edrickashay's reviews
56 reviews

Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber

adventurous hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Alice-in-wonderland vibes with a naive human making deals with an attractive and manipulative god. The writing itself is nothing remarkable and at times cheesy, but this was a good enough time that I wanted to finish the book. 

It was a silly good time with lots of plot shifts in the begging and around 60%, with vampires then randomly thrown in. Again, a silly good time. You'll enjoy this book it you don't take it too seriously. 

My main qualms with this book include that I want to know how many Fates there are and what makes them Fates - they seem tarot card inspired rather than deck of cards inspired, but their lore isn't really explained other than that they're sort of Gods but not really. My other qualm is that some of the lines in this book had the opportunity to be deep and reflective about life - the kind of quotes you want to highlight - but came off feeling cheesy or too obvious. I wish the author trusted us more to see our MC changing instead of spelling it out for us.
 

I don't mind our MC's optimistism and positivity even though it makes her a hopeless naive romantic.

The Stolen Heir by Holly Black

medium-paced

3.5

The Prisoner's Throne by Holly Black

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs
Did not finish book. Stopped at 33%.

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black

4.0

The Wicked King by Holly Black

5.0

Southern Sun, Northern Star by Joanna Hathaway

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This book was long, grueling, had me on the verge of anxiety attacks, begging for it to end, begging for it not to end the way it sounded like it was ending. 

I read this when I did not have the mental capacity to really appreciate it, and I still left thinking "wow. This. This is storytelling." Confusing and hard to keep up with at times. But yeah. What an ending. 

*spoilers after this*

 

"You already have my heart. Take my lungs too." Wow slap in the face great lines go off loved 

This entire series could've been solved if Dakar saw his son in love with the princess and decided to get them married, kill Reni, have Ali and Athan inherit the throne.

Ripe by Sarah Rose Etter

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

This book gave me depression. Interesting writing style and formatting, but I don't think I'm the target audience for this book. I usually like my fantasy books and my LitFic a little weirder (natural beauty, bunny). I wanted this to be a little more absurd. Instead, it was a really sad revelation on what life is unfortunately too like for a lot of people. It was like reading my nightmare. 

Would still recommend to people! Just wasn't for me.

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

adventurous dark funny lighthearted mysterious 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

The writing style is very simple, short, almost middle-school level sentences, but once I got used to it, this was an enjoyable read. Just enough heat, and characters that are uniquely angry. 
I cannot stop looking at fan art, so I must have really liked it. 

The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones

adventurous dark emotional lighthearted mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

 Otherworldly, enchanting, heartwarming, a unique take on zombies and YA characters – and a beautifully crafted, well written story I wanted to read slowly. This is a modern fairytale done right, sticking true to the essence of myth and a hero’s journey. I have absolutely nothing negative to say, highly recommend.

Slow burn romance and friendship first, a story dealing with grief, loss, and closure…I feel like this would hit harder if I had ever lost someone close to me too soon, but it still left me enchanted none the less. Breathtakingly beautiful ambiance, creepy and spooky inserts that are not overly indulgent or violently gory for gore’s sake, absolutely unique characters, and a beautifully impactful twist on a cliché ending, with surprises that you can guess if you pay attention (and I find that enjoyable, these crumbs are cleverly left, leaving the reader either in awe of the surprise or feeling smart).

Would check trigger warnings if you have recently lost someone.

Side notes:
I did not feel like I was reading about two eighteen-year-old characters. I imagined, honestly, late twenties or thirties. I don’t think it matters to the story how you imagine them.
I began reading this while reading by a stream in the forest. 10/10 recommend for the vibes. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Death of parent