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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
I love spending time in this world. This is the sequel to Bloodleaf, and the story picks up after a bit of time has lapsed. At first, I really didn’t care for being dumped into the story with all these changes and no explanation of how we got to this place. But as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that it was necessary to the story.
It’s so difficult to give this one a proper review without giving anything away. Our characters go through immense periods of growth and change and so many new developments come about. New characters are introduced and some characters leave us (though this isn’t surprising, since the first book was a blood bath).
It was so hard to leave this world at the conclusion of this book. It took me days to even look at another book. The good news is that we will get to return to this world once more and there is sooo much set up for the third book that I can’t wait to see what happens!
Thank you to the publisher for the advance copy for review!
It’s so difficult to give this one a proper review without giving anything away. Our characters go through immense periods of growth and change and so many new developments come about. New characters are introduced and some characters leave us (though this isn’t surprising, since the first book was a blood bath).
It was so hard to leave this world at the conclusion of this book. It took me days to even look at another book. The good news is that we will get to return to this world once more and there is sooo much set up for the third book that I can’t wait to see what happens!
Thank you to the publisher for the advance copy for review!
3.5/5 rounded down
I enjoyed this story much more than the first. I still didn't LOVE it which is what kept me from giving this 4 stars. The story still is a little nonsensical and the characters have terrible decision making skills BUT the plot felt much more thought-out than book 1, we had some interesting turns as the story progressed and I was pleasantly surprised. I would probably read book #3 eventually but I'm in no rush.
I enjoyed this story much more than the first. I still didn't LOVE it which is what kept me from giving this 4 stars. The story still is a little nonsensical and the characters have terrible decision making skills BUT the plot felt much more thought-out than book 1, we had some interesting turns as the story progressed and I was pleasantly surprised. I would probably read book #3 eventually but I'm in no rush.
For a slightly more comprehensible review (with gifs!) you can check out my ridiculous tumblr here. Otherwise, my feelings can be pretty much summed up as:
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Holy crap, you guys. It's good. It's really good. Don't let the synopsis throw you. It's so good. Aaaaggh, don't mind me, I'll be over here, working on my time machine to skip forward through time so I won't have to wait for book 3.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Holy crap, you guys. It's good. It's really good. Don't let the synopsis throw you. It's so good. Aaaaggh, don't mind me, I'll be over here, working on my time machine to skip forward through time so I won't have to wait for book 3.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.5 stars. Well that ending was something. The author really nails her endings. Afterwards, I started to see all the little stuff sprinkled throughout Greythorne. I really like the concept of the book, I can't wait to read Ebonwilde.
In this sequel to <i>Bloodleaf</i> we get to see the aftermath of Bloodleaf and explore feral magic. There are many a twists and turns in the book. We get to see glimpses of other characters' POVS. The worldbuilding is continues to enchant me with it's fairytale like narrative. Aurelia seems to get more character development though she's still pretty reckless.
Some elements I thought that could be better were the way information was delivered (like maybe not revealing certain things too soon). While the ending provided plenty of twists and turns, there were times at the beginning where it seemed predictable.
One thing I'm wondering about is how monarchy and other forms of government will be explores in the next book since monarchies tend to be an overused concept in fantasy without exploring other options well.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading the book and the trilogy might be somewhere in my new recent favourites.
In this sequel to <i>Bloodleaf</i> we get to see the aftermath of Bloodleaf and explore feral magic. There are many a twists and turns in the book. We get to see glimpses of other characters' POVS. The worldbuilding is continues to enchant me with it's fairytale like narrative. Aurelia seems to get more character development though she's still pretty reckless.
Some elements I thought that could be better were the way information was delivered (like maybe not revealing certain things too soon). While the ending provided plenty of twists and turns, there were times at the beginning where it seemed predictable.
One thing I'm wondering about is how monarchy and other forms of government will be explores in the next book since monarchies tend to be an overused concept in fantasy without exploring other options well.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading the book and the trilogy might be somewhere in my new recent favourites.
I've read Crystal Smith's debut Bloodleaf and thought it was a politically intriguing fairytale retelling. There were some really cool concepts and I thought Aurelia's emotional headspace was explored quite well. The sophmore effort Greythorne, continues to explore Aurelia's character and her internal conflict through a more expansive scope.
I would say that the characterisation is the biggest improvement from the debut. While Bloodlead focused mostly on Aurelia's narrative, Greythorne managed to accomplish character studies in other support characters as well - particularly Onal and Aurelia's brother. This was done by illustrating Aurelia's dreams and visions stretching generations back. I also thought Aurelia's familial love with his brother was pretty heartwarming and served as a relief to the tense moments in the novel.
I also likd Crystal Smith's writing style. I found both of her books quite effortless of plough through even with the political intrigue. I applaud her ability to keep the language straightforward and emotionally relatable. Even if the prose isn't fancy, I think the relatively quick pacing worked quite well here redeeming it a page-turning material.
While the characterisation improved amongst most of the characters, I still have concerns with the portrayal of the antagonists. I thought more fleshing out are required as right now they're easily the least likeable personnels in the novel. I often find myself wanting to skip past their narratives in favour of the chapters narrated by Aurelia. Another minor issue is the worldbuilding details. I thought the worldbuilding was quite good (without being convoluting) in Bloodleaf but I think a few more details in this historical Europe-inspired world would be useful in Greythorne as I sometimes found the transition between present and the dream scenes a little blurry.
Apart from these minor issues, I found Greythorne a pretty satisfying sequel and sophmore effort of the Bloodleaf series. Given the cliffhanger, I would be interested in finding out how everything wraps up in the next book!
N.B. This novel contains following content warnings: death, weapons, blood, and abuse
(3.5 stars out of 5)
I would say that the characterisation is the biggest improvement from the debut. While Bloodlead focused mostly on Aurelia's narrative, Greythorne managed to accomplish character studies in other support characters as well - particularly Onal and Aurelia's brother. This was done by illustrating Aurelia's dreams and visions stretching generations back. I also thought Aurelia's familial love with his brother was pretty heartwarming and served as a relief to the tense moments in the novel.
I also likd Crystal Smith's writing style. I found both of her books quite effortless of plough through even with the political intrigue. I applaud her ability to keep the language straightforward and emotionally relatable. Even if the prose isn't fancy, I think the relatively quick pacing worked quite well here redeeming it a page-turning material.
While the characterisation improved amongst most of the characters, I still have concerns with the portrayal of the antagonists. I thought more fleshing out are required as right now they're easily the least likeable personnels in the novel. I often find myself wanting to skip past their narratives in favour of the chapters narrated by Aurelia. Another minor issue is the worldbuilding details. I thought the worldbuilding was quite good (without being convoluting) in Bloodleaf but I think a few more details in this historical Europe-inspired world would be useful in Greythorne as I sometimes found the transition between present and the dream scenes a little blurry.
Apart from these minor issues, I found Greythorne a pretty satisfying sequel and sophmore effort of the Bloodleaf series. Given the cliffhanger, I would be interested in finding out how everything wraps up in the next book!
N.B. This novel contains following content warnings: death, weapons, blood, and abuse
(3.5 stars out of 5)
I was lucky enough to to get an early copy of Greythorne and I loved it. I loved being back in the world. I love that Aurelia finally started practicing her magic. I loved that we got to know Onal better. That ending?! I can’t believe I have to wait until JUNE to find out what happens in Ebonwilde
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I can't wait for book three of this series! This fanciful world of Smith's is one I want to inhabit. Her plot lines are original and intriguing. They seamlessly transitioned from being mysterious to alluring. Aurelia and Zan's relationship is swoonworthy and it's kinda cool how their magic is connected. No spoilers, but I think fans of this series will delight in the epicness of "Greythorne."
Everything about this book entranced me. The book's cover is gorgeous and so detailed, the plot is complex, the characters go through amazing development and the ending is a SO EXCITING! It leaves some questions unanswered, but not too many. I appreciated how Smith tried to wrap some plot up, but not to the extent that the next book will be predictable. Every chapter is carefully organized to link to each other, which is appreciated by a perfectionist reader like myself. If I had to choose only five words to describe this book they'd be: mages experience epic, worldbending love.
Everything about this book entranced me. The book's cover is gorgeous and so detailed, the plot is complex, the characters go through amazing development and the ending is a SO EXCITING! It leaves some questions unanswered, but not too many. I appreciated how Smith tried to wrap some plot up, but not to the extent that the next book will be predictable. Every chapter is carefully organized to link to each other, which is appreciated by a perfectionist reader like myself. If I had to choose only five words to describe this book they'd be: mages experience epic, worldbending love.
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This one was a bit better than the first book. I will admit, I still don't really get Aurelia and Zan's romance and it feels underdeveloped. The Warden of the Woods storyline was interesting and the expansion of magic was probably my favorite part of the book. If you need a quick and easy read, this is probably a good series for you.