Take a photo of a barcode or cover
aliciasrealm's reviews
431 reviews
The Games Gods Play by Abigail Owen
5.0
I picked this up because I love Greek mythology and within the first chapter I knew I would love it. The story is fast paced, basically the Greek gods version of the Hunger Games, and the Crucible got intense at times. Lyra is a character who I found easy to like; despite being the clear underdog, she goes out of her way to help people even when it doesn't necessarily benefit her.
While Lyra is immediately attracted to Hades, pretty much all the gods are physically attractive so that's unsurprising, and I wouldn't consider her feelings "insta-love" in any sense. It's definitely a slow burn and they keep their distance between each other, going no further than kissing until the last quarter of the book. Even then, the single spicy scene is pretty tame. I would recommend this book to those who prefer more fantasy and action over romance, because this really doesn't have much spice at all.
The Crucible was the most interesting part of the book for me, especially how nothing is straightforward and loopholes abound. The different games reminded me of the Triwizard Tournament or the Hunger Games, with deadly stakes and cruel consequences. I'm looking forward to the next book.
While Lyra is immediately attracted to Hades, pretty much all the gods are physically attractive so that's unsurprising, and I wouldn't consider her feelings "insta-love" in any sense. It's definitely a slow burn and they keep their distance between each other, going no further than kissing until the last quarter of the book. Even then, the single spicy scene is pretty tame. I would recommend this book to those who prefer more fantasy and action over romance, because this really doesn't have much spice at all.
The Crucible was the most interesting part of the book for me, especially how nothing is straightforward and loopholes abound. The different games reminded me of the Triwizard Tournament or the Hunger Games, with deadly stakes and cruel consequences. I'm looking forward to the next book.
This Ends in Embers by Kamilah Cole
5.0
This Ends in Embers, the epic conclusion to the Divine Traitors duology, picks up immediately after the first book and delivered everything I wanted in a sequel! Heartpounding battles, powerful magic, plenty of dragons and drakes, complex characters, and a bit of romance, this duology also tackles the effects of colonization and the slippery slope of power. It was well paced and featuring fantastic character arcs, thought provoking moments, and heartbreaking losses.
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
3.0
This was such a struggle for me. The story crawls forward at a snail pace because so much of the narrative is El explaining things to the reader. Sandwiched between every action are tangential paragraphs of exposition detailing which booths are best to sit in for language classes, explaining which languages are the most useful to learn, or El reminiscing on her childhood, so by the time you get to the next action you have likely forgotten what was happening in the first place. The entire book covers only a period of three weeks.
I really did like El as a character and I found the concept and relationships intriguing. I enjoyed the reluctant alliance between the outcast El and popular, privleged Orion. Magic is chaotic, and the school itself is home to dangerous creatures and has strange proclivities that prompt El to take bizarre precautions to avoid unfavorable outcomes. However, there is so little time spent on the present story and far too much time on details that did nothing to move the plot forward. If you enjoy lengthy tangents and a stream-of-consciousness narrative with rambling explanations of the inner workings of magical schools, this book might be more enjoyable for you.
I really did like El as a character and I found the concept and relationships intriguing. I enjoyed the reluctant alliance between the outcast El and popular, privleged Orion. Magic is chaotic, and the school itself is home to dangerous creatures and has strange proclivities that prompt El to take bizarre precautions to avoid unfavorable outcomes. However, there is so little time spent on the present story and far too much time on details that did nothing to move the plot forward. If you enjoy lengthy tangents and a stream-of-consciousness narrative with rambling explanations of the inner workings of magical schools, this book might be more enjoyable for you.
Cursebound by Saara El-Arifi
4.5
The series hits its stride in this sequel. I was fully invested throughout the story, which dove deeper into the lore and history of the world. The romances felt more organic, thankfully with less of the "forbidden romance" drama, and the characters more developed. I appreciated the further exploration of Fae society, addressing issues such as the Lightless's lower status and the use of labor as punishment for crimes.
We are introduced to new characters, whose perspectives add a lot to the story, and a new romance that was so sweet. However, the multi-POV narrative means that readers always have more information than individual characters, which was often frustrating when the characters struggled to pick up on solutions that felt so obvious to me.
I was also frustrated by how frequently I saw lines to the effect of "and then Lettle explained what she had discovered" or "Yeeran explained it all in detail." I understand the need to skip over exchanges that would be repetitive for the reader, but this felt like a clumsy way to accomplish that. There aren't that many POVs, yet that sort of line came up often enough to feel repetitive in itself.
Still, this book exceeded my expectations for a sequel, and I felt that it was better than the first book. The conclusion left me reeling, and I am so excited for the next release.
Bonus points for including a brief recap of the previous book. I still love this series for showing a queer normative society that is inclusive of nonbinary and trans people.
We are introduced to new characters, whose perspectives add a lot to the story, and a new romance that was so sweet. However, the multi-POV narrative means that readers always have more information than individual characters, which was often frustrating when the characters struggled to pick up on solutions that felt so obvious to me.
I was also frustrated by how frequently I saw lines to the effect of "and then Lettle explained what she had discovered" or "Yeeran explained it all in detail." I understand the need to skip over exchanges that would be repetitive for the reader, but this felt like a clumsy way to accomplish that. There aren't that many POVs, yet that sort of line came up often enough to feel repetitive in itself.
Still, this book exceeded my expectations for a sequel, and I felt that it was better than the first book. The conclusion left me reeling, and I am so excited for the next release.
Bonus points for including a brief recap of the previous book. I still love this series for showing a queer normative society that is inclusive of nonbinary and trans people.
Fathomfolk by Eliza Chan
3.75
As someone who enjoys political intrigue, rich world building, and allegories to real life social issues, this book hit the mark for me. I would NOT recommend this book to those looking for romance / romantasy.
The world building is incredible, visible in how people speak, what they eat, how they travel, and even their idioms. It's easy to imagine Tiankawi and the diversity of the fathomfolk who live there. Fathomfolk are not a monolith, but instead diverse groups of people whose cultures are inspired by Asian communities.
“We’re not all exactly the same: dratsie, baiji, siren. Humans lump us together. Fathomfolk. Salties. But we’re different. We shape-shift or use our waterweaving differently. Distinct."
A commentary on social issues including immigration and dispora, racism, prejudice, and class, the story also features parallels to real life history and contemporary issues.
Fathomfolk explores the political environment through three protagonists: Mira, Nami, and Cordelia. Mira's position of being the first fathomfolk captain of the border guard presents both personal and professional challenges given her biracial identity and upbringing in Tiankawian culture. Nami, a young and naïve dragon princess, gets involved in a radical group of Fathomfolk. Cordelia, a shape-shifting sea witch, presents herself as human while manipulating politics behind the scenes.
Each character is flawed, making decisions that sometimes made me want to yell at them, but each of them exhibits growth, with their initial view of the world evolving throughout the story. I connected the most to Mira's story but related to Nami at times too.
I wanted to throw my Kindle at the wall after that ending, but I'm so ready for the next book!
The world building is incredible, visible in how people speak, what they eat, how they travel, and even their idioms. It's easy to imagine Tiankawi and the diversity of the fathomfolk who live there. Fathomfolk are not a monolith, but instead diverse groups of people whose cultures are inspired by Asian communities.
“We’re not all exactly the same: dratsie, baiji, siren. Humans lump us together. Fathomfolk. Salties. But we’re different. We shape-shift or use our waterweaving differently. Distinct."
A commentary on social issues including immigration and dispora, racism, prejudice, and class, the story also features parallels to real life history and contemporary issues.
Fathomfolk explores the political environment through three protagonists: Mira, Nami, and Cordelia. Mira's position of being the first fathomfolk captain of the border guard presents both personal and professional challenges given her biracial identity and upbringing in Tiankawian culture. Nami, a young and naïve dragon princess, gets involved in a radical group of Fathomfolk. Cordelia, a shape-shifting sea witch, presents herself as human while manipulating politics behind the scenes.
Each character is flawed, making decisions that sometimes made me want to yell at them, but each of them exhibits growth, with their initial view of the world evolving throughout the story. I connected the most to Mira's story but related to Nami at times too.
I wanted to throw my Kindle at the wall after that ending, but I'm so ready for the next book!
As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson
2.0
I am so disappointed with the conclusion of this trilogy. I loved the first two books and adored Pip, but this story did her such a disservice and I couldn't believe she had changed so drastically. I understand that she is dealing with trauma from the past books, but her character development and her choices in this book threw me for a loop.
What happened to Pip caring about innocent people who were wrongly accused? How could she so suddenly decide that she no longer cares about the truth and begins creating her own lies to save her own skin? To put her own friends in danger because of her own stupid choices? And what was that ending? I can't believe how selfishly she acted, all under the guise of protecting her loved ones.
It was cool how the plot had connections to the first books, but overall the whole story felt so wrong and unlike the Pip who we knew before. I can't even be happy about justice being served because it honestly wasn't. Completely disappointing and I wish I had never read it. I'm going to do my best to forget that I read this and cannot recommend this book at all. Stick with the first two books and be happy.
What happened to Pip caring about innocent people who were wrongly accused? How could she so suddenly decide that she no longer cares about the truth and begins creating her own lies to save her own skin? To put her own friends in danger because of her own stupid choices? And what was that ending? I can't believe how selfishly she acted, all under the guise of protecting her loved ones.
It was cool how the plot had connections to the first books, but overall the whole story felt so wrong and unlike the Pip who we knew before. I can't even be happy about justice being served because it honestly wasn't. Completely disappointing and I wish I had never read it. I'm going to do my best to forget that I read this and cannot recommend this book at all. Stick with the first two books and be happy.