themoonwholistens's Reviews (698)

Whoever said “distance makes the heart grow fonder”, obviously read this book. The narration of the Greek gods gave the story a timeless feeling and I think we all need to read a story like that every once in a while (yes, it’s narrated by Aphrodite, Ares, Hades, Apollo… yes.)

”Let them start their dreadful wars, let destruction rain down, and let plague sweep through, but I will still be here, doing my work, holding humankind together with love like this.”

I loved the way it played on the classic tale of Hephaestus catching Ares and Aphrodite in his net. The whole book circled around that and it was the perfect jumping off point for the plot to work around while maintaining the timeless feel.

The way it emphasized all the “small moments” in the midst of the war added that feeling of hope in love. The unexpected friendships, the chance encounters, and stolen moments in the middle of the night... I WAS SOLD!

Definitely one of the most unique storytelling that I’ve read. It weaved the romance while never forgetting the setting it is thriving in. Even though this is a historical romance set in WW2, an objectively dark time, it didn’t feel that heavy to read. There are definitely still times it tackles more sensitive topics since the main sources of conflict stems from the result of the war, it came with a silver-lining. Plus, you can feel while reading how well-researched the book was and we love to see that.

“You’re a brand-new piece of sheet music for a song which, once played, I’d swear I’d always known.”

I didn’t realize this had a lot of musical aspects and quotes about music T_T those bits really pulled me in. But what took me out of the story was that problem with multi POV books when you’re not equally invested in everyone’s perspectives and you find yourself consantly waiting for the next time the characters you are waiting for to appear.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved both couples but there were just some scenes that I didn’t care much for and I think would have been better implied… so that we had more time to explore the romance on the gods’ side HAHA

Even though it’s really a romance novel it includes the impacts of war on both a personal and wider social level, without forgetting the perspectives of black soldiers during the war.

↣ With that, if you’re a hopeless romantic looking to fall in love over waltzes, piano music, and snowwy nights… I introduce to you, Lovely War. When I say I like old school romance, this exactly what I mean. It’s romantic, heartfelt, emotional, and an easy novel to get lost it. ↢

"No one can love me [...] That is the price of being the goddess of love."

— 4.25 —
⇢ content warnings// Amputation (mentioned), Blood, Bones, Death, Guns, Pregnancy, PTSD, Racism, Sexual assault, Violence, War


⤜ post-read initial review ⤛
HAPPY NEW YEAR. I FINISHED IT ON TIME. thank you to everyone that believed in me <3

And I just need to say that: what better way to start 2022 with that old chivalric kind of hope in love.

Review incoming by 2022 <3

⤜ pre-read review ⤛
I told myself if I saw someone recommend this to me for the 4th time I'll add it to my TBR. You can guess why it's here now

--- Buddy Read with Bopeep (we also read Thunderhead together much luv hihi) and Emily <3 ---

“We are imperfect beings," Munira said.
"How could we ever fit in a perfect world?"

If you want to read this series for something, read it for THE PLOT. + ethical/moral commentary in a dystopia world

— overall thoughts: 4.5 —

THIS WAS SUCH A WILD RIDE. Finishing this series was such a journey and I still have a hangover.

So I finished crying over the ending and now here we are. Quick summary: I'm amazed. I loved the angsty ending. I live on angst, it's my way of life.

Spoiler

It was an open ending of sorts and a lot of things were honestly left to the reader to figure out and ponder on which is part of why my head went a little wild because that just opens up the door to endless possibilities

“Not even the Thunderhead can be sure about tomorrow... Let’s be satisfied with today.”

--mild spoilers ahead--

themes: ★★★★★
I can’t talk about this series without mentioning the themes… again. As usual, Shusterman does not disappoint with all the morality commentaries. In this last book we get more of a look on how the Thunderhead itself views said morality... in it's own way.

But in this book specifically, it was the concept and discussions on time that got my attention a little bit more. In this world wherein people stopped marking numbers on years because it was simply no longer crucial to track. When that was taken away from them I like to believe that that was when they started to truly value what they had left.

“Time is never of the essence until someone decides that it is.”

It technically wasn’t a main focus of the book but it's basically the underlying point of everything: the fact that it presented how topics of racism and religious biases are still present in a dystopia that is deemed “perfect” and “problem-free”. But at the same time pointing out how stupid these biases are, proven by that one scene that said "maybe we should just glean short people too, I hate seeing them".

There were honestly so many underlying themes that went into the actual story and I'll probably reiterate this in a more sensical way after I get some sleep.

plot: ★★★★★
I’ll never get over how interesting the dystopia system of this world is to me. The Thunderhead as this entity/overseer of everything is just so fascinating and well-written for a character that isn't a human being. The way that the Thunderhead's role played out in this book and the second book was really not something that I imagined, but still realistic. Which means ANGST.

I could probably make an essay of how perfectly written I think the Thunderhead is.

When I thought this book made me reach peak brain blast, it just keeps on going. All the commentaries and discussions were so well put out even the subtle ones and even though we never really got a solid solution to most of them... I think that was the point. As the Thunderhead would say: there is no perfect answer.

this book in particular doesn’t have a lot of fast-paced action scenes but my brain just never stops trying to process everything that is going on. And when action packed scenes happen... it gets chaotic, in the best way possible.

characters: ★★★★★ (4.5)
I just need to revel in the beauty of this quote for a moment:

“One of the benefits of being Madagascan is that we see people as people. When it comes to attraction, gender is never part of the equation.” Then Jeri looked up as the light dimmed slightly.

“You see? The sun has passed behind a cloud again, and nothing has changed.”

something I only realized in this book with neal shusterman’s writing: characters are always described by who they are as a person more than their outward physical qualities (i.e. Jeri, Cirrus). He gives emphasis more on their thoughts and motivations which says a lot about what the book is really about. Which I love.

my buddies and I agreed that there were characters introduced in this book that if we met them in the first book, we probably would have even more head over heels in love with. I just have a little pet-peeve with romance being forced into sci-fi books but I'm willing to overlook all of that because I love the themes of this book that much more. And I'm not really mad about the romance interactions (it's not even given that much focus) because I just want them to be happy, living peacefully

Spoiler

in their little islands or you know... planets

.

Not saying the characterization was bad because they weren't. and I was fully invested in all of them. I still hate Goddard with a burning passion but it's fine, we need an antagonist.

world building: ★★★★★
It never stops building. that's all I can say.

writing style: ★★★★★
SO BEAUTIFUL. from the in-between chapters to subtle hints underlying major plot points, every corner of each page was utilized to it's full extent in my opinion. I feel like my head is still running wild to even grasp everything that went down at this moment.

page turner: ★★★★★
Honestly, if you reached this part of my review that means this series interests you even a little bit and I see no reason for you not to. Personally, I was too curious to know what would happen to all my children (not children and they could probably glean me, no problem) that I want to protect from Goddard.

“Then, when the heavens were spent, the sun came out as it always did, and the Thunderhead got back to the solemn business of taking care of things."

//

so I FINISHED IT... and i'm sobbing right now so... i'll write a review when i stop crying <3

for now you get this gif as a summary of my thoughts:


//

6/21/19
Dear Publisher,

please send me the ARC ;(((((((


Respectfully yours,
the person who cannot stop thinking about this series :) and will read this the second it's sent to me soooooooo...... #responsibleARCreviewer :)


--- planning to Buddy Read with Bopeep <3 ---

ARC OF A SCYTHE SERIES REVIEWS
Book #1 : Scythe ★★★★★
Book #2 : Thunderhead ★★★★★
Book #3 : The Toll -----

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I enjoyed the idea of this book and what this book stood for more than my actual reading experience. I wrote in my notes that I was waiting for this to end three times.

Reading the other reviews for this book makes me feel like I have no taste but it is what it is and I wrote this review anyway.

Disclaimer #1: I didn't think this was a bad book I was just not invested in the plot or the characters.

— overall thoughts: 2.5 —
⇢ content warnings//

Spoiler

Animal abuse, Attempted murder, Blood, Bones, Childbirth, Death, Guns, Forced hospitalisation/Asylum, Murder, Pregnancy, Profanity, Racism, Stalking, Starvation (mentioned), Torture (mentioned)

If you liked/loved Addie LaRue but want more plot, I would recommend this book. Or vice versa: if you want something that is more character focused than this book go read Addie. These two books give me the same writing style and vibes.

Disclaimer #2: I loved Addie LaRue though.

"It is at the moments when the doors open when things flow between the worlds, that stories happen."

It's a whimsical and dreamy book while still being thought provoking. Which was the reason I loved the first part of this book.. but then it lost me. The idea of how these doors were literally portals to new dimensions was so intriguing to me but it took so long to get to that point where all the action was happening.

I was forcing my way through almost everything beyond the 40% mark and I would have DNFed this if I wasn’t buddy reading it. I just didn’t care about the characters. My interest kept lifting away from the pages.

I was really confused with what was supposed to be reality and what was not when I was convinced that it would be the reason that I would love this book at the beginning.

“I’ve heard it all so many times I could probably deliver the rest of the speech myself. How the hard work and dedication of persons like themselves wealthy, powerful, white, had improved the condition of the human race.”

The commentary on racism and how people weigh/judge a person’s value based on their skin color including white supremacy!! We absolutely love to see it. I liked how this was tackled in the story but it didn't hit me the same because it somewhere in the midst of everything that was going on, I got lost.

Even though I appreciated the addition of characters of color, they felt so bland to me and I wasn’t sold enough to be emotionally attached to them. Given that, I wasn’t affected by the plot twists and the weird happenings as much as I should’ve been. Thus, the romance felt unnecessary with no build-up, perhaps it was just not my style. January’s complicated relationship with her father and Loche was interesting but with that said, I could not seem to fully be devoted to them either.

“If you are wondering why other worlds seem so brimful of magic compared to your own dreary Earth, consider how magical this world seems from another perspective. To a world of sea people, your ability to breathe air is stunning; to a world of spear throwers, your machines are demons harnessed to work tirelessly in your service; to a world of glaciers and clouds, summer itself is a miracle.”

I would have rated this book 4 stars for the themes and that quote alone if I even somewhat enjoyed my reading experience. It talks about belonging, family, stranger worlds.... the more I talk about this book the more convinced I am that I should have loved this.

The writing style is humorous and light despite heavy hitting themes, which was my favourite aspect with how it felt like we were reading some kind of pseudo-academic report on whimsical topics. This kind of writing style would have been perfect for me if perhaps I cared.

“Stories are the red threads that we may follow out of the labyrinth. It is my hope that this story is your thread and at the end of it, you find a door.”

I want to talk more about the plot but, without spoiling anything, all I can say is that it was weird and I understand why people love this so much. It was just too much for me and the weirdness was absurd to me at times that it didn't feel relatable. Perhaps the point was that certain things should not be believable since it revolves around a literally out-of-this-world theme... I just was not the biggest fan of that.

However, the plot is fast-paced, unique, a lot does happen... it's a whole journey.

I realized that people were comparing this to the Wayward Children and I didn’t like the first book of that series as much as other people did so perhaps I should've been more wary going into this.

Reading a book while reading a book sounds cool in retrospect, but it was just so confusing to me.

↣ As long as you are in the mood for a whimsical, dreamy, adventurous, and thought-provoking story with weird things going on, if you don’t get bored, I feel like you will like this. ↢

January LaVoy I'm so sorry I didn't like the book but you're still one of my favourite narrators.

------------
PRE READ:

what ultimately sold me to picking this up was that the audiobook is narrated by January LaVoy (narrator of The Diviners series)

Even though I generally enjoyed this story, the plot fell into a trope that I wasn't looking for in this book. Stupid decisions were made for the sake of conflict and that ultimately pulled from my enjoyment.

Theoretically, this would be a book that I would have fallen head over heels for. It has all the aspects that I love: dark fantasy, Spirited Away type of monsters that are creepy in that intriguing way, structured underworld revolving around Reapers and Shinigami… but somewhere after the first part, nothing was hitting for me.

I do acknowledge that the book achieved what it wanted to achieve in that it's an adventurous story that highlights Japanese mythology and a diasporic main character while revolving around a central sibling dynamic. I can see this being loved by people who liked the concept of [b:Spin the Dawn|42815556|Spin the Dawn (The Blood of Stars, #1)|Elizabeth Lim|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1542674036l/42815556._SY75_.jpg|58477266] but didn't like the execution.

”“Will it hurt?” he whispered.
I let him wait in suspense for my answer. I did not blink, did not breathe, only looked down at him with an unchanging expression.
“I wouldn’t know,” I said. “I’ve never died.””

There’s this trope that’s becoming popular in YA fantasy where the main character gets to the this place that they have always wanted to go to and end up having to complete certain missions (usually three) in the journey to finding herself. (And they meet this charming but mysterious boy along the way that ends up helping them). Not that it’s a bad plot line and I was curious. And though it did have it’s own twist and turns with a theme that I admire, it's tiresome to read if that's not what you're want at that time. Which was me, I’m talking about myself.

The beginning of this book was quick to impress because I thought it was going to be a hard magic system but I was a bit disappointed when the structured system gave away around the 30% mark. Which, to me, was weird given that there was a Reaper council and it seemed like it was building up to something more at first. It doesn’t help that the magic system was just full of loopholes that I couldn’t unsee and what I expected to be a hard magic system was actually soft.

This quote did warm my heart:

“When Neven took the souls of children, he held their hands and sang them lullabies. He let the older ones pray and told them stories about what awaited them in Heaven, how everything there was beautiful and nothing would ever hurt them again. But because of me he would never have friends, never join the High Council, never be anyone but the Shinigami’s brother. He could have forsaken me like our father, but instead he brought me stray cats and built book towers over me while I slept and cast shadow puppets on the walls while I tried to read.”

Hiro was fun at first (and initially the reason I kept reading) and I loved Neven. Though, not that much happened in terms of the inter-character relationships and I think the fact that I didn’t love the main character that much affected my overall enjoyment. I think that Ren's position, being torn between London and Japan, was an interesting concept that I loved but I just was not sucked into her emotions and goals. We didn't really see her fall in love and have the built up nuance with London and the Reapers so it was just a little hard for me feel that nuance and the complicated feelings brought by having to give that up in order to become a Shinigami.

I really did like the fact that it was relatively not /that/ much focused on a romance and the sibling dynamic was given more weight. The way that the spirits/monsters were based on Japanese myths was a really nice touch. The full-blown diaspora rep was also one of my favorite parts. It was still an enjoyable read but the smaller arcs felt a bit tedious that I was kinda waiting for it to end.

The mechanisms and details were cleanly put together but I just couldn't overlook my dislike for the flow of the plot + lack of investment in the main character and much of what was going on. The image and dynamics of the two relationships that I was invested on the most: the sibling relationship and Hiro, were both somewhat destroyed by the end of the book that it just left me 'meh'.

↣ This is a dark and adventurous Japanese-inspired YA fantasy that revolves around a brother-sister relationship all throughout. If you like the kind of books where they need to fulfill missions, meet characters on the way, and there’s a twist in the end, you’ll like this book. The prose isn't that deep and it's an easy read. ↢

I have nothing else to say okay bye

— 3.0 —
⇢ content warnings// Animal Death, Bullying, Child abandonment, Death, Emotional neglect of a child, Emotional Abuse, Graphic Violence, Gore, Grooming, Murder, Racism, Fantasy Xenophobia,

⤜ pre-read review ⤛
'spirited away' type of monsters + morally grey characters + dark japanese mythology ??

i love it here

"Through all of youth I was looking for you,
without knowing what I was looking for"

FORMAT READ: Audiobook (Recommended)
SIMILAR VIBES: I Wish You All the Best, The Perks of Being a Wallflower
READ FOR: coming of age story
READING LEVEL: Level 2-4 out of 5

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*All of my reviews are as spoiler-free as possible unless states otherwise*

OVERALL THOUGHTS: 4.0

this was so. touching. LIKE... GUYS. It was a very heartfelt read.

this book has been plaguing me for years because I have always been too intimidated to read it. but then I learned that the audiobook was voiced by Lin-Manuel Miranda and it was straight up available on Libby… the rest is history <3

well, not really...

Though the story was very catching and in depth, with complicated & raw characters. I wasn't... uhm... blown away. Maybe because of all of the rave reviews and me reading this a bit late after everyone hehe. To be honest, I expected more from the plot and it just seemed redundant from the other contemporaries I have read... but I do think that those other more recent contemporaries got their ideas from this contemporary classic.

I cannot say that I didn't end up loving Ari and Dante though and I see what the hype is all about. It's a great book.

✧ THIS IS MY READING RUSH BOOK #1 ✧
/ read a a book that has 5 or more words in the title
/ read a a book you meant to read last year

“We all fight our own private wars.”

PLOT: ★★★☆☆
WRITING STYLE: ★★★★☆
WORLD BUILDING: ★★★☆☆
CHARACTERS: ★★★★★
THEMES: ★★★★★
PACING: ★★★★☆
PAGE TURNER: ★★★★★

---------------------------------------
PRE READ:
I found out that Lin-Manuel Miranda is the voice actor for the audiobook... so I guess I'm reading this on audio XD

my Hamilton side jumped a lil bit <3 at least now I'm less intimidated to read this

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-- Buddy Reading with Bopeep <3 without whom I would be reading this book in the next 50 years --

”That’s exactly what the scythedom is: high school with murder.”

FORMAT READ: Audiobook (Recommended) & eBook (iBooks)
SIMILAR VIBES: A Monster Calls
READ FOR: thought-provoking story and plot, well written A.I.

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*All of my reviews are as spoiler-free as possible unless states otherwise*

OVERALL: 5.0

MY BRAIN HAS BEEN CONSTANTLY EXPLODINGGGG !!!

One of my favorite things about this series is how the in-between entrys are always so thought-provoking and give the book that extra spice of uniqueness. This book was more mindboggling than Scythe if that is even possible. Neal Shusterman was such a master at creating such a logical persona for artificial intelligence (Thunderhead). It’s not really a spoiler but in replace of H.S. Curie, etc.’s in-between entries, it is the Thunderhead’s consciousness. I always love all the questions that this series raises.

I was very hesitant picking up this book because the first book felt contained to me in terms of plot and world-building BUT THIS BOOK... fixed all those problems. I am so glad I picked up this book even though I screamed at my iPad twice while reading (in a good way). This book took me by surprise to say the least.

”If we were judged by the things that we most regret, no human being would be worthy to sweep the floor.”

PLOT: ★★★★★

I NEVER would have thought that this book would go down the road that it did. NEVER. In a million years.

There is nothing else to say because I'd be spoiling you :) Just know that I loved it.

WRITING STYLE: ★★★★★
Neal Shusterman has a very unique writing style that will just suck you in. He did a really great job in making the Scytheverse deeper in this book and I feel more in touch with the world than in the previous book. The political system was better written here for me as well.

The change in POVs was very creative and were done in right times which I thought gave the story more depth.

WORLD BUILDING: ★★★★★
The world is so well thought-of it in the sense of a world where everything is automated and there are no life threatening consequences anymore. It was also better than the first book (I'm sorry I keep repeating this but it's true).

We also get to read more of the different methods that Scythe's choose to glean which I really appreciated because it made them feel more real to me in a way.

CHARACTERS: ★★★★★
The character developments were so well done in this installment.

Rowan and Citra’s relationship in this book seemed to make more sense to me than their out-o-nowhere romance in Scythe where, in my opinion, it would have been better if they were left platonic. The romantic build up was not there for me in Scythe, but I found it okay now since they have more history. I finally started caring about their relationship now.

I also really liked Citra’s relationship with Scythe Curie. The development was so well done and the timing just right. I didn’t expect for them to have the relationship they had but I was there for it <3 It warmed my heart.

There were also some new and interesting characters that were introduced. There were old characters that were put to good use in the plot. It honestly gave more depth to this world and added to the creativity.

THEMES: ★★★★★
There were so many questions about morality and they were explored so creatively that I was shocked in the best way possible.

PACING: ★★★★★
PERFECT PERFECT PERFECT

This was a face paced novel which was perfect for my reading style.

PAGE TURNER: ★★★★★
Once I start reading, I can’t stop. It’s just that intriguing!! AND I NEED MORE!!


I'm not sure if I'm giving this book justice with this review but if you were anything close to liking the first book... I DEFINITELY recommend this one.

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---------------------------------

PRE READ:

I missed this world so much

ARC OF A SCYTHE SERIES REVIEWS
Book #1 : Scythe ★★★★★
Book #2 : Thunderhead ★★★★★
Book #3 : The Toll -----

“Love is a noble cause. How can anything done in the service of a noble cause be wrong?”

UPDATE #2: I moved my rating to 2-stars and I also realized that the reason I did not like this book was because of Cardan's cruelty. I did not get where it was coming from and I thought he was an outright bully. (I do have different feelings for the 2nd book because his actions started to seem more justified and his character just made more sense).

UPDATE: I have mixed feelings about this but I'm still curious about the next book to continue it at least.

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“It took several thousand miles for me to begin believing that I am better than the worst things I’ve done.”

FORMAT READ: Audiobook (Recommended)
SIMILAR VIBES: My Lady Jane
READ FOR: adventure and themes... and of course: Monty and Percy <3
READING LEVEL: Level 2-3 out of 5

*All of my reviews are as spoiler-free as possible unless states otherwise*

OVERALL THOUGHTS: 4.75

OH MY GOSH GUYS: HENRY MONTAGUE HAS CAPTURED MY HEART

BUT IT’S ALSO SO MUCH MORE THAN THE ROMANCE

A fast-paced plot and slow burn romance just how I like it.


It totally failed to register in my head that this was a historical fiction until I actually started reading. But... oh boy... I LOVED THE SETTING OF THE STORY. I definitely underestimated this whole book.. I mean this takes place in a time where people are killed for being bisexual/gay/anyone who identifies as LGBTQ+ and there is high prejudice against black people. And Monty is bisexual and in love with his black best friend. Like, okay guys... Monty actually had a conversation about it with his sister who’s trying to understand his sexuality and we don’t always get to see that !!!!

UPDATE 7/14/19: I realized the reason I really like Monty and Percy's relationship is because even though it was already established at the beginning of the plot... we still get to read and go through a progression in their relationship/friendship. It isn't a character relationship just thrown at you.

Do you think this is all fluff?? BECAUSE IT ISN’T. It tackles a lot of prejudicial topics, especially those that are prevalent in the 18th century that are still seen in our modern world. The plot took turns that I didn’t think would ever happen in this book, which is another part of how much I underestimated it.

There is also an Epilepsy rep that I didn’t expect and I have no idea if it’s accurate or anything but I do think it was written into the story really well. Especially as how it goes with the prejudicial topics the book talks about.

"But I am nothing if not a gentleman, and a gentleman does not take his trousers off in a public place, particularly if the great love of his life is asking him to refrain."

ADVENTURE AND HUMOR
GUYS I WAS SO SOLD ON THE HUMOR. Monty's dramaticness, all the sass, I WAS LIVING FOR IT.

… If we're going to be totally honest, I was sold every time any of the characters say anything :")

It was far more adventurous than I expected actually. I thought it was going just going to be another mushy story about english lads travelling around Europe, and it is, but it’s so much more and I'm still shakingggg. There were definitely deeper topics in the story and I greatly appreciated that. I was there every moment of their "Grand Tour" of Europe and boy was it amazing.

The adventure was there, the fangirl moments between Monty and Percy, and I even had to go to the restroom because I was walking around the mall listening to the last chapter of the book just so that I can react properly :)

“You might be the only person left on earth who thinks me decent.”
“Then everyone else doesn’t know you.”

CHARACTERS
Ohmygosh guys, okay. If you don’t want to read this for the plot read it for Percy and Monty because their relationship is one of the best written relationships that I have ever read.

Monty’s character development !! *chef kiss*

Percy plays the violin… I play the violin… we’re meant to be!! Except that he’s fictional, "lives" in the 18th century, and his violin is indestructible compared to my fragile baby... but he's perfect for Monty so they can go live happily together.

A good character-driven book is always a good book for me. I was in love with how Monty's character wrapped up... it's so satisfying and I just really thought it was a nice ending.


By the time I finished the book I felt like I came from an adventure myself

If you guys noticed I didn't even use my normal review format because MAN I AM JUST BLINDLY IN LOVE with this book. I cannot see what's wrong with it and just let me be happy okay :") It's been a while since I've felt this way with a contemporary (ish) book.

“And we are looking at each other, just looking, and I swear there are whole lifetimes lived in those small, shared seconds.”

"I love the way it rains here, It reminds me that some forces of nature can never be entirely subdued. They are eternal, which is a far better thing than immortal."
----

SIMILAR VIBES: The Crown's Game

This book is not perfect and there were some things that just came out of nowhere or I felt like were not built on enough BUT BUT BUT

this book was a GREAT READ and it was honestly one that I can say is very much unique. Everything about the Scytheverse is so interesting. Which is probably the reason I wanted to know more and read more about the world itself.. and why I felt like some scenes did not do it justice. Though, all the philosophical questions it poses and the way those were demonstrated was incredible.

It was all blowing my mind. I wish I had picked this book up sooner.

This is the book to pick up when you are in the mood for a deeper kind of YA when it comes to themes.
I am the kind of person who really likes character-driven novels and the out-of-nowhere romance between our 2 MCs was the main reason my rating was pushed down to 4 stars.

Nevertheless, this was a spectacular read and a brilliant novel. I can't wait to get my hands on the rest of the series.

ARC OF A SCYTHE SERIES REVIEWS
Book #1 : Scythe ★★★★★
Book #2 : Thunderhead ★★★★★
Book #3 : The Toll -----

”All you have to do is think of me, and I’ll appear in your dreams. I’ll help you chase the nightmares away.”

FORMAT READ: eBook (iBooks)
SIMILAR VIBES: To Kill A Kingdom
READ FOR: dark read, slow burn romance
SONG TO PUT YOU IN THE MOOD: God Help the Outcasts by Evynne Hollens / Evermore by Josh Groban

OVERALL: 3.5

Retellings are usually a hit or miss for me (either I absolutely love or hate it) but this is the first one that actually fell in the middle.

This book was very successful in translating the “So Dark and Lonely” mood that I felt so bad for Rhen the whole time. HE JUST WANTS TO BE LOVED, OKAY ;(((((

UPDATE (MAJOR SPOILER):

Spoiler

But I actually did not ship him with Harper and now I know why hehe... I was actually pretty happy to find out that Grey is the actual Crown Prince and I am so much more excited for the second book just because I think it would be more interesting now that it's about Grey. I'm probably going to like the second book more and hopefully it makes me fall in love with this series. But for now, I stand by this review.

AND SWEET, BEAUTIFUL GREY!!! I needed to know more about him and I really wished we got more page time with him. I have to admit that I was a solid #TeamGrey because even though I felt bad for Rhen I am a sucker for dark haired cuties who can use any kind of weapon :”) Mild Spoiler:

Spoiler

I WAS TEARY EYED WITH HIS ENDING… LIKE I DONT EVEN KNOW WHY?? I KINDA SAW IT COMING BUT AT THE SAME IT BROKE MY HEART FOR SOME REASON???

BUT BUT… I did not feel a lot of “Tale As Old As Time” vibes with this which was what I was looking for. The most I got was from Rhen’s endless internal monologues, which was actually very successful in adding that gloom and doom aura. The rise and fall of the plot was the same as the original story though. However, I didn’t get a lot of those gloom and doom from the world itself and especially not from Harper. She was just annoying me.

The Cerebral Palsy rep was actually pretty good which I appreciated since the rep was something I was looking forward to and at least that part satisfied me. It was not her defining quality and I really like how that played out into her story. It was there, but it wasn’t.. if you get what I mean.

The major thing that kept me reading was because I was so curious as to how everything would wrap up. I NEEDED to know how they would break the curse and what would happen to all of them. Which was a very effective tool and I have to say that it kept me guessing even though the plot kept straying from it.

Overall, it was still an enjoyable read even though I did not love it as much as I thought I would. I have a strong feeling I will like the second book a lot more... there were certain things that I just couldn't get over but I'm still really excited to continue the series.

PLOT: ★★★☆☆
I thought this was going to be high fantasy (for some reason) so I had a bit of trouble at first because I was itching for more world-building. But when I finally accepted that I’m here for the romance… the book became a bit more enjoyable for me.

But then, at some point, it tried to turn into a high fantasy right after I came to terms with the fact that I was here for the characters.

The plot is good though, nothing out of this world, but it was enjoyable. There were a lot of holes in the magic system which was a bit frustrating for me because it kept me from getting immersed in the book. I kind of wanted to see more action.

WRITING STYLE: ★★★★☆
The dark element was there (mostly with Rhen’s internal monologues). I honestly have no other critique other than.. it was okay. There were a lot of things I liked but there were also a lot that I did not. There were just holes in the writing that I couldn't get over.

WORLD BUILDING: ★★☆☆☆
I was not hooked into the world, sadly. There were a lot of elements missing for me and even though I’m no expert it just failed to let me believe that this was a real place somewhere (which is always what I am looking for in world building).

CHARACTERS: ★★★☆☆
Harper was just rubbing me the wrong way. she accepts the world quickly.. it felt a bit off.. I found Harper to be an inconsistent character. Sometimes she’s ready to throw knives at evil goddesses but then she gets scared when a man with a dagger comes her way. And since when was she an expert in battle strategies because there was once scene where she said to “divide them by skill”?? Who taught her? When did it happen? I want to know!!! I would have wanted to read about that and I think would have helped me get invested in her more. A lot of her dialogue made me cringe and she was not my favourite character.

Even though I liked the characters’ relationships with each other, it could have been flushed out more. BUT DONT GET ME WRONG, I actually liked all of them. They are all pretty much Cinnamon Rolls It was just hard to get invested into them since there is heavy focus on Harper and Rhen... and I did want to see more about Grey so I was a bit let down.

They were pretty amusing at some parts so PLUS POINTS

THEMES: ★★★★☆
I liked the themes because they were about Family, Promises, and whatnot. I just wished they were more prevalent or more well written (is that proper grammar? i don’t really care HAHA)

PACING: ★★★☆☆
This was a slow paced book which I usually do not like, especially with fantasy series. This is one of times. But I think this is more me than the book.

PAGE TURNER: ★★★★★
As I said earlier, the only thing that kept me going was because I just NEEDED to know how it would all turn out and wrap up in the end.

I’m sorry for the bit of a rant review again but NEVERTHELESS I NEED THE SECOND BOOK RIGHT NOW :))))))))