cassiecollins's reviews
266 reviews

The Loosening Skin by Aliya Whiteley

dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

2.5

I guess I'm just not on the same wavelength as Whiteley when it comes to her metaphors and high concepts. I definitely "got" this one more than The Beauty, but that's just because here the themes and whatnot are spoon-fed to the reader throughout the piece. Also, genre-wise, this is pretty bland. It's not really sci-fi or horror, nor is it a proper crime thriller—I guess it's more just speculative literary fiction, but that's certainly not how it's marketed. In the end, again, this is not really my thing.

Assassin's Fate by Robin Hobb

adventurous dark emotional slow-paced

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

5.0

What an incredible and bittersweet ending to a truly epic series. I'm not even sure how to put into words my complete feelings. I'll just say that from

the point Fitz arrives at Clerres

onward, I kept having to put the book down because I'd tear up so often. I'm sad the journey is finally over, but I'm so happy to have experienced it!

Fool's Quest by Robin Hobb

adventurous dark emotional slow-paced

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

5.0

I was kind of surprised at how emotional I got reading this. I think Hobb did an excellent job here with her depictions of grief—both the big and immediate reactions and the slow, delayed ones that come unexpectedly. I did miss Bee's presence here since she was such a major part of my enjoyment of the first book, but I still was enthralled with the narrative. While I'm not sure I'm ready for this long journey to end, I cannot wait to see how everything comes together in the final book.

Fool's Assassin by Robin Hobb

dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

5.0

An intriguing start to this final trilogy. I absolutely adore Bee's character. She serves as both mirror and foil to Fitz himself, making her perspective chapters unique as we learn more about her potential role in the coming narrative. And, what a cliffhanger! I can't wait to finish out this incredible series.

Leslie F*cking Jones by Leslie Jones

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

5.0

Man, when I tell you the audiobook had me cackling! If you're one of those people that reads along in a physical copy with the audiobook, don't do that here. Jones goes off-script pretty much the entire time. But, I loved that because it made her stories feel more genuine and heartfelt as she relayed them in her own words and not necessarily what had been edited for the page. If you enjoy Jones and her comedy, this is an absolute must-read!

From Frost to Flame by Viola Vines

adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Well, that was a prodigious amount of stuff to attempt to cram into a standalone, so the pacing was pretty chaotic. The narrative itself came rapid-fire, and the exposition wasn't so much dumped as machine-gunned directly into your face. Plus, all of that left most of the characters with little room to be more than plot pawns. But, y'know? I had fun reading this. The action was good and romance solid. It did have that sort of hard-to-explain fanfiction vibe, so do with that info what you will. I definitely think I'll be keeping an eye out for this author in the future to see how their works improve!

Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe

challenging informative sad slow-paced

4.0

I always enjoy Keefe's ability to start from one point, broaden the narrative to a near-epic scope, and then bring it all back to a single, notable moment that echoes the very start. His ability to interweave these complex sagas into something accessible is also impressive.

And Then I Woke Up by Malcolm Devlin

dark reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

A very unique perspective on the idea of a "zombie" apocalypse. I appreciated that, despite the themes and moral reckonings of the narrative being very clear, it never felt like the author was soap-boxing. A poignant and thought-provoking piece.

Legacy Fulfilled by Laurel Night

adventurous dark tense

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

2.5

Welp, the pacing was a smidge better in this one, at least. Things got a little too hand-wavey with regard to the science and/or "magic" aspects for my taste, and that made the final conflict not feel as deserved. The epilogue was also very

sugar-sweet

, so your mileage may vary on that.

Queen Crowned by Laurel Night

adventurous dark emotional slow-paced

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

2.5

To reiterate, I think the

forced mating

in the previous book was horribly out of character for all involved and did not make sense with the rest of the narrative. Having said that, it was what the author chose, and I will give credit that in this third entry to the series the fallout of that choice is believable. Kali takes all of the guys to task. And even though they don't grovel as much as I think they should, they do acknowledge the wrongness of their behavior and actively endeavor to make it up to Kali. Beyond that, the pacing is still a drag. With the reveal of

the actual BBEG, finally,

in this book, I'm once again hoping things pick up in the last entry, but we'll see, I suppose.