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A review by anavidreader_18
Powerful by Lauren Roberts
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
tense
fast-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? No
4.75
I think this is the first time I've cried so hard over a book in a good long while.
This was a short Novella, obviously meant to be fast paced, and at the beginning it did feel a bit rushed to me but that could be because I'm more used to slow burn stories. But did the fact that this was only 245 pages make me loose or lack any connection to the characters? Hell the fuck no.
Both Mak and Adena where such beautifully fleshed out characters with so much depth I really got the sense that they were real people. Which only made the last 50 pages just that much harder. And Adena might as well be my twin because we are like bloody incarnates. Only she could make a friend while in prison.
It was also so refreshing to see a female main character in a fantasy novel be soft, kind – a lover not a fighter. And this never took away from her strength as a person and really showed that you don't need to know how to sword fight or be more traditionally "manly" in order to be badass. Which unfortunately, I think a lot of fantasy books follow. Both can be just as powerful as the next.
So in conclusion...
Did I kick and squeal so much I'd have to rock myself like a baby to calm down? ...maybe.
Did I scream and curse at Lauren for writing that ending? Yes.
Will I ever recover? Who knows.
All in all this was such a beautiful, somehow both comforting and painful read. I could really see Lauren's writing progress with this one and it makes me just that much more terrified and exited for her next installment.
10/10 recommend.
This was a short Novella, obviously meant to be fast paced, and at the beginning it did feel a bit rushed to me but that could be because I'm more used to slow burn stories. But did the fact that this was only 245 pages make me loose or lack any connection to the characters? Hell the fuck no.
Both Mak and Adena where such beautifully fleshed out characters with so much depth I really got the sense that they were real people. Which only made the last 50 pages just that much harder. And Adena might as well be my twin because we are like bloody incarnates. Only she could make a friend while in prison.
It was also so refreshing to see a female main character in a fantasy novel be soft, kind – a lover not a fighter. And this never took away from her strength as a person and really showed that you don't need to know how to sword fight or be more traditionally "manly" in order to be badass. Which unfortunately, I think a lot of fantasy books follow. Both can be just as powerful as the next.
So in conclusion...
Did I kick and squeal so much I'd have to rock myself like a baby to calm down? ...maybe.
Did I scream and curse at Lauren for writing that ending? Yes.
Will I ever recover? Who knows.
All in all this was such a beautiful, somehow both comforting and painful read. I could really see Lauren's writing progress with this one and it makes me just that much more terrified and exited for her next installment.
10/10 recommend.