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ashefaye's reviews
126 reviews
The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor
4.0
TW: Blood, Violence, Death, Beheadings, Fantasy Drugs (mentioned), Starving Orphans, Suppression of one’s true self
This is a reread for me. I read this series back in high school and I remember absolutely loving it. So when it became book of the month for my book club, I just had to see if it still held up as I remembered. In some ways it did and in others it didn’t.
We’ll start with part 1, which was actually a very strong start to the story. It reminded me a lot of why I loved it the first time. The only thing that bothered me was I didn’t remember the White vs. Black Imagination, which is kind of like a magic system in this story, and the author never fully explains what the difference is. It’s kind of sad because it did leave me a bit confused whenever the imaginations came up.
In part 2 things start to slack off in the story. The descriptions start to suffer from a lot of telling rather than showing. Part of me believes that some of that is because the places are real, so we could technically google them. But that’s not really the point of writing a book. Due to this a lot of the plot in this area felt rushed. We also didn’t really get to grow up with Alyss and see how she struggled with becoming “normal.” Which disappointed me a lot honestly.
The beginning of part 3 slowed down again, but kinda rushed towards the finish line. I definitely would’ve liked to have seen more interaction between Alyss and the other characters. Also I wanted to see more of her struggle with coming back to her reality and gaining back what she originally lost. Unfortunately this did make the ending suffer a bit.
I could probably keep going about different things. How I wish there was 200 more pages or how there were so many run on sentences, and just other stuff where an editor was really needed. Honestly this story would’ve been better as a graphic novel just like the Hatter Madigan series. The author already has gorgeous artwork made up for it, so I believe that would be his forte. Overall I still really love the story. It reminds me a lot of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. I do plan to reread the other 2 books, so we’ll see where it goes from here!
This is a reread for me. I read this series back in high school and I remember absolutely loving it. So when it became book of the month for my book club, I just had to see if it still held up as I remembered. In some ways it did and in others it didn’t.
We’ll start with part 1, which was actually a very strong start to the story. It reminded me a lot of why I loved it the first time. The only thing that bothered me was I didn’t remember the White vs. Black Imagination, which is kind of like a magic system in this story, and the author never fully explains what the difference is. It’s kind of sad because it did leave me a bit confused whenever the imaginations came up.
In part 2 things start to slack off in the story. The descriptions start to suffer from a lot of telling rather than showing. Part of me believes that some of that is because the places are real, so we could technically google them. But that’s not really the point of writing a book. Due to this a lot of the plot in this area felt rushed. We also didn’t really get to grow up with Alyss and see how she struggled with becoming “normal.” Which disappointed me a lot honestly.
The beginning of part 3 slowed down again, but kinda rushed towards the finish line. I definitely would’ve liked to have seen more interaction between Alyss and the other characters. Also I wanted to see more of her struggle with coming back to her reality and gaining back what she originally lost. Unfortunately this did make the ending suffer a bit.
I could probably keep going about different things. How I wish there was 200 more pages or how there were so many run on sentences, and just other stuff where an editor was really needed. Honestly this story would’ve been better as a graphic novel just like the Hatter Madigan series. The author already has gorgeous artwork made up for it, so I believe that would be his forte. Overall I still really love the story. It reminds me a lot of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. I do plan to reread the other 2 books, so we’ll see where it goes from here!
Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier
4.0
TW: Blood, violence/sword fighting, language/cursing, heavy kissing scene, underage drinking (Small note: In Europe, the drinking age is between 16-18. So even tho it’s a little awkward, just remember that while reading. Also I don’t think there was a drinking age in the 1700s lol)
Ok, where do I start?
Ok, where do I start?
Emerald Green by Kerstin Gier
3.0
TW: Blood, violence, death, language/cursing, underage drinking (again by American standards, but it takes place in Europe which is different), family romantic relationship (I will explain this, it will be a spoiler but it really needs to be mentioned)
Well I was really disappointed with this book. After feeling such a high from the last 2 books and at least 75% through this book, it all came crashing down. There was something major that really put me off this book to the point where I didn’t want to read it anymore and I only had 3 chapters left. I will explain…
The characters were a little bit better again. I felt like Gwen finally had her personality, tho she really annoyed me that she couldn’t get past her feelings for Gideon. Gideon was still a bit of a shell. Like throughout all these books he’s never really had too much of a personality. He’s almost a supporting character rather than the main male and love interest. I still love the gargoyle, he was honestly the best part of the book.
This next part is to deal with the romance, which is also a major spoiler. You can definitely skip this paragraph, but I feel like it’s extremely important to mention this. Towards the end of the book, it is revealed that Gwen and Gideon are blood related cousins. Yet they still pursue a very heavily romantic relationship. Since this book is translated from German and it takes place in the UK, this is technically legal in Europe. While I do my best to be very understanding of that, it just really gave me the ick. It honestly ruined the rest of the book and the whole series for me, which was really disappointing because I was extremely invested in it.
As for the actual plot, it was still really good but I was disappointed about the ending. After the last 2 books being so mysterious and ominous with the facts I was hoping for something more grand. It was very underwhelming and even the last “battle” really wasn’t anything nerve wracking. I also think the books suffered from not having a dual POV since we never get to see Gideon’s side. The whole reason for the chronograph is dumb, the ending was boring, and I’m still left with so many questions that will remain unanswered.
I can understand why those who are younger may really love this series. It was a really fun and good series! I just think that maybe I was too hyped for it and had way too high expectations. I don’t know if I’ll read other books from this author, I was really put off by that one event, maybe someday I’ll try a different series though.
Well I was really disappointed with this book. After feeling such a high from the last 2 books and at least 75% through this book, it all came crashing down. There was something major that really put me off this book to the point where I didn’t want to read it anymore and I only had 3 chapters left. I will explain…
The characters were a little bit better again. I felt like Gwen finally had her personality, tho she really annoyed me that she couldn’t get past her feelings for Gideon. Gideon was still a bit of a shell. Like throughout all these books he’s never really had too much of a personality. He’s almost a supporting character rather than the main male and love interest. I still love the gargoyle, he was honestly the best part of the book.
This next part is to deal with the romance, which is also a major spoiler. You can definitely skip this paragraph, but I feel like it’s extremely important to mention this. Towards the end of the book, it is revealed that Gwen and Gideon are blood related cousins. Yet they still pursue a very heavily romantic relationship. Since this book is translated from German and it takes place in the UK, this is technically legal in Europe. While I do my best to be very understanding of that, it just really gave me the ick. It honestly ruined the rest of the book and the whole series for me, which was really disappointing because I was extremely invested in it.
As for the actual plot, it was still really good but I was disappointed about the ending. After the last 2 books being so mysterious and ominous with the facts I was hoping for something more grand. It was very underwhelming and even the last “battle” really wasn’t anything nerve wracking. I also think the books suffered from not having a dual POV since we never get to see Gideon’s side. The whole reason for the chronograph is dumb, the ending was boring, and I’m still left with so many questions that will remain unanswered.
I can understand why those who are younger may really love this series. It was a really fun and good series! I just think that maybe I was too hyped for it and had way too high expectations. I don’t know if I’ll read other books from this author, I was really put off by that one event, maybe someday I’ll try a different series though.
Stars Above by Marissa Meyer
4.0
TW: Blood/violence, death, mind manipulation, human experimentation
This book wasn't quite what I was expecting it to be though I really enjoyed it nonetheless. I thought this would be epilogues for each character, but it turned out to be more of prologues. Seeing how each character came to be before we met them throughout the series was pretty cool. In some of the stories it even ties up loose ends for what we think happened with certain characters. As fun as the prologues were, I honestly really love the Little Mermaid short story retelling that was thrown in too. I didn't expect it, but it was really bittersweet and really stuck in my mind for a while. It was beautifully written. Lastly there is an epilogue finally! I won't spoil anything but my favorite characters got married and I cried a lot! I also laughed quite a bit too. I did have a small issue with the ending, but I forgive it because the author is just trying to make the fans happy. I still wish it was full epilogues for each character but overall it was a good ending. This is definitely one of my favorite series!
This book wasn't quite what I was expecting it to be though I really enjoyed it nonetheless. I thought this would be epilogues for each character, but it turned out to be more of prologues. Seeing how each character came to be before we met them throughout the series was pretty cool. In some of the stories it even ties up loose ends for what we think happened with certain characters. As fun as the prologues were, I honestly really love the Little Mermaid short story retelling that was thrown in too. I didn't expect it, but it was really bittersweet and really stuck in my mind for a while. It was beautifully written. Lastly there is an epilogue finally! I won't spoil anything but my favorite characters got married and I cried a lot! I also laughed quite a bit too. I did have a small issue with the ending, but I forgive it because the author is just trying to make the fans happy. I still wish it was full epilogues for each character but overall it was a good ending. This is definitely one of my favorite series!
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
4.0
TW: Violence, blood, death, human mutation, mind control
All I can say is wow…. The story is slow in the beginning, but not as slow as Cinder thankfully. I kinda felt a connection between Scarlet and Wolf’s relationship which made me really love it, but I can understand if others don’t or feel like it was rushed. I love Thorne and Cinder’s friendship! The sarcastic, smart friend vs the silly, dumb friend was such a great dynamic to break up some of the seriousness in the story. But that ending really caught me off guard. I was not prepared for the story to get so dark, so quickly. If you deal with triggers, please be very wary of chapter 35 and onwards. Overall, I absolutely loved it and honestly can’t wait to get my hands on Cress!!!
All I can say is wow…. The story is slow in the beginning, but not as slow as Cinder thankfully. I kinda felt a connection between Scarlet and Wolf’s relationship which made me really love it, but I can understand if others don’t or feel like it was rushed. I love Thorne and Cinder’s friendship! The sarcastic, smart friend vs the silly, dumb friend was such a great dynamic to break up some of the seriousness in the story. But that ending really caught me off guard. I was not prepared for the story to get so dark, so quickly. If you deal with triggers, please be very wary of chapter 35 and onwards. Overall, I absolutely loved it and honestly can’t wait to get my hands on Cress!!!
Winter by Marissa Meyer
5.0
Trigger Warnings: Death of humans and animals, blood, revolution/war, manipulation, human mutation, pandemic, hallucinations, human experimentation, one cuss word at the end, mentions of abuse (emotionally, physically, & sexually)
I loved this ending! I was very intimidated by how many pages this book has, but every page is worth it. There are multiple povs in this book but thankfully it wasn’t done in a way that got confusing or boring like Cress kinda was. It also leaves everything open and nothing unturned, which I was grateful that everything tied up and nothing was left unexplained. I fell in love with all of the pairings, but I think Scarlet and Wolf will always be my favorite! I was glad that I read Fairest first to get a look at Winter and Jacin before this book, definitely made me feel different about Jacin’s character. The last battle was extremely intense and thankfully well-written. I was happy to finally read an ending with a lot of action; I’ve read too many with fade to black or one hit kill type of endings. Overall definitely one of my top favorite series! The mix of having sci-fi fantasy and the added aspects of the fairytales fit perfectly❤️ Now excuse me while I go cry and daydream about the future of these amazing characters!
I loved this ending! I was very intimidated by how many pages this book has, but every page is worth it. There are multiple povs in this book but thankfully it wasn’t done in a way that got confusing or boring like Cress kinda was. It also leaves everything open and nothing unturned, which I was grateful that everything tied up and nothing was left unexplained. I fell in love with all of the pairings, but I think Scarlet and Wolf will always be my favorite! I was glad that I read Fairest first to get a look at Winter and Jacin before this book, definitely made me feel different about Jacin’s character. The last battle was extremely intense and thankfully well-written. I was happy to finally read an ending with a lot of action; I’ve read too many with fade to black or one hit kill type of endings. Overall definitely one of my top favorite series! The mix of having sci-fi fantasy and the added aspects of the fairytales fit perfectly❤️ Now excuse me while I go cry and daydream about the future of these amazing characters!
The Wolf Gate: A Retelling of Little Red Riding Hood by Hanna Sandvig
4.0
TW: mentions of sexual intentions (waiting till marriage), lying about having sex, mentions of child kidnapping
This story was interesting, I wish there was a bit more to it though. It did feel like a side story from a bigger plot which was fine since I probably read things out of order anyways. The plot was just very simple and straightforward, kinda rushed in some areas, even the characters were pretty surface level for personality and their relationship. There were 2 things I didn’t like. One was the mention of a lot of pop culture references which really took me out of the story. It kinda ruined the fantasy vibe. The other one was that the author used “they” in a sentence when everything was written in first person from Audrey’s POV. Honestly it bothered my editing side a lot. Other than that, it was a short fun read and a nice buffer between other books.
This story was interesting, I wish there was a bit more to it though. It did feel like a side story from a bigger plot which was fine since I probably read things out of order anyways. The plot was just very simple and straightforward, kinda rushed in some areas, even the characters were pretty surface level for personality and their relationship. There were 2 things I didn’t like. One was the mention of a lot of pop culture references which really took me out of the story. It kinda ruined the fantasy vibe. The other one was that the author used “they” in a sentence when everything was written in first person from Audrey’s POV. Honestly it bothered my editing side a lot. Other than that, it was a short fun read and a nice buffer between other books.
Seeing Redd by Frank Beddor
4.0
TW: Blood/violence, death, war, necromancy, kidnapping, misogyny, mentions of fantasy drug use/drug infused body suit
I think I originally gave this book 5 stars because it was my favorite out of the series in high school. I still really like it, but there are some issues that I have with the story. The story still lacks description just like the first book. Some areas have people, places, or events described and others don’t. Basically a lot of telling rather than showing us. This also kinda made some of the relationships among the characters feel very off. Dodge and Alyss in the first book were kind of untrusting with each other, but now suddenly Dodge is making loving gestures for her. Hatter barely gets to establish a relationship with any of his family. These are just some of the confusing events. Thankfully I didn’t really feel like this story was rushed like the ending to the first book, but again it was just missing some crucial aspects to feel actually immersed in the story. Just like the first book, I think it would’ve been so much better as a graphic novel. I believe visuals are where the author’s strength truly lies. Anyways on to reread the third book!
As a funny side note, I don’t remember Arch being in this book at all
I think I originally gave this book 5 stars because it was my favorite out of the series in high school. I still really like it, but there are some issues that I have with the story. The story still lacks description just like the first book. Some areas have people, places, or events described and others don’t. Basically a lot of telling rather than showing us. This also kinda made some of the relationships among the characters feel very off. Dodge and Alyss in the first book were kind of untrusting with each other, but now suddenly Dodge is making loving gestures for her. Hatter barely gets to establish a relationship with any of his family. These are just some of the confusing events. Thankfully I didn’t really feel like this story was rushed like the ending to the first book, but again it was just missing some crucial aspects to feel actually immersed in the story. Just like the first book, I think it would’ve been so much better as a graphic novel. I believe visuals are where the author’s strength truly lies. Anyways on to reread the third book!
As a funny side note, I don’t remember Arch being in this book at all
ArchEnemy by Frank Beddor
4.0
Trigger Warning: Blood/violence, war, death, grief, misogyny, kidnapping, people being held hostage in small spaces, drug induced body suit
So I know I read this book in high school, but somehow everything I remember from it didn’t exist at all
So I know I read this book in high school, but somehow everything I remember from it didn’t exist at all
Long Live the Pumpkin Queen by Shea Ernshaw
2.0
No trigger warnings for this book!
I meant to finish this book much earlier but it was really hard to get into and kinda boring. I love the movie and I really love Sally. I wanted to see so much more of her relationship with Jack. Unfortunately, in this book, the relationship is almost nonexistent. Even Sally herself is completely out of character. The plot was kinda weird and I understand why people felt like it was a badly written fanfiction. It definitely felt like it was in that category when the villain is almost the same as the one from Rise of the Guardians, which is a completely different company as well. I’m really disappointed in this book honestly. I really wanted to love it but the story just wasn’t there for me.
I meant to finish this book much earlier but it was really hard to get into and kinda boring. I love the movie and I really love Sally. I wanted to see so much more of her relationship with Jack. Unfortunately, in this book, the relationship is almost nonexistent. Even Sally herself is completely out of character. The plot was kinda weird and I understand why people felt like it was a badly written fanfiction. It definitely felt like it was in that category when the villain is almost the same as the one from Rise of the Guardians, which is a completely different company as well. I’m really disappointed in this book honestly. I really wanted to love it but the story just wasn’t there for me.