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amandasbrews's Reviews (458)
Wylding Hall was such a great read! It is written in a documentary format, which initially seemed like it wasn't going to work, but it's quickly very obvious that this is actually the best format for this story. Hand really pulls it off. She creates such a cinematic experience by writing in this way. It is exactly like watching a supernatural documentary. She really captures the tone of an acid-folk band in a haunted ancient country house perfectly.
I was impressed in the development of each character, and how they all had their own different personalities and voices. The novel is pretty short and each character has so little space to develop, but somehow, they all manage to have their own uniqueness that is evident to the reader.
This book was just the right amount of scary for me, my scare-o-meter caps out pretty low. The entire tone was drifting between tense panicked anticipation and relaxed summertime in a country home vibes. There was some moments where I felt like I was just relaxing with them in this country home in the summer and I'd have to snap to attention because something ~unusual~ and ~wrong~ would happen. Just like any supernatural haunting story! Really well execuated, a really great experience read.
I was impressed in the development of each character, and how they all had their own different personalities and voices. The novel is pretty short and each character has so little space to develop, but somehow, they all manage to have their own uniqueness that is evident to the reader.
This book was just the right amount of scary for me, my scare-o-meter caps out pretty low. The entire tone was drifting between tense panicked anticipation and relaxed summertime in a country home vibes. There was some moments where I felt like I was just relaxing with them in this country home in the summer and I'd have to snap to attention because something ~unusual~ and ~wrong~ would happen. Just like any supernatural haunting story! Really well execuated, a really great experience read.
This story really drew me in at the beginning. The characters are lovely and you really get to know them. You even get to see them develop and grow, which is huge. Each character definitely developed themselves over the course of the book, and you could definitely see how the events of the book really changed them.
I'm definitely a reader who reads mostly for the character development and I love to read different personalities that the author has dreamed up. However unfortunately for this book it just wasn't enough for me. I don't really know much background of Leyumin. I kept having to reference the map and the calendar because it wasn't built in the narrative, it was just given as a map. I'm not entirely sure why it is called Mother of Rebellion besides that each character is sowing seeds of rebellion? Are they all mothers of rebellion??? I still don't really know how the characters connect with each other despite the fact that they're in the same continent and a little rebellious in nature.
I honestly think I would have enjoyed this story so much more if each character had their own entire book. Especially since they literally have not interacted with each other yet at all. The characters are truly well developed and likeable, but they were just way too separate. If they were all separate books it would allow room to discuss background, and I wouldn't have waited around the entire book to see how they connect... to no avail.
At five main characters, and about 650 pages, each character realistically only got a little more than 100 pages. It's no wonder there isn't too much background on Leyumin. I had to reread the summary in the middle of the book just to remember where we were headed.
I was sad to find not too many fantastical elements in this High Fantasy tale either. There were Oracles, monsters (that we see... not incredibly often), and a story of a dragon. At some points, it almost seemed like it was being called High Fantasy only because it was set in a continent akin to Medieval England and there were slave wives and slave children.
I can truly tell Boes is setting up for a much larger story, and I really liked all the characters. It just felt like the entire book was an intoduction, with no super clear objective. Not an incredible amount of events could happen for each of the characters. I was initially so drawn in, but I lost the spark midway through the book. I definitely think there is potential here for a cool story, I just don't entirely know what that is. I did truly appreciate a long book that was written in such a simple and understandable writing style. It really does help the reader slip easily into the story without thinking too much about the words.
**I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I'm definitely a reader who reads mostly for the character development and I love to read different personalities that the author has dreamed up. However unfortunately for this book it just wasn't enough for me. I don't really know much background of Leyumin. I kept having to reference the map and the calendar because it wasn't built in the narrative, it was just given as a map. I'm not entirely sure why it is called Mother of Rebellion besides that each character is sowing seeds of rebellion? Are they all mothers of rebellion??? I still don't really know how the characters connect with each other despite the fact that they're in the same continent and a little rebellious in nature.
I honestly think I would have enjoyed this story so much more if each character had their own entire book. Especially since they literally have not interacted with each other yet at all. The characters are truly well developed and likeable, but they were just way too separate. If they were all separate books it would allow room to discuss background, and I wouldn't have waited around the entire book to see how they connect... to no avail.
At five main characters, and about 650 pages, each character realistically only got a little more than 100 pages. It's no wonder there isn't too much background on Leyumin. I had to reread the summary in the middle of the book just to remember where we were headed.
I was sad to find not too many fantastical elements in this High Fantasy tale either. There were Oracles, monsters (that we see... not incredibly often), and a story of a dragon. At some points, it almost seemed like it was being called High Fantasy only because it was set in a continent akin to Medieval England and there were slave wives and slave children.
I can truly tell Boes is setting up for a much larger story, and I really liked all the characters. It just felt like the entire book was an intoduction, with no super clear objective. Not an incredible amount of events could happen for each of the characters. I was initially so drawn in, but I lost the spark midway through the book. I definitely think there is potential here for a cool story, I just don't entirely know what that is. I did truly appreciate a long book that was written in such a simple and understandable writing style. It really does help the reader slip easily into the story without thinking too much about the words.
**I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I loved this book! I 100% grabbed it because it's described as an African Paranormal Romance by a BIPOC author. Honestly YES please!
N.D. Jones absolutely kills it here. She manages to write a beautiful love story in such a short amount of pages. The entire time I just kept thinking, "we really need more books that capture people of color as sexy." Sure, we can argue that there's sexy BIPOC book characters, but too often, it seems that inclusivity in books means a racially ambiguous character. Issa and Serwa are sexy and African. No questions, no ambiguity, and they are beautiful for it.
After I finished this book, I read that her desire is to see more fantasy novels with positive, sexy and three dimensional African American characters, so she took it upon herself to write them. So I'd say she hit that nail right on the head here!!!
I am definitely impressed by the depth of this book despite how short it is, but the pacing was so fast at certain points. I absolutely get it. I know we would have missed some of this lovely story if it wasn't paced so fast, but most of the book I wanted just a little more. Regardless, it was still beautiful.
*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
N.D. Jones absolutely kills it here. She manages to write a beautiful love story in such a short amount of pages. The entire time I just kept thinking, "we really need more books that capture people of color as sexy." Sure, we can argue that there's sexy BIPOC book characters, but too often, it seems that inclusivity in books means a racially ambiguous character. Issa and Serwa are sexy and African. No questions, no ambiguity, and they are beautiful for it.
After I finished this book, I read that her desire is to see more fantasy novels with positive, sexy and three dimensional African American characters, so she took it upon herself to write them. So I'd say she hit that nail right on the head here!!!
I am definitely impressed by the depth of this book despite how short it is, but the pacing was so fast at certain points. I absolutely get it. I know we would have missed some of this lovely story if it wasn't paced so fast, but most of the book I wanted just a little more. Regardless, it was still beautiful.
*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book was exactly what I was looking for. I wanted a spooky Halloween-y read for October (but I'm a big baby when it comes to scary things), so this book was perfect for me!
I was so intrigued by the writing in this. Unbelievably it manages to create a tone that is all at once spooky, eerie, silly, playful, and haunting. What a unique tone! The entire time I kept wondering "did anything in this book actually happen? It did! But... am I sure?" I was kept on my toes wondering what was real and what was perhaps paranormal.
I wouldn't say that the twists and turns were terribly twist-y and turn-y, but I don't think this book was meant to give you whiplash. I think this book is more meant to make you wonder. To surprise you with mildly haunting subtlety. A story of how we create our own spooky legends, especially the best ones with outstanding imagery like a burned and boarded house overgrown with vines. Absolutely stunning.
I was so intrigued by the writing in this. Unbelievably it manages to create a tone that is all at once spooky, eerie, silly, playful, and haunting. What a unique tone! The entire time I kept wondering "did anything in this book actually happen? It did! But... am I sure?" I was kept on my toes wondering what was real and what was perhaps paranormal.
I wouldn't say that the twists and turns were terribly twist-y and turn-y, but I don't think this book was meant to give you whiplash. I think this book is more meant to make you wonder. To surprise you with mildly haunting subtlety. A story of how we create our own spooky legends, especially the best ones with outstanding imagery like a burned and boarded house overgrown with vines. Absolutely stunning.
I really liked this book. It drew me in in the first few pages. I was actually so surprised how quickly I was intrigued by the story. It's full of interesting magic, it has a unique setting and story, it is fact paced that piques enough curiosity to keep turning the pages. I found myself sneaking in a 5 page read here and there because I just wanted to continue.
There are times when the story is a little bit hard to follow, but I think ultimately that adds to the realizations along the way. The parallels between at times were confusing between shared memories and reality, but the author distinguishes memory from reality through formatting, which definitely helps. I think there are moments when the reader's confusion between reality and shared memories hints to the characters confusion, so it serves it's purpose.
The characters were all loveable with clear desires and personalities. The women were strong, independent and tender. The men were respectful even in their cruel moments. The curse really made a statement on how easily any fiction can fall into just a sappy love story, but how fighting that urge with a story can make it come out stronger. Even if you don't completely get rid of love. A beautiful balance, Magdalene Asante. Bravo.
Overall this is an absolutely stunning debut novel by a powerful new voice in African American Fantasy Fiction. I'm excited for what is to come from this author!
*I received a copy of this book for free, and am leaving a review voluntarily
There are times when the story is a little bit hard to follow, but I think ultimately that adds to the realizations along the way. The parallels between
Spoiler
Asim and Prince AmuThe characters were all loveable with clear desires and personalities. The women were strong, independent and tender. The men were respectful even in their cruel moments. The curse really made a statement on how easily any fiction can fall into just a sappy love story, but how fighting that urge with a story can make it come out stronger. Even if you don't completely get rid of love. A beautiful balance, Magdalene Asante. Bravo.
Overall this is an absolutely stunning debut novel by a powerful new voice in African American Fantasy Fiction. I'm excited for what is to come from this author!
*I received a copy of this book for free, and am leaving a review voluntarily
This book has a wonderful concept. The story of the kids who come back from their travels in a magical world? A support group boarding school? Every student going to worlds that are so different from one another, but somehow a shared experience to deal with together. Stunning!
I wish I had been a little more prepared via the blurb or something, this book is a bit gruesome. I see how it got there, but I thought I was heading into a lighter read. I read the blurb, but I didn't feel prepared for this book at all. I don't want to rate it poorly for that, but beware, there are some gory moments.
Regardless of being unprepared for that gore, I still found the book delightful. I think I would have liked it more if I knew that it was going to get dark in that way. Now that I know, I'm excited to continue the series! I love the concept, and I do like dark magical tones, and especially turning children's stories concepts on their heads. I'm sure I will like the rest of the series more!
I wish I had been a little more prepared via the blurb or something, this book is a bit gruesome. I see how it got there, but I thought I was heading into a lighter read. I read the blurb, but I didn't feel prepared for this book at all. I don't want to rate it poorly for that, but beware, there are some gory moments.
Regardless of being unprepared for that gore, I still found the book delightful. I think I would have liked it more if I knew that it was going to get dark in that way. Now that I know, I'm excited to continue the series! I love the concept, and I do like dark magical tones, and especially turning children's stories concepts on their heads. I'm sure I will like the rest of the series more!
I didn't realize that book 2 was going to be a prequel to book 1 (I clearly didn't look into it enough before diving right into reading), but I was so happy that it was.
Honestly, you could probably read the first two books in either order and it would make sense. I almost wish I had read this book before the Hidden King because I love Ninian and I was able to read about him more in this book.
The best part was that I was able to read the love story from the beginning between Aed and Ninian. The love these two boys have for each other is just so sweet, and something that I wish I read more often in books. Not just a romance between two characters, but a story of two people who mutually inspire each other to live. And as Hayao Miyazaki says, "perhaps [that is] closer to portraying a true expression of love." EG Radcliff definitely shows that here.
*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Honestly, you could probably read the first two books in either order and it would make sense. I almost wish I had read this book before the Hidden King because I love Ninian and I was able to read about him more in this book.
The best part was that I was able to read the love story from the beginning between Aed and Ninian. The love these two boys have for each other is just so sweet, and something that I wish I read more often in books. Not just a romance between two characters, but a story of two people who mutually inspire each other to live. And as Hayao Miyazaki says, "perhaps [that is] closer to portraying a true expression of love." EG Radcliff definitely shows that here.
*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
What a fun book!
I finished this book so quickly, because I just didn't want to put it down. I was instantly drawn into it because of the sweet love that Aed and Ninian had right from the start. They survive in a starving city together, and are truly partners in life.
I'm a huge sucker for a Found Family, which is exactly what I found right at the beginning of this story. Ninian, Aed and their semi-adopted son Ronan are so cute together. I love the idea of having a semi-adopted son in a starving town. I've read so many books where the characters are just struggling to get by at some point in the story, but never have a read a book where amidst the struggle, they decide to take in another to care for them. Love that!
And it doesn't stop there!!! We come across another person who becomes a part of this little Found Family. Truly I can never get enough of that kind of love and friendship!!
I think the biggest thing I have to say about this book is that, though I found it to be extremely predictable, it was such a good example that predictable doesn't need to mean Bad. I normally love twists and turns that I can't anticipate, but the surprises in this book were delightfully expected. Exactly what I wanted to happen actually happened. It was such a refreshing read!
*I received a free copy from the author for a review on book 2
I finished this book so quickly, because I just didn't want to put it down. I was instantly drawn into it because of the sweet love that Aed and Ninian had right from the start. They survive in a starving city together, and are truly partners in life.
I'm a huge sucker for a Found Family, which is exactly what I found right at the beginning of this story. Ninian, Aed and their semi-adopted son Ronan are so cute together. I love the idea of having a semi-adopted son in a starving town. I've read so many books where the characters are just struggling to get by at some point in the story, but never have a read a book where amidst the struggle, they decide to take in another to care for them. Love that!
And it doesn't stop there!!! We come across another person who becomes a part of this little Found Family. Truly I can never get enough of that kind of love and friendship!!
I think the biggest thing I have to say about this book is that, though I found it to be extremely predictable, it was such a good example that predictable doesn't need to mean Bad. I normally love twists and turns that I can't anticipate, but the surprises in this book were delightfully expected. Exactly what I wanted to happen actually happened. It was such a refreshing read!
*I received a free copy from the author for a review on book 2
I was actually really excited about this book. I haven't read many books with demons, and this one seemed so promising. I love urban fantasy and YA always keeps the action up enough for me, so it had the makings of a great book for me!
I don't know all the places this book fell short but for me it just Didn't Do It.
I didn't like how the entire book just felt like a high school boy testosterone fest. Even the Council didn't feel that different to the boys. To the author's credit, there was a joke about how that is who the characters are in there somewhere. But that's just not the type of characters I enjoy reading. Were there any women that weren't the mom in the entire book? Can only men be demons? Why do demons who have lived hundreds and even thousands of years seem so childish?
I found myself day dreaming about other things while reading this book so many times that I just felt like I had to press forward otherwise I'd never actually get through it. Which isn't a great sign for me, but that truly may just be me.
I really do think a big part of me disliking the book was personal, in that it just wasn't the type of book I enjoy. I really did think I would enjoy it, though. I think this book might just be Not For Me.
There was definitely an interesting story there, and I'm sure it could definitely do it for other audiences... Just not me.
*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I don't know all the places this book fell short but for me it just Didn't Do It.
I didn't like how the entire book just felt like a high school boy testosterone fest. Even the Council didn't feel that different to the boys. To the author's credit, there was a joke about how that is who the characters are in there somewhere. But that's just not the type of characters I enjoy reading. Were there any women that weren't the mom in the entire book? Can only men be demons? Why do demons who have lived hundreds and even thousands of years seem so childish?
I found myself day dreaming about other things while reading this book so many times that I just felt like I had to press forward otherwise I'd never actually get through it. Which isn't a great sign for me, but that truly may just be me.
I really do think a big part of me disliking the book was personal, in that it just wasn't the type of book I enjoy. I really did think I would enjoy it, though. I think this book might just be Not For Me.
There was definitely an interesting story there, and I'm sure it could definitely do it for other audiences... Just not me.
*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I really appreciated the handling of the racial discrimination in the book as well. I find it rather difficult to find books that deal with a mixed identity, but Immanuel definitely feels that mixed identity burden of not being fully accepted by either party.
I absolutely loved the structure of the plagues. It was a part of the story, and once we read that, it also became the structure of the book, which I thought was fun! I love a good solid piece of structure in a book where everything seems to be in chaos.
For me, it was the perfect level of spooky haunting for an October read without being scary or overwhelming. The story shines through, not the scares. But it maintained a nice eerie tone the whole time. I think it was well balanced for the story.
Overall it was a great story with classic moral tropes, but with unique and fun ways to get there in the end. And a perfectly witchy October read.
I absolutely loved the structure of the plagues. It was a part of the story, and once we read that, it also became the structure of the book, which I thought was fun! I love a good solid piece of structure in a book where everything seems to be in chaos.
For me, it was the perfect level of spooky haunting for an October read without being scary or overwhelming. The story shines through, not the scares. But it maintained a nice eerie tone the whole time. I think it was well balanced for the story.
Overall it was a great story with classic moral tropes, but with unique and fun ways to get there in the end. And a perfectly witchy October read.