sassyowlreads's Reviews (910)

4.5 stars!

This was a great and unique (to me) plot.

The Good:
The Court of Miracles was by far my favorite part. I'm a sucker for organized crime and put it in 1800's Paris, I'm sold. I loved the careful navigating required to prevent a war and the bending of the Law to suit a purpose. I was most intrigued by the Assassins Guild naturally and would have loved to have seen more of them.

The Not So Good:
Things seemed a little too easy for Nina all the time for my taste. Whether or not she'll be successful isn't ever called into question. I didn't particularly care for the big jump in time either. A lot seemed to happen in that time that left some character development to be desired.

With tweaks, this has the potential to be a 4.5+ star book and I'll definitely read the sequel!

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc.

I loved that Marva is hardcore into the importance of voting and have nothing but respect for her persistence since I know I would have given up halfway through the day. I don't usually go for the "romance in a day" trope but I was pleasantly surprised by this one. It was a really cute read that addressed a surprising number of issues such as voter suppression, police brutality, gun violence, and more.

Thanks so much to Libro.fm and the publisher for the audiobook!

This was my 5th read of Persuasion, it's my favorite Jane Austen book. This was the 2nd time I've listened to it and I'll admit I was skeptical about a male narrator but Mike Read did an excellent job! There's nothing worse than a male narrator who can't do female voices but fortunately, that wasn't the case with this one.

I consider Persuasion to be one of the most underrated books I've ever read. Everyone only talks about Pride & Prejudice when they hear Jane Austen and while it's an amazing book, I have to be in the right mood for it or else I feel like I'm getting bogged down in the writing.

Persuasion is a lot shorter than P&P and while enemies to lovers is always an enjoyable, I find I like the second chance romance more because of how bittersweet it is. They're finally together but they missed out on eight years together.

Reading or listening, everyone should read Persuasion once!

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher, Thomas Nelson for the audio-arc!

The Good:
The world-building was excellent. This is usually my #1 complaint in a fantasy book, be it too much or too little, but it seemed to be just right. The pacing was also very well done. It didn't feel like a trek to get through the 500+ pages and I was very interested in all of the POVs. The ending is also very mysterious and intriguing and instantly made me want to read the sequel.

The Not So Good:
My main complaint is the plot. It was pretty predictable and easy BUT I have a feeling this will be rectified in a 2nd book and we're being fooled with this 1st one. I also would have liked more insight into Sebastian and Sonya's mother but again, I assume this will be addressed in the next book.

Overall, a very solid fantasy read!

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc!

4.5 stars!

I loved the stories of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass! They are as whimsical and delightful as I imagined. I was surprised to discover how young Alice was, 7 and a half according to Through the Looking Glass. I had always imagined her in the 10-12 year old range. I was skeptical of a male narrator but Simon Bubb did an excellent job narrating.

The only thing I disliked was A Tangled Tale but I'm not much of a fan of very short stories so they felt random and disjointed.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for the audio-arc!

It usually takes me a week or two to finished a book because I habitually am always reading a couple at the same time but that was not the case with The Gilded Ones! All of my other current reads were promptly pushed to the side because I just couldn't put this down.

It was very well written, the pacing kept me engaged, and the characters were wonderfully diverse. The world-building was just right and never felt overwhelming or lacking and I'm honestly surprised this is a debut. Fair warning, it was a little graphic and gruesome at times but not unnecessarily.

This is going to be a must read in 2021!

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the published for an e-arc of this wonderful book.