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clemslibrary's reviews
268 reviews
Woven Song by Rachael Krotec
3.5
Thank you to Netgalley for an arc in return for an honest review!
Woven Song is a fun combination of chinese and japanese mythology, weaving a tale of secrets and protection.
yuki and daisuke were interesting characters who had some really sweet moments, and i liked the blend of mythology that was throughout the story, especially with ryu, who was the highlight of the story. the plot did meander a bit and was slow at times but i did enjoy the journey and seeing the characters interact.
the narrative itself has a slightly weird pacing, especially compared to the ending which is quite fast paced and hits you suddenly. i wasn’t a fan of the ending, whilst it makes sense yuki’s acceptance seemed out of place and it just felt really sudden - like you’re told who you actually are and you don’t have any questions at all?? i wish there had been more character development and growth, many characters weren’t given the time to become larger people and often fell flat at times, which is part of the reason i struggled a bit when reading this book. daisuke, ryu and masoto were all characters with so much potential that just wasn’t realised, they all had room for growth that wasn’t given, which meant i struggled to really appreciate them. i would have loved to see more of yuki and daisuke’s relationship, the growth we see with them is more passive whereas i think it would have been better if we saw them together more than we did
Woven Song is a fun combination of chinese and japanese mythology, weaving a tale of secrets and protection.
yuki and daisuke were interesting characters who had some really sweet moments, and i liked the blend of mythology that was throughout the story, especially with ryu, who was the highlight of the story. the plot did meander a bit and was slow at times but i did enjoy the journey and seeing the characters interact.
the narrative itself has a slightly weird pacing, especially compared to the ending which is quite fast paced and hits you suddenly. i wasn’t a fan of the ending, whilst it makes sense yuki’s acceptance seemed out of place and it just felt really sudden - like you’re told who you actually are and you don’t have any questions at all?? i wish there had been more character development and growth, many characters weren’t given the time to become larger people and often fell flat at times, which is part of the reason i struggled a bit when reading this book. daisuke, ryu and masoto were all characters with so much potential that just wasn’t realised, they all had room for growth that wasn’t given, which meant i struggled to really appreciate them. i would have loved to see more of yuki and daisuke’s relationship, the growth we see with them is more passive whereas i think it would have been better if we saw them together more than we did
Hearts That Cut by Kika Hatzopoulou
4.0
really fun ending to the duology!!! loved seeing all the characters in more depth and had such a good time with the plot development. edei and io are so sweet 😭
Burning Crowns by Katherine Webber, Catherine Doyle
4.0
loved how everything culminated here and everyone got their happy ending!! tor you are such a sexy man please become a real man 😭
The Knife and the Serpent by Tim Pratt
3.75
Thank you to angry robot books for sending me a copy as part of the book tour!
this was a super fun and action packed space opera and i had such a good time with it!! im not much of a sci-fi girl but really enjoyed this and the politics of the world. the contrast and development between the two pov’s made for a great time and i loved glenn, a genderqueer and funny character who was honestly going through it. piss goblin the cat was definitely the star of the show (i would support a cat’s world domination tbh), the world was interesting and played on multiverse theories and wasn’t too complicated to understand. overall a fun time and a varied cast of characters!
this was a super fun and action packed space opera and i had such a good time with it!! im not much of a sci-fi girl but really enjoyed this and the politics of the world. the contrast and development between the two pov’s made for a great time and i loved glenn, a genderqueer and funny character who was honestly going through it. piss goblin the cat was definitely the star of the show (i would support a cat’s world domination tbh), the world was interesting and played on multiverse theories and wasn’t too complicated to understand. overall a fun time and a varied cast of characters!
The Mask Falling by Samantha Shannon
4.5
i feel very hurt miss samantha shannon
i swear every book makes me want to claw my eyes out with the pain the characters go through. WHAT DO YOU MEAN THAT HAPPENED?!? anyways i am in no ways chill about these characters and i would die for paige and arcturus if it meant they could peacefully be in love forever and never be bothered again xxx
i swear every book makes me want to claw my eyes out with the pain the characters go through. WHAT DO YOU MEAN THAT HAPPENED?!? anyways i am in no ways chill about these characters and i would die for paige and arcturus if it meant they could peacefully be in love forever and never be bothered again xxx
When Among Crows by Veronica Roth
4.5
really really enjoyed this!! legacy, family, folklore and secrets in a fun little quest-like story line
i just wish this was longer as there were so many interesting aspects that i would have loved to read about more!
i just wish this was longer as there were so many interesting aspects that i would have loved to read about more!
Saints of Storm and Sorrow by Gabriella Buba
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley & Titan for sending me an arc in return for an honest review!
Saints of Storm and Sorrow is a captivating Filipino inspired fantasy following a bisexual nun who has powers that she can’t control
The magic and world in this were incredible, i had so much fun learning and seeing the different powers explored and how they could work in tandem/be a part of the world. The magic system/powers in this are used to combat the colonisation of her people, and as such also the christianism that is being pushed against them. By having the powers have a god-given sense it really helped to add complexity to the characters as well as the world itself. However i do feel that the magic system was a little unclear at times and i never fully understood what was happening.
From the beginning of the book Cat and Lunurin have been dating for a while, but the book explores the breakdown of their relationship, and Cat’s obsession with religion is used to represent unmoving christian beliefs (i assume). i hated cat, she was such a whiny character to read about and everything she did was so annoying. i get why she’s there and the love that Lunurin has for her is a large part of her growth, but cat treated her horribly and never even tried to accept Lunurin’s identity and help her. It’s literally said that Cat does bad things when she’s angry - like why even bother stay with her?!?? it just really bugged me how they stayed together because they ‘loved each other’ even though cat was manipulative and horrible to Lunurin, and what she did at the end just consolidated that i was right to never like her.
Alon and Lunurin’s relationships begins as a marriage of convenience, but then grows into a real relationship which i did enjoy and was sweet but the lack of communication for a while was definitely annoying.
The amalgamation and moment of climax were well done, the lead up poised the story as one of revenge and whilst we did see the revenge, the characters didn’t lose everything about themselves as is sometimes done. The ending was dramatic and wrapped things up really nicely!
Overall a fun and revenge filled fantasy story with interesting character dynamics and a filipino inspired world commenting on religion and colonisation
Saints of Storm and Sorrow is a captivating Filipino inspired fantasy following a bisexual nun who has powers that she can’t control
The magic and world in this were incredible, i had so much fun learning and seeing the different powers explored and how they could work in tandem/be a part of the world. The magic system/powers in this are used to combat the colonisation of her people, and as such also the christianism that is being pushed against them. By having the powers have a god-given sense it really helped to add complexity to the characters as well as the world itself. However i do feel that the magic system was a little unclear at times and i never fully understood what was happening.
From the beginning of the book Cat and Lunurin have been dating for a while, but the book explores the breakdown of their relationship, and Cat’s obsession with religion is used to represent unmoving christian beliefs (i assume). i hated cat, she was such a whiny character to read about and everything she did was so annoying. i get why she’s there and the love that Lunurin has for her is a large part of her growth, but cat treated her horribly and never even tried to accept Lunurin’s identity and help her. It’s literally said that Cat does bad things when she’s angry - like why even bother stay with her?!?? it just really bugged me how they stayed together because they ‘loved each other’ even though cat was manipulative and horrible to Lunurin, and what she did at the end just consolidated that i was right to never like her.
Alon and Lunurin’s relationships begins as a marriage of convenience, but then grows into a real relationship which i did enjoy and was sweet but the lack of communication for a while was definitely annoying.
The amalgamation and moment of climax were well done, the lead up poised the story as one of revenge and whilst we did see the revenge, the characters didn’t lose everything about themselves as is sometimes done. The ending was dramatic and wrapped things up really nicely!
Overall a fun and revenge filled fantasy story with interesting character dynamics and a filipino inspired world commenting on religion and colonisation
The Sky on Fire by Jenn Lyons
4.25
Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an e-arc in return for an honest review!
this is an action and dragon field fantasy book, I had a really fun time with this and loved the development of the heist plot.
We follow a ragtag group of people planning a heist, and it was really fun seeing the development of the group and their character dynamics as the plot developed. Dragons are so cool, there’s a new span on the dragon and dragon rider trope that I really enjoyed. The plot itself is gripping and entertaining, there’s movement throughout the world which helped add to the worldbuilding and our enjoyment of the plot. It’s set in a queer normative world, and there is a subplot of a polyamorous relationship.
The main character is in her 30s, which I think adds a really fresh perspective to the world since she has had to move to a different part of the world.
This is a fantasy book that has everything you want in relation to dragons, the world itself is really cool and there is a really interesting way of showing gender identity and queerness- rings are used to show what you’re interested in and who you’re interested in which I thought was a new fun way to explore this.
if you’re looking for a heist fantasy with dragons and a fun queernormative world, this is what you should read!
this is an action and dragon field fantasy book, I had a really fun time with this and loved the development of the heist plot.
We follow a ragtag group of people planning a heist, and it was really fun seeing the development of the group and their character dynamics as the plot developed. Dragons are so cool, there’s a new span on the dragon and dragon rider trope that I really enjoyed. The plot itself is gripping and entertaining, there’s movement throughout the world which helped add to the worldbuilding and our enjoyment of the plot. It’s set in a queer normative world, and there is a subplot of a polyamorous relationship.
The main character is in her 30s, which I think adds a really fresh perspective to the world since she has had to move to a different part of the world.
This is a fantasy book that has everything you want in relation to dragons, the world itself is really cool and there is a really interesting way of showing gender identity and queerness- rings are used to show what you’re interested in and who you’re interested in which I thought was a new fun way to explore this.
if you’re looking for a heist fantasy with dragons and a fun queernormative world, this is what you should read!
The Pale Dreamer by Samantha Shannon
4.0
cute to read and i loved seeing the beginning of paige and nicks friendship. i just love them so much