Ohhh I really enjoyed this! This is super nice, what a tight little graphic novel. This comic has been getting a lot of attention on my twitter timeliOhhh I really enjoyed this! This is super nice, what a tight little graphic novel. This comic has been getting a lot of attention on my twitter timeline lately, and I was interested because I uhhh, love sport romances.
Fence is a sport graphic novel series about a boy called Nicholas who is beaten 15-0 in a fencing tournament by renowned champion Seiji and now he wants revenge. I believee it may also be an m/m enemies to lovers romance later down the track.
The art is nice, I love the look of it all and I think the way the characters are drawn is really cute. Also ummm no offence but every person in this is a beautiful person every single boy is so pretty. But I do have one art issue and that is that the characters don't always look consistently drawn? Like honestly
Seiji here, [image]
and here [image]
doesn't look anything like Seiji here [image]
and for me, thats confusing.
But anyway, this was still really cool! Kinda reminds me of The Foxhole Court but with less dramatic shit and more serious sporting. The characters weren't given much depth this issue so I'm hoping for more in the upcoming ones. I definitely am liking how the series is looking to be set up. It's a series I plan on continuing
Merged review:
Ohhh I really enjoyed this! This is super nice, what a tight little graphic novel. This comic has been getting a lot of attention on my twitter timeline lately, and I was interested because I uhhh, love sport romances.
Fence is a sport graphic novel series about a boy called Nicholas who is beaten 15-0 in a fencing tournament by renowned champion Seiji and now he wants revenge. I believee it may also be an m/m enemies to lovers romance later down the track.
The art is nice, I love the look of it all and I think the way the characters are drawn is really cute. Also ummm no offence but every person in this is a beautiful person every single boy is so pretty. But I do have one art issue and that is that the characters don't always look consistently drawn? Like honestly
Seiji here, [image]
and here [image]
doesn't look anything like Seiji here [image]
and for me, thats confusing.
But anyway, this was still really cool! Kinda reminds me of The Foxhole Court but with less dramatic shit and more serious sporting. The characters weren't given much depth this issue so I'm hoping for more in the upcoming ones. I definitely am liking how the series is looking to be set up. It's a series I plan on continuing...more
Unsure how to rate this. It's a sprawling, detailed crime novel where the large characters weave in and out of the story, creating a sort of fragmenteUnsure how to rate this. It's a sprawling, detailed crime novel where the large characters weave in and out of the story, creating a sort of fragmented mosaic of the crime. Some parts were more entertaining than others. Glad I finished it, enjoyed it overall, not sure if I will read the second one. ...more
Romances can be a bit hit or miss for me but I really liked this one !! Aside from a few moments in the sex scenes that made me cringe (view spoiler)[Romances can be a bit hit or miss for me but I really liked this one !! Aside from a few moments in the sex scenes that made me cringe (view spoiler)[(do yall find the word c*nt sexy I do not LMFAO) (hide spoiler)] this was excellent! I loved Chloe Brown as a character, and her relationship with her sisters was so much fun. The main romance worked well and although some of the final scenes irked me, the lead up weighed it out for me to round it to a solid four stars.
Definitely looking forward to Take a Hint, Dani Brown. Talia Hibbert has such an electric way of writing characters and dialogue that I cannot get enough of. ...more
“There is no satisfaction in vengeance unless the offender has time to realize who it is that strikes him, and why retribution has come upon him.”
“There is no satisfaction in vengeance unless the offender has time to realize who it is that strikes him, and why retribution has come upon him.”
This is my second Sherlock Holmes story having started with The Hound of the Baskervilles for a class last year. I've always meant to read all the stories because I love the character and have watched so many different versions and adaptations of these stories.
It's a solid beginning to the story, especially in introducing our main characters and showing the idiosyncrasies of the main characters. The first part was great, the second part went into a spiel about Mormons which, while probably interesting to people in Victorian England who knew little about them, wasn't interesting to me. I also think this didn't have as much to chew on thematically as the other story I read.
Also, I know it's a classic and blah blah but oof, the slurs.
and they were CELLMATES (oh my god they were cellmates)
“It’s a midnight lie... a kind of lie told for someone else’s sake, a lie that sits between
and they were CELLMATES (oh my god they were cellmates)
“It’s a midnight lie... a kind of lie told for someone else’s sake, a lie that sits between goodness and wrong, just as midnight is the moment between night and morning.”
So a lot of people hyped this one up for me. I don't know if I didn't like it more because audiobook/reading slump/wasn't my thing idk but I didn't love it as much as I hoped? that said I did still like it. I LOVED Sid, and I loved Sid and Nirrim's relationship. Thematically, the exploration of compulsory heterosexuality was excellently done, in a way I've never seen before in young adult fiction. But I found the plot meandering, with not enough clear motivation or goal for the characters. The worldbuilding felt overly explained, given it lacked originality. I also didn't vibe with Marie Rutkoski's first book, The Winners Curse, so maybe it's just me and not Marie.
Overall though, still enjoyable especially for the lesbian relationship. "I can't be good to you, then be bad" took me TF OUTTT. Will probably continue the series, since I feel most the drama and plot it yet to come and this was just a large, large set up...more
“The Horn placed his hands on her shoulders, and pulled her close, and laid his cheek against hers. "Heaven help me, Shae," he whispered into her e
“The Horn placed his hands on her shoulders, and pulled her close, and laid his cheek against hers. "Heaven help me, Shae," he whispered into her ear. "I'm going to kill them all.”
Wow! After a slow / confusing start where I wasn't sure where this book was going... it gripped me and did not let go until the end. I honestly think the best word to describe this book is cool? Cool worldbuilding, politics, concept, etc. And SUCH good actions scenes. I was on the edge of my seat during some scenes waiting to see what would happen, and I don't always feel like that! Really enjoyed this in the end, will definitely continue the series. ...more
okay so the pacing was a bit off at the start but then I got SO INTO THIS. I loved the final third so much and I actually really liked the different tokay so the pacing was a bit off at the start but then I got SO INTO THIS. I loved the final third so much and I actually really liked the different timelines and character perspectives even though it shifted often. The angst was at times a little off the charts? but overall I'm still very much on board with and in love with this series and I cannot wait for the conclusion!...more
Amarah is the third book in L.L McNeil's 'World of Linaria', a high fantasy series with expansive world-building that involves, war, politics, magic, Amarah is the third book in L.L McNeil's 'World of Linaria', a high fantasy series with expansive world-building that involves, war, politics, magic, and DRAGONS.
Where book one focussed on introducing the world and characters, and book two on fleshing out those characters and the politics of the story, book three is much more action-packed and plot-driven. Saying too much about this plot of this book would spoil, given it's the third book in the series, but you can read my review of book one Moroda instead if you would like.
Because I love character-driven stories so much, I think I lean a little toward Palom as my favourite sequel in this series. However, I still really enjoyed this and flew through it. Amarah is one of my favourite characters in this series, so following her perspective was great. I also loved the heist elements in this sequel.
McNeil's writing style brings action sequences to life, and I loved how many parts of this book read like a movie playing out in my head. So many of the scenes really pack a punch, especially as we near the end of the book. I also thought many of the politics and pieces started to come together in a way that really excites me for the next books.
Another highlight for me was the politics. I love political fantasy so the focus on different relations between different groups and how this affects the characters, especially Sapora running the court as the king, was really interesting.
I think my only real criticism with this book is I felt some POVs were much stronger than others. There were certain characters, like Morgern, whose storylines did not really interest me. But honestly, every time I read a multi-POV book it's bound to happen I care for certain POVs more than others, so it's not really a big deal.
The next book focusses on Isa, and I cannot wait. She had probably my favourite arc in this book. I really enjoyed the way the politics plays out and the tension she has to navigate in her role as the King's sister. Overall, Amarah was a fast-paced, high action sequel that really delivers in spades. ...more
the specific overwhelming reader emotion where you desperately love a book and its world and its characters and you need to talk about them because ththe specific overwhelming reader emotion where you desperately love a book and its world and its characters and you need to talk about them because they're rattling around in your head and feel so real but no one else understands and can talk about it with you because no one else has read the book? me currently as only 1,500 of you goblins have read this excellent historical fantasy and I'm mad
He might be a magician by trade, but was a con man at heart.
This book definitely wasn't as flashy as it's predecessor. The Last Magician is full of shock plot twists and dramatic character moments and intense action. The Devils Thief is much quieter and drawn out - I can see why people don't like it as much (I also didn't love it quite as much) but for me, this was really still a strong second book. Why? Because it took time to actually delve into the world and characters and build a plot that didn't rely on quick plot twists and dramatic reveals. If The Last Magician is a train veering wildly off course and making turns you didn't see coming, then The Devils Thief is rattling toward disaster - you can see it coming, but you have to slowly watch the approach, and brace for impact. I think the time taken to raise and stakes and build tension, in anticipation for a third and probably explosive third book, was a good choice.
Also, this book just has a lot of angst and I love angst. Like, literally nothing goes write for these characters for 700 pages and I literally love pain so it worked for me.
“Anger and sadness and destruction and chaos was her song, and Esta was the melody she sang to. She would rip apart the world.”
The trend of me being obsessed with the couples in this series continues. Harte and Esta are ..... *clenches fist* everything. I'm sorry but you all know I love angst and slow-burn romances where like, everything is roadblocking their pursuit to Fuck and this book really HAD IT ALL. Including some small specific things in books I love - which I won't mention because of spoilers. but AAAAAHHH I was living. I love the forbidden attraction / star-crossed lovers kinds of tropes so this book was really doing it for me.
I don't really want to say too much about this book as I feel anything I get into even related to character would spoil the end of book one. But I will say - and this ties into my original point, I thought the character development was good. All the characters arcs and issues weren't resolved (But thats what the final book is for) but they all progressed a lot. I also enjoyed getting POVs from some characters who didn't appear in the first book as a POV character.
Overall, just wanna say I lOVE THIS SERIES. It reminds me of The Diviners and the magic, gangs, secret societies, magical artifacts, relationships and diverse cast + more is just SO GOOD. It has so many specific little tropes I love, I feel like this book was WRITTEN FOR ME. And I really wish more people would read this series as its SO UNDERRATED. The final book is one of my most highly anticipated releases of 2020...more
"You were going to take your shirt off? Antonio teases. "Dude, at least take me to dinner first" "Just thought I'd show you what was coming after th
"You were going to take your shirt off? Antonio teases. "Dude, at least take me to dinner first" "Just thought I'd show you what was coming after the main course" Jay replies. "Oh my Goooood, you're corrupting my sweet boy and turning him into you" Blythe whines.
The Black Veins is an inventive and exciting new release that has so many of the qualities I see people asking for in YA lit. I’ve been following Ashia on twitter for a long time and watching them write this story, post about the characters and the plot, and to finally see it all come together in THE BLACK VEINS has been really special. The culmination of all Ashia’s efforts into this book was even better than I could have ever dreamed, and I genuinely loved reading this urban fantasy, character-driven road trip book which was so much fun and filled with thoughtful, inclusive representation and loveable characters.
The Black Veins begins with Blythe Fulton, a sixteen-year-old girl who’s completely normal except for the fact she is a Guardian. The Guardian’s are some of the worlds most powerful magical users, elected by their parents as birth to be a user of one of the seven magic types – Ether, Mind, Body, Death, Nature, Animals and Time. When the Guardian’s lives are threatened by the Trident Republic, a rebel group challenging the government of The Black Veins and her parents are kidnapped from their family-owned coffee shop, Blythe sets out on a quest to unite the Guardians and rescue her parents.
The first thing that struck me about The Black Veins was the strong character focus. Monet weaves a tapestry of characters, who are all unique and interesting in their own rights. We follow seven main characters: ),
✧ Blythe – Our main character and the Guardian of Ether. She is black and bisexual. She is determined, friendly and warm, and the leader of the group.
✧ Cordelia – The second Guardian we meet, who is the Mind Guardian. She is Chinese-British. Cordelia likes nice things and can be a bit uppity, but she’s intelligent and loyal.
✧ Daniel – Nature Guardian. He’s the youngest of the group, and pretty naive and innocent due to living a very sheltered life.
✧ Antonio – Animal Guardian. Puerto Rican, queer, and the sunshine heart of the group. He has strong surfer boy energy and a gift for baking.
✧ Storm – Time Guardian. She is Black, has a mysterious past and is easily the funniest member of the group. Her lines made me laugh out loud.
✧ Caspian – Death Guardian. Trans, asexual, and literally a ghost. Adorable, loves Ramen, and not what anyone expects.
✧ Jay – Body Guardian. Black and unstoppably bisexual. Charming, charismatic, the hot bitch and a hoe but proud of it. He was my FAVOURITE AND I WOULD DIE FOR HIM.
"My friends leave me on read" "I'd never leave you on read, bro" Jay says Antonio grasps his heart. "Bro."
One thing I loved about this cast was how distinctive and unique each character felt. I thought each character was extremely fleshed out, not just in terms of giving each character a strong motivation and a character arc, but also for smaller details, like their hobbies, personalities, likes and dislikes. This made every character feel real and relatable to me, and it was easy to invest in the squad. While having this many characters could have felt crowded, Monet perfectly balances each voice and character, to give each an important role without creating a story that felt clustered and confused.
The group dynamics and banter was easily my favourite part of this book. I am a major sucker for a strong group dynamic and The Black Veins had it in SPADES. The jokes were genuinely laugh-out-loud funny, but there was also soft and tender moments between the characters that highlighted their genuine affection for eachother and I loved that. Also, no friendship and no romance – what a blessing! Monet has a great sense of timing and humour, dropping jokes that are genuinely funny in just the right places. And on top of that, each characters unique brand of humour just adds more to their characterisation.
"when chaos is constant, it starts to feel like comfort"
The reason I gave this a four-star and not a five is that for me, I felt the beginning took a bit to get going. The scenes as Blythe is travelling before meeting all the Guardians dragged a little for me, and lacked the strong character focus and fun that the second half of the book had. That said, the second half of the book easily made up for the earlier chapters and I loved the rush, fun-filled run to the end that book carried me on.
“The magic wakes at midnight. It arrives in the form of a song.”
All in all, The Black Veins is a highly enjoyable and well-crafted debut from an exciting new author. Ashia Monet has created something unique and beautiful with The Black Veins. High energy, fun, character-driven urban fantasy that values inclusion, friendship and family over all else. I promise if you read this you’ll find yourself in love with each and every one of these characters – and you’ll put down the book but won’t be able to stop thinking about them. I genuinely urge every single person who has told me they want more character-driven stories, more stories without romance, more fun in fantasy, and more group dynamics to pick up The Black Veins when it releases on July 17.
A big thankyou to Ashia for providing me with the ARC. These quotes are taken from the ARC and are subject to change on publication....more
We might be Paper Girls, easily torn and written upon. The very title we're given suggests that we are blank, waiting to be filled. But what the De
We might be Paper Girls, easily torn and written upon. The very title we're given suggests that we are blank, waiting to be filled. But what the Demon King and his court do not understand is that paper is flammable. And there is a fire catching among us.
when someone says there's a fantasy ya book coming out with a slowburn f/f romance following a girls struggle to defy the demon king and the misogynistic societal structures he embodies by undermining his system of choosing girls to be his concubines I listen.
Girls of Paper and Fire it set in a Malaysian inspired world where society is separated into three castes: Moon the upper class comprised of demons with animal characteristics. Steel Middle class, of human demon hybrids and Paper lowest class comprised of full humans.
The world Ngan sets up here was one I really enjoyed. While many elements of the story feel familiar (I got vibes Red Queen, The Hunger Games, Throne of Glass and even Daughter of Smoke and Bone vibes) a lot of it also felt unique. Ngan masterfully weaves political intrigue into the story, examining political instability and social shifts due to the Demon Kings war a hundred years ago. The political elements became the highlight for me, and I anticipate them becoming even more important as this series progresses. Court fantasies can frustrate me when the politics becomes too insular, but Ngan balanced the court politics and the wider state politics well here, and didn't get too bogged down in court drama as some court fantasies tend to. (Red Queen/ToG) On top of that, the influence of Malaysian-Chinese culture and history on the world made so many of these tropes and scenarios feel fresh and new.
However I do think the worldbuilding was not PERFECT. We don't know a whole lot about the world outside the court beside brief glimpses and the war and various factions are quickly explained in most cases. The book does hint that it will expand on these elements in the sequels though, which I'm excited for.
Pacing wise, this book did keep me intrigued due to the slow rise of tension as more and more political elements unravel. But some parts were definitely not as well paced as others. It took a bit for this book to get moving, and the main character's motivations didn't really crystallise until later in the book. Despite all that, this book did keep me compelled to read due to the emotional gravity of the situation, and the rising tension.
“I don't want an easy life. I want a meaningful one.”
As a main character, my feelings on Lei are mixed. The first part of this book is spent in her circling thoughts but she has no real aim. The lack of character motivation was jarring, and I found her actions irritating at times. That being said, I found myself really enjoying her character by the end. I love characters that do not start off as fighters but grow in strength. Characters who's power come from their emotional resilience and fortitude are some of my favourites and we definitely see that with Lei.
The other characters were also not as developed as I felt they could have been, but enjoyable nonetheless. Although the 'mean girl', Blue's arc was compelling, and Aoki's shift was interesting. I'm hoping to see more and get more development out of the side characters in the sequel.
The romance was also sweet, and while I'm still waiting for that REAL f/f slowburn this was pretty good. The underpinnings of the relationship - that it is an open defiance of the heteronormative patriarchy the girls are forced into submitting to - was an interesting element that added thematic depth to the ship.
“Fire in, fear out”
The true strength of this book for me was in it's thematic exploration. Girls of Paper and Fire explores rape, rape culture, and narratives around abuse. And I think it was explored with nuance, depth and "love" - that being, I felt it was something you could tell the author was serious and careful about exploring. The focus on defiance and rebellion in the face of enormous oppression, and the exploration of how oppressive social structures affects EVERYONE, and in various ways, was excellent here. There was also a focus on reclaiming your own body and expressing sexuality in a healthy and empowering way which I really loved.
With that said: a warning this book goes DARK at times. I even said to myself "this is awful" at one point because some of the scenes are graphic and confronting. Strong trigger warnings apply for rape and attempted rape, written on page, as well as sexual violence and assault, murder, slavery and sexual slavery and sex trafficking, grief, a graphic branding scene, torture, graphic death of an animal, forced medical exam/inspection, execution, war themes and probably more I missed. Please be aware of this, this is probably one of the darkest and most grim YA books I've read in a while.
“Her kisses heal the parts of me that the King broke. They tell me: You are strong, Lei. You are beautiful. You are mine. And, always, most important: You are yours.”
This was such a strong debut and I fell instantly in love with it. Ngan's writing is gorgeous and teleported me straight into the world of the Paper Girls and Demon Kings. There is oh so much to like here - an empowering central f/f couple, great political intrigue, a pretty much all female cast with strong potential and thematic issues which, while tough to read at times, are dealt with so powerfully and carefully.
If you're looking for a new fantasy world to fall into, more queer books, books with political intrigue, books with familiar YA tropes that put a new spin on them, or any combination of the above, this is the BOOK FOR YOU.
And now we begin the long, painful wait for book 2...more
He thought of the stories he'd heard growing up about the underworld. The tale of Orpheus, who looked behind him and lost everything. He wouldn't b
He thought of the stories he'd heard growing up about the underworld. The tale of Orpheus, who looked behind him and lost everything. He wouldn't be that. He would descend and ascend, and lose nothing but a handful of time.
reread September 2020: I love them so much your honour
I. AM. DEAD.
Friends, I have no words to describe how much I loved this book. (But also? I have too many words please scream with me??) This was such a fun historical fantasy, and I ADORED the cast. You know when you just instantly fall in love with every single character .. like you just know you would throw yourself in front of a bus for them .. yes that.
Also, THE OTP TO END ALL OTPS. I CANNOT even speak about how much I adored Laila and Severin as a ship! The angst! the drama! And that all the angst and drama seemed so real and not just annoyingly manufactured. URGH. I ADORE THEM.
This is one of my favourite books of 2019, I know it already even though it's January. I have so much to say and I just don't know how to physically use my fingers to type out the words to fully encapsulate how I feel about this book ... so I'm doing a spoiler free review then a rambly I NEED TO TALK ABOUT THIS section at the bottom (you'll know when the spoilers are coming don't worry.
ALRIGHT, HERE WE GO.
“Wolves were everywhere. In politics, on thrones, in beds. They cut their teeth on history and grew fat on war.”
The Gilded Wolves is such a high energy romp through a really intricately wrought Parisian historical-fantasy setting. The magic system and world is so fresh, and I haven't read anything much like it. (Seriously .. what is with all the Six of Crows comparisons? They're nothing alike). The world has this perfect blend of history, magic and technology which I loved. Think something like the world in Timekeeper or maybe The Diviners. Historical fantasy is quickly becoming one of my favourite genres and this book absolutely reminded me why - it is SO fun to have something magical set in a historic time period - and 1889 Paris is one I've never read from before.
Most importantly, The Gilded Wolves features such a beautiful six person ensemble cast, who immediately won me over with their charm and hilarity. I LOVE the found family trope and this book does it so well!! I also loved the established relationships - characters who are in past relationships or have known eachother for a while. For me it was really nice to jump into the middle of a group instead of going through all that "meet up/meet cute" stuff which often feels tedious to me. And as far as found families go, this one is ADORABLE. I loved all their interactions and banter, if you live for characters literally just talking to eachother and giving eachother shit you will LOVE THIS.
[image]
All in all we follow six main characters:
➵ Séverin: my SON !!! The leader of the group. He was the head of a powerful house, but his inheritance was stolen and now he wants it back. Definitely the protective father figure of the group, I liked how messy he is at times and that he definitely isn't perfect. Looking forward to where his character goes next.
➵ Laila: I ADORE HER. She was probably my favourite character. Laila is Indian and has the ability to read the history of objects. She is ADORABLE, I loved how she is the mum friend, but also she totally owns her sexuality and is super confident. My queen. That scene of her dancing, ended me. A hot bitch, please punch me in the face.
➵ Tristan: Sweetie who loves his giant spider, botanist who has the ability to grow giant gardens and is Severins best friend/adopted brother. Oooh his character is SO interesting to me (cannot get into too much without spoiling!) but my thought and expectations about him get getting all twisted up and I LOVED IT. Definitely not what you expected going in.
➵ Enrique: Spanish-Filipino historian and probably bisexual. Absolute nerd trying his best to interact with people and doing .... okay? He didn't have as much background as some of the other characters, but I loved how he interacted with the Filipino revolutionaries and I'm excited to see where his character arc goes next.
➵ Zofia: Okay full honest .. I don't know how to feel about her yet but I also feel like I could ADORE HER IN TIME. She is a Jewish-Polish girl who loves math and struggles with social interaction but also she just wants to be loved!! someone love her !! She has a rare magical gift and is overall pretty cool but I just didn't feel as attached to her as some of the others oop.
➵ Hypnos: I AM KIN WITH THIS MAN. What an angel! Hypnos is my other favourite charater alongside Laila. Recommends drinking wine when things are going wrong because "it won't help, but at least you won't remember" so in fact, extremely relatable. Loves fashion and is dramatic as hell, but also just wants a pal. I would die for him, too precious too pure. He is a French aristocrat, leader of the powerful House Nyx, he is black and gay.
“Am I pretty?” asked Enrique, plucking at his fake beard and patting his hands over his jowls, wrinkles and age spots. “Be honest.” “‘Pretty’ is a stretch. Let’s call you ‘striking.’ Or ‘impossible to look away from’.” “Oooh. Like the sun?” “I was thinking more along the lines of a train wreck.”
I am gonna be real and say this is not a perfect book. At times the worldbuilding and magic system was a little confusing for me .. but overall I loved this book and loved reading it so much I don't care. I mostly rate books based on enjoyment and sometimes you enjoy a book so much you can ignore it's little faults. That is how I felt about The Gilded Wolves. It made me fall so in love with the characters, and I had such a fun fun time reading it I just honestly don't care. What I also love about this book is I KNOW I could reread it (and soon!), and books I know I can enjoy more than once always are the ones I love most.
Quick rant: what is WITH all the soc comparisons? The only similarity is having a six person cast and heist elements both of which were ... not invented by Six of Crows?? Personally I think it does this book a disservice to compare it to Six of Crows when they're SO DIFFERENT and not even the same genre/magic system/character tropes or anything. URGH. Do better reviewers.
“When you are who they expect you to be, they never look too closely. If you’re furious, let it be fuel,” Séverin said, looking each of them in the eye. “Just don’t forget that enough power and influence makes anyone impossible to look away from. And then they can’t help but see you.”
The Gilded Wolves is such a fun book! The cast is adorable, and the ending has set up book two in such a huge way, I can barely wait. This book is solid throughout, action packed, and doesn't have a single dull moment. The character relationships, angsty ship and dramatic last 100 pages really elevated this book for me and I cannot tell you how much I TRULY adored it. I think there is something for everyone here, and I really think if you enjoy books with angsty romance, found families, heist elements, or mythology based/historical fantasy elements and setting YOU NEED TO READ THIS.
THIS IS THE END OF THE SPOILER FREE REVIEW SCROLL DOWN TO SEE MY SPOILER THOUGHTS AND READ ME SCREAM
LETS TALK ABOUT SHIP FEELINGS AND HOW IM SUFFERING
That ship ..... folks, when you know you KNOW and what I know is that if Roshani Chokshi had smashed me in the face with a spade it would have been less painful then what I just read.
OMFG I LOVE LAILA AND SEVERIN?? First of all, how nice to have a ship with actual HISTORY. Wow that is refreshing. I was so bored of the "meet cute now they need to kiss in the next three hundred pages". it's boring and kills tension. I loved their dynamic, like omg, how everytime she comes into the room Severin is SHOOK. And that scene where she's dancing?? Wow I died. AND OM THE END. We're gonna get the shares a bed trope, I'm living. I loved how mature they seemed to, like it was nice to have a couple that had had sex and it isn't this Big Dramatic Thing. (Like ok it is, but not bc they think sex is dramatic but because of all the Other Stuff happening). Urgh, their dynamic kills me I love them. Everytime they had a scene together I was screaming. ALSO ALL OF SEVERINS THOUGHTS AND JOKES ABOUT SLEEPING WITH HER ...... LORD.
Laila and Severin the angsty ship to end all others ??? Like, thanks Roshani for murdering me I love it??
OKAY THE END. I definitely think Severin has to be part of the Fallen House for sure, which is interesting. I wonder if there is gonna be like an anti-hero plot or something for him? I kinda hope not, but I feel it Could happen? And it may be interesting if it did.
Also .. Tristan. I was soo shook with the bird thing at the end. Idk how to feel about him now, I think I definitely need to reread and pay more attention to him. I am definitely interested to see what else comes about him in the next books.
FINALLY .. HYPNOS/ZOFIA/ENRIQUE? I kinda liked Hypnos and Enrique more but also I'm hoping for a polyam ship? But urgh, when Zofia saw them kissing my heart broke for her. But Hypnos is my MANS, I would really die for him so whatever makes him happy .. I'm on bored for it. And I just liked his dynamic with Enrique throughout the whole book lmao.
OKAY IF U HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO TALK ABOUT IN THE COMMENTS .... LETS GO IM READY...more
Okay, first of all I love this sports tournament set up idk sports montages and training scenes THRILL me I love sports fictioTHIS ONE WAS SOOO GOOD!!
Okay, first of all I love this sports tournament set up idk sports montages and training scenes THRILL me I love sports fiction
second of all, the art is so nice and I love the different styles that are incorporated
finally: AIDEN AND HARVARD. Aiden is my king and I love him so much and him being That Hot Bitch who's secretly in unrequited love for his best friend??? truly I am dying
“He wasn't made of flesh and bone, or starlight. He was made of darkness.”
monsters who wish they were human, and a human girl doing all she can to
“He wasn't made of flesh and bone, or starlight. He was made of darkness.”
monsters who wish they were human, and a human girl doing all she can to become a monster. Victoria Schwab always comes up with the best concepts, and This Savage Song is no exception - there's morally grey characters, deadly music, gangs, violence breeding actual physical monsters and so much more.
I never actually intended to read this book. I enjoy what V.E Schwab does and liked both Vicious and A Darker Shade of Magic, but I just had it in my head I wouldn't enjoy this book. The theming sounded uninteresting to me and I wasn't sold on some of the plot elements. This book definitely took me by surprise in terms of how much I liked it. It was full of action and I adored the worldbuilding. Honestly, worldbuilding is always my favourite aspect of Schwab's books, followed by characters.
As I said, the worldbuilding was impeccable. We're introduced to a city where violent acts create actual monsters, and a war between two rival gangs has seen the city divided between the North and the South. I loved the entire aesthetic of the setting and just the entire concept of all these monsters. Victoria Schwab is just so excellent at coming up with intriguing and palpable settings for her stories, and I just want to know more and more about them.
Although I generally like Schwab's character work, I do think it was lacking just a little bit here. While the characters are still well written, and I really liked them I feel like they weren't as complex as they could have been. Victoria Schwab always creates characters with dimensions but I think both August and Kate felt a bit predictable. Like I had seen them before.
“Not with a bang, but with a whimper. In with gunfire and out with smoke.”
One of the things I didn't like about this was that it was too repetitive. What I mean is: Schwab parrots themes and ideas she's introduced in her other books, and while that's fine, coming straight off reading Vicious this felt really repetitive. And so the whole thematic thing going on didn't really grab me.
However, what did grab me was the breakneck speed of this book. I think of all the Schwab books I've read, this one has the most well constructed plot. It was tight, and it didn't falter one bit. There was always some action occurring, and tension rising, which made this hard to put down. I have had pacing issues with Schwab before but they were nowhere to be seen here, and that is a testament to her growth as an author between this book and say, Vicious.
August found himself nodding, even though he spent most of his time afraid. Afraid of what he was, afraid of what he wasn’t, afraid of unraveling, becoming something else, becoming nothing
I definitely enjoyed this, and I want to read Our Dark Duet asap it's not my favourite of her works (I tend to enjoy her adult more?) but this was still really good. I love Victoria Schwab, I think she comes up with the most interesting and exciting premises of any author going at the moment, and her worlds and setting are always so freakin amazing. While I didn't think this was the perfect book, I still really enjoyed it, for it's excellent action, plotting and pacing. ...more
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