abbyreads23's reviews
18 reviews

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas

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? Yes

5.0

Solid first installment to the CC series. When I first read the blurb I wasn’t sure I’d like this book because I found Bryce to be… distasteful. Alas, I was wrong and happy to be wrong about it. I quickly was intrigued by this advanced technological world that was so different from ACOTAR. I also grew to love Bryce much faster than I anticipated. The plot is great, the relatability to the characters is well-written and I think makes even the side characters lovable or at the very least, intriguing. Sarah is very good at keeping her readers coming back for more.
Overall, great book, highly recommend.

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House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas

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adventurous 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? No

5.0

I’ve realllyyyy enjoyed the Crescent City series. The second installment was just as good as the first, I found the character development to be great, as well as the plot. I am not one to try to figure out where the author is leading me, as I really like the element of surprise so I am sure some people might expect the ending in some way but as for me, my jaw was on the floor. I find Sarah’s writing style to be great, the world-building and connection with every. single. character. keeps you coming back for more.

Content Warnings

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

The books screams 2015 in the way that it wanted to compete with the stories we fell in love with like The Hunger Games or Divergent but it just wasn’t there.
Is it the worst? No, it’s actually a fun little read but it’s a bit repetitive, sometimes predictable, and the character development is basically non-existent. The ending was a page-turner but it ends quite abruptly, I haven’t decided if I’ll read the next book.

It’s not a great book but it’s not the worst either. Overall, a decent read.

Anastasia by Sophie Lark

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dark hopeful inspiring slow-paced

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

2.75

First off, I know nothing about Russian culture, so I’m excluding that from my review.
It’s a slow-paced read, it’s a lot of story and character building until the last 100 pages, that’s when everything climaxes.
I personally never got super attached to any of the characters so even though the book had some really horrifically sad parts, I didn’t feel anything.
I was more attached to the bird than Anastasia herself lol
The world is semi-immersive, it wasn’t lack of description, I just didn’t feel this book like I have with others.
The magic aspect of the book has no rules, no boundaries, it’s all shrouded in mystery which is cool but also kind of confusing for the reader because there’s no law to the magic, so literally it seems anything is possible.
The plot is there, there’s a steady build to the climax, it makes sense and I followed the characters the whole way there, but ultimately I finished this book with a sense of “well, that’s done” compared to the usual existential dread I’m used to feeling after I finish a really good book.
Overall, I still recommend the book, it’s a low-fantasy, easy read and I enjoyed it!
Huge points for the paperback copy, the book is 656 pages but super floppy, I wished other big paperbacks were like that.
Oh, also the artwork in the book is BEAUTIFUL.
Pick it up and read it. Or don’t.

Content Warnings

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

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adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A close second to my favorite of the Harry Potter books, a great ending to a spectacular series. Be ready to cry at the end as you may miss your Hogwarts friends very much.

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