doomfaery's reviews
103 reviews

Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco

adventurous emotional medium-paced

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

3.5

There's some good story bones here. The folk magic is fun. If you're into Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Charmed, especially all the Phoebe / Cole stuff, there's a good chance you'll enjoy this.

Still, I have to say, the characterization really needs some work. Wrath makes an intriguing male MC, and Nonna is fully formed, but everyone else is kind of meh. The narrative lacks the punch of emotion and the FMC makes decisions and comes to conclusions in a way that feels very rushed.

I'll probably read the sequel but maybe not immediately.

Our Crooked Hearts by Melissa Albert

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

Equal parts gritty magic and mother daughter drama. Gorgeous use of prose and metaphor. A writer that truly understands how to move plot in a significant way without overdoing any of the themes or anything.

The magic in this is similar to The Craft, for anyone wondering.

Content Warnings

Born of Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

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adventurous dark emotional sad 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

5.0

Content Warnings

A Fire in the Flesh by Jennifer L. Armentrout

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dark emotional sad tense fast-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

4.75

I had to deduct some points from this one because theres like a whole chapter that's literally just Ash and Sera having sex. It's like 8 times and I'm sorry but no one can come that much in a sitting lmao it was tedious to read through when the steam is usually so strategically placed.

Content Warnings

A Light in the Flame by Jennifer L. Armentrout

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adventurous emotional tense fast-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

5.0

Content Warnings

A Shadow in the Ember by Jennifer L. Armentrout

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adventurous emotional slow-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

5.0

Content Warnings

A Soul of Ash and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

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

4.5

The reasonable side of me knows and completely understands that this book is basically a money grab. It's a shameless filler.

However, Casteels character is so strong and well developed, that reading book one all over again from his perspective was actually thrilling. The steamy scenes are still steamy, and J.L.A. manages to slip in another surprise for us at the end there.

In general, this is a great read and I'm sad to be so far from reading the sixth installment.

Content Warnings