20gayteen has been beautiful, but can we talk about 20Schwabteen? Returning to Red London for a new adventure WATERED my CROPS and I am THRIVING out h20gayteen has been beautiful, but can we talk about 20Schwabteen? Returning to Red London for a new adventure WATERED my CROPS and I am THRIVING out here.
As you all know, Shades of Magic is my main personality trait lately, god bless. It's so exciting to have something new to consume instead of fixating on the same 3 books over and over again. (NOT that there's anything wrong with that, okay?)
Honestly, I was initially disappointed that Victoria Schwab created a new 2018 Shades of Magic series—and then dedicated it to Maxim Maresh, of all characters. See, I was a proud Maxim hater in my A Gathering of Shadows days. He made my beloved <3 Kell <3 feel bad, which is inexcusable. Ugh.
I was like… “yeah… steel prince…” waives hands halfheartedly JUST WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE MAXIM?
But what do ya know pals, he wasn’t always a paranoid hardass dad! He used to be the WILD bitch who gets up to adventure. Reading about Maxim’s past felt like looking at my parents’ childhood photographs and realizing that they had entire LIVES I don’t know about. Wow.
And this beginning of his adventures is entertaining. Rebellious Maxim gets thrown out of London and into Verose, a sketchy port city where he has to battle dark magic and the like. I hope he spends 3 issues making enemies and getting into fights. I am perfectly normal.
We got the excellent Schwab Foreshadowing, of course. This prequel already gives Maxim’s reactions to events in Shades of Magic a whole new perspective, and I know that this will go further in the next issues. Since spacing out while doing mundane things in order to mentally analyze Schwab books is my trusted solution to boredom, it’s AWESOME to have a whole new lens for ADSOM!
But… uh… I rated it 3 stars, so let’s get to that. First of all, as of now, I'm not actually that invested in the story, because 1) this first issue was really just an introduction that hasn't established the conflict yet; 2) it’s a prequel set 20 years before things are going fine in this world. So I’m not worried about Maxim’s safety, and if there’s a future threat of the entire world burning, I won’t care about that either.
Second of all, graphic novels aren't my thing. I’ve never read a whole one because they disorient and confuse me so much. But I'm definitely in the minority with that. So I genuinely think that this is a you-not-me issue. If you like graphic novels, yay, I have faith in you loving The Steel Prince.
In conclusion— 1. shame on me for being un-hyped about a Maxim prequel 2. it was pretty fun 3. too bad it’s a graphic novel 4. but I really want the next issues please?!...more
The Star-Touched Queen is dreamlike. By that, I mean it makes no sense, has weird and inconsistent rules of physics, MAKES NO SENSE, and shortly afterThe Star-Touched Queen is dreamlike. By that, I mean it makes no sense, has weird and inconsistent rules of physics, MAKES NO SENSE, and shortly after finishing it, I'm not entirely sure what even happened.
It STARTED OUT really well, okay? I was loving this book at first. But then it derailed like a train driving straight into a hurricane. I was unbearably bored and wanted to DNF for the love of my own happiness & wellbeing! Honestly, the only reason I forced myself through the last 50 pages was so that I could validly rate it 1 star.
Things that don't make sense -the magic system -what a mess -did Roshani know half what she even meant when writing about that confusing ass magic system -anyway, moving on... to the romance! -in other words, what?? -I hate the trope where a mysterious royal man kidnaps the MC to be his queen or whatever and she falls in love with him -for one simple reason -which is that I almost always imagine the guy as twice her age -I CAN'T HELP IT AND IT SUCKS -also, I don't want to watch characters fALLinG iN lOVe when they know 0.2 things about each other -I mean, hello instalove -what a mess -let's talk about the plot now -or should I say... the random string of events characterized by a lack of actual plot -I was so confused, I couldn't even summarize the "plot" if Kaz Brekker and Lila Bard teamed up to brandish knives at me -and I did well on teh SAT so you can't tell me my reading comprehension just sucks!!1
Things that were actually good -a good beginning... -Indian representation! -(no white people!) -beautiful writing -I mean, a lot of the figurative language admittedly made no sense, but the lovely purple prose fit the story for sure -Roshani can WRITE even if she can't plot :') -what else -hmm -idk -bye...more
"Apologies," Mia frowned, searching the floor as if looking for something. "I appear to have misplaced the fucks I give for what you think."
Um, wh
"Apologies," Mia frowned, searching the floor as if looking for something. "I appear to have misplaced the fucks I give for what you think."
Um, what just HAPPENED?! What has Nevernight DONE to me?! Never in my life have I been so inspired to learn how to create poisons and singlehandedly defeat large groups of grown men. This book, wow...
So first of all, let's talk about Jay Kristoff. I feel personally victimized by this man, who apparently is dedicated to his one goal of going around fucking readers up. His bio says he's 6'7", in which case it would be great if he could go pick on someone his own size rather than coming after my weak 5'5" soul.
And how, exactly, did he set out to do this in 2016? By writing an epic fantasy set in a death-obsessed world where the 16-year-old Mia Corvere, in order to avenge her father's political assassination, gets into a hardcore assassin school and trains for months in that hellscape, all so that she can murder her father's killers up in the nobility.
And it was... really good! The first 100 pages were like entering into an alternate dimension where I have the reading comprehension of a caterpillar. They were obnoxiously dense and confusing. The footnotes were making me dizzy and it took me 15 seconds to fully understand a single sentence. If I hadn't seen so many 5-star reviews mentioning this exact issue I'd have DNFed in a flash.
But then, after 100 pages, what happened is: I entered into ANOTHER alternate dimension where IT ALL SUDDENLY MAKES SENSE AND IS ABSOLUTELY EPIC. So, thanks to everyone who wrote those reviews and convinced me to keep reading.
The best thing about the book, obviously, was Mia herself, whose existence forces me to conclude that Kaz and Inej had a child and then accidentally sent her into a parallel universe. Like Inej, she treasures her favorite knife and will always be the purest murderer ever. And like Kaz, she is a scheming trickster who gets her hands really dirty and serves up all the roasts.
"Well, thank you very much. If you'd like to go somewhere and quietly fuck yourself, I'll be waiting here patiently for your return."
Mia has a pet named Mister Kindly, a cat made of shadows who follows her around and sasses her 24/7.
"... though i have no face, believe me when i say i am scowling the pants off you right now ..."
Mia rolled her eyes. "Yes, father."
"... of course, a state of pantslessness seems to be your goal, so perhaps i should stop ..."
I was actually not going to read this book because I hated Kristoff's 2012 Stormdancer but when my GR friend posted a review mentioning a devoted, loyal cat made of shadows, how could I NOT? :')
The Red Church is the assassin school she attends. It's just like Hogwarts, except that everyone is a Slytherin, and the professors are allowed to poison students, torture them, teach them sex ed, and cut their arms off. (Snape is so jealous) Also, the students frequently descend into a great big pool of blood as a method of teleportation. My squeamish ass would last 5 seconds in the Red Church.
The romance between Mia and Tric, another student, was not that great. The sex scenes were truly awkward, and there wasn't enough romantic buildup outside of them. Also, I saw one of the major twists coming on waaaay before it happened. However, given the reviews for book 2 that I've read, I have a much better feeling about how the romance in Godsgrave will be. And it was still sufficiently twisty and ridiculously stressful, especially at the climax.
(When I say stressful, I mean being chased by the hungry dead all the way to a standardized test level of stressful. I'm still traumatized.)
Basically, what I'm trying to say is, the first 100 pages were a nightmare because I felt illiterate. The last 327 were a nightmare because holy hell....more
^me meeting Victoria Schwab the day after I finished Vengeful and trying not to be freakishly #hide yo kids hide yo wife schwab came for us all
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^me meeting Victoria Schwab the day after I finished Vengeful and trying not to be freakishly starstruck. (she said she loved my "Victor Vale is my hero" shirt, which is peak fangirl try and top me. Also, I always thought that she must be the Devil & Co due to how her books screw me over, but she's so sweet and funny, she definitely has no Satanic origins.)
Anyway, after finishing Vengeful, I spent 10 mins searching GIF websites for variations of "death, satan, ghost, hell" to express how I feel about Vengeful only to accept that nothing can do it justice, so that's the Schwab Effect™.
I mean, I just want to know what grave sin I committed in a past life to deserve that fireball of an ending?! I KNOW there will be a third book—that cliffhangerish hell can't possibly be the last we see of Merit. I teared up in class today, probably looking like I was crying about math, but really I was just thinking about a certain event at the end about which I'll be Emotional for the next century.
But I also must have been a saint at some point to be born into a world where the Villains duology exists, because, you know, when there's intense pain, the happiness is that much stronger, or something like that. And there's a LOT of enjoyment here. So many BADASS things kept happening that made me grin in delight. Whenever I sat down to read, 100 addictive pages would go by before I knew it.
Especially during the climax. The climax felt like a roller coaster, except that roller coasters warn you about the potential side effects, and it's socially acceptable to scream at the top of your lungs during them. My heart was beating faster than it does when I think I've finally trapped a spider under a cup, only to lift it and see empty space. And then the ending—WHAT?! That's going on my gravestone.
I'm in awe of how Victoria draws out tension and develops relationships between characters over months or years that they spend not interacting at all. In AGOS, Kell & Lila didn't even make eye contact until the last 18% of the book, yet their relationship was MY LIFE the ENTIRE time. In Vengeful, this type of dynamic takes place between Victor & Eli; they've been apart for 5 years and don't reunite until the climax, but we get all the feels from their friendship/enmity.
Speaking of Victor/Eli feels, THOSE ELI EMOTIONS WHAT ON EARTH. I can't believe we got Holland'ed again?! Join my Eli Protection Program 2k18 PLEASE.
BUT anyway, let's get to the point and talk about Marcella Morgan, the real star of Vengeful. She's the icon of my life, a truly aspirational EO with the power of burning what she touches. Naturally, she uses this power to burn trash ass men down and rise to power.
Marcella wondered how many men she would have to turn to ash before one took her seriously.
Every time I thought she couldn't get more savage, she went and Did That. With the time-skipping format of this series, we learn Marcella's life story, which sets up an amazing character arc. How she views her femininity and draws power from it throughout her life, and how that evolves, is fascinating.
Which brings me to my next declaration: Vengeful is the feminist antihero story I never knew I needed. It's the most feminist SFF I've EVER read. The juxtaposition of the ways in which Marcella, June, and Sydney are suppressed and how they react to it is incredibly effective. The themes in Vengeful are for you to figure out—Victoria doesn't straight out tell you anything—which made this feminist aspect subtly executed but so powerful.
Back to how I met Victoria Schwab on tour (!), she talked about the feminism in Vengeful, and I diligently memorized what she said. Whereas Vicious is very masculine and focuses on male friendships, toxic masculinity, etc, Vengeful is all about the women and how they reclaim power. Marcella is a mob wife always treated as an object. Sydney, due to her not aging, is frustratingly infantilized by everyone, both by strangers and by those who love her. Then there's June, and... well... Victoria just started enthusiastically talking about how June is a living, breathing, voodoo doll, seeming (righteously) proud of herself for this. ("She's like Mystique from X-Men, except that if she gets hurt, the other person will feel it!")
The flow of power is another main theme, building on what started in Vicious and linking to the aforementioned feminism. I spent 2 hours today just thinking intensely about Victoria's statements in this book about power and how it corrupts. The parallels and contrasts between Marcella & Victor, Marcella & Eli, and Victor & Eli's use of power are SO INTERESTING. My loyal followers probably aren't loyal enough to read 1k words of literary analysis in an innocuous review of a superhero thriller, but the person reading this is welcome to slide into my DMs anytime ;)
It was also illuminating to think about how Marcella compares to Adelina from The Young Elites. Their narrative arcs are close parallels despite the series being so different.
<3 so anyway, this too long review is a small sampling of my reactions to Vengeful, the book of my life that makes me want to be the next King Arthur so I can declare it required reading for every high school in the kingdom I rule....more
3.5 stars. I’m just trying to live my life all the way up by reading every book my one true god Victoria Schwab has written.
And, well, aww. Heart eye3.5 stars. I’m just trying to live my life all the way up by reading every book my one true god Victoria Schwab has written.
And, well, aww. Heart eye emoji. This was nice. Not particularly outstanding or memorable, but I probably would've adored it in elementary school. I STILL can't believe Victoria wrote the Everyday Angel series (that fluffy lil pink cover in comparison to the nightmare that was everything else she's written, wow) but I'm weirdly proud of her for what a journey she's made.
So anyway, New Beginnings is about a guardian angel named Aria who is earning her wings by helping out Gabby, a 12-year-old girl who has been going through a rough time due to her brother's illness. It's fairly predictable and doesn't have the twisty twists or wild creativity of her later works. It was fun and cute, though! I read it in a single hour. And the ending totally hit me in the feels in a warm fuzzy way.
I'm pretty sure that Victoria is the one author who can consistently make me care about familial love subplots. I usually couldn't care less about family conflicts. However, there are multiple family relationship plotlines in Shades of Magic, The Archived, and New Beginnings, and I've been genuinely invested in all of them. *admires her writerly sorcery*
Although it only has 1k ratings on this site, so you wouldn't think it was that successful, I remember seeing that Victoria wrote somewhere (I forget where) that she sold this to Scholastic for book fairs and it sold over 600k copies. Which... WOW??? I am just so proud of my fave author and everything she does....more
SHADES OF MAGIC has taken over my life, and do I regret it? Uh here are the facts:
1) I now hate reading because no other book can compare (2 month reaSHADES OF MAGIC has taken over my life, and do I regret it? Uh here are the facts:
1) I now hate reading because no other book can compare (2 month reading slump *screams*)
2) Going off of that, no ship can compare to Kila (never thought the day would come when I renounced Kaz & Inej) so I guess I'll never again enjoy a romance!
3) I spend... a LOT of time mentally replaying scenes and imagining more. Bored in class? Standing in line? Cutting vegetables? Can't sleep? Doing literally anything that doesn't require my full attention? 99% chance I'm thinking about this goddamn series.
4) The amount of money I've spent on Schwabish things is just... I swear I don't have a problem, ok?!
Objectively, I should have ran when I had the chance, but subjectively, THANK YOU, VICTORIA, FOR THE EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE.
And thank you for Lila Bard aka the badass boss ass bitch who rules this undeserving world. Pretending I'm Lila is the single best form of self esteem improvement. And whenever I hate someone or something, I just aggressively think, I hate you more than I hate people on the Internet who hate Lila and immediately feel vindicted. What a legend.
♔ Reflections 23 July 2018 ♔
1. My 2-week-long book hangover is still going strong. good thing school's out because I'd probably fail all my classes due to remembering that ending in the middle of every test
2. I hope that Kell and Lila are currently in a floating city halfway across the world and he's proposing to her with a diamond-encrusted dagger while Calla cheers them on (view spoiler)[from above (hide spoiler)].
3. I'm ready to declare my undying love for Holland Vosjk. I just want to hug him. (I ℒ♡ⓥℯ ㄚ♡ⓤ♥♥♥ ℉☻ℝℇṼℰℜ, my beloved Someday King) #justiceforholland
I'm still obsessed with how Holland got the arc of the millenium. His journey goes something like this: In book 1, he's a terrifying villain for whom I felt a scrap of pity. In book 2, he's once again an antagonist, but we're painfully aware that he was unfairly forced into that role. Finally, in book 3, he becomes a beautiful protagonist who everyone, past and present, uses as a punching bag.
And he made me feel the greatest range of emotions that any fictional character ever has, so let's honor his greatness by getting into some Literary Analysis, shall we? My PhD thesis is that Holland Vosjk has a heart of pure gold because his every autonomous action has been to improve other worlds; other lives. As a free young man, he joined Vortalis to restore virtue to White London. After inadvertently fucking everything up by bringing Osaron into the picture, he was willing to sacrifice himself in unimaginable ways to fix that mess. And there was that time he saved Lila's life without a second thought.
So first of all, Holland's flashbacks to his life with Vortalis show how much Holland really just wanted to make the world a better place. White London was a burnt-up wasteland of corruption, and Holland wanted to see it change. (view spoiler)[
Gorst–a mountain of a man who'd carved his way to the throne with an army at his back and turned the castle into fortress, the city into a slum... who pretended to care, who claimed he could resurrect the city even while he drained it dry.
And every week, King Gorst opened throats in the blood square... As if the spilling of their blood was proof of his devotion to his cause.
How many days had Holland stood at the edge of that square, and watched, and thought of cutting Gorst's throat?
Holland then joins Vortalis to take the throne. By violence, yes, but he feels nothing but horror and self-hatred for every single act of harm he inflicts on others. And what he wants–all he wants–is his dream of magic and peace reigning free in White London. (hide spoiler)]
Many years later in Holland's life, after he's been through hell, he straight up breaks the seventh seal of the apocalypse by awakening Osaron. Redeeming oneself for such a thing is difficult, I'd say, but Holland goes above and beyond to fix his mistakes. (view spoiler)[He is willing to let Kell perform a spell that will capture Osaron–and make him suffer in an eternal hell.
Kell flinched... as the realization dawned. "No... I could turn you to stone. It would be a kinder end."
"I'm not looking for kindness, Kell." Holland tilted his chin up, attention settling on the cell's high ceiling. "I'm looking to finish what I started."
It doesn't come to that, though, thank the saints. But for Plan B, which requires someone to lose their magical powers, Holland still designates himself as the target.
"Osaron is mine," said Holland... "I don't give a damn about your self-sacrificing notions, your need to be the hero. When the time comes for one of us to destroy that monster, it is going to be me..."
Holland met Kells' eyes, and beyond the words and the bravado, he saw something else in the man's gaze.
Mercy.
Kell's chest ached with relief as he said, "Thank you."
"For what?" said Holland coldly. "I'm not doing this for you."
Holland would put himself through any pain imaginable to save the worlds, without a single hesitation or any motive other than restoring peace. (hide spoiler)]
It's not just the worlds that he saves, though. (view spoiler)[It's also Lila's life. Lila–reckless, inconsiderate, irresponsible Lila–treats him with nothing but disgust, yet he values her life more than she likely does. This is painfully clear when he automatically rushes to heal her after she's stabbed through the chest by a vengeful pirate whose ship she ransacked on a bet. When Lila has the audacity to go off at him after that for killing Barron months ago when he was still under the Danes' command, he says one of his most memorable lines.
"Did you even hesitate before you killed him?"
"No... Because if I stopped I would think, and if I thought, I would remember, and if I remembered, I would–" He swallowed, the smallest rise in his throat. "No, I did not hesitate. I cut his throat, and added his death to the ones I count every day when I wake." His eyes hardened on her. "Now tell me, Delilah, how many lives have you ended? Do you know the number?"
...she didn't. [hardly surprising]
The excruciating guilt he feels for every single death he has invoked shows us that he is a teddy bear deep down. Holland says previously that "Death comes for us all", but you know what? That's the most mischaracterizing thing he could say because despite the fact that he never smiles, he's about as morbid as a sunbeam. (hide spoiler)]
I could go on for about 5 hours, but what I'm trying to say is, the gold-hearted Holland Vosjk simply wants to save the world, preserve everyone's lives, and redeem himself in any way he can for what sadists have forced him to do. My conclusion? Holland is a cinnamon roll. He fucking invented cinnamon rolls. Let's all be like Holland.
⋆★*:･ﾟ✧
♔ Review 8 July 2018 ♔
Shades of Magic has made me feel the greatest range of emotions I've ever experienced while reading.
Let me start by saying, Victoria Schwab better get her lawyer ready. Look, I know it will be hard for her to write books in prison, but I'm prosecuting her for ripping my heart out of my chest and throwing it in that creepy black river. After I finished this, I spent 5 minutes sobbing in my bed and another 5 drying my eyes and trying to convince myself the entire world didn't just end.
First of all, you know what is currently making my entire soul burst into a million pieces of light? Every single character got the arc of the century.
Kell, well, among other things, Kell stopped feeling the need to be a goddamned martyr, which is always a good thing. Lila made peace with her urge to always run away rather than accept attachment to those she loves. Rhy realized that he is truly alive, has always been, and deserves to be. Emira and Maxim realized how much Kell means to them and how much agency Rhy actually has, and then they heart-rippingly sacrificed everything for their sons (plural). Alucard returned to London and finally told Rhy the truth he deserves (on that note, Alucard's father deserves to get his heart torn out, so I'll be the one to make him read this trilogy). And Holland HollandHolland I'm sorry I can't function enough to even begin describing his arc ;_;
I could go on for another hour about the character development, but what I'm trying to say is that every character is 3-dimensional, maybe 4 or 5-dimensional if I'm being real. They jump off the page so thoroughly, I'm afraid they'll actually come and kill me in my sleep.
⋆★*:･ﾟ✧
The plot was pretty epic. I can't say I loved the execution of the antagonist or cared about the major conflict as much as I did in books 1 and 2, but it was still amazing. I'm in awe of the sheer amount of shit that went down.
My heart was going at a rate of approximately 150 bpm for the whole book and, I don't know, about to jump out of my ribcage and crash on the floor for the last hundred pages. I felt more alive reading it at 2 in the morning than I do while skateboarding down hills. Seriously, I slept about 10 hours this whole weekend compared to my usual 20 because of Victoria Schwab and I'm on a high.
Even though I swear I'm capable of dealing with life without knowing the relationship status of fictional characters, let me just say: KELL AND LILA ARE MY FAVORITE COUPLE EVER.
*takes deep breath*
In book 1, the romance was excruciatingly light, and in book 2, Victoria turned into the diabolical spawn of Voldemort and made me wait over 400 pages for them to make eye contact. So I was terrified that there wouldn't be enough romantic moments in this one to satisfy my desperate urge to see them being the loves of each other's lives.
Well, I did NOT need to worry: Although they are few and far between, the scenes involving Lila and Kell being the best OTP were wonderful. The emotional connection is beautiful and the tension is real. I need to dunk my head in a bucket of ice water every time I remember the sex scene.
You know, I genuinely thought it was actually anoshe for Lila and Kell right before the end, and I... I... I lost my breath to gasping sobs. But no, luckily I can deal with my book hangover by (view spoiler)[imagining what sort of pirate adventures they're getting up to (hide spoiler)].
This series is the most quotable stuff ever, kinda like Six of Crows like that, so here's a tiny fraction of my favorites:
Lila telling it like it is:
She tilted her head when she spoke, shifting her dark hair so it framed her shattered eye. In that single defiant gesture, Rhy could see why Kell liked her so.
"Why?" she echoed. "Because the shadows can't touch me, and the fallen won't. Because I'm good with magic, and better with a blade, and I've got more power in my blood than you've got in this whole damned palace. Because I've got no qualms about killing, and on top of it all,I've got a knack for keeping your sons–both of them–alive."
If Kell had been there, he would have turned white.
As it was, the king nearly went purple.
Alucard making the real threats:
"Try anything..." he growled.
"And you'll kill me?" finished Holland drily.
"No," said Alucard with a vicious smile. "I'll let Bard have you."
The reason why tears were falling down my face at 2 am:
One by one, Athos and Astrid paraded the remains of Vor's life before Holland, instructing him again and again to cut their throats. Every time, he tried to fight the order. Every time, he failed. Every time, he had to look them in their eyes and see the hatred, the betrayal, the anguished confusion before he cut them down.
The bodies piled. Athos watched. Astrid grinned.
Holland's hand moved on its own puppet string.
And his mind screamed until it finally lost its voice. [if I didn't love Victoria so much I'd hate her for this]
Rhy's personal arc of the century:
"But ask me in the afternoon," cut in Rhy, "when I've felt the sun cutting through the cold, or the warmth of Alucard's smile, or the steady weight of your arm around my shoulders, and I would tell you it was worth it. It is worth it."
Kell showing that he's actually a cinnamon roll:
She was a thief, a runaway, a pirate, a magician.
She was fierce, and powerful, and terrifying.
She was still a mystery.
And he loved her.
⋆★*:･ﾟ✧
asdlgnwoegnoru someone give me pirate fantasy recommendations so that I can maybe survive this book hangover...more
4.5 stars Wow. I'm wrecked. If you need me, I'll just be picking up the broken pieces of my heart and/or crying about how much I want one of Catherine4.5 stars Wow. I'm wrecked. If you need me, I'll just be picking up the broken pieces of my heart and/or crying about how much I want one of Catherine's macarons.
So. What is this book? Heartless is a character-driven Alice in Wonderland retelling about the Queen of Hearts before she was painting the roses red. If you didn't feel sympathy for her when she was ordering people's heads off, read this book and then you will. It's the story of how as a young woman named Catherine, she falls in [forbidden] love with Jest, the Joker. Problem is, the wholly unappealing King of Hearts has eyes only for Catherine. Oh yeah, and there's a violent Jabberwock on the loose. It doesn't end well.
It is a seriously good book, though.
✨ Catherine is wonderful. For the first 400 pages, there's no way you could even believe that she later becomes the axe-happy, ice-cold Queen of Hearts. She's a sweet, idealistic girl who loves to bake and fantasizes about opening Sweet Tarts, the Best Bakery in All of Hearts. I love how Marissa subverted the "strong heroine" archetype that we often see in fantasy by giving Catherine power not in her ability to wield knives, but rather in the strength of her dreams and her stubborn desire to be more than what's expected of her as a proper young woman.
Catherine reminds me quite a bit of Holland Vosjk from A Darker Shade of Magic. They both are cinnamon rolls who just wanted to make their world a sweeter place, except instead, they get fucked over and forced into a soulless, miserable life. They then go on to become the villain of somebody else's story, unfairly forced into that role. Catherine and Holland's histories just rip my soul in half.
✨ Jest is, for lack of more eloquent wording, awesome. He reminds me of Magiano, my book boyfriend from The Young Elites. He's the Court Joker, meaning that he goes around pulling tricks out of a hat [literally] and showing off his charm. I called him a witty little fucker in my 50 pgs status update and, yes, I'd still call him a witty little fucker, but also so much more. He is sentimental, brave, and very warmhearted. His eyes are described as gold, probably the result of having a heart of solid gold like his.
✨ The romance... where do I even begin? I loved it. It was achingly beautiful and pure and oh my god just kill me where I stand. The tension between Catherine and Jest made me blush madly the entire time. [#1 Jesterine stan, shaking in my fuzzy pink bathrobe at the sheer chemistry.] I knew that they weren't going to get a happily ever after, but their dynamic was so enchanting, I found myself hoping against all the odds and all the logic that they'd have just one more day of happiness.
At first it was like—why, hello there, instalove. But instead of being a shallow or cliched romance that I didn't care about, it turned into a slow-burning affair that basically just melted my heart. Heartless is second only to A Gathering of Shadows in terms of how loud I was screaming for the characters to please just kiss already hundreds of pages into the story.
She knew, in that moment, that she would go to him, if only he asked. She would be his, if he wanted her.
"Oh no," she murmured, her smile thawing, falling, carried away with the undeniable, inevitable, impossible truth of it.
She was falling in love with him.
✨ The worldbuilding stands out. I loved the atmosphere of the kingdom of Hearts, where there are all sorts of whimsical things going on, what with the magic tricks and every other character not being human. There are progressively darker undertones, though, which sufficiently messed with my mind.
There's also some scary repression of women that feels very Victorian. Catherine simply does not have the option of rejecting the aforementioned unappealing King of Hearts. And if her affair with Jest were discovered, her reputation [and her family's] would be forever trashed. She's anxious to avoid the fate of being a "fallen woman."
No one would ever be a patron at a bakery run by a fallen woman, no matter how delicious the treats... [Catherine and her friend] would be forever destitute and disgraced. They would have nothing.
✨ The ending ruined me. It just... ugh, I'm hurting. It was darker than a demonic black cat from hell. I don't even know what to do about my poor broken feelings. Please help.
Overall? Heartless was amazing in the "Oh look I have Stockholm syndrome for authors that kill me in the comfort of my own home" way. This was my first Marissa Meyer book, but 100% not my last. I'm glad to see she has several more that I can now binge read! :)...more
I love Wesley. I love Mac. I love the Archive. I love Victoria Schwab. I wish this series would never end. :')
She doesn’t just smile, she starts la
I love Wesley. I love Mac. I love the Archive. I love Victoria Schwab. I wish this series would never end. :')
She doesn’t just smile, she starts laughing, and I want to be angry but god, it’s the most beautiful sound in the world, even better than that storm going inside her head. I would slay monsters and run through fire and jump off cliffs just to hear that sound.
6 stars. The good sis Victoria Schwab has somehow gone and done it again. I love how every sequel she writes is like its predecessor but more thrillin6 stars. The good sis Victoria Schwab has somehow gone and done it again. I love how every sequel she writes is like its predecessor but more thrilling, sexier, and a whole new level of hell. Basically, book 1 on crack.
So, for the approximately 3 people who don't know, Victoria Schwab is the best fantasy author in the modern world. The Archived is a duology she wrote before making it big. I don't know why this one wasn't as successful as her later books, as it's amazing! The protagonist, Mackenzie, is a ghost hunter who spends most of her time in a massive library. If that doesn't sell you, idk what will. :[
✨ Mackenzie is fabulous. A ghost hunter who fights like a boss and has a bike named Dante—how much cooler can you get? After the trauma she experiences in book 1, she's plagued by nightmares, stress, and self-doubt. She finds it ever harder to believe in herself and her strength. Yet she keeps fighting and refusing to succumb to a million different things. [I know this is vague, but really, a million.] In that regard, she's incredibly strong.
And there are some scary things happening to her. With frequent spells in which she awakens from a brief blackout with blood on her hands and no memory of the last few minutes, she becomes an unreliable narrator, adding to the book's overall spookiness and unpredictability.
✨ Wesley sure is interesting. He is Mackenzie's friend who they both wish was a boyfriend. And he's basically Alucard Emery with less innuendo. He and Mac just go around bantering, reading The Inferno together, and forming a deep emotional connection [aka what I'm all about].
Wes hits the table. "You broke into a crime scene without me?"
"Be glad, Wes, or we both would have been caught."
"We're a team, Mac. You don't go committing a crime without your partner in crime. Besides, if I'd been with you, we probably wouldn't have been caught. I could have stood at the door and made wild bird sounds or something when the cops came back. And if we did get caught, our mug shots would look fabulous."
He sneaks into her room at night through the window just to help keep her nightmares away, and if that's not cute as hell then nothing is.
✨ Owen Chris Clarke is the scary ass villain. He is Victoria at the top of her antagonist game. His motives are incredibly well developed; we understand him and his specific actions. I wish that more fantasy villains were 3D like this [or more accurately, 4D]. He's also constantly wielding a knife and screwing with Mackenzie's mind/life/sanity. Ugh, so fabulously evil.
✨ The plot—wow. Thrilling from start to finish. I'm in awe. If I wanted to be an author, I'd just give up right here and now because there's no way my plot twists could ever compare to Victoria's. I genuinely didn't see a single twist coming, and there were a million levels of delicious drama and intrigue.
✨ The setting remains wonderfully aesthetic. Mackenzie lives primarily in a massive apartment building steeped in history and lots of interesting neighbors. And her family's newly opened bakery & coffee shop on the ground floor. [All the coffee being drunk in this book made my day.] But she spends much of her time stepping through the portal into the Archive, an enormous library where the dead rest on shelves like books. I wanna be a ghost hunter so I can go there, except for the part where I'd probably get killed 15 minutes into the job.
✨ The fight scenes are, since it's Victoria "The Secret MMA Fighter" Schwab, totally epic. I'm not always big on fight scenes that don't involve magic, but WOW. I'd fill up half of my Schwab reviews with discussions of the fight scenes, but then everyone would probably unfollow me, so let me just briefly say that I could pick a combat scene written by her out of a lineup. Apparently they're her favorite type of scene to write; she likes letting readers learn about characters through how they fight. And I believe it.
Apparently there's a complicated possibility of a third book, and I'd love that! There's a metric ton of potential for more action and drama. However, I'm satisfied with the way everything wrapped up, so if you're a Schwab fan, don't bother waiting for book 3 to come out.
Anti-complaint: In the beginning, there appears to be a possible love triangle and a Pretty Mean Girl in gym class who will be narratively punished for being Pretty and Mean. But don't worry; neither happens.
[oh, and can we talk about how that scene where Mac fights Wesley upon unexpectedly seeing him in the gym and they exchange frustrated banter as they wrestle gave me MAJOR flashbacks to Kell and Lila's first interaction in A Gathering of Shadows]
Bottom line: Awesome heroine. Twisty plot twists. Terrifying, 3D villain. Spooky thriller vibes. Signature Schwab greatness. You do want to read this series....more
I picked this up because it features a few of my beloved authors, whose essays I read before randomly skipping around. I can't very well rate a book oI picked this up because it features a few of my beloved authors, whose essays I read before randomly skipping around. I can't very well rate a book of which I only read a quarter, but it was pretty good. I especially loved Marie Lu and Ally Carter's essays! ...more
me: does anyone want to wreck my feelings, rip my heart out of my chest, reduce me to tears, & generally ruin my life?
Victoria Schwab: oh I think the me: does anyone want to wreck my feelings, rip my heart out of my chest, reduce me to tears, & generally ruin my life?
Victoria Schwab: oh I think the fuck yes
[high pitched screaming]
Our Dark Duet spares emotional wellbeing for nobody. I have this Stockholm syndrome thing going on where the more an author makes me cry, the more I thank them for it. So if you need me, I'll be typing out a 5-star review while lying on the floor next to my heart after Victoria so cruelly tossed it there.
But Our Dark Duet stands out not only for the devastating finale. The plot was quite wild; villains, both new and old, came to clash with our heroes in an epic monster battle against the background of a mounting apocalypse. The worldbuilding, which was good in This Savage Song but not outstanding, truly came to life. Similarly, the character development went from good to amazing. I just feel so connected to the protagonists:
Kate Harker, a monster-fighting badass who does her best to avoid emotional attachment but can't keep me from loving her. Her tragic arc is very well-written, but you know, I'd have liked it if she had a happy ending so that we could meet sometime and she could teach me how to fight Malchai while listening to rock music.
August Flynn, my favorite violin-playing, soul-eating monster ever. Whereas he is the most peaceful cinnamon roll of a monster ever in the first book, he is forced into putting his humanity to the side when he needs to be a ruthless leader, not a sentimental boy. My heart broke for him.
Allegro the cat, the real MVP, not exactly a protagonist but he's my favorite boy. You think that August and Ilsa, the formidable Sunai siblings who go around eating souls and commanding a city, don't sleep with their beloved cat?? Think again, my dude. I loved Kate's reaction upon seeing Allegro for the first time:
She frowned and peered over, but the other side was empty. And then, out of nowhere, a small black-and-white thing leaped up onto the counter.
The Flynns had a cat.
I loved Kate and August's relationship. Their dynamic in book 1 was enemies to platonic BFFs, and here, after they're reintroduced after 6 months apart, their connection intensifies. The romantic aspect was very slight, and I'd be lying if I said I hadn't wished for more of a spark. There wasn't a sense of *ahem* tension in the manner of Kell & Lila and Rhy & Alucard during A Conjuring of Light. But the emotional bond they form is enough to make up for it:
"I know it hurts," she said. "So make it worth the pain."
"How?"
"By not letting go," she said softly. "By holding on, to anger, or hope, or whatever it is that keeps you fighting."
You, he thought.
And for once, a word felt simple, because Kate was the one who kept him fighting, who looked at him and saw him, and saw through him at the same time, and who never let go.
Oh, and then there's Soro, the coolest non-binary Sunai out there (aka exactly what this world needs):
August had first thought of Soro as a she, though in truth, he hadn't been sure, and when he's worked up the courage to ask whether Soro considered themselves male or female, the newest member of the Flynn family had stared at him for a long moment before answering.
"I'm a Sunai."
That was all they said, as if the rest didn't matter, and August supposed it didn't. He never thought of them as anything but Soro after that.
⋆★*:･ﾟ✧
In typical Schwab fashion, the pages melted away and it was as if I was right there in the city of Verity. Especially during the fight scenes. I could fangirl for the rest of my life about Schwab fight scenes and I still wouldn't do them justice. And the climax, well, that was stressful. Like, being chased by the hungry dead all the way to a standardized test level stressful. You can pinpoint the exact moment of a Schwab climax because it's when all hell breaks loose.
It was a solid creepy, too. I could wander into a haunted forest at midnight, or I could read the mirror scenes. I literally squeaked in fear at one point.
In conclusion, I felt a lot of feelings reading Our Dark Duet. It's weird, spooky, sad, stressful, and mostly just good....more
When it comes to sinister villains and overall eeriness, Victoria Schwab is the best. In a futuristic US following the monster apocalypse, This SavageWhen it comes to sinister villains and overall eeriness, Victoria Schwab is the best. In a futuristic US following the monster apocalypse, This Savage Song takes place in the city of Verity, which is divided in half between the control of Henry Flynn, the monster hunter, and Callum Harker, the nasty capitalist. There's a territory war on the brinks, which the main characters, the children of Flynn and Harker, are unexpectedly thrown into. Chaos and wild plot twists ensue, wrapped up in an atmospheric sense of danger and spookiness.
I wasn't really into This Savage Song until the second half–it took 200 pages for the characters to figure out what they were doing, and the exposition is seamless but so gradual that I didn't fully understand what was going on until page 150. But I wasn't annoyed by the thinned-out worldbuilding, like I typically would be; rather, I kept reading because I was so curious. And that second half was awesome. I was racing through the pages in which Kate and August get tossed into this wild adventure on the run from an increasing number of antagonists.
The distrusting-enemies-to-friends relationship between August and Kate was almost as good as Lila and Kell's dynamic in A Darker Shade of Magic, which, as far as book compliments go, is pretty high. Similarly, Astrid and Athos were only a little bit creepier than Sloan. And the plot twists in both books killed me on all levels. I'm excited to read the rest of Victoria's works because the two I've read have so many great characteristics....more
Please read this review knowing that I swear I'm not possessed.
I act stupid when people ask me for my favorite book. I say vague things about the vasPlease read this review knowing that I swear I'm not possessed.
I act stupid when people ask me for my favorite book. I say vague things about the vast quantity of books and fall into a Vortex of Angst and Indecision. Well, I'm 98% sure A Gathering of Shadows is the best thing I've ever read, so thanks, Victoria, because I can now feel like a deer in the headlights marginally less of the time.
Okay. Whew. This sounds so weird, but I know it's the best thing I've ever read partly through my certainty that I've never experienced physical reactions to a book like I did with this one. I hyperventilated at the plot twists, giggled uncontrollably at the witty lines, let out strangled yelps for various reasons, and my teeth even chattered (it's summer so you know it's the Holland). I was grinning like an idiot for most of this 512 page book because I was enjoying it so much and utterly addicted. None of that is normal, even for me.
Here are all the things I loved about it:
LILA BARD is my new favorite morally grey female lead of all time (sorry, Inej). She spends the entirety of the story going around fucking shit up and it's the best thing ever to watch. I mean, the opening scene is her singlehandedly taking over a pirate ship of 18 men:
I am Delilah Bard, she thought as the ropes cut into her skin. I am a thief and a pirate and a traveler. I have set foot in three different worlds, and lived. I have shed the blood of royals and held magic in my hands. And a ship full of men cannot do what I do. I don't need any of you. I am one of a damned kind.
Badass doesn't even begin to define her and she knows it. She is my spirit animal; the reckless part of me relates to her so hard, but then again, I don't impulsively enter magic tournaments posing as a random competitor that I knocked out and tossed on a sailing ship in order to get my thrill-seeking fix. Holy mother of god, she's a raging sociopath at times but for some reason I love her for it.
KELL MARESH is 50% power, 25% brotherly love, 23% reckless, and 2% guarded cinnamon roll in disguise. Kell is the best auburn-haired Antari around. Like Lila, he goes around fucking shit up purely for the fun of it. The following line from an ambiguous villain made me angery:
But he was nothing like her king. Her king was beautiful and powerful and perfect. This Kell was nothing but a skinny boy.
because no, Ojka, Kell is perfect, don't you dare.
KELL & LILA'S ROMANCE continued to make me feel like I have a heart. See, they were my favorite couple before they even met in A Darker Shade of Magic. If I'd gone into this book knowing that they don't talk until page (view spoiler)[427 (hide spoiler)] or kiss until page (view spoiler)[455 (hide spoiler)], I would have expected it to violently torture my otherwise cold soul. But Victoria drew out the background tension so much, so well, that I just got increasingly excited and practically screamed in joy when they first made eye contact, feeling as though all the pain in my past had been erased and I'd entered a blissful utopia in which soft cats roam everywhere and there is always chocolate cake with coffee frosting and I have access to a massive library with all the Schwab books and... well, anyway.
She hadn't been this close to him in months. Her skin hummed when he touched her. Was that normal? If magic coursed through everyone and everything, was this what it felt like when it found itself again? ...
Their bodies tangled, and both held their breath. The last time they'd embraced, they were both bruised and bloody and about to be arrested. That had felt real; this felt like a fantasy.
I just about burst into tears with my heart doing that Grinch thing where it wildly expands as my whole being lights up and all the children gawk.
RHY MARESH is a bisexual prince (literally). He goes from flirting to making speeches in 30 seconds. I liked him as a side character in book 1, but here, he had a POV, a significant arc, a romance of his own, and generally won over my heart. There are way too many great quotes from him to pick just one to exemplify his awesomeness.
ALUCARD EMERY is a complete bastard and OWNS it. He is a snarky badass pirate and Lila's captain. I loved his friendship and witty banter with her. Alucard & Lila are the best platonic ship ever, and I say that as someone familiar with Jesper & Inej. I also fell into pieces over him & Rhy; they're... as perfect for each other as Kell & Lila, if I dare say that.
HOLLAND. Good lord. How is it that he's the designated villain, but also a sympathetic character with feelings whose lines occasionally break my heart?
Holland's chest ached. Another binding. Would he never be free?
Basically, Victoria steals your heart by writing about by Kila and kills your soul by writing about Holland.
THE FIGHT SCENES were glorious. I hope I don't come across as strange when I fangirl about fight scenes in every other review, but these were truly epic. I think Victoria secretly moonlights as a cage fighter and choreographs everything with a wicked grin on her face. She put those scenes in book 1 to shame. And since there's literally a magic tournament based on combat taking place, the magic fight scenes flowed like liquor into Alucard's glass. 11/10.
THE PLOT was utterly amazing. I was addicted from beginning to end, never once bored or lacking in attention. I can't even coherently think about it yet but let's just say it wildly messed me up.
I could go on for about 10 pages, but in conclusion, this was better than Deathly Hallows. And I take Harry Potter very seriously, so I'm not saying that in a hyperbolic way. I already checked out A Conjuring of Light while picking up this one, meaning that I for once exercised good judgement, because, well, HOLY CLIFFHANGER. Why am I even wasting time writing this review when I could be getting back to shrieking every time I read a sentence written by Victoria Schwab ;)...more
20gayteen has been beautiful, but can we talk about 20Schwabteen? Returning to Red London for a new adventure WATERED my CROPS and I am THRIVING out h20gayteen has been beautiful, but can we talk about 20Schwabteen? Returning to Red London for a new adventure WATERED my CROPS and I am THRIVING out here.
As you all know, Shades of Magic is my main personality trait lately, god bless. It's so exciting to have something new to consume instead of fixating on the same 3 books over and over again. (NOT that there's anything wrong with that, okay?)
Honestly, I was initially disappointed that Victoria Schwab created a new 2018 Shades of Magic series—and then dedicated it to Maxim Maresh, of all characters. See, I was a proud Maxim hater in my A Gathering of Shadows days. He made my beloved <3 Kell <3 feel bad, which is inexcusable. Ugh.
I was like… “yeah… steel prince…” waives hands halfheartedly JUST WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE MAXIM?
But what do ya know pals, he wasn’t always a paranoid hardass dad! He used to be the WILD bitch who gets up to adventure. Reading about Maxim’s past felt like looking at my parents’ childhood photographs and realizing that they had entire LIVES I don’t know about. Wow.
And this beginning of his adventures is entertaining. Rebellious Maxim gets thrown out of London and into Verose, a sketchy port city where he has to battle dark magic and the like. I hope he spends 3 issues making enemies and getting into fights. I am perfectly normal.
We got the excellent Schwab Foreshadowing, of course. This prequel already gives Maxim’s reactions to events in Shades of Magic a whole new perspective, and I know that this will go further in the next issues. Since spacing out while doing mundane things in order to mentally analyze Schwab books is my trusted solution to boredom, it’s AWESOME to have a whole new lens for ADSOM!
But… uh… I rated it 3 stars, so let’s get to that. First of all, as of now, I'm not actually that invested in the story, because 1) this first issue was really just an introduction that hasn't established the conflict yet; 2) it’s a prequel set 20 years before things are going fine in this world. So I’m not worried about Maxim’s safety, and if there’s a future threat of the entire world burning, I won’t care about that either.
Second of all, graphic novels aren't my thing. I’ve never read a whole one because they disorient and confuse me so much. But I'm definitely in the minority with that. So I genuinely think that this is a you-not-me issue. If you like graphic novels, yay, I have faith in you loving The Steel Prince.
In conclusion— 1. shame on me for being un-hyped about a Maxim prequel 2. it was pretty fun 3. too bad it’s a graphic novel 4. but I really want the next issues please?!...more
I'm saving myself the trouble of reading this whole 368-page anthology by 5-starring it for the Schwab alone. "Death Knell", by Victoria Schwab, is a I'm saving myself the trouble of reading this whole 368-page anthology by 5-starring it for the Schwab alone. "Death Knell", by Victoria Schwab, is a story about Death waking up at the bottom of a well and going around doing Deathly things. Spooky and good, rlly good....more
Plenty of humans were monstrous, and plenty of monsters knew how to play at being human.
Vicious is wildly strange from start to finish and messed
Plenty of humans were monstrous, and plenty of monsters knew how to play at being human.
Vicious is wildly strange from start to finish and messed me up in a major way, aka typical Schwab, aka perfect. 4.5 stars <3
In this book, Eli and Victor, a promising pair of 22-year-old students, speculate about a senior thesis on the role of adrenaline in near-death events on the formation of EO (extraordinary) powers. Except instead of getting an A, they bring on the apocalypse. Victor accidentally kills Eli's girlfriend during an experiment and goes to jail for this, as people convicted of murder must, but, you know, pfft. 10 years later, he breaks out of jail. With the help of Mitch, his cellmate hacker, and Sydney, a 12-year-old resurrectionist, he sets out to get revenge.
my reasons for living, aka the epic cast of characters:
Victor Vale: sociopath who has thoroughly convinced me that going around fucking shit up is the only way to live. As far as escaped convicts who can inflict pain on people with a flick of the wrist go, he's pretty iconic. His role in the story is the morally corrupt villain and he knows it. Surprisingly, it's Victor, not Eli, towards whom we feel sympathy. (And not that I'm overly obsessed, but I'd take cold showers for the rest of my life for him to meet Kaz Brekker in a sketchy bar at midnight.)
Eli Ever: just here to be whined about, my dude, because he's a sanctimonious bitch who goes around mass murdering and genuinely believes he's doing the right thing:
He did quite like the moment after [killing]. The glorious quiet that filled the air as his broken bones healed and his torn skin closed, and he knew that God approved.
Sydney Clarke: a legend, a 12 year old who raises the dead like a boss. There's Team Victor and Team Eli, and then there's Team Sydney, to which I obviously belong. A girl who twice resurrects her pet dog and makes grown men fear her? Yes please and thank you.
Mitch: my son, or at least I wish he is. A hacker who, due to misunderstandings, is thrown into jail, where he meets Victor as his cellmate. I love the contrast between his and Victor's priorities upon breaking out of jail:
Chocolate milk. It was all Mitch wanted to drink now that he was out, since they didn't have any at Wrighton. Victor had quirked a brow, but let the man have his whims. Prison left a hunger in you, a craving. The exact nature of the want depended on the person.
Victor wanted something too.
He wanted to watch Eli bleed.
I never really understood what in the everloving hell was going on, which somehow worked perfectly. I loved how especially during the climax, the characters were 5 steps ahead of me at every twist in their race to ruin each other's lives. And that ending... well, God save us all.
Oh, and since nothing makes me feel more edgy than reading gravedigging scenes–three of which take place in Vicious–consider me satisfied....more
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