well, as they do not work to take away from Tea’s story or distract readers, but also show the depth of Rin’s world, and how differently people view the same set of actions.

The plot was also quite intriguing, though I still found myself more interested in the present than the past portions of the chapter. One of the main portions of the plot was almost too well foreshadowed that it didn’t remain so much a mystery to me, and took away from the suspense of the past plot. However, even with this, Rin was able to fully capture me in her tale and world, and I was as fully in love with this book as I was with book 1.

The world was also just as gorgeous as when I was introduced to it in book 1, even now that we begin to see more and more of the shadows of the beauty. We gain more depth in this book, as well as knowledge into other kingdoms, specifically in terms of why some of the authorities in this book do what they do as well as the stark differences between the mindsets of the different members of the world. Additionally, since this book carries more moments of tensions, and actions that bring across consequences, we see more of the world in how they deal with these situations of tension.

But for some reason, grading this book on its individual parts isn’t something that sits right with me. The Heart Forger is so much more than the sum of its parts, and something needs to be said for how well it immerses the reader, and how at home I begin to feel in the world and heads of these characters. In two quick books these characters have attached themselves so strongly to my heart that the characters of much longer series can’t even compare. There is something so compelling and enchanting about the way Rin writes and builds her world that keeps a reader enraptured, even during the less intense, thrilling parts of the book. Simply learning more about Tea’s past, and discovering more about her and her perception of the world and events that lead her to her future is just so interesting.

The Bone Witch world seems to be a world I can revisit and love at any time, and is a book that, to me, can be read at any pace. I’ve admittedly taken longer than I would’ve liked with both The Heart Forger and currently the finale, The Shadowglass, but that somehow does not diminish my experience like it does for some books. All Rin needs is a few lines, maybe a paragraph, to fully suck me back into Tea’s story, and I love this series for it.

“The trick is to find that one person who can give it back as good as they can take it.”

Stars (Out of 10): 10/10 Stars

Lemme preface this by saying that romance and contemporary generally isn’t a genre I read a lot of, so I’m often both much easier to please in terms of tropes/plots/romance but also much more way going into the book. But on the recommendation of nearly every single reader in The Book Coven discord, I knew I just had to pick this up. (Link here if you wanna join! We talk all things bookish: https://discord.gg/rmaeNe8 )

Following their advice and recommendation was probably the best idea I had this month. I’ve been slogging through books recently, a mix of both reading too much of one genre and of being overburdened with reading work in uni, but this book seemed to ignore all of that and hook me from page 1. I originally picked this up on a long, tiring trip home from a concert, when my mind was far too sleepy for something as intense as a fantasy, and even in that state, I found the exact book I needed.

Firstly, I must commend Thorne on her pacing. I’m the sort of person who always needs to finish a chapter before putting a book down, but The Hating Game simply doesn’t let me! Most time jumps are planted within the chapters themselves, with the ends and beginnings of chapters lining up so perfectly that you physically cannot stop reading. You just need to know what happens next, and turning that next page to find out is just way too easy. I’ve almost missed my stops on both buses and trains thanks to this amazing, evil book.

The story itself was also just composed of my favorite things. Like most people, I’m weak for the haters to lovers/enemies to lovers trope, and any hint of it within a book gets me hooked almost right away. Additionally, the setting was also one I found interesting. Rather than just some plain office setting, Thorne brings the publishing house setting to life within the story, even though it is far from the focus. And as someone who hopes to work in that industry in the future, it was just an extra thing to love.

Another thing was the layers to the story. It wasn’t just two flat characters who hated each other for no reason that suddenly went to love “just because.” The relationship developed in a pretty realistic way, even if the whole playing games with your rival thing may have been a smidge far-fetched at points (not complaining though, I still loved it). Additionally, both characters had some pretty complicated pasts and family lives, and the connection of this to the main story made it so much more addicting, and that much more amazing.

The Hating Game has blown my admittedly high expectations away, and I cannot wait to see what Thorne writes next.