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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
A dark fantasy story with unique and macabre mythology! Intriguing and steamy.
What I liked:
•Finnish mythology - new to me and very intriguing
•Introduction of the God of Death
•Tension between Hanna and Death
What I didn’t:
•The first half of the book was very heavy world-building and adventuring - took awhile for me to get invested
•Some odd pop culture references that felt out of place
Warning: This one ends on a serious cliffhanger.
What I liked:
•Finnish mythology - new to me and very intriguing
•Introduction of the God of Death
•Tension between Hanna and Death
What I didn’t:
•The first half of the book was very heavy world-building and adventuring - took awhile for me to get invested
•Some odd pop culture references that felt out of place
Warning: This one ends on a serious cliffhanger.
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
fast-paced
River of Shadows landed on my Want to Read list as soon as I learned it would be a dark fantasy version of the Finnish God of Death. While I enjoyed the story, I didn't get the level of dark fantasy that'd I'd been expecting. The setup and intro were my favorite parts of the story. Hannah's first interactions with shamans and the City of Death were my favorite parts of the story. I loved how dark and gritty the story seemed at that point. From there, the book very much took on a tone of the classic Beauty & the Beast story, complete with an amazing library, and lost that dark edge. There was a lot of humor, which I was surprised by, but enjoyed. What didn't work for me in this story were the modern pop culture references and language. It pulled me out of the fantasy time and time again, which was disappointing. Ultimately, I am fascinated by the God of Death and his family. While this book wasn't everything I was hoping for, I am hooked enough to want to know more about the threats facing their rule, and what will become of the City of Death.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
The aspect of Finnish Mythology intrigued me to sign up for this ARC.
The plot of the book is honestly really good. It definitely propelled the story and made me push through.
When I say I had to push through it’s because of the pop culture references. LOTR was brought up so many times. There were Harry potter references, Tiktok was mentioned, and “YEET” was used multiple times
The plot of the book is honestly really good. It definitely propelled the story and made me push through.
When I say I had to push through it’s because of the pop culture references. LOTR was brought up so many times. There were Harry potter references, Tiktok was mentioned, and “YEET” was used multiple times
A fun ride
3.5 stars! This book was super fun, but I can't help but feel like something was missing? I think I was waiting for the relationship to develop a bit more.
3.5 stars! This book was super fun, but I can't help but feel like something was missing? I think I was waiting for the relationship to develop a bit more.
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
