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elissapoletti's reviews
189 reviews
Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
๐๐ถ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ด ๐ธ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ๐ด ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ถ๐จ๐ญ๐บ, ๐บ๐ฆ๐ต ๐๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด ๐ง๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ธ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ๐ด ๐ช๐ฏ๐ท๐ช๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ...
๐๐ข๐ฏ๐จ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฏ'๐ต ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ข ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ข๐ถ๐ต๐ช๐ง๐ถ๐ญโ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ง๐ข๐ค๐ต, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ'๐ด ๐ข ๐ฎ๐ข๐จ๐ฏ๐ช๐ง๐บ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ง๐ญ๐ถ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ. ๐๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ข ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ด ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต๐ฆ๐ด๐ต ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต ๐ฏ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต. ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ญ๐บ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ข๐ถ๐ต๐บ ๐ช๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ณ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต ๐ท๐ข๐ณ๐ช๐ฆ๐ต๐บ. ๐๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ง๐ช๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ข ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ณ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ฐ๐น๐ช๐ค๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ, ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ฏ๐ค๐ช๐ฏ๐จ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ข.
Sanderson himself said he was inspired by The Princess Bride when writing this, asking the question what would have happened if Buttercup had actually gone after Westley when he went missing. Tress definitely has a whimsical feel throughout itโs entirety, particularly due to its narration by Hoid, whose character is a mystery right up to the last few pages, all we know is he was cursed by the same sorceress who has taken Charlie, Tressโs love, captive. Hoid is extremely amusing and his little interjections throughout the story make for a humorous read. I found Tress a beautiful and traditional fairytale, about a girl discovering her identity and developing from her trials. I also LOVED Sandersonโs dig at the way too common โIโm not like other girlsโ 21st century YA trope, in making Tress just like every other girl. I loved that Tress had a cup collection, as itโs something I hold in common with her, and something that endeared her to me. Sandersonโs world building expertise comes through with his invention of the spore seas and he creates an amazing visual describing the different seas and the danger each spore colour contains. I wish this book had a map in it of the spore seas and Tressโs island. I have a feeling that Sanderson isnโt finished with this setting and hopefully we will see more of it in books to come.
๐๐ข๐ฏ๐จ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฏ'๐ต ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ข ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ข๐ถ๐ต๐ช๐ง๐ถ๐ญโ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ง๐ข๐ค๐ต, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ'๐ด ๐ข ๐ฎ๐ข๐จ๐ฏ๐ช๐ง๐บ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ง๐ญ๐ถ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ. ๐๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ข ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ด ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต๐ฆ๐ด๐ต ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต ๐ฏ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต. ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ญ๐บ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ข๐ถ๐ต๐บ ๐ช๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ณ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต ๐ท๐ข๐ณ๐ช๐ฆ๐ต๐บ. ๐๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ง๐ช๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ข ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ณ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ฐ๐น๐ช๐ค๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ, ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ฏ๐ค๐ช๐ฏ๐จ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ข.
Sanderson himself said he was inspired by The Princess Bride when writing this, asking the question what would have happened if Buttercup had actually gone after Westley when he went missing. Tress definitely has a whimsical feel throughout itโs entirety, particularly due to its narration by Hoid, whose character is a mystery right up to the last few pages, all we know is he was cursed by the same sorceress who has taken Charlie, Tressโs love, captive. Hoid is extremely amusing and his little interjections throughout the story make for a humorous read. I found Tress a beautiful and traditional fairytale, about a girl discovering her identity and developing from her trials. I also LOVED Sandersonโs dig at the way too common โIโm not like other girlsโ 21st century YA trope, in making Tress just like every other girl. I loved that Tress had a cup collection, as itโs something I hold in common with her, and something that endeared her to me. Sandersonโs world building expertise comes through with his invention of the spore seas and he creates an amazing visual describing the different seas and the danger each spore colour contains. I wish this book had a map in it of the spore seas and Tressโs island. I have a feeling that Sanderson isnโt finished with this setting and hopefully we will see more of it in books to come.
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It was a relaxing read in a basic fantasy setting, describing the smell of coffee and making me hungry with all of Thimble the Rattkins baking. I enjoyed that the main character was a female orc, given my only experience with orcs ever being Tolkienโs, so I found that comedic and different. It is described as โhigh fantasy, low stakes, good companyโ and I think some readers need to remember the low stakes part and not go into this thinking youโre going to get a fully fledged fantasy with epic battles. This is animal crossing in book format, itโs cozy, itโs setting up shop, itโs low stakes. It doesnโt pretend to be something itโs not. And for what it is described as, itโs a 4 star rating from me.
The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
The Kiss Curse ~ Erin Sterling
This book follows The Ex Hex but instead focuses on Vivienneโs cousin Gwyn, and Rhysโs brother Llewellyn. These books are the reading equivalent to watching a Halloween themed hallmark film (except with unnecessarily frequent swearing) and are an easy read if youโre wanting those sort of vibes. I did find that I enjoyed The Kiss Curse a bit more than its predecessor, it cut back a lot on the misandry that was heavy in the first book and I felt the story behind the romance was more interesting. That being said I feel like there is always a big build up to something scary or mind blowing and then when that something finally comes Iโm always disappointed with how quickly it dissipates and everything goes back to sunshine and rainbows (or autumn leaves and pumpkin spice lattes). I think Iโm always wanting more of a secondary plot to the romance so I feel short changed when there isnโt much of one, but thatโs just me!
All in all, a fun, witchy read and Sir Purrcival is a cutie ๐โโฌ
This book follows The Ex Hex but instead focuses on Vivienneโs cousin Gwyn, and Rhysโs brother Llewellyn. These books are the reading equivalent to watching a Halloween themed hallmark film (except with unnecessarily frequent swearing) and are an easy read if youโre wanting those sort of vibes. I did find that I enjoyed The Kiss Curse a bit more than its predecessor, it cut back a lot on the misandry that was heavy in the first book and I felt the story behind the romance was more interesting. That being said I feel like there is always a big build up to something scary or mind blowing and then when that something finally comes Iโm always disappointed with how quickly it dissipates and everything goes back to sunshine and rainbows (or autumn leaves and pumpkin spice lattes). I think Iโm always wanting more of a secondary plot to the romance so I feel short changed when there isnโt much of one, but thatโs just me!
All in all, a fun, witchy read and Sir Purrcival is a cutie ๐โโฌ
The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
Hot damn! (Iykyk) ALL THE STARS! This is my first ever Sanderson read and I absolutely LOVED it!! I had no idea what to expect other than my own fears of him being this really big scary fantasy author that I would never be able to read because my C+ brain canโt handle too many big words ๐
Turns out I can totally handle his writing, well at least in one of his books I can!
This is the fantasy/sci-fi quest novel Iโve been unknowingly searching for all year. I was hoping to get that from Divine Rivals, but it was more romance centric, (still holding out hope for Ruthless Vows) but TFWHB fulfilled all my fantasy quest needs. Sanderson himself describes this as more of a sci-fi but I still felt it was very fantasy heavy with the medieval setting. The fantasy aspect comes from the addition of medieval folk creatures and rune stone magic which I loved. Not to mention the narrator Runian is absolutely hilarious and I actually found it very easy to see myself in him. There is such brilliant character development throughout his story and although this is one of Sandersonโs secret project books, I feel there is so much he can still do with this character and world, Iโd love to read more in this setting. It just makes me excited to read more of Sandersonโs work.
This is the fantasy/sci-fi quest novel Iโve been unknowingly searching for all year. I was hoping to get that from Divine Rivals, but it was more romance centric, (still holding out hope for Ruthless Vows) but TFWHB fulfilled all my fantasy quest needs. Sanderson himself describes this as more of a sci-fi but I still felt it was very fantasy heavy with the medieval setting. The fantasy aspect comes from the addition of medieval folk creatures and rune stone magic which I loved. Not to mention the narrator Runian is absolutely hilarious and I actually found it very easy to see myself in him. There is such brilliant character development throughout his story and although this is one of Sandersonโs secret project books, I feel there is so much he can still do with this character and world, Iโd love to read more in this setting. It just makes me excited to read more of Sandersonโs work.
Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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? No
5.0
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
"You've Got Mail" meets "Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" meets "Clash of the Titians"
Pros:
- slow burn romance
- WWII like setting
- letter writing through magical means
- rivals to lovers
Cons:
- not very fantasy heavy
- vague magic system
- could use a little more world building
**************************SPOILERS AHEAD***************************************
I wasn't to sure what I was getting into when I bought this book. The blurb doesn't give much away and as is my way, my purchase was mainly based off how pretty the cover was.
I enjoyed the world war ii style setting, and in the beginning it was giving me Narnia vibes, particularly with the seemingly magical wardrobe (which we find out isn't magic but more on that later) where letters pass between our two main characters.
This story follows Iris and Roman, rival columnists at newspaper the Oath Gazette, both competing for the role of head columnist. Iris, six months earlier, had farewelled her brother Forest as he joined Enva's army to fight in the gods war. We learn that Enva and Dacre, a goddess and god who have been asleep for many years, have awakened and are at war with one another. Iris hasn't heard from Forest the entire time he has been gone, despite his promise to write. To help quell her anxiety at his silence, she writes letters to him on her grandmothers typewriter and puts the letters in her wardrobe. She soon finds out that her letters are being read but not by Forest, instead by a mysterious boy.
When the Oath Gazette's competition the Inkridden Tribune, posts an advert looking for war correspondents, and a devastating accident causes Iris life to more or less implode, she finds herself in Avalon Bluff, writing letters for soldiers. And as she feels herself falling for the mysterious Carver from across the wardrobe (who has a matching magic typewriter), she finds herself thrust into Roman's proximity again as he follows her to the frontlines as another war correspondent.
As I mentioned earlier, I enjoyed the world war ii style setting, and although this book is a fantasy, it is not very fantasy heavy. There are a lot of things that I would like the author to expand on, particularly the mythology or history around the gods and the magic system that she has put in place. There seems to be magic imbued in this world however it isn't very prominent or really talked about. It is mentioned that Roman's house is built on a sort of leyline and as such his house is somewhat alive and will do things in service of him. It is also said that the sister typewriters that both Iris and Roman own are imbued with magic and that is why they can communicate. Other than this, the only other magic that seems to exist is the magic of the gods, Enva who ferries the dead and plays a magic harp and Dacre who is the god of healing. From this I assume that magic is something not really honed or used by humans other than when in possession of objects imbued with it. So it really is a background element to this story. There is mention of two fantasy creatures, hounds and eithrals which Dacre uses in his army and before this they are thought to be myths.
I hope the next book also expands on the world building, it is clear there are Northern, Eastern, Southern, Western and Central boroughs and of the five gods mentioned, each dwells in a dreamlike state within one of the boroughs, but I would love a map to show this and where all the towns/cities mentioned sit in each of these boroughs. As I said earlier, the fantasy aspect is very light on and sort of only serves as a vessel for Iris and Roman's letters and the reason for a divine war.
That being said, the story is hooking and well written, the romance is sweet and a nice slow burn. The characters are very likeable and who doesn't love a You've Got Mail like plot? The action is gripping and the cliffhanger ending leaves you desperate for more. If Ross can bring more magic law and more world building into the sequel, this could be an almost perfect duology.
Pros:
- slow burn romance
- WWII like setting
- letter writing through magical means
- rivals to lovers
Cons:
- not very fantasy heavy
- vague magic system
- could use a little more world building
**************************SPOILERS AHEAD***************************************
I wasn't to sure what I was getting into when I bought this book. The blurb doesn't give much away and as is my way, my purchase was mainly based off how pretty the cover was.
I enjoyed the world war ii style setting, and in the beginning it was giving me Narnia vibes, particularly with the seemingly magical wardrobe (which we find out isn't magic but more on that later) where letters pass between our two main characters.
This story follows Iris and Roman, rival columnists at newspaper the Oath Gazette, both competing for the role of head columnist. Iris, six months earlier, had farewelled her brother Forest as he joined Enva's army to fight in the gods war. We learn that Enva and Dacre, a goddess and god who have been asleep for many years, have awakened and are at war with one another. Iris hasn't heard from Forest the entire time he has been gone, despite his promise to write. To help quell her anxiety at his silence, she writes letters to him on her grandmothers typewriter and puts the letters in her wardrobe. She soon finds out that her letters are being read but not by Forest, instead by a mysterious boy.
When the Oath Gazette's competition the Inkridden Tribune, posts an advert looking for war correspondents, and a devastating accident causes Iris life to more or less implode, she finds herself in Avalon Bluff, writing letters for soldiers. And as she feels herself falling for the mysterious Carver from across the wardrobe (who has a matching magic typewriter), she finds herself thrust into Roman's proximity again as he follows her to the frontlines as another war correspondent.
As I mentioned earlier, I enjoyed the world war ii style setting, and although this book is a fantasy, it is not very fantasy heavy. There are a lot of things that I would like the author to expand on, particularly the mythology or history around the gods and the magic system that she has put in place. There seems to be magic imbued in this world however it isn't very prominent or really talked about. It is mentioned that Roman's house is built on a sort of leyline and as such his house is somewhat alive and will do things in service of him. It is also said that the sister typewriters that both Iris and Roman own are imbued with magic and that is why they can communicate. Other than this, the only other magic that seems to exist is the magic of the gods, Enva who ferries the dead and plays a magic harp and Dacre who is the god of healing. From this I assume that magic is something not really honed or used by humans other than when in possession of objects imbued with it. So it really is a background element to this story. There is mention of two fantasy creatures, hounds and eithrals which Dacre uses in his army and before this they are thought to be myths.
I hope the next book also expands on the world building, it is clear there are Northern, Eastern, Southern, Western and Central boroughs and of the five gods mentioned, each dwells in a dreamlike state within one of the boroughs, but I would love a map to show this and where all the towns/cities mentioned sit in each of these boroughs. As I said earlier, the fantasy aspect is very light on and sort of only serves as a vessel for Iris and Roman's letters and the reason for a divine war.
That being said, the story is hooking and well written, the romance is sweet and a nice slow burn. The characters are very likeable and who doesn't love a You've Got Mail like plot? The action is gripping and the cliffhanger ending leaves you desperate for more. If Ross can bring more magic law and more world building into the sequel, this could be an almost perfect duology.
This Is How We End Things by R.J. Jacobs
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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This Is How We End Things ~ R.J. Jacobs
โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
Well it was an absolute pleasure to read this arc from @netgalley!
R.J. Jacobs has written a page turning psychological thriller set in a snowy university campus and following a group of psychology grad students and their professor who are running experiments on the science of deception. When one of them is found murdered in their department, the only suspects are the grad students themselves, who all hold secrets of their own and their expertise in lying makes a hard task for Detective Larson who finds herself second guessing all she knows about finding the truth.
This snowy setting and the female lead cop was giving me Fargo vibes which I loved and as I really hadnโt read a hooking dark academia thriller since The Silent Patient and The Maidenโs, I enjoyed this so much. It is very fast paced and written from a few different point of views which adds to the who done it mystery. I loved theorising as to who the murderer might be and kept jumping around to different people.
Iโd love to reread this once the final edits are done and the book is published, such an entertaining mystery!
โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
Well it was an absolute pleasure to read this arc from @netgalley!
R.J. Jacobs has written a page turning psychological thriller set in a snowy university campus and following a group of psychology grad students and their professor who are running experiments on the science of deception. When one of them is found murdered in their department, the only suspects are the grad students themselves, who all hold secrets of their own and their expertise in lying makes a hard task for Detective Larson who finds herself second guessing all she knows about finding the truth.
This snowy setting and the female lead cop was giving me Fargo vibes which I loved and as I really hadnโt read a hooking dark academia thriller since The Silent Patient and The Maidenโs, I enjoyed this so much. It is very fast paced and written from a few different point of views which adds to the who done it mystery. I loved theorising as to who the murderer might be and kept jumping around to different people.
Iโd love to reread this once the final edits are done and the book is published, such an entertaining mystery!
Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
lighthearted
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
3.5
Love, Theoretically ~ Ali Hazelwood
โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ.5
Such a cozy read, particularly with its snowy, wintery setting. I undeniably found Love, Theoretically a more enjoyable read than Love on the Brain. By now itโs easy to tell that Hazelwood has formed a pattern in recycling her characters and stories but that being said, Jack has been my favourite of the male main characters so far, he seemed to function less robotically and behave more adult like, communicating better than his predecessors, Levi and Adam. I found Elsie less obnoxious than Bee and her ever changing personality to suit those around her interesting.
I appreciated the plot this time round and was glad that any notion of a miscommunication trope was quelled relatively early on, in fact honest communication was a big theme in this book (there were still small amounts of miscommunication but it wasnโt the main plot/trope) and Elsie had real character development which was nice to read. Hazelwoodโs politics come through a lot in these stories and it might not be for everyone, particularly because it can feel quite forced sometimes, however I do feel like it was more toned down in Love, Theoretically compared to Love on the Brain.
I donโt go into these books looking for high literature, however they are a fun time and her covers are so eye catching.
โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ.5
Such a cozy read, particularly with its snowy, wintery setting. I undeniably found Love, Theoretically a more enjoyable read than Love on the Brain. By now itโs easy to tell that Hazelwood has formed a pattern in recycling her characters and stories but that being said, Jack has been my favourite of the male main characters so far, he seemed to function less robotically and behave more adult like, communicating better than his predecessors, Levi and Adam. I found Elsie less obnoxious than Bee and her ever changing personality to suit those around her interesting.
I appreciated the plot this time round and was glad that any notion of a miscommunication trope was quelled relatively early on, in fact honest communication was a big theme in this book (there were still small amounts of miscommunication but it wasnโt the main plot/trope) and Elsie had real character development which was nice to read. Hazelwoodโs politics come through a lot in these stories and it might not be for everyone, particularly because it can feel quite forced sometimes, however I do feel like it was more toned down in Love, Theoretically compared to Love on the Brain.
I donโt go into these books looking for high literature, however they are a fun time and her covers are so eye catching.
Gallant by V.E. Schwab
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Of the two Schwab books I've now read (Addie LaRue being the other), she writes in a very poetic, sort of singsong, drawn out way. Sometimes I find it really beautiful but other times I find it can take too much away from the movement of the story and things become long winded. I really liked the story of Gallant and when I first started reading it, the writing style excited me, but as I got further into the book I was finding myself less excited to pick it up as it did seem to be getting a bit drawn out. It is still a great original story though and it had a very gothic feel to it. I do find Schwab's writing a bit vague sometimes, and can find I don't entirely know what is going on at certain points, but I think everything made sense in the end.
Falling Hard for the Royal Guard by Megan Clawson
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Falling Hard for the Royal Guard ~ Megan Clawson
โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
I feel like Iโve had a bad run with romances this year, but finally, a 4 star romance! I really loved the story of Maggie, a girl who lives in the Tower of London with her yeoman father. Unlucky in love, she strikes up an unlikely friendship with an aristocratic grenadier guard who has been stationed at the Tower.
A few things I loved:
- the sweet romance.
- the awesome Tower of London facts Clawson sprinkled throughout the book.
- genuine humour.
- Maggieโs growth particularly in the feelings towards her fatherโs profession and his relationship with her mother.
I did feel like โthe fallโ was very quick on both sides considering the amount of time Maggie and Freddie spent together, I felt Maggie spoke more words to some of her tinder dates than she did to Freddie through the entirety of the book.
The chapters were quite long but I did find them easy to get through and that they werenโt long unnecessarily like you can sometimes find.
All I find myself wondering now though, is if Megan started writing this last year, did she start before the queens death and have to go back and change everything to the kings guard and King Charles??
Iโm really excited to read Clawsonโs new book coming in 2024!
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I feel like Iโve had a bad run with romances this year, but finally, a 4 star romance! I really loved the story of Maggie, a girl who lives in the Tower of London with her yeoman father. Unlucky in love, she strikes up an unlikely friendship with an aristocratic grenadier guard who has been stationed at the Tower.
A few things I loved:
- the sweet romance.
- the awesome Tower of London facts Clawson sprinkled throughout the book.
- genuine humour.
- Maggieโs growth particularly in the feelings towards her fatherโs profession and his relationship with her mother.
I did feel like โthe fallโ was very quick on both sides considering the amount of time Maggie and Freddie spent together, I felt Maggie spoke more words to some of her tinder dates than she did to Freddie through the entirety of the book.
The chapters were quite long but I did find them easy to get through and that they werenโt long unnecessarily like you can sometimes find.
All I find myself wondering now though, is if Megan started writing this last year, did she start before the queens death and have to go back and change everything to the kings guard and King Charles??
Iโm really excited to read Clawsonโs new book coming in 2024!