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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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
‼️DNF‼️
i wanted to like this book so much, i love a good fantasy novel and a bit of political undertones or LGBTQ+ stuff worked in is always fantastic. however this was just political commentary with an undertone of maybe magic (but honestly flare could just be substituted with basic heat for your house and the book wouldn’t change). if i wanted a book on politics i would’ve picked one up. i was hoping it would get better but around halfway through i realized i was simply wasting my time.
i wanted to like this book so much, i love a good fantasy novel and a bit of political undertones or LGBTQ+ stuff worked in is always fantastic. however this was just political commentary with an undertone of maybe magic (but honestly flare could just be substituted with basic heat for your house and the book wouldn’t change). if i wanted a book on politics i would’ve picked one up. i was hoping it would get better but around halfway through i realized i was simply wasting my time.
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A historical fantasy, where magic is money, and the rich have it, while the poor go without.
Enjoyed the book a lot, even though it took me a little while to get into it. Some of the themes are very relevant, given our current political climate. Not a super easy read at this time, but I definitely recommend it.
Enjoyed the book a lot, even though it took me a little while to get into it. Some of the themes are very relevant, given our current political climate. Not a super easy read at this time, but I definitely recommend it.
3.5 rounded up.
I love this crop of modern fantasy books that look at the old-school traditionalists that cry out 'realism' when we wonder where gender and sexual diversity - and equality - is in our magic and dragons books and are all like: nope!
Without knowing anything about this book, I wanted to read it, simply on the strength of how much I loved Thor's Tarnished are the Stars - which was, honestly, probably a lot of stress to put on this book.
Anyway, this is a very difficult book for me to rate. If I hadn't been at work, with this the only audio book I had downloaded at the time, when I started listening to it, I would have DNF'd it around chapter three.
Basically, a rating breakdown would look like this:
First third: 2 stars
Middle third: 3 stars
Final third: 4 stars
By the time the final third came around, Ingrid actually started becoming likable. Prior to that, she was only occasionally not terrible. (Around the Meyers' campaign people.) Otherwise, around Linden and her dad and when she was by herself, I kind of hated her. Not for any real, major reason. I just found her too wishy-washy and pretty insufferable.
Oh, and having her and Linden as a couple from the start was 100% a surefire way to make me not care a bit about them as a couple. Which…made it all the more surprising that I came to like Linden even before I started to like Ingrid - because he was not at all what I expected.
And I do like all the other people Ingrid surrounds herself with: Alex, Charlotte, Faye, Bertie, Clarence, Louise and Gwendolyn. They are all an amazing cast of characters and…that made it stick out unbelievably horribly for over half the book that I just didn't like Ingrid. Seriously, I liked everyone else - which is why I kept going after I met them - just not Ingrid for the longest time.
Finally, I have to say that I have very, very strong feels for the … not-romance in the book. I love that was the tent-peg relationship and I would have loved it even more if more of a focus could have been on that and not Ingrid's uncomfortable romance.
(Side note: I think with two of the books I've read this year, I am going to have to create a qpr shelf, because that is what I believe the modern term would be. Right? I'm still a little fuzzy on queer platonic, but I think this is it.)
I love this crop of modern fantasy books that look at the old-school traditionalists that cry out 'realism' when we wonder where gender and sexual diversity - and equality - is in our magic and dragons books and are all like: nope!
Without knowing anything about this book, I wanted to read it, simply on the strength of how much I loved Thor's Tarnished are the Stars - which was, honestly, probably a lot of stress to put on this book.
Anyway, this is a very difficult book for me to rate. If I hadn't been at work, with this the only audio book I had downloaded at the time, when I started listening to it, I would have DNF'd it around chapter three.
Basically, a rating breakdown would look like this:
First third: 2 stars
Middle third: 3 stars
Final third: 4 stars
By the time the final third came around, Ingrid actually started becoming likable. Prior to that, she was only occasionally not terrible. (Around the Meyers' campaign people.) Otherwise, around Linden and her dad and when she was by herself, I kind of hated her. Not for any real, major reason. I just found her too wishy-washy and pretty insufferable.
Oh, and having her and Linden as a couple from the start was 100% a surefire way to make me not care a bit about them as a couple. Which…made it all the more surprising that I came to like Linden even before I started to like Ingrid - because he was not at all what I expected.
And I do like all the other people Ingrid surrounds herself with: Alex, Charlotte, Faye, Bertie, Clarence, Louise and Gwendolyn. They are all an amazing cast of characters and…that made it stick out unbelievably horribly for over half the book that I just didn't like Ingrid. Seriously, I liked everyone else - which is why I kept going after I met them - just not Ingrid for the longest time.
Finally, I have to say that I have very, very strong feels for the … not-romance in the book. I love that was the tent-peg relationship and I would have loved it even more if more of a focus could have been on that and not Ingrid's uncomfortable romance.
(Side note: I think with two of the books I've read this year, I am going to have to create a qpr shelf, because that is what I believe the modern term would be. Right? I'm still a little fuzzy on queer platonic, but I think this is it.)
Some of the most exquisitely composed prose I've read in a long time. When I read the phrase "the words settled around her like a strand of new pearls" I knew I was in for a treat but I had no idea how deeply it would move me as it explored themes of love and all the forms it takes, seeing others as they are, not as you assumed or wish them to be, and learning who you are in the process (and let's throw in magic and what it takes to reform unjust systems of power while we're at in). This will have a place of honor on my bookshelf.
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Kinda like that movie with Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried but with flare
Jazz age vibes with qprs, an angry female protagonist, and magic? Hell yes!! This book was beautiful, and quite enjoyable. There was quite a bit more focus on politics than magic, with a lot of obvious real world parallels that I actually appreciated. The writing was lush and emotional and clearly came from a very personal place within the author that I felt deeply as well. I will say that, unfortunately, this book was quite predictable. The twists did not come as a surprise to me and the ending was just about what I expected. But I did greatly enjoy this story, especially Ingrid and Alex.