A review by marginsandmeanings
House of Pounding Hearts by Olivia Wildenstein

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Uh oh! Someone got their hands on a thesaurus…

Everything I loved in House of Beating Wings is still here: the crow/bird shifter themes, the underdog arc, the “is he just a bird or a hot man??” tension, the character dynamics I genuinely care about… However. 

Big words that don’t pop up in normal conversation (or even most books) kept yanking me out of the story. It’s like the author didn’t trust the strength of the plot and tried to elevate it with a poetic vocab flex. Here’s the thing: the story doesn’t need that. It’s fun, layered, and compelling on its own.

Still a good time. Still reading the next one. But here’s hoping we tone down the word salad next round.