sunshinestark's Reviews (376)

If you've been searching for a story with a main character where their sexuality (asexuality to be exact) is not the focus of the story, look no further than this dark fantasy. Linsey Miller fantastically weaves a story about monsters and the potential end of the world with a variety of queer characters that will have you racing through each page. Born into a world where some people are gifted with powers of either creation or destruction through lineage from beings called the Vile or the Noble, Lorena has kept her powers a secret. She is one of the rare few who are gifted with both Vile and Noble powers. After outing herself in order to save someone she loves, Lorena is forced to work with Prince Alistair to stop a sentient door keeping the Vile at bay from opening. The Prince's reputation as cruel and terrifying is well known, but the more Lorena gets to know him, the more she sees there's more to him than the rumors let on. As they become closer and her former relationships are pushed to the breaking edge as secrets are unveiled Lorena must decide what she's willing to sacrifice to save those who most deserve it.

Horrid is a story filled with grief and ghosts that blurs the line between what's real and what's not, leaving you to wonder whether Jane's haunting is the result of mental illness or the dead who can't - or won't - move on.

Perfect for fans of horror, The Mary Shelley Club starts off strong and ends with just the right hook to grab you, making you want a sequel immediately. Filled with references to old, new, well known, and more obscure horror movies, we have a group of students obsessed with horror who play a twisted game with one goal: make their target scream. When Rachel moves from Long Island after a traumatic home invasion, she never expects to be initiated into the Mary Shelley Club. The club plans elaborate pranks meant to terrify others, and it's all a game - the person who creates the best scenario wins. But as the game progresses, it's clear someone is sabotaging them. With danger closing in, Rachel isn't sure who she can trust. All she knows is she has to survive, and she won't go down without a fight.

Set at a centuries old boarding school with a history supposedly twined with magic, A Lesson in Vengeance is suffused with darkness centered around a girl trying to distance herself from the past that makes this a read that's hard to put down. Felicity returns to the Dalloway School after time spent away following the disappearance and presumed death of her best friend - and secret girlfriend - Alex. Believing magic and the twisted history of five murdered witches who attended the school were involved, Felicity is intent on leaving all things connecting her to magic behind. Then enters Ellis. Ellis is impossibly cool and captures Felicity's attention from the moment they meet. The only problem being Ellis wants Felicity's help in researching the history of the Dalloway Five, the murdered witches. Knowing she shouldn't put herself back into that world, Felicity can't say no. Soon she is once again thrust into a series of events filled with deceit and blood leaving her unsure who she can trust or if she'll ever be safe again.

The Lost Village is an eerie, atmospheric thriller with unexpected twists and turns that will have you nervous for what will come next. In 1959 the nearly 900 residents of Silvertjarn, a village in Sweden, disappeared without a trace. That is, all but 2. Left behind were a woman who had been murdered and a newborn baby. Many years later, Alice is consumed by theories of what happened to the villagers all those years ago. For her, it's personal - her grandmother's family vanished there. Now, intent on discovering some clue as to what may have happened, Alice heads to Silvertjarn to film a documentary. With so little information to go on, she knew it wouldn't be easy. But she didn't expect for things to fall apart quite so quickly. With a seemingly ghostly presence making itself known, Alice begins to question whether they're truly alone or if her mind is beginning to break. The truth isn't anything she could have possibly imagined. 

Stripped of her title and power, Jude has been exiled to the mortal world after yet another betrayal that has left her with a broken heart and no real plan on how to move forward. Then comes Taryn, her twin sister, in need of Jude's help in order to save her life. Against better judgement, Jude agrees to go to Elfhame in Taryn's place only to find that the land she was exiled from is on the verge of war. Thrust into the very center of political machinations that endanger not only herself, but also the person who broke her heart, Jude is soon faced once more with the difficult challenge of figuring out how to keep those she loves and Elfhame itself from being destroyed. While you certainly won't want the story to end, The Queen of Nothing satisfyingly brings Jude and Cardan's story to a close in a way that will make you want to revisit it again immediately. 

Throughout The Folk of the Air series Holly Black managed to do something very few authors have been able to: take a character I hated from their very first introduction and turn them into someone I love deeply. Cardan Greenbriar is far from perfect. In fact, he is at times cruel and terrible. But his wickedness doesn't run as deep as he or others believe. With How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories we see how Cardan became that way, the darkness in him fostered by neglect, abuse, and insecurities. We also see how love outshines that darkness over time, letting the good in him grow. Each new part, paired with wonderful illustrations, made the story that came before that much better. 

Jude has finally found her place in Elfhame, but it’s come at great cost to her. Now at odds with her family, she’s adjusting to life without them while also learning how to navigate a world where she has far more power than she ever has. As difficult as that already is, it’s made more difficult through her uneasy alliance with Cardan, formerly Prince and now King of Elfhame. Once enemies, their relationship begins to evolve as they’re forced to rely on one another, revealing truths neither wants to admit to the other. Amid further betrayals centered around plays for power and the crown, both their lives are in danger. Jude must now figure out how to not only protect her family, but also herself and her King. With the same brilliant writing and world building as The Cruel Prince, The Wicked King will leave you on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next while also giving you greater insight into who exactly Cardan really is in a way that may just make him one of your favorite characters. 

 For anyone who read The Cruel Prince and was left with a distaste for Jude's twin sister Taryn, this will give insight into why she made the choices she did while not absolving her of anything. While it's not required to continue the series, I'd recommend listening to this before The Wicked King or The Queen of Nothing in order to have a complete picture of what exactly happened behind the scenes that led the Duarte twins on their differing paths.