zoeelizabethk's Reviews (642)

The First Step is my first cultivation novel, and I honestly wasn't sure what to expect as I have no relevant background that would have helped me. That said, I think Tao Wong's book was a great intro to cultivation fantasy as I had no issues following the story or worldbuilding for the most part. I don't understand everything about the worldbuilding and magic here, but enough was explained throughout that I never felt like I was lost or floundering. 

Wu Ying is considered to be too old to start developing his cultivation, but a series of events gives him the opportunity to train and level up in a variety of ways. I'm just going to say this now: if training montages are not your thing - this book is probably not for you. It also is not plot dominant, although I feel like it had plenty of plot for what it was. We follow Wu Ying around as he learns, trains, has adventures, and overcomes obstacles. The book overall felt like a comforting adventure read that is perfect for fans of Tamora Pierce.

Seasons of Albadone was not at all what I was expecting but I really ended up liking it. This is a series of interconnected short stories themed around seasons in this world. Despite the constraints of short stories and collections, Marche and Warman did a good job with making the world feel vibrant and got the right amount of worldbuilding in to support the story they were telling. I would have enjoyed more worldbuilding, but the space constraints just make that impossible. I also enjoyed the prose and enjoyed the folklore elements woven into it. It didn't have quite enough impact or emotional connection for me for it to become a favorite, but I'll definitely be continuing on with the related collection soon. 

I listened to the audio narrated by Elan marche and Michael Highman, who did an excellent job!

What a cute graphic novel adaptation of the Winx Club! If you've seen the show, the first half of this collection is going to feel super familiar, but the second half adds some more depth, character moments, and worldbuilding. I'm only sad I can't read the next one immediately!

Thanks to Rainbow Spa and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

"We look up at the stars to avoid looking
at each other and at ourselves
Discovering planets and galaxies
Is far easier than realizing our own fars and pain
Dreaming of the future for mankind
Is preferable to being kind to man"
--Excerpt from "Telescope"

Tinder for My Housefire is a great collection of poems that deal with mental health, domestic abuse, regret over lost love, and so much more. I was blown away by a lot of these poems. It's a bit of a tough read since they all deal with tough topics, but so relatable and I highly recommend this collection of poetry!

Thanks to Odd Ostrich Publishing, BookBuzz, and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fans of mythical epic fantasy, The Son of the Deathless is for you. Kotar's prose immerses you in the story, bringing this world vividly to life. It's clear Kotar's thought through the worldbuilding of Vasyllia and the myths and culture that have sprung up. The story does not get bogged down in details or overly lush prose, but remains readable while still addressing broader themes such as the struggle against temptation and evil, the tragic realities of occupation and war, and more.

In The Son of the Deathless, we follow Andry, a child born in an idyllic land on an auspicious day. He is a strange child and we see him navigate life amongst many who do not quite understand him. But perhaps the land of Dunai needs just such a one as Andry to face what is coming.

My only minor caveats were that
- it's challenging having a young chosen one and navigating the discrepancy between knowledge, wisdom, and young age
- some of the internal dialogue was a little exposition heavy and realization heavy

Neither of those things hindered my enjoyment. While this is connected to Kotar's Raven Son cycle, it is not necessary to have read those first, and if you end up liking this novella, I definitely recommend you try out The Song of the Sirin.

 If you are a fan of mythology, epic fantasy, slavic-inspired stories, chosen ones, nature magic, or dystopian-style corruption of society, I recommend you check out The Son of the Deathless. 

Thanks to Nicholas Kotar and Waystone Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

soft DNF for now until I'm in the mood

Starting Over Scottish was a fun, tropey, Christmas romcom. It's only novella length, so you're not going to get the development of a longer romance, but since it follows a lot of normal romance conventions it was still sweet and easy to read. Recommended if you're looking for a quick holiday romance.

Thanks to Netgalley, Dreamscape Select, and Lovewrite Publishing for an audioARC in exchange for an honest review.

Well that was depressing. Important themes but quite a hard read

Sufficiently Advanced Magic is my first real lit-RPG read, and I'm delighted to say that I quite enjoyed it! What is LitRPG you ask? It is a genre that combines many of the conventions of computer RPG games with fantasy and sci-fi. In Sufficiently Advanced Magic we follow Corin as he works to hone his magical capabilities at the magical military school so that he can be allowed to climb the mysterious and puzzling Serpent Spire to search for his missing brother. 

Normally I would start with who this book is for, but in this case, I'm going to do the opposite. Who is this book NOT for?
- this book is not for you if you do not like a lot of description, exposition, and internal monologuing. Just due to its nature as LitRPG, there is a lot of description and internal exposition. This is especially true since it's written in first person. At times it's almost like reading Corin's mental journal.
- this book is probably not for you if you struggle to suspend your disbelief and just go with the flow of the book. This is a slow start and you really need to go in with the mindset to just accept what's thrown at you and trust the author will make it make sense later.
- this book might not be for you if you have never played any RPGs. If you've played things like Final Fantasy, KotOR, etc, some of the plot devices will make more sense. But those same things might feel completely random if you have no experience with video games.
- this book might not be for you if you don't like alternatively constructed novels. The narrative structure and characterization are more akin to a computer game than how most traditional novels do it. I still thought it was effective and thought the characters were well done, but it takes some patience to get there since it doesn't follow an entirely standard pattern.
- this book might not be for you if you expected this book to be adult fantasy. The level of complexity is there, but the characters read younger, so just be aware of that. Some of the dialogue also reflects this and the humor will probably be hit or miss. 

OK, Zoe, that's a lot of reasons to NOT read the book...did you even actually like it?? Yes I really did and I would absolutely recommend Sufficiently Advanced Magic! Reasons you might love this book:
- fascinating sci-fantasy setting and magic. This is magic used as technology in a lot of ways and, while the worldbuilding takes a bit of getting used to, it is a really cool world that is explained well if you give Rowe enough time.
- a magical school and found family tropes. I personally think the found family is a bit weak in this book, but I enjoyed what we got and there's tons of potential for future books. But the magical school is very fun. If you like following characters to classes and activities, this will give you that.
- the main character is underpowered and kinda vulnerable. Corin's family have mostly all been powerful combat people, but Corin turns out to be an enchanter, who makes magical items. He's also just not very powerful, and he has to figure out how to give himself other advantages. He also appears to suffer from OCD and/or anxiety, and in general isn't not a people person. I really appreciated these dynamics.
- characters from all walks of life with good characterization. As I mentioned above, some of the characterization takes quite awhile to develop since Rowe is also explaining a big magic system and world, but I do feel that he did a good job with the characters. Things that annoyed me early on got developed and made sense for the characters by the end of the book.
- accessible writing. Thank goodness for this cause with the amount of detail here, I couldn't have handled more flowery prose.

Overall, I really enjoyed  if you liked Scholomance, Foundryside, or Harry Potter or love intricate magical systems a la Sanderson, I think it would be worth checking out Sufficiently Advanced Magic, provided none of the items on the top list bother you too much. I'm looking forward to continuing the series and seeing where the story goes.

I really enjoyed The One. I read The Passengers last year, and just like that one, Marrs sucked me in real quick. Despite the many POVs, it didn't take long for me to get oriented. If I have any complaint it's that a few of the characters felt a bit overwritten with repeated statements about their motivation, goals, etc. And I found I wanted just a little more out of the ending, but overall, I highly recommend The One if you're looking for a character focused sci-fi thriller