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chippyreads's reviews
592 reviews
Crocodile Tears by Ali K. Mulford
5.0
I can never get enough of this series. Every time I finish reading about one of the Lachlan siblings, I just want to turn back to page one to read it all over again. This is the type of romcom that has me kicking my feet in giddiness.
A Sky of Emerald Stars by A.K. Mulford
5.0
🔔🔔Chip's rant time 🔔🔔
The amount of reviews misgendering Calla is abysmal. Shame on you all. :( Did we all read the same book? Did you all just ignore the trouble Calla faces with their identity??? How am I even supposed to trust your reviews when it's clear you weren't even paying attention! Do better ffs
On to the review...
Had a wonderful time returning to this world. I KNEW it wasn't a book focusing on Calla but I was pleasantly surprised when the POV was split and we got glimpses of Calla in their new role as the monarch of the Golden Wolves
The relationship of Sadie and Navin was a fun rollercoaster of "kind of exes" to reluctant travel companions to lovers.
I wasn't a massive fan of the multiple intimate scenes when we got our brief glimpses of Calla and Grae but I can forgive that :P
Thank you to HarperCollins/Harper Voyager for an eARC AND a physical copy of this book.
Bring on book 3!!
Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan
Did not finish book. Stopped at 46%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 46%.
🚨🚨DNF🚨🚨
It was fun while it lasted.
I got just over half way and couldn't be bothered with it anymore. The gimmick got real tiring after a while. It was funny and entertaining but just not enough to keep me engaged.
Do I still recommend it? Sure, if you're after a fantasy book that makes fun of the genre and doesn't take itself too seriously.
It was fun while it lasted.
I got just over half way and couldn't be bothered with it anymore. The gimmick got real tiring after a while. It was funny and entertaining but just not enough to keep me engaged.
Do I still recommend it? Sure, if you're after a fantasy book that makes fun of the genre and doesn't take itself too seriously.
Bioluminescence by Toni Duarte
4.0
Bioluminescence is a queer dystopian book that delivered everything I wanted—messy relationships, desperate people, and the horrific reality that humans are more dangerous than the outbreak itself. Is it even a dystopian if they’re not?
I'm eager to read the sequel. I highly recommend this one for those who enjoy gore, spore outbreaks (not zombies), violence, and protagonists who make questionable decisions.
Metal from Heaven by August Clarke
5.0
If August Clarke has no fans, I’m dead. I’m just sad that tracking down a hardcover of this book in Australia is so difficult and expensive :(
Revenge, queer af, gritty, raw emotions, addictive writing, with engaging side characters.
Messy ‘what even is gender’ main character lesbian Marney, who is obsessed with a dead childhood friend tries to win the hand of her enemy's daughter to get her revenge.
Marney has illusions and the writing goes off the rails when it happens, which could be difficult to follow but I couldn't get enough.
Listen, if you want a more in depth review, there are heaps out there already that do a fantastic job at breaking down this book. Just know that I fucking loved it and will have a trophy copy for my shelf asap.
eBook supplied by Kensington Publishing/Erewhon Books. All opinions are my own.
Revenge, queer af, gritty, raw emotions, addictive writing, with engaging side characters.
Messy ‘what even is gender’ main character lesbian Marney, who is obsessed with a dead childhood friend tries to win the hand of her enemy's daughter to get her revenge.
Marney has illusions and the writing goes off the rails when it happens, which could be difficult to follow but I couldn't get enough.
Listen, if you want a more in depth review, there are heaps out there already that do a fantastic job at breaking down this book. Just know that I fucking loved it and will have a trophy copy for my shelf asap.
eBook supplied by Kensington Publishing/Erewhon Books. All opinions are my own.
Make the Season Bright by Ashley Herring Blake
4.0
2nd chance holiday romance
Exes end up stuck in a house together and have to attend group dates while pretending they didn’t previously date because their story is awkward af. Oh, and one left the other at the altar years ago. It's messy.
You can't go into this one ready to take sides with these characters. They both clearly need to work on themselves and once you get the backstory their actions start to make sense. Their story broke my heart more than it warmed it, as both characters are in PAIN every time they see each other. They’re emotionally immature, which makes their 2nd chance romance difficult to root for.
If you’re looking for an easy to digest lesbian holiday romance, this book isn't for you. If you want to feel pain? Sure, go for it. The author does a fantastic job at hurting everyone in the process of writing this book. Not even the side characters are let off the hook. This IS a HEA, but at what cost? 😛
eBook copy supplied by the publisher Hachette AU/NZ, all opinions are my own.
Heir by Sabaa Tahir
4.0
Please note I read the second half of this book while literally suffering from fever dreams….. So it took me a while to catch on to some pretty obvious plot points. I read the first half, caught a nasty bug that almost hospitalised me and then read the second half while on a very interesting combination of painkillers and antibiotics.
Romance
Just like in the Ember series, I wasn't a fan of the romance in this one. I love the characters individually but I never feel anything for the romance between anyone. I’m not against any of them getting together, I just don’t care?
Also spoiler for late in book happenings not a fan of when we get a Sufiyan chapter he suddenly has eyes or Ariella….. Can main characters just NOT want to be in a relationship for once? I’m not mad that this might mean the bi character is in a ‘het’ relationship eventually, I’m just mildly mad all of these characters just need to shack up with someone.
I was a fan of the ‘fake dating’ scenario though! That was a bit fun and unexpected in a fantasy novel.
Is it queer?
We got more casual mentions of a more queer society, which was lovely. One of the side characters is bi and it's just casually mentioned in regards to who she's dated previously. The main relationships seem extremely straight. The Ember series alluded to a gay character not being able to be themselves so it was nice to learn that the Empire seems to be less homophobic. During Aiz’s POV she scoffs that the Empire doesn't recognise non binary people where in her society they do.
Plot
Can’t say if it was predictable or not as I was incapacitated at the time of reading. All I can say is at the end I was predictably miffed with the author, which is what we all expect from Sabaa Tahir so, yay?
Compared to the og series
I read this book right after finishing the og series, so everything was fresh in my mind. I’m not sure how new readers will go in this world without any of the prior books as it does add a lot of context and now we have even more to learn.
Very happy with the new generation of characters and how often we got to see og characters, they didn’t take over the plot at all and let the new characters shine.
Characters
3 main POVs
Quil
Was fun, probably because if you’ve read the Ember series you know him as a baby and are fond of his aunt. Also his friends/family (Sufiyan and Arellia) are great. I love it when a main character has great friends along for the ride.
Aiz
Eh. I wanted to root for her but she kept giving me reasons to just not like her.
Sirsha
Fav main character. Clear motivations and great development. I desperately want her origin story as a standalone. Her relationship with her sister!? Hello! I need more of that thanks.
Will I be continuing the duology?
100% yes. Can’t wait for book 2
Add to my physical collection?
Definitely. This book needs to sit next to my Ember collection.
I was provided an eBook from the publisher: Hachette AU/NZ via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.