There were flashes of a good story in here but it felt like it was written as a proof of concept for a tv or film adaptation inst2.5 stars ~ [3.51/10]
There were flashes of a good story in here but it felt like it was written as a proof of concept for a tv or film adaptation instead of delivering quality writing - the focus was on scenes and the big set pieces rather than building the world, atmosphere and inner lives of the characters. And, at 250ish pages, it's clear there was ample room for a more studied version of the story we got. I kept getting thrown out of the narrative because the writing lacked the kind of subtlety I want in a story like this - I could see how the sausage was being made from the beginning. I think the author has a really interesting background in this field (both criminology and medical examination) and there were moments when I enjoyed their insight, but it's clear they thought that was going to carry the book because it felt a little too heavy-handed. The characters were more like caricatures, which meant there was a constant barrier for me getting invested in them as people. However, this was a debut and, as mentioned, I could see some potential. The things I didn't really enjoy weren't enough to get me to stop reading because I did feel some intrigue pulling me along too. At best, it was a popcorn thriller and sometimes that's exactly what you're in the mood for. I'd be willing to give the author another shot to see if they hone their skill a bit more. ...more
I had been taking a bit of an "unofficial" break from adult high fantasy, unofficial because I hadn't really realised I'd been d4.5 stars ~ [7.97/10]
I had been taking a bit of an "unofficial" break from adult high fantasy, unofficial because I hadn't really realised I'd been doing it and maybe it was burn-out or just because I've been reading fewer books in general, but this book really awakened that bug again!
I'd seen a lot of people recommend this book for fans of the Red Rising series and I absolutely agree with that comparison... in some ways it's extremely similar and in others not at all. However, if you're a fan of Pierce Brown's epic saga then you'd be hard missed to find things you don't like about this book. However, sometimes I did find the similarities a little distracting because I kept trying to make the links in my head, which took me out of the book a bit (totally my fault and not the fault of the book itself.) I did turn out that none of those links meant anything really because Islington took these characters and this story in a direction that I didn't expect at all!
There was a bit of a small lull after the first 100 pages where it felt slightly tedious to get through, in the moment it felt like it could have been a montage, but with hindsight it did make sense as to why the author need to lay the foundation because the book really hits it's stride in part 2 onwards. It also seemed to me like there was a bit of inconsistency in the character of Vis between part 1 and part 2, however I enjoyed the Academy version of him a lot so it didn't really matter much to me in the long-run.
I really enjoyed the mystery of the overall plot and the way that character motivations always felt mysterious too. I got more and more invested as the book went on and I'm still thinking about what that ending could mean for the rest of the series! I'll definitely be reading on and greatly anticipating the sequel!...more
All that and it was a really solid wrap on the overall fae fantasy plot that we’ve seen percolate throughout the first two books. We also got to see the MCs from book 1 and 2 play key roles towards the end. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this whole trilogy and I’ll be keeping my eye on whatever Grant writes next!
Merged review:
[7.36/10]
I was liiiiiiving for the tropes in this book:
✅ Friends to lovers
✅ Bodyguard
✅ Secret yearning
✅ Only one bed
✅ Journey across land
All that and it was a really solid wrap on the overall fae fantasy plot that we’ve seen percolate throughout the first two books. We also got to see the MCs from book 1 and 2 play key roles towards the end. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this whole trilogy and I’ll be keeping my eye on whatever Grant writes next!...more
This is one of those books that had a really good idea and premise set-up but the plot that was then built around that idea was in2 stars ~ [3.34/10]
This is one of those books that had a really good idea and premise set-up but the plot that was then built around that idea was incredibly boring. The timeline was confusing, I don't feel as if there was any time put into getting me to care about these characters and the writing could've used a bit more subtlety.
Thrillers are supposed to be thrilling and not a thrill was had. ...more
We're definitely nearing the point where I stopped keeping up-to-date with the webtoon episodes and switched to the physical ver4.5 stars ~ [8.66/10]
We're definitely nearing the point where I stopped keeping up-to-date with the webtoon episodes and switched to the physical versions, just because it's my preferred way to read graphic novels. I think the next volume will be the last reread for me and then it's all new content after that! I am excited for that new content, I but I am also getting a lot of joy out of revisiting the earlier parts of this story too. The arc of this particular volume was one I had very clear memories of because (at the time of my first read) I thought the whole Bringer of Death thing had come out of nowhere - I guess things get a little fuzzy when you're reading week-to-week because this time through I can see better how the groundwork was established for this part of the story. I like that we got some more movement in the romance between Hades and Persephone and I liked how self-aware and realistic they both were about how their relationship is progressing. I think the balance of plot versus character started to feel more cemented at this point in the story too. Also the art is still the star of the show, I truly adore the way Rachel uses different (but consistent) techniques to communicate the emotions of characters and tone of the dialogue, it really brings the story to life....more
I picked this up on a whim in a very brief visit to Waterstones purely based on the comp to Jane Eyre (a very formative book for 4.5 stars ~ [8.34/10]
I picked this up on a whim in a very brief visit to Waterstones purely based on the comp to Jane Eyre (a very formative book for me.) I love that feeling of going into a bookshop, picking up a book you've never heard of (and haven't seen anyone talk about), reading it straight away and loving it. Something that doesn't happen often the more entrenched you get in the book world. And, it might just be that I've taken a bit of a step back in the last few months, but I'm kind of shocked this book hasn't got more of a buzz around it? Jane Eyre, yes. Gothic, yes. Romantasy, yes. All very buzzy things as far as I'm concerned. I thought the writing was lovely, I really enjoyed how vital the side-characters were to the story, I thought the forbidden romance was very dreamy and the ending - quite controversial in some circles - but it really hit a sweet spot for me. Will definitely be keeping this author on my radar! ...more
This had a very slow start for me mainly because I felt like I was being bombarded with information about the world and it seeme3.5 stars ~ [6.49/10]
This had a very slow start for me mainly because I felt like I was being bombarded with information about the world and it seemed like the expectation was for me to really care about that information before the book had put in the effort to make me care about it. But, once it settled into more character-led story I was more won over. The thing I did end up caring about in this book was the (somewhat generic) romance arc (nothing new or groundbreaking here though) and I was invested in the story in the moment, but there wasn't anything about it that felt like it would stick out in my memory long-term. There is something quite derivative about the major plot beats too, and I found myself constantly thinking 'oh that happens in X book' or 'that exact line is from Y book' - so it did throw me out of the story a lot.
Structurally, I really disliked the flashback POVs - without going into spoiler territory - I felt like they completely zapped out any mystery from the overall story. From the very first flashback it was abundantly clear where this story arc was going. I think this would have been a much more successful plot point had the focus point of the tension remained in the present timeline for much longer, it felt like the author was trying to handhold the reader to make sure they felt a certain way about one character in particular. I want to be desperate to get to the reveal of this mystery, but here I was kind of ambivalent.
It is a shame that the things I didn't like about this book are the things that are my big takeaways, but I was passively entertained, so if I can hold onto that feeling up to the release of the next book, I think I will read on in the series....more
I enjoyed this instalment in the series but I didn't enjoy as much as the first and I'm not sure if I should have read them so clo4 stars ~ [7.53/10]
I enjoyed this instalment in the series but I didn't enjoy as much as the first and I'm not sure if I should have read them so close together. The biggest selling point for these books is the schtick of the horror + romcom genre mash-up and there's a definite line in the sand where that schtick just starts to feel like too much of the same thing. The first book felt quite innovative and this book a bit like it was riding it's coattails... at times. However, despite the somewhat similar characterisation and major plot beats I still had a fun time, it still made me laugh out loud and I found it compulsively readable. Looking forward to the final book, but I am quite glad that I have some time to allow distance between this book and the next. ...more
A few years ago I read Exquisite Corpse, which (on the surface) played with the idea of a serial killer romance. And, whilst that4.5 stars ~ [7.99/10]
A few years ago I read Exquisite Corpse, which (on the surface) played with the idea of a serial killer romance. And, whilst that book has had a lasting impression on me I didn't think it was a topic that I wanted to revisit in a hurry.
I have had this book on my radar for a while, so much so that I still have it downloaded from KU, from before it got picked up by a traditional publisher, but I was hesitant to dive in but it came highly recommended from some trusted friends. I'm so glad I did read it because the tone this book has is completely what I needed from this kind of story. It was hilarious, very unhinged, quite gruesome, a little silly at times, and very escapist. If it had taken itself too seriously, it would not have been a win for me - the tongue-in-cheek approach really won me over.
If I was to take away the overall concept of the plot... I would have liked to have seen more of an emotional build-up to the relationship as it did lose me a smidgen after the characters got together and the pacing sped through some pivotal relationship milestones. I could have done with a more drawn out slow burn and about 30-50 more pages of back and forth for me to really invest in the emotional arc. However, when I think about this in relation to the plot and the characterisation the "romance rules" I'm looking for kind of get thrown out the window because this was not a normal book and these were not normal characters. So it gets a pass for feeling like a fresh approach to genre-mashing.
I had a really fun time with this book and I'll be jumping into the sequel immediately!...more
I've absolutely fallen in love with this series this year and for a year where I've not had as much time to prioritise reading, it5 stars ~ [9.13/10]
I've absolutely fallen in love with this series this year and for a year where I've not had as much time to prioritise reading, it feels good to have added some new all time favourites to my collection. ...more
A very tender, harrowing and heart-wrenching story about the perseverance of hope, love and humanity in a period of time that trie4 stars ~ [7.14/10]
A very tender, harrowing and heart-wrenching story about the perseverance of hope, love and humanity in a period of time that tried to erode as much of that as possible. History can teach us a lot about ourselves and our present time and I found this to be an even more difficult read given the horrors that we are currently witnessing in the news every day. It's maddening and disgusting how callous we are with human life and even more so when you think about individual people with interior lives and aspirations being used as cannon-fodder. War is not romantic and this book did not try to depict it that way, but rather chose to focus on how love can become jaded, battered and scarred by the experiences it is forced to endure. The relationship between Henry and Sidney exists in a state of desperation for the majority of the book and by the end of it I wasn't sure if there was going to be anything left of them.
I thought the middle section of the novel lost a bit of momentum at times, but I did appreciate the breathing room it created to allow for more in depth character study. All in all though, a book that quite deserves the hype and praise it has received over the last year. ...more
I probably wouldn't have been as resistant to enjoying this book if it wasn't RPF and this isn't the type of book that I normally 2 stars ~ [3.30/10]
I probably wouldn't have been as resistant to enjoying this book if it wasn't RPF and this isn't the type of book that I normally pick up, but it's the book club book for this month so here we are.
This could have been a fairly entertaining mystery with a somewhat decent twist if I wasn't so distracted by the Agatha of it all. It didn't need Agatha Christie as character, it probably would have been a better book had it just been a standard historical mystery. I understand the draw of Christie's famed disappearing act, but something about the way this book fictionalised what happened during that time period felt a little... disrespectful.
A magical follow up to Belladonna that didn't quite reach the same heights as the first instalment, but it got pretty damn close4.5 stars ~ [8.87/10]
A magical follow up to Belladonna that didn't quite reach the same heights as the first instalment, but it got pretty damn close!
I really came to appreciate some of the more subtle things that Adalyn Grace is doing with this series whilst reading this book, especially in relation to the way they are exploring different approaches to well-trodden tropes.
I did like reading Bythe's POV and her struggle with coming to terms with the revelations about Signa, but I did miss the having the single POV of Signa for the whole book. I found the narrative voice a touch less absorbing and a little more discordant at times. However, I still found this compulsively readable, extremely enjoyable and unique. ...more
I'm not sure why I hadn't picked this book up previously when it is kind of tailormade for my tastes; gothic, historical, mystery,5 stars ~ [9.04/10]
I'm not sure why I hadn't picked this book up previously when it is kind of tailormade for my tastes; gothic, historical, mystery, fantasy, romance with an enigmatic hero and a heroine's journey of awakening power. I absolutely loved everything about it.
I really enjoyed the blend of all the genres and I especially enjoyed the mystery element - I love it when you get the most obvious culprit delivered to you on a platter at the start only for the author to put in the work in convincing you that you're wrong, but, surprise, you were right! It flatters the reader whilst still keeping you on your toes throughout the unravelling stages.
But, more than anything, I thought the romance was spectacularly handled - it truly leaned into to the gothic, was surprising and sensuous and I was fully invested in all elements of it. It was absolutely the thing that elevated this book into new favourite territory.
I'm kind of blown away by how much I adored this - I've already started the sequel and still having a grand old time!...more
If anyone knows anything of my reading tastes it is that I am forever on the hunt for genre-mashing adventure romance. My favourit5 stars ~ [9.57/10]
If anyone knows anything of my reading tastes it is that I am forever on the hunt for genre-mashing adventure romance. My favourite movie of ALL TIME is The Mummy precisely because it blends all of my favourite genres into one perfect 2 hour movie. There are so many ways that that movie could have felt crowded or directionless, but the miraculous result was true pure entertainment - there's a reason it has stood the test of time.
I was starting to think that exact vibe could never be captured in book form. Yes, I've read some really good adventure romances but there was never anything that felt like it truly captured why The Mummy resonated with so many people (the closest I've come to it previously were the Veronica Speedwell books,) and that's probably because the temptation might've been to get too close to it, to the point where it began to feel too much like an imitation rather than it's own thing. However, I think you can do a mash-up of history, comedy, horror, mystery, fantasy, adventure, with the throughline connecting them all being the emotional journey of the romance whilst still telling a fresh story.
I cannot stress enough how much this book hit every mark for me. The writing was polished and the voice was so vibrant, the history was fascinating and the comedy moments were actually funny, the adventure had me on the edge of my seat and the scary moments really did spook me, the mystery was well-seeded throughout and the fantasy elements didn't feel like they came out of nowhere. But above all, the romance was deftly handled, it felt earned and left me wanting more (perfect for the first book in a series, imo!)
The characters of Ellie and Adam were definite archetypes and probably the element of the book that most closely resembles The Mummy. Their approaches to this adventure didn't surprise me in any way; she is studious, a little prickly and very new to adventuring, and he is the quintessential action-hero - a tough-shelled rule-breaker with hidden depths and a soft underbelly. Yet, these recognisable characters were the thing that immediately drew me in... the character art on the front of the book cover was the thing that made me read the blurb and ultimately buy the book. I think having that immediate recognition was the most comforting aspect of this reading experience because I felt like I knew them before I'd even started getting to know them - I was primed to have an affection for them just because they reminded me of characters I already know and love.
The greatest success of this book has to be how much the author understands rising stakes. The first action sequence is fairly early on in the book and, as the reader, we know very little about the characters and the situation they're in but we clearly understand who our heroine is, why we want her to succeed and how disappointing it would feel if she didn't succeed. The stakes at this point in the book feel relatively high but, as the plot develops from there, the author keeps building on those stakes throughout the whole book and right up until the explosive ending! The origins of the stakes are varied, some are driven from the action on the page and some are more subtle in that they come from the characters' inner emotional lives or through conflict with how the characters feel about the morals/ethics of a situation - it made the entire book feel rich and really brought it to life.
I also appreciated how much the book engaged with the topics of imperialism and colonialism. It's something that often gets swept aside in these types of stories (including The Mummy,) but there's a very 21st century lens that they're viewed through. It's important to note that this is not an own voices novel about Mesoamerican culture and it is not pretending to be. The author explores the cultural history mainly through the eyes of a white British woman and a white American man, but engages with the topics from the point of view of people understanding how their privilege and power has impacted these cultures. This could have come off as if the characters were veering into white saviour territory, but there are certain scenes within the novel that clearly depict how much these characters are still impacting these cultures even though their intentions are on the noble side. Their actions have consequences and they're not fully absolved from those consequences. I don't think it is perfect, but I do think there was an extremely delicate balancing act that needed to be performed here in order to acknowledge the atrocities without sugarcoating them whilst also keeping the reader planted in the historical period, and I think the author had a good crack at it.
I'm so excited to have randomly discovered this book in a newsletter, I'm even more excited that I loved it as much as I did and I'm dying for the sequel, which is due to be released later this year! I will definitely be shoving this book on all my reader friends as much as possible and I'm already calling this a favourite of 2024!...more
I was feeling a bit homesick when I picked this up. If you grew up in Northumberland (or the North East of England) and have an int3 stars ~ [5.36/10]
I was feeling a bit homesick when I picked this up. If you grew up in Northumberland (or the North East of England) and have an interest in history, you'll probably know quite a few of the topics covered in book - even if you don't have an interest in history there will be a few of the quotes from poetry or songs that'll be genetically hardcoded into your DNA as a Northumbrian. There is something very comforting about being surrounded by the lore of your culture and home and that is mainly what his book provided me with.
However, there was an overwhelming focus on the history of men in this area of the UK (probably owing to access to documented history because... patriarchy, etc.) but I do wish there had been more information on women in the area other than a small chapter (maybe even just a few pages) about how women functioned in service to their miner husbands, several mentions of Catherine Cookson, and how women these days like to get dressed up for a night out in Newcastle. I also wish there had been a deeper dive into how the diversity of the population had changed over the years with a focus on how people from all over the world (as well as various minority groups) settle in this area of the country and why. There was a definite point of view explored here and maybe there was an inclination to stay in a specific lane to maintain credibility, but I think the book suffered slightly from that. ...more
There were quite a few things about this book that I found a bit silly and there were times when I felt like I was being told abou4 stars ~ [7.46/10]
There were quite a few things about this book that I found a bit silly and there were times when I felt like I was being told about aspects of the characters' personalities that were not evident in their actions, and I did find it rather predictable. However, putting all that aside, this was extremely readable and stupidly entertaining. It doesn't require much brain power and probably relies a bit too much on your brain not being present for the majority of the read, but I'm often endlessly grateful for books that allow me to just switch off and bask in the silliness - this book was definitely that. It takes aspects of soap opera regency/georgian historical romance and combines that with a witchy game of cat and mouse, the main characters are quite bad at both of these things but the stakes did feel high and the inevitability of the outcome, quite fraught. I loved the melodrama of it all and will absolutely be seated for the sequel. ...more
I was quite looking forward to this one given some of the early hype and whilst I did find it enjoyable, I also found it to be ver3 stars ~ [4.61/10]
I was quite looking forward to this one given some of the early hype and whilst I did find it enjoyable, I also found it to be very generic and frequently boring. The beats were a bit predictable and I didn't feel a lot of chemistry in the romance. I finished this book a few days ago and it hasn't really left any lasting impression on me other than remembering strongly disliking the first person present + flashbacks choices. I feel very bland about the more recent offerings in contemporary romance, we need a shake-up in the dominating sub-genres in the romance space because I'm about to check out for a while until it gets interesting again. ...more
It might be time for Tessa Bailey and I to part ways.
There were a few barriers to even wanting to pick this book up but the main o2 stars ~ [2.74/10]
It might be time for Tessa Bailey and I to part ways.
There were a few barriers to even wanting to pick this book up but the main one was that it was about a golfer. I could not see the vision and after finishing the book I still don't see the vision. My tastes have changed quite a bit over the years and they don't really align with the kind of romance that Tessa Bailey writes anymore. I want more restraint and emotional depth in her relationship building and she is more concerned with moving things speedily along. I think that can work sometimes but it really didn't work for me here. I was bored at the beginning and thought I'd plough on because there were so many people saying good things about this but I never clambered my way out of the boredom. ...more
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