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apolloapproved's reviews
343 reviews
Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
adventurous
tense
slow-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
1.75
Not Here to Be Liked by Michelle Quach
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
When Night Breaks by Janella Angeles
Hence, I truly can't make myself recommend this book to anyone…But if you don't mind starting and never finished series, then definitely consider reading Where Dreams Descend and maybe ignore the last few chapters.
Read...If You Liked...
• Ace of Shades
• Incendiary
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
★½☆☆☆ // 1.5 s t a r s
My Book Blog — Apollo Approved
Thank you St. Martin's Press for sending me an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
Review
You know. I didn't have the highest hopes for this because after the first book ended all I could think was that it would've made a brilliant standalone, and could've even been one of those "cycle-type books" where it ends on a cliffhanger that leaves you reeling but also leaves you guessing in the best way and subconsciously, you don't want a sequel because you're actually happy with how it ended on a shocking note. (*cough* The Burning God *cough* If We Were Villains *cough*) That's just my take, but I'm sure many do and will feel the same.
(I just feel the need to drop in and say it honestly makes me sad sometimes when I really only have negative things to say about books, especially after reading the Acknowledgments and understanding how difficult the book was the write for the author…It makes me sad, but also I have to be honest, I guess?)
Okay, let's do good first. I liked that Jacks was in this more than the first. I like that he got to see his character develop almost in a way that wasn't possible in the first. I liked feeling like Kallia was justified in her "like" of him and that it wasn't bordering on Stockholm Syndrome like it did in the first.
I loved Vain and Ruthless and Malice. They were the trio that was missing in the first book, for real. (I do think the author mixed up Ruthless and Malice a few times though, hopefully that's fixed in the first edition since I guess this is less edited because it's an ARC.)
Also, can't deny that I loved the magic of the world. It's not original by any means, but it was written quite well and the world itself was nice too. (I'm upset I can't think of a single thing else to say about liking it uGH.)
The repetitiveness straight up killed me. I swear, everything that happened seemed like it happened at least twice. Every show felt the same, the duels kept happening, the random conversations and moments were no different than past ones. Especially when you consider the first book, the plot in this literally seemed like a Walmart version of the first; which is so sad because the first felt really interesting at times, but this was just: no.
Along with repetition, I truly just felt the book was confusing. To me at least, I thought that no message was actually portrayed, no event that happened actually seemed like it happened? And there were time-skips of sorts where things would just kind of abruptly end and I'd be like um and…? Nothing really made sense, and everything felt rushed even though the book felt incredibly long and slow.
Another thing I disliked was the questions. Where Dreams Descend admittedly ended with a lot, but all in all it had so much intrigue that it didn't matter. When Night Breaks literally just answered all those questions that were left unanswered in Where Dreams Descend, but where was the oomph! It was just plain old sitting and q and a…It reminded me in a way of The Crown of Gilded Bones which if we know me, we all know I truly despise and wish i could get that part of my life back.
The romance was also so iffy. In the first book I already didn't love Kallia and Demarco's relationship and honestly felt like the chemistry that could've been possible wasn't there at all. It really just felt like a convenient thing, but I was hoping When Night Breaks would fix that issue and just make me ship them like crazy; and yet, it did the exact opposite.
My Book Blog — Apollo Approved
Thank you St. Martin's Press for sending me an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
Review
You know. I didn't have the highest hopes for this because after the first book ended all I could think was that it would've made a brilliant standalone, and could've even been one of those "cycle-type books" where it ends on a cliffhanger that leaves you reeling but also leaves you guessing in the best way and subconsciously, you don't want a sequel because you're actually happy with how it ended on a shocking note. (*cough* The Burning God *cough* If We Were Villains *cough*) That's just my take, but I'm sure many do and will feel the same.
(I just feel the need to drop in and say it honestly makes me sad sometimes when I really only have negative things to say about books, especially after reading the Acknowledgments and understanding how difficult the book was the write for the author…It makes me sad, but also I have to be honest, I guess?)
Okay, let's do good first. I liked that Jacks was in this more than the first. I like that he got to see his character develop almost in a way that wasn't possible in the first. I liked feeling like Kallia was justified in her "like" of him and that it wasn't bordering on Stockholm Syndrome like it did in the first.
I loved Vain and Ruthless and Malice. They were the trio that was missing in the first book, for real. (I do think the author mixed up Ruthless and Malice a few times though, hopefully that's fixed in the first edition since I guess this is less edited because it's an ARC.)
Also, can't deny that I loved the magic of the world. It's not original by any means, but it was written quite well and the world itself was nice too. (I'm upset I can't think of a single thing else to say about liking it uGH.)
The repetitiveness straight up killed me. I swear, everything that happened seemed like it happened at least twice. Every show felt the same, the duels kept happening, the random conversations and moments were no different than past ones. Especially when you consider the first book, the plot in this literally seemed like a Walmart version of the first; which is so sad because the first felt really interesting at times, but this was just: no.
Along with repetition, I truly just felt the book was confusing. To me at least, I thought that no message was actually portrayed, no event that happened actually seemed like it happened? And there were time-skips of sorts where things would just kind of abruptly end and I'd be like um and…? Nothing really made sense, and everything felt rushed even though the book felt incredibly long and slow.
Another thing I disliked was the questions. Where Dreams Descend admittedly ended with a lot, but all in all it had so much intrigue that it didn't matter. When Night Breaks literally just answered all those questions that were left unanswered in Where Dreams Descend, but where was the oomph! It was just plain old sitting and q and a…It reminded me in a way of The Crown of Gilded Bones which if we know me, we all know I truly despise and wish i could get that part of my life back.
The romance was also so iffy. In the first book I already didn't love Kallia and Demarco's relationship and honestly felt like the chemistry that could've been possible wasn't there at all. It really just felt like a convenient thing, but I was hoping When Night Breaks would fix that issue and just make me ship them like crazy; and yet, it did the exact opposite.
❝ Everything he taught her, to keep him out of her head. Using magic is the pull, but forcing it on others is the push so push first. ❞
Hence, I truly can't make myself recommend this book to anyone…But if you don't mind starting and never finished series, then definitely consider reading Where Dreams Descend and maybe ignore the last few chapters.
Read...If You Liked...
• Ace of Shades
• Incendiary
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune
Ultimately though, Under the Whispering Door is a near perfect novel that I absolutely loved almost every second of, that will get you cackling and half-crying, and truly will leave you thinking about it for at least a few days.
Read...If You Liked...
• The House in the Cerulean Sea
• The Midnight Library
• Scythe
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
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
4.5
My Book Blog — Apollo Approved
Thank you Macmillan-Tor/Forge for sending me an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
Review
When I was filling in the stats on Storygraph for this book, one word stuck out greatly. And that was "reflective". I honestly don't think a better word could be used to describe yet another one of TJ Klune's incredibly heartfelt, queer-y, and just plain happy novels. It had the writing we're all used to from Klune and the dry humor that popped up sometimes truly had be dying. The book also took on character development to another level (more on that).
So, the book starts off with Wallace, top-tier asshole at this point in the book. We see him at his worst (?) when he fires a lady for one (?) incorrect action (that might not have even been her fault) and also revoked her daughter's scholarship. If that's not enough, Wallace truly felt there was nothing wrong with his actions. Fairly quickly though, our main character dies. Well, not actually. Ghost Wallace is at his funeral, where only the partners at his firm and his ex-wife are present (and a mysterious Asian lady he's never seen before). He questions why no one else is present and after some seriously heartfelt speeches (note sarcasm) from the guests at his funeral, Wallace is whisked off by Mei to see himself get buried and then ends up at Charon's Crossing.
Moving on, Wallace then meets Nelson, Apollo (the dog), and Hugo. That leads way to a paragraph about the characters (shocker). Nelson is the other resident (human) ghost at Charon's Crossing. He hasn't actually crossed through the door in the ceiling on the fourth floor of the house that clearly defies gravity (as evidenced by the cover) because he is staying there for his grandson, Hugo. Hugo is the ferryman who helps people cross through the door, he's the one who talks them through their death. Makes them accept it and not do anything completely rash (though he gives them all the freedom). There's Mei, the Reaper. She is the one who actually goes and gets the people's ghosts of those who died (like Wallace). And Apollo is just a super cute ghost dog.
The themes included in this novel were also so great. The way TJ Klune manages to weave heartbreak and love and death and life and grief and happiness altogether is so amazing. Death obviously being the most obvious considering the premise of the book, but somehow Klune was able to write that sometimes serious subject in a way that wasn't harsh or anything, and just showed how death was just a part of life. Simply that it was inevitable, but not final.
One thing, the thing that dropped my rating by half a star, that I disliked was the character development. I'm all for it don't get me wrong. I loved Wallace's development don't mistake that either. The only think I found lacking was the speed. I feel like though it was written out, it wasn't written enough. The book wasn't short, and any more might've made it tedious, but I feel like since it had a few chunky time skips we missed a lot of actual written progression of Wallace's personality.
Thank you Macmillan-Tor/Forge for sending me an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
Review
When I was filling in the stats on Storygraph for this book, one word stuck out greatly. And that was "reflective". I honestly don't think a better word could be used to describe yet another one of TJ Klune's incredibly heartfelt, queer-y, and just plain happy novels. It had the writing we're all used to from Klune and the dry humor that popped up sometimes truly had be dying. The book also took on character development to another level (more on that).
So, the book starts off with Wallace, top-tier asshole at this point in the book. We see him at his worst (?) when he fires a lady for one (?) incorrect action (that might not have even been her fault) and also revoked her daughter's scholarship. If that's not enough, Wallace truly felt there was nothing wrong with his actions. Fairly quickly though, our main character dies. Well, not actually. Ghost Wallace is at his funeral, where only the partners at his firm and his ex-wife are present (and a mysterious Asian lady he's never seen before). He questions why no one else is present and after some seriously heartfelt speeches (note sarcasm) from the guests at his funeral, Wallace is whisked off by Mei to see himself get buried and then ends up at Charon's Crossing.
Moving on, Wallace then meets Nelson, Apollo (the dog), and Hugo. That leads way to a paragraph about the characters (shocker). Nelson is the other resident (human) ghost at Charon's Crossing. He hasn't actually crossed through the door in the ceiling on the fourth floor of the house that clearly defies gravity (as evidenced by the cover) because he is staying there for his grandson, Hugo. Hugo is the ferryman who helps people cross through the door, he's the one who talks them through their death. Makes them accept it and not do anything completely rash (though he gives them all the freedom). There's Mei, the Reaper. She is the one who actually goes and gets the people's ghosts of those who died (like Wallace). And Apollo is just a super cute ghost dog.
The themes included in this novel were also so great. The way TJ Klune manages to weave heartbreak and love and death and life and grief and happiness altogether is so amazing. Death obviously being the most obvious considering the premise of the book, but somehow Klune was able to write that sometimes serious subject in a way that wasn't harsh or anything, and just showed how death was just a part of life. Simply that it was inevitable, but not final.
One thing, the thing that dropped my rating by half a star, that I disliked was the character development. I'm all for it don't get me wrong. I loved Wallace's development don't mistake that either. The only think I found lacking was the speed. I feel like though it was written out, it wasn't written enough. The book wasn't short, and any more might've made it tedious, but I feel like since it had a few chunky time skips we missed a lot of actual written progression of Wallace's personality.
❝ Everyone loses their way at some point, and it’s not just because of their mistakes or the decisions they make. It’s because they’re horribly, wonderfully human. ❞
Ultimately though, Under the Whispering Door is a near perfect novel that I absolutely loved almost every second of, that will get you cackling and half-crying, and truly will leave you thinking about it for at least a few days.
Read...If You Liked...
• The House in the Cerulean Sea
• The Midnight Library
• Scythe
Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
3.0
Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Little Thieves by Margaret Owen
Anyway, on that extremely long note. I absolutely adored Little Thieves. It's one of the best fantasy books I've read and almost better because of it's simplicity. It was just so easy to read (predictable, albeit which is the reason I dropped half a star). But, truly, it's amazing. Usually I will drop ratings a few days after reading them but I already know this book has made it onto comfort level reread so, READ IT.
Read...If You Liked...
• Six Crimson Cranes
• A Darker Shade of Magic
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
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? Yes
4.25
My Book Blog — Apollo Approved
Thank you Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for sending me an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
Review
Literally drafted this in the car so fast, maybe movement made the juices flow…Wait that sounded so wrong, ignore. Little Thieves. A work of art at this point. It’s honestly difficult to explain why I enjoyed this book so much, but let’s get to brain dumping.
Little Thieves is a loose retelling of The Goose Girl about a girl named Vanja who was given away by her mother to Fortune and Death when she was a youngin. Vanja goes on to become a servant, take the life (not like kill like literally become, but not possess) of the princess who’s maid she used to be with the help of some enchanted pearls, become a thief to steal money so she can leave her life, to ultimately getting caught. The book continues on with her “catching” and all the problems that arise with that including a scrawny yet adorable boy, curses, lots of rubies, old friends (and enemies?), and an innocent little shapeshifting thing who we swear to protect with our life.
I'm doing a separated review again kinda like The Taking of Jake Livingston because I actually have things to say in a cohesive way (for once). So here we go…
The world. This book had some of my most favorite world-building that I've read in a long, long time. It somehow managed to convey so much without explaining barely anything. The info dump count: try 0. And in all books there's an info dump, so that goes to say how much I didn't mind because it managed to keep me engaged enough that it didn't feel like an info dump at all. Also, the mini chapters(?) that come before the actual plot at each "tale" were great. The weird sounding third-person almost formed a detachment from the book and you're looking on from a bystander type of point-of-view before you obviously jump back into the book.
So the world/setting in Little Thieves is fairly average fantasy sort of setting. There's a castle, a village, some markets, a river (because that's basically necessary), a forest (again, same). That basically sounds medieval (ish) and that really is what it is. Also, very much German (I don't think I actually processed that until Vanja went off with her sausage jokes but called them wurst something…brb gonna go find a quote). Alright here we are, Ragne (the shapeshifter I mentioned said, "'One shouted that she is selling the wurstkuss. Why would…'" Yeah, Google Translate that bad boy, it's exactly what you're thinking but oh my lord so much more literal *crying emoji because it's seriously never been more necessary, ah Ragne*.
Alright, moving on: the characters. Vanja Schmidt (who had like three other names in the book, it was kind of confusing). Emeric Conrad. Ragne Last-Name-Unknown-And-Probably-Nonexistant. Gisele Really-Long-Last-Name-That-I-Will-Not-Bother-Typing. And, Adalbrecht von Reigenback. Okay, so Vanja has quite a few flaws that are actually really prominent through the book, but the most focused (and obvious one) is basically her self-esteem (or lack, thereof). Not necessarily self-esteem, I suppose but more like not having high enough thoughts of herself that she can't imagine anyone caring about her enough that she only relies on herself until she realized that she doesn't need to (and that basically takes her the entire novel). But she's also such a great MC protagonist because she's so two-sided and oh so hilarious. I would give a quarter my life for Vanja Schmidt, for real. The other quarter is for Emeric and the last half is for Ragne. Emeric. A literal bean of a boy. It's been so long since I've read about an innocent acting love interest, like honestly. Authors have to let go of morally gray and give me wholesome fluff because I would die for Emeric way before, oh I don't know, Azriel, I guess that's what everyone thinks of first with morally gray right…Ragne as we've been over is a super weird (and by weird I mean extremely cool) shapeshifter who can turn into humans too. Gisele, former princess before tea with Vanja happens. And, our antagonist, barf-worthy, Adalbrecht von Barfenback. Just, ew. Fuck him. That is all. (Wow, that paragraph ended up being so long, gosh.)
Thank you Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for sending me an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
Review
Literally drafted this in the car so fast, maybe movement made the juices flow…Wait that sounded so wrong, ignore. Little Thieves. A work of art at this point. It’s honestly difficult to explain why I enjoyed this book so much, but let’s get to brain dumping.
Little Thieves is a loose retelling of The Goose Girl about a girl named Vanja who was given away by her mother to Fortune and Death when she was a youngin. Vanja goes on to become a servant, take the life (not like kill like literally become, but not possess) of the princess who’s maid she used to be with the help of some enchanted pearls, become a thief to steal money so she can leave her life, to ultimately getting caught. The book continues on with her “catching” and all the problems that arise with that including a scrawny yet adorable boy, curses, lots of rubies, old friends (and enemies?), and an innocent little shapeshifting thing who we swear to protect with our life.
I'm doing a separated review again kinda like The Taking of Jake Livingston because I actually have things to say in a cohesive way (for once). So here we go…
The world. This book had some of my most favorite world-building that I've read in a long, long time. It somehow managed to convey so much without explaining barely anything. The info dump count: try 0. And in all books there's an info dump, so that goes to say how much I didn't mind because it managed to keep me engaged enough that it didn't feel like an info dump at all. Also, the mini chapters(?) that come before the actual plot at each "tale" were great. The weird sounding third-person almost formed a detachment from the book and you're looking on from a bystander type of point-of-view before you obviously jump back into the book.
So the world/setting in Little Thieves is fairly average fantasy sort of setting. There's a castle, a village, some markets, a river (because that's basically necessary), a forest (again, same). That basically sounds medieval (ish) and that really is what it is. Also, very much German (I don't think I actually processed that until Vanja went off with her sausage jokes but called them wurst something…brb gonna go find a quote). Alright here we are, Ragne (the shapeshifter I mentioned said, "'One shouted that she is selling the wurstkuss. Why would…'" Yeah, Google Translate that bad boy, it's exactly what you're thinking but oh my lord so much more literal *crying emoji because it's seriously never been more necessary, ah Ragne*.
Alright, moving on: the characters. Vanja Schmidt (who had like three other names in the book, it was kind of confusing). Emeric Conrad. Ragne Last-Name-Unknown-And-Probably-Nonexistant. Gisele Really-Long-Last-Name-That-I-Will-Not-Bother-Typing. And, Adalbrecht von Reigenback. Okay, so Vanja has quite a few flaws that are actually really prominent through the book, but the most focused (and obvious one) is basically her self-esteem (or lack, thereof). Not necessarily self-esteem, I suppose but more like not having high enough thoughts of herself that she can't imagine anyone caring about her enough that she only relies on herself until she realized that she doesn't need to (and that basically takes her the entire novel). But she's also such a great MC protagonist because she's so two-sided and oh so hilarious. I would give a quarter my life for Vanja Schmidt, for real. The other quarter is for Emeric and the last half is for Ragne. Emeric. A literal bean of a boy. It's been so long since I've read about an innocent acting love interest, like honestly. Authors have to let go of morally gray and give me wholesome fluff because I would die for Emeric way before, oh I don't know, Azriel, I guess that's what everyone thinks of first with morally gray right…Ragne as we've been over is a super weird (and by weird I mean extremely cool) shapeshifter who can turn into humans too. Gisele, former princess before tea with Vanja happens. And, our antagonist, barf-worthy, Adalbrecht von Barfenback. Just, ew. Fuck him. That is all. (Wow, that paragraph ended up being so long, gosh.)
❝ Little thieves steal gold, and great ones steal kingdoms, but only one goes to the gallows. ❞
Anyway, on that extremely long note. I absolutely adored Little Thieves. It's one of the best fantasy books I've read and almost better because of it's simplicity. It was just so easy to read (predictable, albeit which is the reason I dropped half a star). But, truly, it's amazing. Usually I will drop ratings a few days after reading them but I already know this book has made it onto comfort level reread so, READ IT.
Read...If You Liked...
• Six Crimson Cranes
• A Darker Shade of Magic