Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved this duology so much, and Christine Lynn Herman is now an autoread author for me!
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
In this epic conclusion to The Devouring Gray, Justin and May Hawthorne, Violet Saunders, Isaac Sullivan and Harper Carlise have to put all their differences aside to team together to figure out what is happening to their town Four Paths as corruption from The Gray begins to seep from the forest and into the town; affecting the ordinary people.
This was a great sequel to The Devouring Gray, and I loved being back in Four Paths and reunited with the five teenage protagonists. A lot of the teenage drama that was present in the first book isn't quite there in the second as literal life or death moments become more important to worry about. But that doesn't mean we don't get some delicious teen angst and crushes in all the best ways.
I really liked getting a lot more into the minds of May and Isaac in this book as I felt The Devouring Gray mostly focused on Violet, Harper and Justin. May was always an interesting character, as she was always on the outside of the older four and I enjoyed learning more about her and relationship with her brother and her parents. Isaac, I just love, as he is the type of tortured male protagonist that always makes me feel weak - he's dark and sensitive yet gruff and protective and I just loved him, and there were a lot of times in this book I wanted to give him a big hug!
The last few chapters in this book were really good, and gripping and the pace of the action was done really well. There were some fantastically described scenes (Isaac with his destructive power consuming him like fire, Violet and her swarm of trees - plus Orpheus - and Harper and her stone animals).
The epilogue was nice and basic in a way that after such a trippy, wild version of events it had to be but the last bit with May left enough intrigue to really imagine what would be next for everyone.
This was a great sequel to The Devouring Gray, and I loved being back in Four Paths and reunited with the five teenage protagonists. A lot of the teenage drama that was present in the first book isn't quite there in the second as literal life or death moments become more important to worry about. But that doesn't mean we don't get some delicious teen angst and crushes in all the best ways.
I really liked getting a lot more into the minds of May and Isaac in this book as I felt The Devouring Gray mostly focused on Violet, Harper and Justin. May was always an interesting character, as she was always on the outside of the older four and I enjoyed learning more about her and relationship with her brother and her parents. Isaac, I just love, as he is the type of tortured male protagonist that always makes me feel weak - he's dark and sensitive yet gruff and protective and I just loved him, and there were a lot of times in this book I wanted to give him a big hug!
The last few chapters in this book were really good, and gripping and the pace of the action was done really well. There were some fantastically described scenes (Isaac with his destructive power consuming him like fire, Violet and her swarm of trees - plus Orpheus - and Harper and her stone animals).
The epilogue was nice and basic in a way that after such a trippy, wild version of events it had to be but the last bit with May left enough intrigue to really imagine what would be next for everyone.
Content Warnings
Minor: Body horror
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What a fantastic ride it was!!! Review is coming very soon but one thing I really need to say: my heart will always be in Four Paths and its weird forests. I will always look at Violet and see a bit of myself and at Isaac that made me understand that it's okay to be hurt and sad but it's also okay to show my scars with pride and move on.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was such a fun conclusion to the first book The Devouring Gray! I love the writing, which was kind of dramatic, but in a good way. The atmosphere was very good and I loved the forest setting just as much as in the first one. What really shone for me though was the characters and what the author did with them. My favorites were Violet and Isaac, with Harper and even May following close behind. The only character I didn't really care about was Justin... he just didn't do it for me for some reason. I loved the romance between Violet and Isaac. It was a nice slow burn. And I absolutely loved the ending between Harper and Justin. Not everyone was paired off romantically at the end and I thought that was great! Harper and Justin loving each other, but ultimately having her go off for herself was so realistic and bittersweet and I loved it. Even May was with her "love" at the end, which just happened to be a forest.
I think this series was so fun and could be considered like a horror/thriller. It would be great as a TV show or movie on Netflix that is actually 8 episodes long. So good and a series that I will enjoy rereading.
CAWPILE Score: 9.14 = 5 stars
Characters: 9
Atmosphere: 9
Writing: 10
Plot: 9
Intrigue: 9
Logic: 9
Enjoyment: 9
I think this series was so fun and could be considered like a horror/thriller. It would be great as a TV show or movie on Netflix that is actually 8 episodes long. So good and a series that I will enjoy rereading.
CAWPILE Score: 9.14 = 5 stars
Characters: 9
Atmosphere: 9
Writing: 10
Plot: 9
Intrigue: 9
Logic: 9
Enjoyment: 9
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
I liked but didn't love Deck of Omens. I was a fan of The Devouring Gray for its atmospheric prose, interesting characters, and twisty plot. The followup was still fairly atmospheric and added in some creepy elements, but it felt like everything was getting a little too neatly and quickly tied up. Which, for me, made the characters feel a little flat and the plot a tad predictable. There were some cool moments, and opportunities for characters to talk through important issues. There's nothing really wrong with it, I just was hoping for more. We do get some good representation of and discussion surrounding bisexual identity, so that's appreciated. I will probably read more from this author in the future since I think she does creepy atmosphere and interesting ideas well.
I liked but didn't love Deck of Omens. I was a fan of The Devouring Gray for its atmospheric prose, interesting characters, and twisty plot. The followup was still fairly atmospheric and added in some creepy elements, but it felt like everything was getting a little too neatly and quickly tied up. Which, for me, made the characters feel a little flat and the plot a tad predictable. There were some cool moments, and opportunities for characters to talk through important issues. There's nothing really wrong with it, I just was hoping for more. We do get some good representation of and discussion surrounding bisexual identity, so that's appreciated. I will probably read more from this author in the future since I think she does creepy atmosphere and interesting ideas well.