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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
What more do I need to say beyond that this book won The Christy Award & Book of the Year from Realmakers. The story is set a half a century after the apocalypse. This leaves us set in a time where the world-that-was has not been forgotten. After the apocalypse, a mist came that mostly blocked out the sky and left some people altered. Sephone is an alter with an ability to manipulate memories. Her story drew me in with her tragedy and her compassion. In fact, I am fond of the three main characters, & the lady wolf, & am eager to see them defeat the evil lord that is hunting them down.
JJ Fischer is a truly gifted and skilled writer. She knows how to craft an amazing story, but also haow to tell it beautifully.
JJ Fischer is a truly gifted and skilled writer. She knows how to craft an amazing story, but also haow to tell it beautifully.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
DNF because I wasn't invested. I don't track my page/minute number on here, that's why it says 0%. I read almost half the book though. I got to the part where the main girl escaped from slavery - that was the only thing I cared about seeing.
After that the plot felt very thin, and it didn't seem like there was character development on the horizon either. I like the magic system and was curious about how it would develop the story, the history of how it all began, the limitations, ect. I like the post-apocalyptic setting, and the snowy, cold atmosphere (I love winter). I wanted to like this story as much as I like the concept.
However, I don't care about the plot. The writing style definitely wasn't for me. The guy POV bugged me alot. There was barley any action, and the action that was there was kinda boring to me (that was a surprise because I never read a boring action scene before). I read some reviews and decided it wasn't worth trudging through a book I wasn't intrested in. Props to the atmosphere though, that was my favourite part.
After that the plot felt very thin, and it didn't seem like there was character development on the horizon either. I like the magic system and was curious about how it would develop the story, the history of how it all began, the limitations, ect. I like the post-apocalyptic setting, and the snowy, cold atmosphere (I love winter). I wanted to like this story as much as I like the concept.
However, I don't care about the plot. The writing style definitely wasn't for me. The guy POV bugged me alot. There was barley any action, and the action that was there was kinda boring to me (that was a surprise because I never read a boring action scene before). I read some reviews and decided it wasn't worth trudging through a book I wasn't intrested in. Props to the atmosphere though, that was my favourite part.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Slavery
Minor: Child abuse
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Grief
Moderate: Slavery, Murder
Minor: Vomit, Alcohol
Some Things I Liked:
-The various powers Fischer's created for the *alters* are unique and fun. It was fun learning about them, and I know that there's more that didn't make it into Calor.
-I liked the themes of love and hope.
-The fantasy, semi-post-apocolypic setting was neat.
Some Things I Struggled With:
-I struggled with Cass's character. I wanted to like him--I always appreciate a snarky character, and the hints of Cass's hard past made me sympathize with him. But I wasn't a fan of his womanizing habits and lovers. I can't approve of his actions. I appreciated that Fischer had the other characters disapprove of Cass's behavior, but there was never any sort of regret or repentance from Cass. And it also didn't add anything necessary to the plot. So I could have done without that aspect of Cass.
-The plot wasn't slow, but it didn't grip me. I can't say why though, so it might have been a me thing.
Overall:
Calor is a unique start to Fischer's new trilogy. It's made me want to read Anderson's Nightengale to find the retelling aspects in Calor. But I wasn't blown away by Calor. I'll probably read the rest of the series as they come out, but it won't be among my most anticipated releases.
Cautions: semi-graphic, brief heavy violence; one kiss; one of the main characters is a womanizer, and brief, non-detailed references are made to lovers
*I received an ARC from Enclave Publishing. All thoughts are entirely my own.*
-The various powers Fischer's created for the *alters* are unique and fun. It was fun learning about them, and I know that there's more that didn't make it into Calor.
-I liked the themes of love and hope.
-The fantasy, semi-post-apocolypic setting was neat.
Some Things I Struggled With:
-I struggled with Cass's character. I wanted to like him--I always appreciate a snarky character, and the hints of Cass's hard past made me sympathize with him. But I wasn't a fan of his womanizing habits and lovers. I can't approve of his actions. I appreciated that Fischer had the other characters disapprove of Cass's behavior, but there was never any sort of regret or repentance from Cass. And it also didn't add anything necessary to the plot. So I could have done without that aspect of Cass.
-The plot wasn't slow, but it didn't grip me. I can't say why though, so it might have been a me thing.
Overall:
Calor is a unique start to Fischer's new trilogy. It's made me want to read Anderson's Nightengale to find the retelling aspects in Calor. But I wasn't blown away by Calor. I'll probably read the rest of the series as they come out, but it won't be among my most anticipated releases.
Cautions: semi-graphic, brief heavy violence; one kiss; one of the main characters is a womanizer, and brief, non-detailed references are made to lovers
*I received an ARC from Enclave Publishing. All thoughts are entirely my own.*
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A man’s sight is never so sharply focused as when he is gazing behind him; it is only when he turns to survey his future that everything grows myopic and dim.
I wish I had the mental fortitude to write a full review but I do not. So…book fun. 3.5 stars!
4 Stars ✨
Clean Fantasy
What if you could edit memories with a single touch?
Taking place 60 years after the apocalypse, the world is not what it once was. After different cataclysmic events, people would do anything for just a glimpse of the old. High valued memories are traded and nostalgia is worth dying and for some, killing for.
Sephone, orphaned and owned as a slave - has a gift, she’s a mem which means she can see and extract memories from other people’s minds. She’s highly sought after and keeps her master in business by the works she can preform. She’s tried to break free from him many times but has never succeeded.
Lord Adamo, after the brutal death of his wife and daughter, is looking for a way to break free from his memories to erase them all. He knows of a relic that can help, if only he could get his hands on a powerful Mem to journey with him on his quest. He comes across Sephone and does his best to convince her, but too afraid of her masters wrath and chains, she turns him down, without realizing she may have never even had a choice.
I really enjoyed this one! It was paced perfectly, clean and very character driven. I felt the writing was great. The only problem I personally had was with the world and its workings. I found it to have a couple holes where things were not explained fully which left me with quite a few questions. Even though that was a little annoying, the book and characters ran this ship. The more I read it didn’t matter that it didn’t feel at all like a dystopian or that I didn’t have all the answers to my questions. It was intriguing and interesting enough to keep me going. I’m looking forward to reading Lumen, which by the title - tells me it’s going to be about one of my favorite characters Cass from this installment. He brought such an edge to the plot and you really just can’t wait to know more about him. Would recommend!
Clean Fantasy
What if you could edit memories with a single touch?
Taking place 60 years after the apocalypse, the world is not what it once was. After different cataclysmic events, people would do anything for just a glimpse of the old. High valued memories are traded and nostalgia is worth dying and for some, killing for.
Sephone, orphaned and owned as a slave - has a gift, she’s a mem which means she can see and extract memories from other people’s minds. She’s highly sought after and keeps her master in business by the works she can preform. She’s tried to break free from him many times but has never succeeded.
Lord Adamo, after the brutal death of his wife and daughter, is looking for a way to break free from his memories to erase them all. He knows of a relic that can help, if only he could get his hands on a powerful Mem to journey with him on his quest. He comes across Sephone and does his best to convince her, but too afraid of her masters wrath and chains, she turns him down, without realizing she may have never even had a choice.
I really enjoyed this one! It was paced perfectly, clean and very character driven. I felt the writing was great. The only problem I personally had was with the world and its workings. I found it to have a couple holes where things were not explained fully which left me with quite a few questions. Even though that was a little annoying, the book and characters ran this ship. The more I read it didn’t matter that it didn’t feel at all like a dystopian or that I didn’t have all the answers to my questions. It was intriguing and interesting enough to keep me going. I’m looking forward to reading Lumen, which by the title - tells me it’s going to be about one of my favorite characters Cass from this installment. He brought such an edge to the plot and you really just can’t wait to know more about him. Would recommend!
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is odd because it has a lot of action in it but also nothing happens. It’s a repetitive cycle of travel, ambush, escape. Also two men spend way too much time discussing if a 21 year old women is naive or not.