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kitkat13's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
3.5
caylieratzlaff's review
3.0
I really wasn't sure what to expect. I read the synopsis and saw the cover and was like YES. Honestly, this is pretty unique in the YA fantasy genre, and I'm all for it. The singing as magic with different mage classes was a nice refresh to the typical magic systems. I also 10/10 appreciate the W/W sapphic pairing in it. That's not often in YA.
I only could give it 3 stars though. The overall plot was crafted fine, but it needed more solid world building to truly be a ~ good ~ fantasy novel.
I only could give it 3 stars though. The overall plot was crafted fine, but it needed more solid world building to truly be a ~ good ~ fantasy novel.
kmoore98's review
adventurous
dark
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I just wish there were more world building. I think this would have gone much better if the events were spread between two books and were more fleshed out. I thought the concept and the idea of mages were really interesting in this book and I wanted to be able to learn more about them and that just was not there for me.
daisysbookmusings's review
5.0
THE ONLY BOOK ABOUT ROYALS I HAVE EVER LIKED...
I LOVE
I LOVE
I LOVE
I LOVE
ALL OF IT,
CHARACTERS,
EVERYTHING.
READ IT.
I LOVE
I LOVE
I LOVE
I LOVE
ALL OF IT,
CHARACTERS,
EVERYTHING.
READ IT.
boo1's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.5
gbeangold's review
3.0
Hmm, I liked this book but I wish it had more. The concept was really cool and I really liked Cadence’s character, but I really wish there was more world-building because I was super interested in the magic system and hierarchy and all that, but it wasn’t a main point of the book. If there was more development of the world I think it would’ve been a lot more to my liking. Also, I kind of wish we got to see more of Cadence and Remi’s relationship, I feel like I got robbed. But overall I enjoyed Ruinsong!
booksandladders's review
4.0
See this review and more on Books and Ladders!
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book, but read it as a finished audiobook, and chose to review it. This in no way impacts my opinion.
Content Warning: mentions of cancer, animal death (the death itself is not on page but the scene of the main character discovering the animal is very graphic), blood, torture, vomiting.
I've never seen Phantom of the Opera, so I have no idea how close to a retelling Ruinsong is, but oh my, it is SO good! While there are VERY triggering aspects of animal and pet deaths, as well as not being super nice to animals in general, I did quite enjoy the entire experience of reading (I just kept my cat super close - she was a little annoyed).
I loved this magic system, and how it was used for plot and character development. I definitely wanted a hundred more magical showdowns and it would be AMAZING to see as a Netflix show (please).
I always love Julia Ember's books for the inclusion of fat characters who are unapologetically fat. I thought Remi was a great character, a perfect counterpart to Cadence, and overall I loved reading about their relationship. Both girls were so strong and independent, but knew how to rely on others and ask for help when necessary. I loved watching them fall in love and I always love the "childhood friends to lovers" trope, which I thought was really well done here.
I would have liked a bit better pacing, and listening as an audiobook made it a little difficult because there was one narrator for two perspectives, but this is such a good build of suspense, magic, and fantasy that it is definitely worth the read.
If you can handle animal death and torture, please pick this up!
Like my reviews? Buy me a Ko-Fi!
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book, but read it as a finished audiobook, and chose to review it. This in no way impacts my opinion.
Content Warning: mentions of cancer, animal death (the death itself is not on page but the scene of the main character discovering the animal is very graphic), blood, torture, vomiting.
I've never seen Phantom of the Opera, so I have no idea how close to a retelling Ruinsong is, but oh my, it is SO good! While there are VERY triggering aspects of animal and pet deaths, as well as not being super nice to animals in general, I did quite enjoy the entire experience of reading (I just kept my cat super close - she was a little annoyed).
I loved this magic system, and how it was used for plot and character development. I definitely wanted a hundred more magical showdowns and it would be AMAZING to see as a Netflix show (please).
I always love Julia Ember's books for the inclusion of fat characters who are unapologetically fat. I thought Remi was a great character, a perfect counterpart to Cadence, and overall I loved reading about their relationship. Both girls were so strong and independent, but knew how to rely on others and ask for help when necessary. I loved watching them fall in love and I always love the "childhood friends to lovers" trope, which I thought was really well done here.
I would have liked a bit better pacing, and listening as an audiobook made it a little difficult because there was one narrator for two perspectives, but this is such a good build of suspense, magic, and fantasy that it is definitely worth the read.
If you can handle animal death and torture, please pick this up!
Like my reviews? Buy me a Ko-Fi!
persnickety_9's review
4.0
3.5 stars, so I’ve rounded it up to 4 because I enjoyed this book a lot. I love how character-driven this story is, and I adore Cadence and Remi. I wish the world had been built a little more, and I think the ending was a bit rushed, but I still enjoyed this book immensely. I mean, I read 240 pages in one day and would’ve stayed up all night reading if my mom wasn’t here. Hopeful for a sequel!
thindbooks's review
3.0
*This e-arc was given to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*
I liked this book. It's about a powerful mage, Candence, who is forced to torture her kingdom by the queen until she meets her childhood friend and they try to find a way for Candence to defeat the queen. I thought the book was basic and wish there was more to the story. There was little information about the world and I wish the author did well with the world-building. I did enjoy the story but wish there was more to it. The pacing went well in the beginning but got rushed at the end.
I enjoyed the characters in this book both Candence and Kemi. I love how the author wrote the book in both of their povs and I felt connected to these characters. Though I felt that the antagonist was a little weak but I did enjoy the queen. I thought the romance in this book was cute but I wanted more of it.
This was an enjoyable read but I was expecting more. I think this is a perfect short read if someone feels like reading something that doesn't have a complex world. This is perfect for those who love LGBTQ+ with fantasy.
Blog Tour coming on Thindbooks Blog (www.thindbooks.blogspot.com) on the week of the release date.
I liked this book. It's about a powerful mage, Candence, who is forced to torture her kingdom by the queen until she meets her childhood friend and they try to find a way for Candence to defeat the queen. I thought the book was basic and wish there was more to the story. There was little information about the world and I wish the author did well with the world-building. I did enjoy the story but wish there was more to it. The pacing went well in the beginning but got rushed at the end.
I enjoyed the characters in this book both Candence and Kemi. I love how the author wrote the book in both of their povs and I felt connected to these characters. Though I felt that the antagonist was a little weak but I did enjoy the queen. I thought the romance in this book was cute but I wanted more of it.
This was an enjoyable read but I was expecting more. I think this is a perfect short read if someone feels like reading something that doesn't have a complex world. This is perfect for those who love LGBTQ+ with fantasy.
Blog Tour coming on Thindbooks Blog (www.thindbooks.blogspot.com) on the week of the release date.
chillvamp's review
2.0
This book had a lot of potential but unfortunately I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. The pacing is just horrendous. Part of it is possibly me being a story structure nerd, but it really felt like there was no tension and the important moments had very little impact.
The problem I think lies in that Cadence's choice (whether to rebel or not) is dragged out throughout the whole book and only really resolved at the very end. The choice whether to act or not is interesting as character conflict for about a third of the book, but it can't sustain a whole novel. It has to be forced sooner, otherwise it just feels like this: like the choice was isolated and didn't really change who she is as a character, and it's boring to read about characters that don't change. Remi has a similar problem.
It's just very static and that's sad, because I do like the setting, but it just felt like a succession of catalysts thrown at Cadence (this bad thing happens! then this bad thing happens! then this other bad thing!) but at a certain point it's difficult to care because it seems no matter what happens she won't act.
Since it was marketed as Phantom of the Opera-ish, I had expected that the stakes would be much higher, that Cadence would be expelled (could have introduced the factoid about Expelled mages rediscovering their power through the main character!) and maybe then return for the ball (how cool would it be to have a silent singer sneaking back into the ball hidden by a mask!) but unfortunately the author seemed afraid to truly push her characters to breaking point. Nothing wrong with a softer tale, it just seemed to want to be very dark at times and at others it lost its nerve. I almost didn't finish it, but well, I will do anything for lesbian romance books, as it turns out.
The problem I think lies in that Cadence's choice (whether to rebel or not) is dragged out throughout the whole book and only really resolved at the very end. The choice whether to act or not is interesting as character conflict for about a third of the book, but it can't sustain a whole novel. It has to be forced sooner, otherwise it just feels like this: like the choice was isolated and didn't really change who she is as a character, and it's boring to read about characters that don't change. Remi has a similar problem.
It's just very static and that's sad, because I do like the setting, but it just felt like a succession of catalysts thrown at Cadence (this bad thing happens! then this bad thing happens! then this other bad thing!) but at a certain point it's difficult to care because it seems no matter what happens she won't act.
Since it was marketed as Phantom of the Opera-ish, I had expected that the stakes would be much higher, that Cadence would be expelled (could have introduced the factoid about Expelled mages rediscovering their power through the main character!) and maybe then return for the ball (how cool would it be to have a silent singer sneaking back into the ball hidden by a mask!) but unfortunately the author seemed afraid to truly push her characters to breaking point. Nothing wrong with a softer tale, it just seemed to want to be very dark at times and at others it lost its nerve. I almost didn't finish it, but well, I will do anything for lesbian romance books, as it turns out.