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cherryvillegirl's reviews
22 reviews
The Secret Curse by Bethany Atazadeh
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Wow! Throughout this series, I’ve grown more and more impressed with Bethany’s writing, but this one definitely takes the cake!
Through most of the book, I was wondering how Jezebel was going to take a villain arc, and then the twist happened! I definitely didn’t see it coming. I may or may not have gasped out loud (which is rare for me)!
The character interactions were well done, the plot moved at a good pace, and I felt rooted in Jezebel’s thought process.
If you are looking for a well-crafted villain arc, The Queen’s Rise trilogy is an amazing choice!
Outcast of Redwall by Brian Jacques
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
I decided to put it aside for now. I'll probably pick it up sometime in the future.
Illuminare by Bryn Shutt
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
2.0
I really wanted to enjoy this book because I think Bryn is super nice and the premise of this book sounded AMAZING! Like, a heist? A violin-playing knight? I'm so there!
Unfortunately, this book just wasn't for me. I felt confused throughout most of the book and didn't feel connected to the plot, the characters, or the world. I felt like the book could have been longer in order to explain and describe things in greater detail.
Seeing as this is a debut, I will probably give Bryn's future works a second chance. I'm interested to see how the story will progress from here!
(I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are my own.)
Unfortunately, this book just wasn't for me. I felt confused throughout most of the book and didn't feel connected to the plot, the characters, or the world. I felt like the book could have been longer in order to explain and describe things in greater detail.
Seeing as this is a debut, I will probably give Bryn's future works a second chance. I'm interested to see how the story will progress from here!
(I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are my own.)
The Secret Gift by Bethany Atazadeh
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
An excellent villain origin story.
Dare I say I liked this origin story better than Heartless? Can I even go there? Yes, actually, I think I will!
I definitely enjoyed this story. It sucked me in from the first page and kept me engaged from start to finish! Even though I knew that it was going to have a negative character arc into villain-hood, I still found myself understanding Jezebel’s motives and actions (even if they weren’t justifiable).
The pacing was nearly perfect, which was nice! I never found myself bored.
All in all, I really enjoyed this read and I’m definitely looking forward to reading more about Jezebel’s story!
(I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are my own.)
The Red Bard of Roche (The Red War Annals #2) by Helena Š. George
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Blood Secrets by Morgan L. Busse
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
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
4.0
After having the privilege to read Secrets in the Mist last year, I was thrilled to get the chance to read Blood Secrets this year!
Likes
-I loved getting to watch Cass and Theo’s relationship develop! They had such a sweet, strong bond that was lovely to follow through the book. Both of them grew as characters, with Theo overcoming his past as an echelon and handling hardships, and Cass overcoming her bitterness against those in higher ranks to her to find compassion for all humanity.
-The world! It was so cool to travel along the outskirts of the mist—and sometimes into the mist—and explore the cities on the mountains. The ships were cool, as well.
-The stakes. They remained high throughout the book. Just like book one sucked me in from the first page, this one did the same! There wasn’t a dull moment.
Dislikes
-Almost nothing, really. It was a wonderful read!
*I received an eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are my own.*
The Wonderland Trials by Sara Ella
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
When Sara Ella announced that she was publishing an Alice in Wonderland dystopian retelling, I about screamed in excitement! I was even more excited when I had the opportunity to read it!
Likes:
-How expertly the Alice in Wonderland elements were incorporated into the story. Sara Ella wove the themes and elements from AiW in such a seamless way, and it was thrilling to spot various pieces from the original text.
-The dystopian world. It was the right amount of creepy, whimsical, and confusing, just like an Alice retelling should be. I really loved the blending of the two Realities.
-The trials. They were so cool, intense, and fast-paced! They really served to up the stakes and keep me on the edge of my seat.
Dislikes:
-The relationship between Alice and Chess. While I was rooting for them the entire time, I wanted to get to know their backstory a little more so their relationship would have a little more foundation. On the other hand, we are getting another book in which it might be possible to explore their backstory a little more, which I’m looking forward to.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading The Wonderland Trials, and I can’t wait for book 2!
*I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review
Ares by Jenna Terese
emotional
tense
fast-paced
4.0
*I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review*
I was so excited when I heard that we were going to get a prequel short story for Ares, and I jumped at the chance to get an ARC!
This is a short look at Ares’s backstory and what made him who he is when we meet him in Ignite. While there were some flaws with the grammar and some typos (let’s face it, they’re really hard to catch sometimes), it was an emotion-packed few pages. I felt myself on the edge of my seat as I read, and I felt so horrible for Ares and his sister. If you’ve read Ignite, I definitely recommend that you pick this short story up!
Ignite (Ignite Duology #1) by Jenna Terese
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
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
4.5
This book was such a great ride! Jenna really did an amazing job bringing this world to life through Scarlett's eyes.
The world of superhumans was so real and raw. I loved that she explored it from the lens of them being hated a feared (think X-Men) instead of revered heroes.
The one thing I enjoyed the most was the cast of characters. While they thought and acted so differently from one another, I found myself rooting each one on and understanding where they were coming from. This made the conflict between characters even deeper, as I had a hard time knowing whose side I was on.
Overall, this was such a good book and I can't wait until book 2 comes out!
The world of superhumans was so real and raw. I loved that she explored it from the lens of them being hated a feared (think X-Men) instead of revered heroes.
The one thing I enjoyed the most was the cast of characters. While they thought and acted so differently from one another, I found myself rooting each one on and understanding where they were coming from. This made the conflict between characters even deeper, as I had a hard time knowing whose side I was on.
Overall, this was such a good book and I can't wait until book 2 comes out!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Death and Grief
Minor: Kidnapping
One Degree of Freedom by Taryn R. Hutchison
challenging
hopeful
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? No
3.0
I always love picking up historical fiction books that cover a time period I know little about. This was no exception. I know next to nothing about Romania under Ceausescu's rule, so it was interesting to dive more into that history.
I also found lots of the political intrigue and secrets that all of the characters had very interesting. Each character had something they were hiding for one reason or another, which made it a challenge to know if you should root for them or not.
While I enjoyed learning more about this time period and all the turmoil that surrounded it, I wasn't the biggest fan of the writing style. It leaned more towards a telling, rather than showing style which I found bland at times. This may just be a preference thing, so take it with a grain of salt. If you're interested in learning about this time period, then I certainly would recommend picking up!
I also found lots of the political intrigue and secrets that all of the characters had very interesting. Each character had something they were hiding for one reason or another, which made it a challenge to know if you should root for them or not.
While I enjoyed learning more about this time period and all the turmoil that surrounded it, I wasn't the biggest fan of the writing style. It leaned more towards a telling, rather than showing style which I found bland at times. This may just be a preference thing, so take it with a grain of salt. If you're interested in learning about this time period, then I certainly would recommend picking up!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Torture