emilynied's reviews
225 reviews

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis

adventurous fast-paced

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

3.5

The classic series continues, this time without Peter and Susan (crying btw). Edmund and Lucy do a good job of carrying the book, especially with the return of Prince Caspian (yayy) and the new character, Eustace, is actually a really interesting choice from Lewis. Eustace is Edmund and Lucy's cousin, an annoying, know-it-all brat who makes fun of his cousin's tales of Narnia until all three are transported on The Dawn Treader. This book felt different from the past two in that rather than a bit battle to confront and a build up throughout the book, the characters encounter a series of challenges on their voyage to find Caspian's father's crew. 

I really loved the ending and really started to see what I think is Lewis' themes of religion in this book more so than the others in the series. Aslan's Land as "heaven" and Aslan himself as God is a really interesting choice and it was cool to see those motifs develop throughout the story.

Tradition by Brendan Kiely

emotional reflective fast-paced

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

3.0

This book was interesting - I think it tackled some super important issues like rape culture, the patriarchy and confronted them in a preparatory, elite, high school setting but didn't dig as deep as I was hoping it would. The character choice was intriguing - we get the POVs of Jules, a do-gooder who was once in the "popular crowd" but now chooses to hand out controversial women's health pamphlets during freshman move-in day and tries to normalize tampons by placing them on her desk during class. One the other hand, we have Jamie, the new-kid, fifth year senior trying to make it as a hockey goalie after something mysterious kept him from playing in his previous senior year. 

I think the book tried to do a lot of things but ultimately fell a little flat for me, mostly because of pacing. Kiely takes a lot of time to develop the relationships between its main characters but doesn't really leave a lot of time for the plot and the confrontation/exploration of rape culture. The "main event" that the book leads up to happens in the final third of the book, and while Kiely slows it down so the characters can take in what happens, there is like no page count left after that for something major to happen. That was a little disappointing. 

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

adventurous fast-paced

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

2.5

I did finish this book in just a couple hours so it was super fast paced but I ultimately didn't find any nuance or complexity in the plot or characters. It's YA but the MFC and MMC fell flat despite some exciting dialogue and the actions felt unimportant. The pirating was kind of interesting but not enough to keep my attention. This book just wasn't for me. I unfortunately won't be continuing with the series. 

The Summer Palace by C.S. Pacat

emotional inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.75

This was a short story following the ending of "King's Rising." It was only about 30 pages and I definitely enjoyed the pause in action after the events that unfolded in the third and final book of the series. It was nice to watch time pass slowly and the characters interact with no pressing battles upon them. I also appreciated the dynamic and the continued complexity that was presented despite the "happily ever after."

Kings Rising by C.S. Pacat

challenging dark 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

4.0

This book is the conclusion of a fascinating series that covered so many interesting topics and spanned an entire war between two countries. It delves deep into politics and nationality and prejudice and it was so so captivating. It's two main characters were built up so well throughout the series and I find myself loving them and their story. I love novels that tackle the hard questions and topics, and this series certainly did. 

The big reason why I rated this book lower than the second is that I think it tackled a lot of plot points that could have been elaborated on - specifically with Kastor and the Regent. The ending came about pretty quick in my opinion and I think it could have benefitted from a larger page count. Otherwise, this series ending up being so much more than I thought it would be. 

Prince's Gambit by C.S. Pacat

dark emotional 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

4.25

I was actually shocked at how much I enjoyed this book. I wasn't expecting the depth of topics and relationships that would unfold and it was so so interesting to learn about the inner workings of the world of Vere (and Akielos). I loved how much the book delved into politics and war and international relations and how it affected the characters, from regular soldiers to the literal King/Princes of these countries. There's surprise manipulation and trickery and the story is just super captivating.

The slow burn slow burns and I am so glad it did, because if it was not carefully constructed as it was with all of the intricacies and fears and doubts of the characters, it would feel cheapened and certainly unrealistic. The bond between Damen and Laurent is so fascinating and engrossing to read about and I am just waiting to see what happens next.

Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat

dark emotional medium-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

3.5

It's clear why this book is so controversial and why there are so many mixed feelings. I think this book and Pacat go further than other fantasy authors are willing to go as far as gore and heavy topics - ones that the reader is confronted with as the novel's plot and the fantasy world unfolds. Just because, however, you feel gross and disgusted by it, doesn't necessarily mean it's bad - I think instead it confronts the reader even more about the content and moral questions that are raised.

And this book confronts so many intricate, interesting moral questions. What is good and what is bad? How far are you willing to go to survive? What are you willing to do? I don't think these questions were necessarily glorified, I think they were uncomfortably confronted. We see everything through a foreigner's eyes and the interactions between each and every character are approached so precisely. The relationships that we start to see build and the characters that are revealed were really interesting to read about so I would recommend trying this book out.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual violence

Obsidian Throne by Elle Madison, Robin D. Mahle

adventurous medium-paced

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

3.5

I binged this series so quickly and I thought it was well done! I honestly wish this last book was longer or the plot spanned two books just because there was a lot packed into this story that could have been expanded on to be a little more complex and political.

Again with the fae powers, they were sort of just brushed over until convenient for Rowan to use and win the battle? I wish they would have been utilized more in the story or not part of it at all.

I wish we would have gotten more of the Lochlann characters featured in book 3 but I'm glad we got to return to all the people from Clan Bear from book 2. I also liked the change of POV in this book - I didn't find Evander's POVs boring or unnecessary at all (which I think is sometimes a problem when it comes to POV changes in book series). Overall, I really liked the setting of this series and its characters! It was super easy to read and understand, and also really fun.

Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis

adventurous 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

3.5

Prince Caspian (the movie) is actually one of my favorites and it makes me cry every time (The Call if you know you know) so returning to the world of Narnia for its second installment was very exciting. I loved the storytelling and the funny little quirks of C.S. Lewis' writing. A classic for sure. 

Crimson Kingdom by Elle Madison, Robin D. Mahle

adventurous medium-paced

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

3.75

I loved returning to Lochlann in the third installment of this series! I'm actually so surprised we didn't get more background on Rowan's family prior to this book because I loved the dynamics (coming from someone who did not read the first series in this universe). Each character was interesting and fun and I loved the romance that continued to develop here.

One factor that I think was underdeveloped were the family's fae powers. We hadn't really gotten context at all up until that point and tbh fae powers seems like something you'd want to be a big part of the book and character... hoping we'll see more of that in the final installment.