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cryosphinx's reviews
141 reviews
A Kingdom of Blood and Betrayal by Holly Renee
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Better than the first one but more of the same. It's still fairly predictable if you've read anything else in their genre. The book picks right up here where the last one ended, FMC is mad at MMCs betrayal but they literally bang it out after a few chapters. Still, the banter is still great and there's new characters that are loveable but still not a ton of development.
My biggest gripe is Even goes missing between the Fae and Blood kingdoms after his treason against the Fae is discovered. He is MISSING, and is found injured but there is ZERO info as to what he went through or how he was found.
Like Book 1, I read this as a palette cleanser from a heavier series so it's did it's job and was entertaining and the spice is good, if a bit repetative. But Evren has ✨such a way with words✨ Do I feel somewhat trashy reading this? Yes. Did I still read it in one sitting? Also yes. Will I immediately read Book 3? Again... yes.
My biggest gripe is
Like Book 1, I read this as a palette cleanser from a heavier series so it's did it's job and was entertaining and the spice is good, if a bit repetative. But Evren has ✨such a way with words✨ Do I feel somewhat trashy reading this? Yes. Did I still read it in one sitting? Also yes. Will I immediately read Book 3? Again... yes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: War
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
“Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall; Death is the Fifth, and Master of All.”
I picked this up years ago on a recommendation for fans of the game Horizon: Zero Dawn and I am MAD at myself for taking so long to actually read this.
Jemisin is masterful and poetic in her writing and there are so many beautiful passages. There isn't too much detail I can into it as it's very twist and turny from the beginning and saying anything more than the blurb will take away from the experience.
The book pivots between the point of view of three women, one of which being in second person. It takes some getting used to, if only because I think this may be the second time ever I read a book in that POV. The characters are all bad asses in a unique way and the growth is immaculate.
I wanted to give this a 5 but people are correct in that the world building, while a fantastic world that does take on being a character of its own, there are some confusing terms that either don't get fully explained or take a long time to make sense. Don't make my mistake: there IS an appendix in the back that I discovered once I finished the book. There is occasional upsetting content so check triggers. The Stillness is a harsh world.
I'm glad I already had the second book on hand or I would have made a mad dash to buy it. I can't wait to jump right back in and explore more of the Stillness.
I picked this up years ago on a recommendation for fans of the game Horizon: Zero Dawn and I am MAD at myself for taking so long to actually read this.
Jemisin is masterful and poetic in her writing and there are so many beautiful passages. There isn't too much detail I can into it as it's very twist and turny from the beginning and saying anything more than the blurb will take away from the experience.
The book pivots between the point of view of three women, one of which being in second person. It takes some getting used to, if only because I think this may be the second time ever I read a book in that POV. The characters are all bad asses in a unique way and the growth is immaculate.
I wanted to give this a 5 but people are correct in that the world building, while a fantastic world that does take on being a character of its own, there are some confusing terms that either don't get fully explained or take a long time to make sense. Don't make my mistake: there IS an appendix in the back that I discovered once I finished the book. There is occasional upsetting content so check triggers. The Stillness is a harsh world.
I'm glad I already had the second book on hand or I would have made a mad dash to buy it. I can't wait to jump right back in and explore more of the Stillness.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Grief, and Child death
Moderate: Cursing, Classism, and Sexual content
Minor: Cannibalism, Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Pregnancy
A Kingdom of Stars and Shadows by Holly Renee
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
A good quick read that I finished in less than a day, a bit predictable (especially if you've read something like FBAA or WLBTV) but still enjoyable. I'm very invested and will read the rest of the trilogy and the spice is 🔥🔥🔥 (of which there is plenty). Plus, I'm a sucker for fated mates, one bed, one horse, enemies to lovers romp and thank you for providing that!
The character building was shallow, especially so for anyone besides the FMC and MMC who still had minimal fleshing out. Since it was on the shorter side, everything moves very quickly along so there also isn't a ton of world building outside your basic "she's a such-and-such of importance, there's fae, there's vampires."
I can sum it up as "come for the spice, don't stay if you want world building or full character development."
It did what it needed which is providing a quick break in the middle of another heavier book and this fit the bill and I still had a good time reading it.
The character building was shallow, especially so for anyone besides the FMC and MMC who still had minimal fleshing out. Since it was on the shorter side, everything moves very quickly along so there also isn't a ton of world building outside your basic "she's a such-and-such of importance, there's fae, there's vampires."
I can sum it up as "come for the spice, don't stay if you want world building or full character development."
It did what it needed which is providing a quick break in the middle of another heavier book and this fit the bill and I still had a good time reading it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Minor: Gaslighting and Confinement
A Shadow in the Ember by Jennifer L. Armentrout
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I found this to be quite better in a lot of ways than FBAA but also too similar in spots. There's a lot of predictable twists because they were there at least somewhat in FBAA. The other bothers from FBAA are also here with random modern phrases and Q&A style info dumps but it is such a relief that there isn't a lot of repetative dialogue happening. And the banter between Sera and Ash is *delicious* and the steamy scenes are way better written.
The first half is pretty slow but the second half is action packed the whole way through. There is still some lull for dialogue but the second half is defitwhere the book shines.
Overall, I really, really enjoyed this and thought I would be "meh" not having Poppy and Hawke but Sera and Ash? Maybe BETTER?!
The first half is pretty slow but the second half is action packed the whole way through. There is still some lull for dialogue but the second half is defitwhere the book shines.
Overall, I really, really enjoyed this and thought I would be "meh" not having Poppy and Hawke but Sera and Ash? Maybe BETTER?!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Minor: Death of parent, Confinement, and Child death
Neon Gods by Katee Robert
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I didn't hate it but also didn't love it. Hermes is definitely a winner. The world building was confusing like there's references clearly implying this is our world with social media, phones and Cheetos but where is Olympus? What is Olympus? I guess I just needed focus on what this book is actually about :p
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Violence and Murder
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, and War
The Crown of Gilded Bones by Jennifer L. Armentrout
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
An enjoyable read but it really was a slog at some points that I had to take a break and read something else for a day or two. The beginning and end are both fast paced and exciting and a lot happens (the last 60-70 pages, holy cow!) but the middle is just a lot of conversation that doesn't really build up to anything at times. There's a few times that there seems to be something exciting happening but then it gets resolved or we move on in a chapter or two.
My biggest complaint is the same as others in that some of the joking around and dialogue is soooo repetative. We get it, Poppy asks a lot of questions, Poppy is stabby, Cas stans his wife, let's move on. One improvement is while Poppy still has a lot of inner dialogue that can be trimmed, I found that to be better than TKOFOF.
Overall, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would after reading the dislike that it gets. I don't feel like this is where the series starts breaking down, a lot does happen and the adventures are great once you get to them. Poppy's growth is probably the best part and I love where she ends up by the end. A lot of the conversation in the.middle, while a slog at points, was necessary info dumps. I'll keep reading and am happy that I enjoyed this thoroughly.
My biggest complaint is the same as others in that some of the joking around and dialogue is soooo repetative. We get it, Poppy asks a lot of questions, Poppy is stabby, Cas stans his wife, let's move on. One improvement is while Poppy still has a lot of inner dialogue that can be trimmed, I found that to be better than TKOFOF.
Overall, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would after reading the dislike that it gets. I don't feel like this is where the series starts breaking down, a lot does happen and the adventures are great once you get to them. Poppy's growth is probably the best part and I love where she ends up by the end. A lot of the conversation in the.middle, while a slog at points, was necessary info dumps. I'll keep reading and am happy that I enjoyed this thoroughly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content
Moderate: Gore, Blood, War, Death, and Murder
Minor: Child death
The Sword by J. Bree
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
I am VERY excited to see the direction this series is going. I feel like between this and The Scepter, this one is less world building and more insight to the one character ut the last chapter really makes it intriguing. Can't wait to see how these two connect to The Crown of Oaths and Curses.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing and War
Minor: Death of parent
Heartless Heathens by Santana Knox
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Sexual content, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Sexual assault, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail
A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire by Jennifer L. Armentrout
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I liked FBAA, but LOVED KOFAF. Starts off a bit slow since there's some time dedicated to the aftermath of the betrayal of the last book. The only things that keep me from eating this higher is there's quite a few repetitive phrases and there's still a lot of unnecessary inner dialogue. Cas says something, Poppy spends two paragraphs telling you how she feels, then finally we get the reply.
But Poppy, Casteel and Kieran are the best and I love their banter. The lead up to the last quarter of the book ramps up then unleashes a whirlwind right up until the end. I am thankful to high hell that I already had the next book.
But Poppy, Casteel and Kieran are the best and I love their banter. The lead up to the last quarter of the book ramps up then unleashes a whirlwind right up until the end. I am thankful to high hell that I already had the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Sexual content, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Child death, and War
What Hunts Inside the Shadows by Harper L. Woods
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The pacing is odd because the first half is a lot of repativie dialogue and not a whole lot going on adventure wise. There is a ramp up in smut which I don't mind but it seemed like after any little movement towards the goal, the characters needed to stop and bang it out.
It finally gets interesting at the end but then it feels rushed to get it over with. It definitely sets up the next book though and I will definitely read it but this felt like a long filler to tie the first and third books. I did enjoy seeing the growth of Estrella and her powers but that's all the character growth that happens.
It finally gets interesting at the end but then it feels rushed to get it over with. It definitely sets up the next book though and I will definitely read it but this felt like a long filler to tie the first and third books. I did enjoy seeing the growth of Estrella and her powers but that's all the character growth that happens.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, and Sexual content
Moderate: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
Minor: Rape