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retrogirlreads's review
5.0
I don’t know where to begin with this book…. But I’m going to try, because it was so freaking good! “Songs of the Wicked” is a dark retelling of the fairytale The Little Mermaid, and I loved every second of this dark and gritty story. Lark, the heroine, was extremely likable, and I loved that she was brave, fierce, and strong. The other characters in this story were intriguing as well, and even though most of them were side characters, I felt like they were all really well developed. The ending made me want to throw my kindle at the wall, but that just means I’m excited for more!!! 5 freaking stars!!!
jade4696's review
4.0
Little mermaid retelling with ghostly reapers, count me in!
Really enjoyed this!
Really enjoyed this!
thejuliabee's review
DNF @35%
Not because the book was bad! The book is actually so freaking good. However, there is a lot going on with the characters and the plot and I cannot seem to focus on it enough right now.
Going to pick this back up when I have more time available.
Not because the book was bad! The book is actually so freaking good. However, there is a lot going on with the characters and the plot and I cannot seem to focus on it enough right now.
Going to pick this back up when I have more time available.
nat2695's review
5.0
What a beautiful story. The author created a world full of characters with such depth. It was a good reminder of the simple things we take for granted in life. This will be a memorable read for me and I cannot wait for the next!
annaguerrini1's review
3.0
I am truly sorry but I’m dnfing this book. Not that it was bad at all, the writing was clear and had good vocabulary, the characters seemed interesting and the plot sounded different and engaging… however I didn’t find myself engaged in anything. And I’m tired of pushing myself to finish a book that is not making me find the time spent reading it enjoyable
thebookscript's review
4.0
For an almost 700 page book this one was quite the commitment BUT with the writing style, unique world building and concept it made accomplishing it fairly easy!
This is a little mermaid reimagining…but instead of mermaids…made it ghostly reapers who are tasked with collecting souls at time of death.
Lark isn’t happy with her life as a reaper, she yearns for more…and to feel more human. When she meets a man while on duty, something in her decides she’s willing to fight for her humanity.
This book is full of monsters, quests, deadly heists, and dark forbidding woods. It has the found family trope and LGBTQ rep in strong side characters. The romance is SLOW burn but gives you just enough to keep hanging on.
I thought the ending was a fun surprise and I can’t wait to see where the next book takes these characters as it it has a bit of an open ending.
This is a strong indie fantasy and I’m glad it was put on my radar.
*side note: light heavy language and 1-2 open door scenes that went beyond what I enjoy but easily skippable and easy to know when they are coming.
This is a little mermaid reimagining…but instead of mermaids…made it ghostly reapers who are tasked with collecting souls at time of death.
Lark isn’t happy with her life as a reaper, she yearns for more…and to feel more human. When she meets a man while on duty, something in her decides she’s willing to fight for her humanity.
This book is full of monsters, quests, deadly heists, and dark forbidding woods. It has the found family trope and LGBTQ rep in strong side characters. The romance is SLOW burn but gives you just enough to keep hanging on.
I thought the ending was a fun surprise and I can’t wait to see where the next book takes these characters as it it has a bit of an open ending.
This is a strong indie fantasy and I’m glad it was put on my radar.
*side note: light heavy language and 1-2 open door scenes that went beyond what I enjoy but easily skippable and easy to know when they are coming.
lhall95's review
4.0
“Should anything befall him, it’s because I am already lost to the abyss”
Beautiful. That is what comes to mind when I think about this book. The imagery, the writing, the world-building, the depth of the characters, the banter, the romance, all of it was beautiful.
The found family trope was beautifully written and executed, and although the protagonist group seemed to become close far too quickly, somehow I quickly found myself not caring and rooting for them to succeed as a unit (though my mistrust of strangers and the seemingly ‘too good to be true’ aspect of it all caused me to question the groups motives for far too long…)
The romance between Gavriel and Lark was also addictive. The enemies to lovers vibe is my favourite and although their relationship didn’t last too long in an ‘enemies’ state, I lived for the banter and the frustration and the anticipation (we love a good damaged, beautiful, brooding man who is both smooth and sultry and heart-wrenchingly sweet at the same time)
The ending was a great cliffhanger, with a great mix of predictability and surprise.
I am also dying to know what Aislinn’s role will be in book two! Way to just bring her back out right at the end!
All in all, a 4.5 star read for me. Loved it ❤️
P.s. THAT DEATH!? SOBBING
Beautiful. That is what comes to mind when I think about this book. The imagery, the writing, the world-building, the depth of the characters, the banter, the romance, all of it was beautiful.
The found family trope was beautifully written and executed, and although the protagonist group seemed to become close far too quickly, somehow I quickly found myself not caring and rooting for them to succeed as a unit (though my mistrust of strangers and the seemingly ‘too good to be true’ aspect of it all caused me to question the groups motives for far too long…)
The romance between Gavriel and Lark was also addictive. The enemies to lovers vibe is my favourite and although their relationship didn’t last too long in an ‘enemies’ state, I lived for the banter and the frustration and the anticipation (we love a good damaged, beautiful, brooding man who is both smooth and sultry and heart-wrenchingly sweet at the same time)
The ending was a great cliffhanger, with a great mix of predictability and surprise.
I am also dying to know what Aislinn’s role will be in book two! Way to just bring her back out right at the end!
All in all, a 4.5 star read for me. Loved it ❤️
P.s. THAT DEATH!? SOBBING
kileyreadsindie's review
2.0
I really liked the idea behind this book and wanted to love it so badly. The first couple of chapters started off strong, and then it went steadily downhill from there for me, for a few reasons.
The pacing was odd, and in many places it just dragged for me. I found myself skimming quite often, trying to get to a part that actually captured my attention.
The romance was pretty much insta-love, even though the characters pretended it wasn't. I didn't find either of the MC's personality's interesting or human/realistic enough to get invested in their relationship and I didn't feel any spark at all between them. Very basic romantasy relationship arc as well.
The band of characters lacked depth or growth and I just found myself really not liking Lark - she's just so hyper fixated on herself and everything revolves around her, dragging everyone around her down with her.
One of the biggest turn-offs for me, though, were the grammar/wording issues - primarily, the crazy use of commas everywhere. There were commas in places there shouldn't be, commas creating run-on sentences that should be two separate sentences, commas where periods/dashes/semi-colons would be grammatically correct instead, etc. It broke the flow of my reading and I had to constantly go back and re-read to be sure I was interpreting everything correctly. It continually pulled me out of the world of the book.
Overall, I think the author's creativity for storylines and writing style (other than the commas) have a lot of promise, but the world building and character development lacked serious depth, and the pacing was quite off. I really wished I loved it, though.
The pacing was odd, and in many places it just dragged for me. I found myself skimming quite often, trying to get to a part that actually captured my attention.
The romance was pretty much insta-love, even though the characters pretended it wasn't. I didn't find either of the MC's personality's interesting or human/realistic enough to get invested in their relationship and I didn't feel any spark at all between them. Very basic romantasy relationship arc as well.
The band of characters lacked depth or growth and I just found myself really not liking Lark - she's just so hyper fixated on herself and everything revolves around her, dragging everyone around her down with her.
One of the biggest turn-offs for me, though, were the grammar/wording issues - primarily, the crazy use of commas everywhere. There were commas in places there shouldn't be, commas creating run-on sentences that should be two separate sentences, commas where periods/dashes/semi-colons would be grammatically correct instead, etc. It broke the flow of my reading and I had to constantly go back and re-read to be sure I was interpreting everything correctly. It continually pulled me out of the world of the book.
Overall, I think the author's creativity for storylines and writing style (other than the commas) have a lot of promise, but the world building and character development lacked serious depth, and the pacing was quite off. I really wished I loved it, though.
cloakofstars's review
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0