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elissapoletti's reviews
189 reviews
The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black
adventurous
dark
hopeful
tense
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? It's complicated
4.5
Series review!
What a trilogy! I’m so glad I decided to give this series another go! For a YA it lacks the over abundance of melodrama that so often comes with the genre and the author seems much more focused on telling the story than meeting her word count, which I LOVE!
The world of Elfhame is so enchanting, it feels familiar, the way Black draws creatures from folklore and fairytales into her writing, and yet there is something new and enticing about this modern faerie story, that leaves you coming back for more.
The Folk of the Air trilogy is essentially a game of thrones type situation, there is much political intrigue, power struggles, ambition and the fight for survival. Jude is a refreshing female lead, she doesn’t have a martyr complex, and doesn’t pretend to be a saint amongst sinners. She is power driven, being a mortal stolen away to an immortal world, she feels that mortality keenly and wishes to further herself in ways that will gain her strength and protection. And if that means finding a way to control the King of Elfhame, she’s willing to find a way to do it. Prince Cardan presents himself as a nasty nemesis but if the two of them can find a way to work together they could have the power to become a force to be reckoned with and the world of Elfhame could find itself turned on its head.
I will definitely be rereading this series in the future, it has become a favourite 🤍🍄🧚🏽
4.5/5 stars ✨
What a trilogy! I’m so glad I decided to give this series another go! For a YA it lacks the over abundance of melodrama that so often comes with the genre and the author seems much more focused on telling the story than meeting her word count, which I LOVE!
The world of Elfhame is so enchanting, it feels familiar, the way Black draws creatures from folklore and fairytales into her writing, and yet there is something new and enticing about this modern faerie story, that leaves you coming back for more.
The Folk of the Air trilogy is essentially a game of thrones type situation, there is much political intrigue, power struggles, ambition and the fight for survival. Jude is a refreshing female lead, she doesn’t have a martyr complex, and doesn’t pretend to be a saint amongst sinners. She is power driven, being a mortal stolen away to an immortal world, she feels that mortality keenly and wishes to further herself in ways that will gain her strength and protection. And if that means finding a way to control the King of Elfhame, she’s willing to find a way to do it. Prince Cardan presents himself as a nasty nemesis but if the two of them can find a way to work together they could have the power to become a force to be reckoned with and the world of Elfhame could find itself turned on its head.
I will definitely be rereading this series in the future, it has become a favourite 🤍🍄🧚🏽
4.5/5 stars ✨
The Wicked King by Holly Black
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
tense
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? It's complicated
4.5
Beach Read by Emily Henry
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Spare by Prince Harry
sad
medium-paced
2.5
It’s taken me almost a whole year to get through this one, I can’t exactly blame poor old Harry for that, I did read this in Audible form and my track record with getting through them isn’t great, it wasn’t for the lack of drama that slowed my listening down, that’s for sure.
When I say “poor old Harry”, it’s because that’s the way I feel Prince Harry likes to portray himself in this memoir. The way it reads, his goal is to victimise himself and Meghan, not to mention the down right shocking revelations he makes about his family, deeply personal things to the Royal family he brings up, that as a reader, makes me feel more embarrassed for him, than anger towards the Royal family. The book has a very melodramatic prose, I’m not sure who the ghost writer was, but I don’t think they did Harry any favours, in an effort to sound poetic and accomplished, it comes off like reading amateur YA fiction. This was something else I questioned whilst reading, how much of this was fact? How much fiction? And I couldn’t help but see the hypocrisy in it all, especially when he speaks of Paul Burrell, Princess Diana’s butler, “Mummy’s former butler had penned a tell all, which actually told nothing. Was merely one man’s self justifying, self centring version of events. My mother once called this butler a dear friend, trusted him, implicitly. We did too. Now this. He was milking her disappearance for money, it made my blood boil.”, I can’t help but feel that Harry is doing the same thing here, to his mother’s memory and his family.
I can’t say that I am surprised by the content of this book, considering the several docos and interviews they have produced in the last few years, this really wasn’t any different. If Harry’s intention with this book was to gain some sympathy, he may well have done that, but possibly not the same sympathy he desired.
When I say “poor old Harry”, it’s because that’s the way I feel Prince Harry likes to portray himself in this memoir. The way it reads, his goal is to victimise himself and Meghan, not to mention the down right shocking revelations he makes about his family, deeply personal things to the Royal family he brings up, that as a reader, makes me feel more embarrassed for him, than anger towards the Royal family. The book has a very melodramatic prose, I’m not sure who the ghost writer was, but I don’t think they did Harry any favours, in an effort to sound poetic and accomplished, it comes off like reading amateur YA fiction. This was something else I questioned whilst reading, how much of this was fact? How much fiction? And I couldn’t help but see the hypocrisy in it all, especially when he speaks of Paul Burrell, Princess Diana’s butler, “Mummy’s former butler had penned a tell all, which actually told nothing. Was merely one man’s self justifying, self centring version of events. My mother once called this butler a dear friend, trusted him, implicitly. We did too. Now this. He was milking her disappearance for money, it made my blood boil.”, I can’t help but feel that Harry is doing the same thing here, to his mother’s memory and his family.
I can’t say that I am surprised by the content of this book, considering the several docos and interviews they have produced in the last few years, this really wasn’t any different. If Harry’s intention with this book was to gain some sympathy, he may well have done that, but possibly not the same sympathy he desired.
The Secrets of Midwives by Sally Hepworth
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-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
4.5
The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.5
Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.5 ⭐️
I finally finished Ruthless Vows and I definitely dragged my feet a bit. I love the idea of these books, a fantasy world in a WWII setting is a great idea, and had it been written as an epic fantasy I think it would have been brilliant, however it might be time I acknowledge that I’ve grown out of the YA genre. I find myself cringing at the melodrama and high emotions and I’m still disappointed by the lack of world building and fantasy elements, given that it’s marketed as a romantic fantasy. I was holding out hope that Roman might ride a Wyvern or something, but I’m not sure even that would have saved this duology for me. I hate to be negative about these two books, as there is A LOT of hype around them and many people seem thrilled with them, but unfortunately it felt as though I was reading basically the same story again with a different coloured cover. The story follows the same line as the first, Roman and Iris communicating via magical typewriters, one of them unaware of who the other was, eventually figuring out who they’re writing to, and another “battle” or bombing scene to round out the finale of the book. The world building increases only a small amount with some vague descriptions of Dacre’s underworld but that concludes the extent of it. I will say there were a couple of deaths at the end that were written well, the emotion hit nicely because there wasn’t an over dramatisation of it, it was what it was.
I’m still confused by the “law”, as earlier in the book we’re told if a human kills a god, humankind loses whatever ability that god possessed, ie harvests would not be prosperous if the harvest god was killed, so I don’t know what that means for healing abilities…?
I am glad I have read these, but they don’t live up to the 5 star hype for me, perhaps Ross’s other duology is more my style.
I finally finished Ruthless Vows and I definitely dragged my feet a bit. I love the idea of these books, a fantasy world in a WWII setting is a great idea, and had it been written as an epic fantasy I think it would have been brilliant, however it might be time I acknowledge that I’ve grown out of the YA genre. I find myself cringing at the melodrama and high emotions and I’m still disappointed by the lack of world building and fantasy elements, given that it’s marketed as a romantic fantasy. I was holding out hope that Roman might ride a Wyvern or something, but I’m not sure even that would have saved this duology for me. I hate to be negative about these two books, as there is A LOT of hype around them and many people seem thrilled with them, but unfortunately it felt as though I was reading basically the same story again with a different coloured cover. The story follows the same line as the first, Roman and Iris communicating via magical typewriters, one of them unaware of who the other was, eventually figuring out who they’re writing to, and another “battle” or bombing scene to round out the finale of the book. The world building increases only a small amount with some vague descriptions of Dacre’s underworld but that concludes the extent of it. I will say there were a couple of deaths at the end that were written well, the emotion hit nicely because there wasn’t an over dramatisation of it, it was what it was.
I’m still confused by the “law”, as earlier in the book we’re told if a human kills a god, humankind loses whatever ability that god possessed, ie harvests would not be prosperous if the harvest god was killed, so I don’t know what that means for healing abilities…?
I am glad I have read these, but they don’t live up to the 5 star hype for me, perhaps Ross’s other duology is more my style.
Beyond the Wand: The Magic & Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard by Tom Felton
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
The Burning Girls by C.J. Tudor
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0