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3.38 AVERAGE
3.38 AVERAGE
(Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review)
The premise and plot sounded so good and everything I would love in a book, but it just ended up being all over the place. The pacing was really inconsistent; some chapters flew by so fast that I had to reread them just to figure out what was happening. The fight scenes, especially, were hard to follow because everything happened so quickly with barely any explanation so that's difficult to picture what is actually happening. On the flip side, other chapters dragged on for so long that I found myself getting bored.
I also wasn’t a big fan of the two main characters—they felt pretty two-dimensional, and their constant bickering started to get on my nerves by the end. On top of that, nothing was really explained well. By the time I finished the book, I still didn’t know much about the characters' backgrounds or how the politics of the world even worked. I really don’t like being negative in reviews, but I just think this book could have done with a little more editing and time spent actually fleshing out the characters and the plot.
The premise and plot sounded so good and everything I would love in a book, but it just ended up being all over the place. The pacing was really inconsistent; some chapters flew by so fast that I had to reread them just to figure out what was happening. The fight scenes, especially, were hard to follow because everything happened so quickly with barely any explanation so that's difficult to picture what is actually happening. On the flip side, other chapters dragged on for so long that I found myself getting bored.
I also wasn’t a big fan of the two main characters—they felt pretty two-dimensional, and their constant bickering started to get on my nerves by the end. On top of that, nothing was really explained well. By the time I finished the book, I still didn’t know much about the characters' backgrounds or how the politics of the world even worked. I really don’t like being negative in reviews, but I just think this book could have done with a little more editing and time spent actually fleshing out the characters and the plot.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-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:
Yes
I’ve just finished and I don’t have words to adequately express all my emotions.
That book was so good! The characters! The development! The twists! The found family! I just- my heart can’t cope.
The characters and the world building was just so vivid and evocative. The storytelling was really artfully done and so emotionally done as well I loved it! It felt really grounded and realistic while still being an interesting fantasy setting. It also didn’t fall into the trap of interpreting realistic fantasy as being completely grim dark and horrid. Rather like real life things are complicated and often come with a cost and are never as easy as you wish it could be. That ending- I just- it was so good!
If you haven’t read it yet stop reading this review and go read the book.
That book was so good! The characters! The development! The twists! The found family! I just- my heart can’t cope.
The characters and the world building was just so vivid and evocative. The storytelling was really artfully done and so emotionally done as well I loved it! It felt really grounded and realistic while still being an interesting fantasy setting. It also didn’t fall into the trap of interpreting realistic fantasy as being completely grim dark and horrid. Rather like real life things are complicated and often come with a cost and are never as easy as you wish it could be. That ending- I just- it was so good!
If you haven’t read it yet stop reading this review and go read the book.
Good book! The assassinations were well written, though the longer fight scenes dragged on quite a bit. I really enjoyed Valour and Petrichor going from true enemies to friendly enemies that don’t know how to be nice to each other.
Thank you to NetGalley and Solaris for my digital review copy
3 Stars
Overall, I found this book to be okay. There were a lot of witty lines that made me laugh, and I loved the interractions between Petrichor and Valour, and Valour and Ingrid but the plot was relatively simple for a heist plot and managed to confuse me.
The chapters were short and it took about 30 percent of the book for me to get with the worldbuilding.
I would recommend if you want a light read with sapphic representation.
3 Stars
Overall, I found this book to be okay. There were a lot of witty lines that made me laugh, and I loved the interractions between Petrichor and Valour, and Valour and Ingrid but the plot was relatively simple for a heist plot and managed to confuse me.
The chapters were short and it took about 30 percent of the book for me to get with the worldbuilding.
I would recommend if you want a light read with sapphic representation.
Thank you to Netgalley for this e-arc.
The story of Snowblooded follows two assassins, Valour and Petrichor as they are tasked to hunt down and kill a powerful drug lord dealing in a dangerous tonic. This, however, isn’t your average run-of-the-mill assassin story, Valour and Petrichor are a part of the Order of Axsten, a state-approved guild made to keep their city of Vinterstock clean.
I first rated this book a 3.5, but after taking time away from it, I decided to up the rating. I enjoyed this book, and the story was very interesting. I adored the relationship between Valour and Petrichor and their split point of view. The rating comes about because of a few small things and the pacing of the first half of the book.
Valour and Petrichor, my loves. I loved their relationship, how they hated each other completely, would argue every minute of every day but would also kill and die for each other. They had a true sibling-like bond which developed over the book. Although Valour had a romantic relationship with Ingrid, it felt like the main purpose of this book was about these two and their friendship which I loved. Their personalities are such stark contrasts and having the split point of view helped show that and gave the reader a brief respite from Valour’s energy and Petrichor’s need to be perfect.
The romance between Valour and Ingrid was a bit fast-paced for my liking. Although there had been some moments between them before the book, it felt like they were introduced and then suddenly clothes were off. I understand that this was how Valour usually rolled, not wanting to dive deep into feelings so to speak and rather keep it physical. I did like how their relationship developed after that though and how they slowly but surely opened up to each other. Something else I enjoyed was how Valour didn’t immediately forgive Ingrid for what she had done. They spent the night together and would work together, but it would take time for them to get back to what they had. I’m sure they would get there, even through a door.
I did not see the ending coming. Ingrid being the Brandquist was completely unexpected and yet I loved it. She was portrayed as a sweet lady, who may have had a bad streak but just wanted to run her hotel with her father. Then out comes that actually, she’s a crime boss trying to tear down the production and selling of ‘Ness from within. Badass. I also was shocked that Valour and Petrichor had had their memories erased and that the actual end-game villain was a past member of their order. It had gorgeous storytelling and beautiful points that made you hit your head in an ‘of course’ way.
The first half of the book did seem to take forever, but it could be down to having to explain the city, the rules of the order, and what ‘ness is. Either way, I did struggle to get through that first half. Once things got going though, it was a breeze, and I couldn’t wait to continue.
To finish, Snowblooded is a gorgeously dark Scandinavian story about love, loss, and what you truly want out of life and living it. It’s about friendship, moving on from the past and most importantly; being the change you want to see in the world. With incredible storytelling and the ability to visualise scenes easily, Snowblooded is a perfect read if you want something cunning, dangerous and something a little sexy.
The story of Snowblooded follows two assassins, Valour and Petrichor as they are tasked to hunt down and kill a powerful drug lord dealing in a dangerous tonic. This, however, isn’t your average run-of-the-mill assassin story, Valour and Petrichor are a part of the Order of Axsten, a state-approved guild made to keep their city of Vinterstock clean.
I first rated this book a 3.5, but after taking time away from it, I decided to up the rating. I enjoyed this book, and the story was very interesting. I adored the relationship between Valour and Petrichor and their split point of view. The rating comes about because of a few small things and the pacing of the first half of the book.
Spoiler
Valour and Petrichor, my loves. I loved their relationship, how they hated each other completely, would argue every minute of every day but would also kill and die for each other. They had a true sibling-like bond which developed over the book. Although Valour had a romantic relationship with Ingrid, it felt like the main purpose of this book was about these two and their friendship which I loved. Their personalities are such stark contrasts and having the split point of view helped show that and gave the reader a brief respite from Valour’s energy and Petrichor’s need to be perfect.
The romance between Valour and Ingrid was a bit fast-paced for my liking. Although there had been some moments between them before the book, it felt like they were introduced and then suddenly clothes were off. I understand that this was how Valour usually rolled, not wanting to dive deep into feelings so to speak and rather keep it physical. I did like how their relationship developed after that though and how they slowly but surely opened up to each other. Something else I enjoyed was how Valour didn’t immediately forgive Ingrid for what she had done. They spent the night together and would work together, but it would take time for them to get back to what they had. I’m sure they would get there, even through a door.
I did not see the ending coming. Ingrid being the Brandquist was completely unexpected and yet I loved it. She was portrayed as a sweet lady, who may have had a bad streak but just wanted to run her hotel with her father. Then out comes that actually, she’s a crime boss trying to tear down the production and selling of ‘Ness from within. Badass. I also was shocked that Valour and Petrichor had had their memories erased and that the actual end-game villain was a past member of their order. It had gorgeous storytelling and beautiful points that made you hit your head in an ‘of course’ way.
The first half of the book did seem to take forever, but it could be down to having to explain the city, the rules of the order, and what ‘ness is. Either way, I did struggle to get through that first half. Once things got going though, it was a breeze, and I couldn’t wait to continue.
To finish, Snowblooded is a gorgeously dark Scandinavian story about love, loss, and what you truly want out of life and living it. It’s about friendship, moving on from the past and most importantly; being the change you want to see in the world. With incredible storytelling and the ability to visualise scenes easily, Snowblooded is a perfect read if you want something cunning, dangerous and something a little sexy.
I read 22 chapters but... I saw that it was out soon as an audiobook where I get my audiobooks so I thought I'd give that a try and after one chapter more I was like, nope.
It's supposed to be adult but this is not adult.
And the characters are so annoying, these two immature assassins arguing in, "Asshole!", "I know you are but what am I?" kind of way. It's... ugh. I dislike them both.
And I can't stress enough how stupid these two are, they are the best assassins in town and one of them walks into a broom cupboard in the first chapter instead of the exit. They have habits and can easily be followed. They allow a person into the assassin headquarters because... she's hot maybe?
I did like the setting but I'm Swedish and they mentioned Bellman at the start so I just imagine 1700's Stockholm covered in snow, not sure it was on the page.
It's supposed to be adult but this is not adult.
And the characters are so annoying, these two immature assassins arguing in, "Asshole!", "I know you are but what am I?" kind of way. It's... ugh. I dislike them both.
And I can't stress enough how stupid these two are, they are the best assassins in town and one of them walks into a broom cupboard in the first chapter instead of the exit. They have habits and can easily be followed. They allow a person into the assassin headquarters because... she's hot maybe?
I did like the setting but I'm Swedish and they mentioned Bellman at the start so I just imagine 1700's Stockholm covered in snow, not sure it was on the page.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
slow-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
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-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
I picked up this book as a sapphic The Princess Bride meets Six of Crows. It was definitely sapphic and I got the The Princess Bride vibes, but I don’t think I got the Six of Crows comparison.
I liked how folklore and magic was weaved into this story. I think it was really interesting how magic was used as a commodity, a drug, to be sold.
Reading it, it felt more young adult than the 20-somethings the main characters are meant to be. They bickered like children - which is fine, begrudging siblings was their dynamic - but their conversations felt really stilted and, given it’s mostly only those two together for the whole book, it made it difficult to read sometimes. One insulted like a child, whilst the other used ‘thou’ and ‘thine’ which felt a bit try-hard.
The YA-feel to it also made the very horny on-the-page characters feel out of place. I think the book might have read better had it been marketed as YA and had none of the sex.
I loved the world building of this and the premise, but something just didn’t quite knock it on the head for me. I found I enjoyed it when I read it, but I never wanted to read more than a chapter at a time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Grief, Abandonment
An unfortunate very early DNF. I loved the concept and had heard very good things, but the prose is a huge mismatch for my tastes to the extent I don't think I'd be able to fairly review it if I pushed through. I will likely still recommend this book to others for whom I think it will hit right but it's sadly not one for me.
Many thanks to Solaris and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my review
Many thanks to Solaris and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced