themoonwholistens's Reviews (698)

tw: animal killings

EDIT: Everything about this book was so intriguing even though I kind hated the ending (for reasons unrelated to the plot). Which is the main reason I continued this series and I have no regrets. One of the most atmospheric books that I have read (or I might just really have a thing for old school set stories) and a good starting point in entering racism as an open discussion in fantasy.

Upon further consideration I have moved my rating to a 3.5 star. This particular book just wasn’t something that was overly mind blowing or unique to me but spoiler alert: [b:Lair of Dreams|16060716|Lair of Dreams (The Diviners, #2)|Libba Bray|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1560630223l/16060716._SY75_.jpg|21848181] is a new favorite :>

I DONT SHIP THEM THOUGH LOL

Spoiler

Evie and Jericho I mean

please don’t spoil me if they do end up getting together or not, i’ll enjoy my suffering

“How do you invent a religion?” Evie asked.

Will looked over the top of his spectacles. “You say, ‘God told me the following,’ and then wait for people to sign up.”

This seriously reminds me of The Infernal Devices (we even have a WIll and James here too)… which I am currently *rereading right now xD but make it about cults instead of angels

they even reference the same classics with some of the quotes (I'm not mad)

— overall thoughts: 3.5 —

I know the cults/spirits thing kind of makes it dark but the way the characters act, together with the time setting, gives it a quirky feel.

The narrator for the audiobook was one of the best solo performances I have listened to so far. I could literally pick out who was the character talking without them having to say who they were. *cue applause*

plot: ★★★☆☆
I'm having a really hard time deciding whether or not I want to say if I liked the plot. Like, I enjoyed it... but... it was still kinda weird to me. But it is about cults and that really has never been my thing.

It’s actually set in the gregorian era (1920s, i had to search it too don’t worry) as opposed to the victorian era that TID is set in. The mystery, if we can call it that, errr wasn't my favorite aspect but I'll go with it. I want to know what happens with the rest of the series since the conflict does get solved by the end of this first book.

Also that ending... oh my I hated it. You know what I'm talking about if you read it. You don't have to agree with me but you know it.

writing style: ★★★★☆
that naughty john song still haunts me a bit… definitely just a bit…

I don’t think I am well versed enough in history to comment on the historical accuracy of everything but to someone like me it was painfully obvious enough that a lot of research was poured into the creation of the world of The Diviners.

”Often the monsters we create in our imagination are not nearly as frightening as the monstrous acts perpetrated by ordinary human beings in aim of one cause or another.”

pacing: ★★★★☆
its slow paced at some (maybe a lot of) parts but it allowed for some great world building so I actually didn’t mind it. I felt more submersed in the world and like I was there in that time period, ya know?

world building: ★★★★★
speaking of world building: it is impossible to miss what time period the plot is set in… and by that what I mean is people are racist and anti-feminist and IT SHOWS

One of the most subtle but still striking examples of this is this Isiah quote:

“I ain’t scared”
“‘Not scared,’ Memphis would have said”

themes: ★★★★☆
Like I said: cults.

...but also racism and feminism issues are tackled. They were woven into the story pretty flawlessy in my opinion but it was still in the way that you can't ignore it. The commentary was interesting and that's actually a side that TID doesn't really touch so much on so I liked that it was present in this series.

characters: ★★★☆☆
mmmm am I attached to all of them? I’m still considering it. But Theta and Henry definitely have a special place in my heart.

I was so ready to defend Evie from everyone who had negative things to say about her, until she pullled something at somewhere around the 80% mark... and i understand why people have been iffy about her. I also found her character to be inconsistent towards the ending even though I absolutely loved her at first so make of it what you will.

my loose comparison of Tessa Gray and Evie O'Neill:
- their powers are both related to touching an object of another person. bonus: they can find out things about said person when they use said powers
- they both came from a place where their life was bad(?) and travelled to the "big city"
- Tessa loves reading, Evie hates reading
- Tessa has a consistent character development, Evie started off strong but ended up needing a man after all

There were a lot of times when the characters fell flat to me but I have come to terms with the fact that it is a slow paced story. So I have hopes that I will see more character developments in the rest of the series.

We love a found family trope in any kind of book though and even if they aren’t quite up to the Six of Crows level yet I heard really good things about their dynamics as the series goes so... I am here for it! It should be noted our main group aren't all together for the most part of the story. So that added to my curiosity since I wanted to see what would happen when they finally meet.

page turner: ★★★★☆
What kept me driving through this book is honestly the fact that it was so atmospheric to listen to. I just felt there with the characters.

There are certain aspects that reminded me of V.E. Schwabs writing but it’s still different so even if you aren’t a fan of V.E. Schwab I would suggest trying this book out. Especially if you want something with a lot of "real world issues" being tackled, even subtley.

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This was the definition of an emotional and whimsical read. I just finished reading this and I want to immediately reread it

— DNF @32% —

I blame my small tolerance for slow paced books. I literally can probably only enjoy 1 short paced book out of 10. Even then I need characters that intrigue me to keep me going and they were not doing it for me here.

The way I would describe the vibe of this book is The Diviners but make it about vampires rather than ghosts. I didn't even reach the part wherein the vampires were explicitly mentioned... I guess. But that never was a selling point to me so I didn't care much for it. And even though The Diviners is probably just as slow paced at this one, I didn't feel the slow pacing because I was too immersed with the character relationships.

The european setting (especially when they are all specifically in france) gets old easily. Don’t get me wrong, I love the setting. It's probably just because I just read a fantasy set in france and I wasn't in the mood for that.

It's a (very) slow paced story. Nothing was happening up until the part that I read. The voices of the characters felt like something that I have read a hundred times and nothing felt particularly unique to me.

It does have: historical fiction with supernatural elements, diverse cast, and mystery. So if you are into those, you can give this a shot :3

I don't have strong opinions, I'm just... meh. Which hurts because I was looking forward to this and I felt like I was getting dragged along.

“But if a monster takes a life, what kind of creature refuses to save one?”

”No one really wishes to be Queen.”

DNF @52%

FORMAT READ: Audiobook
THE BASIC PLOT:
Three Queens are brought up separately to kill each other and fight for the throne when they reach 16. They all have different kinds of “gifts”.

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OVERALL THOUGHTS: 1.5

At least I tried guys...

I tried.

I read this book to feed my curiosity and there is a chance I might try this again in the future but don't hold me to that.

There are so many mixed reviews about this book and it was the main reason that I was so tentative about picking this up. But the premise still sounded so interesting and I just needed to know for myself… and you know what… it was not the best.

I know I said I was liking this at first but…

Everything was very two-dimensional (world building, characters, plot, everything lol)

This is a VERY slow paced book and was more focused on the politics between the different groups/kingdoms (?). But then it's like the book forgot that and then decided they actually wanted to focus on the characters but at that point they were just shoving characters to your face. It was also a bit confusing because there were so many characters introduced. Which I think might be a reason that people end up putting down the book.

My opinion is, if you are going into this book, don’t put your expectations too high. And also, don’t expect dark and fighting-to-the-death kind of things, because you definitely won’t be getting that.

It’s more like a very complicated love triangle… square… that I’m sure will become more complicated.

PLOT: ★★☆☆☆
To be honest… there really wasn’t anything happening…

Or the POVs were jumping too much for me to follow well and I didn’t care what was happening.

It does kind of pick up after the 40%-50% mark but it still lost me.

I also thought that the Queens were raised very separately but their worlds were actually really close to crossing?? I expected them to be at each other's throats after not seeing each other for so long but... that didn't happen up to the point that I read. I didn't finish the book but it's safe to say that the only people I cared about were Mirabella and Jules... but something happened in the story that annoyed me so much that I put this book down and said I was done.

I surprised myself by liking the politics that was going on at some points. I also really liked reading from each of the Queen’s (even though Jules took up most of Arsinoe's) point of views and knowing their thoughts as they were very different. But they barely used their powers? which I thought was weird considering the premise. I was really looking forward to how that played out with the politics and that they had to kill each other.

I thought that they were raised to hate and kill each other... that didn't really happen.

There was something that happened in the plot that just happened out of nowhere that just made me like ?!?!?!?!?!? and that was my breaking point and ultimately made me DNF this book.

WRITING STYLE: ★★☆☆☆
1. there was something about the way everything flowed that bothered me
2. we barely got to see them use their powers, I hated the magic system I'm sorry

WORLD BUILDING: ★☆☆☆☆
Was there any world-buidling? lol.

There were so many holes and so many things were missing. This was a very big problem for me. I don’t have the energy to explain it but it was just not the best for me.

CHARACTERS: ★☆☆☆
This was probably the biggest reason why I wanted to put down this book. The characters were far from flushed out and I thought they were flat. I’m not even going to be talking about the side characters because there are way too many of those and I barely cared for them. And what’s up with Jules taking most of Arsinoe’s POVs?? I did like Jules but I found that weird.

A lot of the characters did a lot of things that just seemed so childish and certain decisions of theirs put me off. I was so unattached from the characters :’( even though I liked reading from their POVs it was so hard for me to relate to them and care.

ALSO! She kept using the characters’ first names?? that I had a hard time keeping track of who was who. We didn't get a lot of description.

There were certain parts that made me giddy but I couldn’t hide from the fact that there was zero to no build up with the relationships. It all just jumps at you and expects you to care kind of things. Did I mention that there's insta-love? and that this is probably the worst depiction of insta-love there is? Well, I said it and remember when I said that there was something that happened that ultimately made me put down the book? this is a big part of it. It's like I woke up and told myself that there are better insta-love relationships out there. Because I stopped caring about the plot at about 15% of the book and just wanted to know more about the characters. That was a huge let down.

THEMES: ★☆☆☆☆
It was also not as dark I thought it would be. It did not have the atmosphere I was looking for. After reading Nevernight I was looking for a dark read.. and sadly, this was not it.

PACING: ★★★☆☆
As I said, it was slow paced, but it was not exactly my biggest problem with the book. I actually thought it was very fitting for what I thought the plot was going to be.

PAGE TURNER: ★★★★☆
I was intrigued at some point, okay.


not my best review and there are other reviews out there that may have conveyed my feelings better but I did not feel the need to continue this book and I'm just going to move on.

--Buddy Read with Bopeep and Emily--

key words for this series: time travel, cliffhangers, slow burn, urban fantasy, found family, betrayals, gangs, victorian-esque era, people with powers

if you haven't read the first book, what are you doing? and also... HARTE. JULIEN. THEO. read it for them. If the goal is to make me anticipate The Serpent's Curse, it's clearly working.

— overall thoughts: 4.5 —

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”If this is the impossible universe, then I hope tonight was the good sort of impossible.”

FORMAT READ: eBook
SIMILAR VIBES: Prince Charming (Royals, #1), Eliza and Her Monsters
READ FOR: a cute and geeky Cinderella story
GENERAL PLOT:
A very geeky retelling of Cinderella. Darien, the “prince”, is the male lead actor in Danielle’s, “Cinderella”, favourite show franchise. Their paths cross and all that shenanigans.
READING LEVEL: Level 1 out of 5

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OVERALL THOUGHTS: 3.5

OOHHH CUTENESS.

There were so many easter eggs from different fandoms and pop culture references that the fangirl inside of me was screaming. Like: Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Vampire Diaries, Star Wars, Avengers, Star Trek, AND YES ALL THOSE STUFF

If you’re into that (like I was) it makes for a fun time while reading. And the easter eggs are sometimes one line that you might skip over so keep your eyes out hehe…

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I liked all the twists that was done to the classic Cinderella story but it was still obviously a retelling. But to be honest, I think it might have gone better if the author departed from the Cinderella plot in the end because that’s when my rating started to plummet. But I did like that scene in the ball between Elle and Darien, and how the romance wrapped up.

Darien you dork. I loved the background he got in the story. I was also living for his back and forth texts with Elle because I thought that was a nice touch instead of a meet-cute immediately earlier on or just plain insta-love.

My favourite side character: Lonny the Bodyguard and Sage the Magic Pumpkin Fairy

There were some lines that didn’t sell it for me though and there were certain cliches that I think could have been better written. I think it just takes a lot for me to get invested in characters now but I’m not saying this wasn’t a nice read. Though, there was so much potential that I wished could have been executed better.

BUT IT WAS FUN AND ALL GEEKY CUTENESS so if that’s what you’re looking for, give this a try.

PLOT: ★★★☆☆
WRITING STYLE: ★★★★☆
ROMANCE: ★★★★☆
CHARACTERS: ★★★☆☆
THEMES: ★★★★★
PACING: ★★★☆☆
PAGE TURNER: ★★★★☆

[ 4/6/21: i will be finishing and rating this book but no review will be here because

1. i do not want to support these authors more than i already have. i do not tolerate any kind of bullying towards BIPOC groups, especially BIPOC authors
2. my bias is probably going to play into the rating and the review that i would have written anyway so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

a lot of things just get brought to light when you find out how problematic the author/s is/are ]

Fun fact: the illustrations are by Marie Lu... so feel free to read a Marie Lu book instead

it is so rare that i find a series that has inclusion, racism, and oppresion so central to its plot while presenting it so well ?!??!! LIKE HELLO?? why did i not read this series earlier

“I hope our research into the great unknown of diviners and the supernatural world proves that we are all one, joined by the same spark of energy that owes nothing to countries or religion,”

— overall thoughts: 4.5 —

i forgot to mention in my initial review that ling is also disabled throughout this book (infantile paralysis)... so there's your disability rep in a book that isn’t just about being disabled (which i think we need more of). and once again shown in a way that makes sense and doesn't feel forced. i'm being redundant but it's the truth. this series honestly checks most of the diversity boxes and i appreciate that so much.

aside from the underlying commentary, the plot is seriously a huge improvement from the first book because that was what i was personally iffy about but i am just a sucker for a whimsical + dark theme. in this case: dreams + ghosts

literally one of the best combinations and worked perfectly for an urban fantasy setting. if you are looking for a ~not exactly light~ fantasy but won't feel too heavy on the heart, while still dealing with serious issues... i have good news: this is the next series for you :>

it’s still slow paced people, don't expect too many intense actions scenes, but I have since come to terms with that fact since i think it goes perfectly well with the build up of the story and the plot. if you have a problem with slow paced stories you might need to pull yourself through but this sequel was far more engaging, in my opinion, compared to the first book. It might also be because I was more attached to Henry and Ling but i was living for the Evie and Sam thing.

the plot feels more complex and layered, way less the stereotypical mystery that i did not care for in the first book. there were little tidbits that i expected but it was just so well executed that it didn’t matter to me because all the reactions were still coming out of me whether it was tears or screams. i might be overdramatic but i’m just happy i finally found a new book that makes me giddy again after a lot of disappointments.

while i did say to not expect intense action sequences, there are so many other aspects that were so intense to read about but at the same time, were fun and exciting... every chapter i was left wanting more.

THE ATMOSPHERE. just sucked me in and made me feel like I was in the 1920s *cough*racism*cough* but it was still easy to read/listen to. For most of the part it’s actually chill and like any other story except for the fact that you know a subplot is just lurking somewhere at first. Then you do get to the subplot and you’re like “oh, this is fine.” but by the end you’re gonna say “i expected this… but why am i still getting goosebumps”.

The way that libba bray made the DREAMS theme both whimsical and creepy is beyond me but I am living for it. The way she tied up the presence of ghosts with that ending…. *chef’s kiss*. If you’ve read it you know what I’m talking about. It’s obvious, but I was still creeped out.

“For dreams, too, are ghosts, desires chased in sleep, gone by morning.”

— characters —
this is a public service announcement to those who did not like evie: she’s a little bit more bearable now… well, when she isn’t gushing about jericho when they have absolutely no chemistry at all and that built up was done poorly. BUT i am ON the sam x evie ship and sailing at full speeds ahead.

“In a city of 6 million dreams, Evie and Sam were the dreamiest,” This is a cheesy quote but you still bet it made me fangirl or in more accurate filipino term, “kilig”, over evie and sam. If you don’t know what that word means go search it up because there is no word for me to describe it in english.

(enemies -> friends -> lovers ... give it to me!) and enter my favourite romance trope: the fake relationship <3 you bet i was cheering them on.

there might be characters that i am biased of (henry, ling, theta) but all of them are written very distinctly and their own voices are so unique that i am dyinggg to know how they are going to manage working together in the future. i should also note that i’m pretty sure they are finally going to be a full team in the next few books and you have no idea how excited i am. it’s 40 hours worth of audiobooks before we got here but i am going to enjoy it.

Henry and Ling yessss!! the contrast between their characterizations was something i personally enjoyed and kept me going all throughout the book. their interactions are so pure and wholesome... to be honest he's is just that character you pair (platonically) with anyone and they will be my favourite duo of the book. in the first book, it him and theta so this theory is to be further tested in books 3 and 4.

it's not just henry and ling that were obvious contrasts, a lot of the other "pairs" were. it was so nice to read about them separately and helped create that layered plot i was talking about. there were so many things going on at one time but it never felt chunky. again: a very easy to follow multi-pov

i was.. surprised (in the good way)… at how mister bill johnson suddenly became this complex character whose motivation i completely understand but i just have no idea how far he is willing to go with… that.

there are a lot of tropes but they were written so well, with great built up and in a very atmospheric environment that i didn’t care if (some of) the characters themselves were a little cliche

“The dead don’t scare me, it takes the living to do that,”

plus… january lavoy’s narration is to die for. one reason that I find the audiobooks for this series so appealing is that there seems to be this theme of a featured song(s) every book and january lavoy actually sings it like how it should feel. If it’s creepy, romantic, nostalgic, you’ll feel it.

Speaking of music, we need a dedicate second to just appreciate Henry. He got the spotlight that he deserves in this sequel and learning more about him, following his story, just made me want to send him to an island where he can live with Theta and [insert name of boy, i'm sorry i keep forgetting his name] forever away from all these ghosts.

“There’s plenty of evil to fight in life without having to make up demons, devils, and ghosts.”

— diversity and depth —
the research and the obvious time that libba bray has poured over this series shows. even though i don’t have a degree in english lit or history, it’s obvious just based on the details and the world-building.

for an overview as far i understand: memphis and isaiah are black (+their family and more people mentioned in their neighborhood), ling is chinese (+again her family and her neighborhood). both neighborhoods were featured a lot especially ling’s family since this book does focus on ling

the sort of subtle but very present commentary on racism and prejudice was done so well and flawlessly written into the plot!!! there was also discussions on what people would do for money and conformation to society. setting the plot where it is in our timeline makes everything feel more tangible. it was important in that time period, it's important in this time period, it will always be an important discussion that needs to be placed in everybody's head. just the fact that those problems are still prevalent in our modern time should say a lot about the oppression lasting generations that need be stopped. i think it was explored really well especially when are in memphis' perspective but also just the prejudice that ling experiences, even though she was born on the same land... definitely needs to be thought about and i am glad that it was very present in this popular book.

“i have never understood this obssession with where we are from, that we americans seem to have, we are from here, are we not?”

this is my last point but i just need to mention how beautifully i think the world building was executed once again. i only really learned to appreciate it in this second book but it was perfect because there was no point in the whole story wherein i felt "this was rushed" or "this part is laggy". even in the downtimes, i was still so curious and all the events felt important. it works up its way to every plot point and i am going to stop gushing about it now because i know that this won't be last time i talk about it since i still have 2 more books in this series to read.

amazing, phenomenal, important, character that you will love, will suck you in. read it!

this review was also way too long but thank you for reaching this part if you did

“I would argue that every country is built upon dreams and violence, both leave scars.”

--------------
GAHHHH. I THINK THIS IS AMAZING. BETTER THAN THE FIRST BOOK. GOT CREEPIER AND GAVE ME CHILLSSSS EVEN THOUGH I EXPECTED IT.

THE. BUILD. UP. WAS DONE SO PERFECTLY.

THE DIVERSITY. DIDNT FEEL FORCED.

REVIEW TO COME AFTER I GET SOME SHUT EYE because my review is currently a jumbled mess of notes and me screaming.

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I CAN’T BELIEVE I JUST READ THAT. these plot twists make me want to scream (I did) and throw my phone (I did not)

I have no idea how y’all survived 3 years waiting for The King of Crows, *sends a thousand virtual hug*

“It was impossible to imagine that such harm could happen under the promise of such a blue sky.”

— overall thoughts: 4.5 —
⇢ content warnings//

Spoiler

Blackmail, Death, Domestic Abuse, Eugenics, Institutionalization, Racism, Terrorism

⇢ representation: poc main characters, asian main character with physical disability, african-american main character, lgbtq main character, latinx main character, side character with mental illness

the diversity of this cast, not just in representation but in their personality as well is just so distinct. this is what i crave!! at the same time, diversity reps don’t ever become a character’s defining trait which I love.

“All the times I say, ‘Don’t see me’? With you, I wish I had an opposite power: See me. See me, Evie. See all of me. There’s a fella who loves you right here. I’m not perfect. I’m a handful. But you know what? So are you. There. Not sugarcoating it.”

”I tried to be exactly what he believed I was instead. If he thought I was bad, I would be worse. If he thought I was cruel, I would be horrifying. I would live down to his every expectation. If I couldn’t have his favor, then I would have his wrath.”

FORMAT READ: Audiobook & eBook (iBooks)
SIMILAR VIBES: A Court of Thorns and Roses
READ FOR: badass heroine, brooding anti-hero, page turning fae story, slow-burn romance

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

OVERALL: 4.0

UPDATE: I turn into a messy glob whenever I look back at this review. Dear Holly Black & Little Brown Books, Please send me an ARC of the next book, thank you.

MY HEART IS BLEEDING !!!!!!



I definitely liked this better than the first book even though it still took me some time to get into it. I definitely see why there are so many people fawning over this series and I have finally started to see why. I found myself getting more invested as the story went on and by the end… I’m 100% sure I need to continue the rest of this series (which is months from now).

I couldn’t help myself from fangirling over Cardan and Jude’s character chemistry. I really liked the character developments and the slow-burn romance as it goes well with the vibe of everything. MY GIRL JUDE is such a badass and she is by far my favorite character <3 Holly Black did a good job writing characters that everyone could feel for.

“Power is much easier to acquire than it is to hold on to.”

The plot is not the most unique outline out there but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t entertaining and engrossing. I found myself devouring this book because I just needed to know moreeeeee. I didn't think I'd enjoy this book as much as I did.

“I want to tell you so many lies.”

^^UGH THIS QUOTE MADE A MESS OUT OF ME.

Be still my aching heart.


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