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404 reviews
Faebound by Saara El-Arifi
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Maude Horton's Glorious Revenge by Lizzie Pook
3.5
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Simon and Schuster for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A tale of a sister’s quest for revenge after the unjustified death of her sister, this book has a lot going for it to make any mystery lover intrigued. We follow Maude Horton (of the title) as she investigates the truth of how her sister died - and its coverup. Maude’s sister disguised as a cabin boy to go on an Arctic exploration and rescue - but she never comes home and no one will tell Maude exactly what happened. Told through dual timelines and 3 POVs - Maude, her killer, and the journal of her sister on this fateful journey - we slowly piece together the truth of what really happened out there on the ice.
I kind of feel this story might have been more interesting from Maude’s sister’s main POV, and I felt a bit too much of the narrative was in the mind of her killer (and to be honest, Maude’s “revenge” is only near the end) but otherwise this was a fun book to read. I think anyone who likes Victorian era historical fiction, mysteries, and doomed Arctic exploration tales would enjoy this book. Despite knowing who the “villain” of this tale is right at the start - Maude still needs to figure out a way to prove his guilt and exonerate her sister after death. We follow her investigation as Maude gets close to her sister’s killer - who, ironically, is out of luck himself and is trying to shill anything he can to pay his debts.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and had fun with it, despite (especially near the end) it feeling like Maude herself didn’t really have much to do with this “revenge” and it just kind of falling into her lap at the conclusion.
A tale of a sister’s quest for revenge after the unjustified death of her sister, this book has a lot going for it to make any mystery lover intrigued. We follow Maude Horton (of the title) as she investigates the truth of how her sister died - and its coverup. Maude’s sister disguised as a cabin boy to go on an Arctic exploration and rescue - but she never comes home and no one will tell Maude exactly what happened. Told through dual timelines and 3 POVs - Maude, her killer, and the journal of her sister on this fateful journey - we slowly piece together the truth of what really happened out there on the ice.
I kind of feel this story might have been more interesting from Maude’s sister’s main POV, and I felt a bit too much of the narrative was in the mind of her killer (and to be honest, Maude’s “revenge” is only near the end) but otherwise this was a fun book to read. I think anyone who likes Victorian era historical fiction, mysteries, and doomed Arctic exploration tales would enjoy this book. Despite knowing who the “villain” of this tale is right at the start - Maude still needs to figure out a way to prove his guilt and exonerate her sister after death. We follow her investigation as Maude gets close to her sister’s killer - who, ironically, is out of luck himself and is trying to shill anything he can to pay his debts.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and had fun with it, despite (especially near the end) it feeling like Maude herself didn’t really have much to do with this “revenge” and it just kind of falling into her lap at the conclusion.
The Tearsmith by Erin Doom
3.0
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Random House Ballantine - Dell for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
If you like dark YA romance between two damaged teenagers, where eventually they find their way to one another and learn to grow and change to remain together, this book might be a good fit for you. We follow two main characters who are 17 and about to be adopted into a new family - Nica and Rigel - who have a contemptuous relationship at the orphanage. Rigel is cruel and mean to Nica, who is extremely sensitive and hides from his treatment - but when they are forced to live in the same home their relationship is forced to change.
This book didn’t quite work for me as I felt our main character Nica was almost TOO sweet and innocent, to the point that she just annoyed me as a person. In the same way, Rigel was almost TOO mean (and somehow amazing at fights? Is he an anime villain?). I wasn’t invested in either character, nor their “relationship,” and to be honest if I hadn’t also been gifted a physical copy to more easily flip through I might have DNF’d this book.
In a way, they felt like stock characters for most of this book, where their entire interactions are “Rigel is mean to Nica, Nica runs to avoid him/cries/finds some random animal to help and talk to, Nica realizes that Rigel is kind of attractive?, we get a smash cut to Rigel’s POV where it’s revealed he’s horny 24/7 and obsessed with Nica.” Rinse and repeat. Quite literally nothing else had happened by 250 pages in this book.
I couldn’t get into their “love” or relationship, as even with the reveal that Rigel is trying to force Nica away from him because he thinks he’s too damaged for her, nothing between them ever really changed. The only advancements they get is when Nica decides to confront Rigel for his abuse, until eventually she decides she’s into him and forgives him - without him ever having to confront or change his negative behavior. It’s kind of alarming that there’s a negative love interest in this book for Nica, but yet basically all the red flags found in this boy (this is pointed out, many times) are found in, if not worse, in Rigel. Rigel spends the entire book as the same character he started as, except now Nica likes his “bad boy” self and isn’t bothered by his refusal to treat anyone else as a person.
In fact, Rigel so refuses to change at all, that even as the book ends he’s still obsessive and willing to/threatening to beat up any man that talks to Nica - which she just finds attractive now? Despite this being the reddest red flag of abuse there could be. The entire book Rigel is finding and beating up boys who say or do anything to Nica (bad or not), and then the book ends with him still threatening this same behavior to a classmate of hers. And it’s just seen as fine and a “quirk” of his, despite that being a negative earlier in the book. In the same way, Rigel refuses to talk or tell Nica anything, to the point that there’s a reveal about a character he used to sleep with during the LITERAL last like 5 pages - and when she’s like “hey it’s fine since that was before we were together, but I’m with you and her friend, why didn’t you tell me” and his response is the classic avoidance “I’ve been in love with you since I was 5.” ???? That. That answers absolutely nothing, my boy. Except of course this is the end of the book so Nica has to accept it.
I understand it’s a darker YA romance, and that Rigel can’t be suddenly “changed” or “redeemed” by the end - but an ounce of change wouldn’t be amiss. It just made me roll my eyes when he did the same thing to Nica’s classmate (as they’re now adults in their early 20s) that he did at 17. It almost made it completely pointless to have chapters of them as young adults - especially as there IS an epilogue at the end, and it’s strange that these chapters aren’t included as they felt VERY epilogue “nothing is going on and we’re living happily after”.
In the same way, this book avoids the whole “Rigel was cruel and abusive to people other than Nica” so much, that when they bring in another character who was harassed by him (in the last like 5 pages of the book) and he’s like “???? What do you mean you’re dating him?” it’s kind of just glossed over entirely. I think the ending of this book wouldn’t have bothered me quite so much if there was any actual development in their relationship, but as it is the only reason they get together is because one character almost dies and then when they wake up they’re suddenly like “well I guess we’re soulmates now” and now with the entire rest of their relationship they’re just riding off this belief while also not communicating to each other.
However, I think my biggest gripe is that this book was boring and nothing happened for the majority of the runtime - and then, near the end, suddenly the author decided to add some plot events (literally the last like 50 or so pages) and then just ended the book. And then, SPOILER, but had the dumbest ending possible where it’s implied that this book is a STORY told to her daughter about how her and her father got together (are we assuming the sexual stuff wasn’t told to her like 3 year old, or?) Also, the entire name of this book, and the “fairytale” of the “Tearsmith” was so barely there that I think removing it would have made this book make more sense.
I will admit that a big issue might have been that I don’t typically like just plain romances, but I think I might have enjoyed this if either character was anything other than a flat piece of cardboard and literally anything at all happened in this book. However, there are many people who enjoyed this book and I can see the appeal of self-inserting as a shy insecure girl who eventually gets together with the big mean bad boy - just as long as you can deal with like 300 pages of nothing before that.
If you like dark YA romance between two damaged teenagers, where eventually they find their way to one another and learn to grow and change to remain together, this book might be a good fit for you. We follow two main characters who are 17 and about to be adopted into a new family - Nica and Rigel - who have a contemptuous relationship at the orphanage. Rigel is cruel and mean to Nica, who is extremely sensitive and hides from his treatment - but when they are forced to live in the same home their relationship is forced to change.
This book didn’t quite work for me as I felt our main character Nica was almost TOO sweet and innocent, to the point that she just annoyed me as a person. In the same way, Rigel was almost TOO mean (and somehow amazing at fights? Is he an anime villain?). I wasn’t invested in either character, nor their “relationship,” and to be honest if I hadn’t also been gifted a physical copy to more easily flip through I might have DNF’d this book.
In a way, they felt like stock characters for most of this book, where their entire interactions are “Rigel is mean to Nica, Nica runs to avoid him/cries/finds some random animal to help and talk to, Nica realizes that Rigel is kind of attractive?, we get a smash cut to Rigel’s POV where it’s revealed he’s horny 24/7 and obsessed with Nica.” Rinse and repeat. Quite literally nothing else had happened by 250 pages in this book.
I couldn’t get into their “love” or relationship, as even with the reveal that Rigel is trying to force Nica away from him because he thinks he’s too damaged for her, nothing between them ever really changed. The only advancements they get is when Nica decides to confront Rigel for his abuse, until eventually she decides she’s into him and forgives him - without him ever having to confront or change his negative behavior. It’s kind of alarming that there’s a negative love interest in this book for Nica, but yet basically all the red flags found in this boy (this is pointed out, many times) are found in, if not worse, in Rigel. Rigel spends the entire book as the same character he started as, except now Nica likes his “bad boy” self and isn’t bothered by his refusal to treat anyone else as a person.
In fact, Rigel so refuses to change at all, that even as the book ends he’s still obsessive and willing to/threatening to beat up any man that talks to Nica - which she just finds attractive now? Despite this being the reddest red flag of abuse there could be. The entire book Rigel is finding and beating up boys who say or do anything to Nica (bad or not), and then the book ends with him still threatening this same behavior to a classmate of hers. And it’s just seen as fine and a “quirk” of his, despite that being a negative earlier in the book. In the same way, Rigel refuses to talk or tell Nica anything, to the point that there’s a reveal about a character he used to sleep with during the LITERAL last like 5 pages - and when she’s like “hey it’s fine since that was before we were together, but I’m with you and her friend, why didn’t you tell me” and his response is the classic avoidance “I’ve been in love with you since I was 5.” ???? That. That answers absolutely nothing, my boy. Except of course this is the end of the book so Nica has to accept it.
I understand it’s a darker YA romance, and that Rigel can’t be suddenly “changed” or “redeemed” by the end - but an ounce of change wouldn’t be amiss. It just made me roll my eyes when he did the same thing to Nica’s classmate (as they’re now adults in their early 20s) that he did at 17. It almost made it completely pointless to have chapters of them as young adults - especially as there IS an epilogue at the end, and it’s strange that these chapters aren’t included as they felt VERY epilogue “nothing is going on and we’re living happily after”.
In the same way, this book avoids the whole “Rigel was cruel and abusive to people other than Nica” so much, that when they bring in another character who was harassed by him (in the last like 5 pages of the book) and he’s like “???? What do you mean you’re dating him?” it’s kind of just glossed over entirely. I think the ending of this book wouldn’t have bothered me quite so much if there was any actual development in their relationship, but as it is the only reason they get together is because one character almost dies and then when they wake up they’re suddenly like “well I guess we’re soulmates now” and now with the entire rest of their relationship they’re just riding off this belief while also not communicating to each other.
However, I think my biggest gripe is that this book was boring and nothing happened for the majority of the runtime - and then, near the end, suddenly the author decided to add some plot events (literally the last like 50 or so pages) and then just ended the book. And then, SPOILER, but had the dumbest ending possible where it’s implied that this book is a STORY told to her daughter about how her and her father got together (are we assuming the sexual stuff wasn’t told to her like 3 year old, or?) Also, the entire name of this book, and the “fairytale” of the “Tearsmith” was so barely there that I think removing it would have made this book make more sense.
I will admit that a big issue might have been that I don’t typically like just plain romances, but I think I might have enjoyed this if either character was anything other than a flat piece of cardboard and literally anything at all happened in this book. However, there are many people who enjoyed this book and I can see the appeal of self-inserting as a shy insecure girl who eventually gets together with the big mean bad boy - just as long as you can deal with like 300 pages of nothing before that.
Obsidian Tide by Joanna McSpadden
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.25
Tales of the Celestial Kingdom by Sue Lynn Tan
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Harper Voyager for providing this e-ARC.
This is a perfect companion to read after the Celestial Kingdom duology. These short stories give you insights into the minds of the characters we met and loved during the books, and gives us glimpses into their lives before and during the events of the books. These stories were a perfect way to come back to this duology that I love so much, and felt like visiting old friends. I think these stories provide a perfect accompaniment for reading the books (on a reread, the spoilers are real) to go back and see some of the different experiences that we didn’t get fully exposed to during the initial books. We also get different POVs, and Wenzhi’s chapters had me kicking my feet, I love him so much.
Other than the first section, which is a prequel story of how the Moon Goddess became the Moon Goddess, these stories have spoilers for both books in them and should only be read after you finish both books. I absolutely think this would be a great book to pick up after finishing Heart of the Sun Warrior to help recover from the book hangover, and to gain more insight into some of the little side stories of events that happened. (PLUS THERE’S AN EXTENDED EPILOGUE THAT TRUST ME, YOU NEED.)
I loved this so much, and if you loved this duology I believe you’ll also love revisiting with these characters and storylines.
This is a perfect companion to read after the Celestial Kingdom duology. These short stories give you insights into the minds of the characters we met and loved during the books, and gives us glimpses into their lives before and during the events of the books. These stories were a perfect way to come back to this duology that I love so much, and felt like visiting old friends. I think these stories provide a perfect accompaniment for reading the books (on a reread, the spoilers are real) to go back and see some of the different experiences that we didn’t get fully exposed to during the initial books. We also get different POVs, and Wenzhi’s chapters had me kicking my feet, I love him so much.
Other than the first section, which is a prequel story of how the Moon Goddess became the Moon Goddess, these stories have spoilers for both books in them and should only be read after you finish both books. I absolutely think this would be a great book to pick up after finishing Heart of the Sun Warrior to help recover from the book hangover, and to gain more insight into some of the little side stories of events that happened. (PLUS THERE’S AN EXTENDED EPILOGUE THAT TRUST ME, YOU NEED.)
I loved this so much, and if you loved this duology I believe you’ll also love revisiting with these characters and storylines.
The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives by Siddharth Kara
informative
sad
slow-paced
5.0