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eve_reads's reviews
121 reviews
Beyond the Wand by Tom Felton
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
3.5
Overall Thoughts:
⁕ I'm disappointed that he did not comment on the JKR's inherent transphobia and bigotry. I expected more.
⁕ This book is 80% cute insights as to what being a child actor in the franchise was like and 20% very raw, very emotional evaluations of his experience with mental health. All the chapters were pretty brief, but interesting in their own ways. I couldn't put it down/finished it in about 3 hours.
⁕ If you're looking to read this with a little one, just know that there is some cursing and he shares his experience with drinking/drugs.
To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online/
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⁕ I'm disappointed that he did not comment on the JKR's inherent transphobia and bigotry. I expected more.
⁕ This book is 80% cute insights as to what being a child actor in the franchise was like and 20% very raw, very emotional evaluations of his experience with mental health. All the chapters were pretty brief, but interesting in their own ways. I couldn't put it down/finished it in about 3 hours.
⁕ If you're looking to read this with a little one, just know that there is some cursing and he shares his experience with drinking/drugs.
To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online/
For regular book-related content, follow my Instagram account: @eve_reads
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, and Alcohol
Lightbringer by Claire Legrand
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
4.5
Overall Thoughts:
⁕ Rielle is one of the most complex heroines in the New Adult Fantasy genre and no one can convince me otherwise. Thank you, Claire Legrand, for writing a woman who has depth, makes morally flawed decisions and is not guided solely by her relationships with men. While I absolutely don't agree with or support many of Rielle's decisions, it means so much to see a woman truly put herself first.
⁕ Without giving anything away, this is a series you want to read if you're looking for something to make you FEEL. I'm talking Song of Achilles/Clockwork Princess levels of emotion in the last several chapters.
⁕ SPOILER: A huge plot point of this book is that Eliana will change her present by going back and altering her past (which she does achieve by the end of the novel). We find out what happens to her but none of the other important secondary characters from her future timeline! Characters I became attached to! And there wasn't even a meaningful goodbye! Ugh!
To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online/
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⁕ Rielle is one of the most complex heroines in the New Adult Fantasy genre and no one can convince me otherwise. Thank you, Claire Legrand, for writing a woman who has depth, makes morally flawed decisions and is not guided solely by her relationships with men. While I absolutely don't agree with or support many of Rielle's decisions, it means so much to see a woman truly put herself first.
⁕ Without giving anything away, this is a series you want to read if you're looking for something to make you FEEL. I'm talking Song of Achilles/Clockwork Princess levels of emotion in the last several chapters.
To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online/
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Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, and War
The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
3.5
Overall Thoughts:
⁕ This book is a (somewhat comedic ode) to the final girls of slasher films like Chainsaw Massacre, Nightmare on Elm Street, etc. There are supposedly lot's of hidden gems referencing these films throughout the novel. As someone who's not the biggest fan of the horror film industry, I missed most if not all of these connections.... BUT, overall, I still was able to understand and enjoy the plot on its own without external knowledge of those films.
⁕ As previously mentioned, this book teeters on the edge of dark humor. Yes, there is some very real, very tough commentary on gender-based violence, trauma, and the impact that media can have on these topics. However, this is still a Hendrix novel. It's grandly ridiculous and the reader must be willing to adhere a higher level of suspended disbelief in order to enjoy it for what it is.
⁕ The main "message" Hendrix tries to hit home at the end of the novel seems to be one of solidarity across the experience of womanhood (and all the trauma that comes with it). My issue with this is that (a) this theme was pretty half-baked throughout the action of the book until it was brought to the forefront in the conclusion, and (b) I have mixed feelings about a male author profiting off of a book that is based at its core on violence towards women.
To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online/
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⁕ This book is a (somewhat comedic ode) to the final girls of slasher films like Chainsaw Massacre, Nightmare on Elm Street, etc. There are supposedly lot's of hidden gems referencing these films throughout the novel. As someone who's not the biggest fan of the horror film industry, I missed most if not all of these connections.... BUT, overall, I still was able to understand and enjoy the plot on its own without external knowledge of those films.
⁕ As previously mentioned, this book teeters on the edge of dark humor. Yes, there is some very real, very tough commentary on gender-based violence, trauma, and the impact that media can have on these topics. However, this is still a Hendrix novel. It's grandly ridiculous and the reader must be willing to adhere a higher level of suspended disbelief in order to enjoy it for what it is.
⁕ The main "message" Hendrix tries to hit home at the end of the novel seems to be one of solidarity across the experience of womanhood (and all the trauma that comes with it). My issue with this is that (a) this theme was pretty half-baked throughout the action of the book until it was brought to the forefront in the conclusion, and (b) I have mixed feelings about a male author profiting off of a book that is based at its core on violence towards women.
To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online/
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Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Gore, Gun violence, Torture, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, and Murder
A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Overall Thoughts:
⁕ The pacing of this book redeemed the slower second installment that was A Torch Against the Night. I put off reading this one because I was worried that it would also be full of slow, quest-based traveling, but it was not! The action once again picked up and I could not put the book down!
⁕ Helene/The Blood Shrike is given a spot in the limelight and I am absolutely obsessed with and attached to her character. No longer is she the lovesick schoolmate of Elias, but a woman and warrior caught between family, duty, and justice. I absolutely ATE up her arc and I can't wait for more.
⁕ SPOILER: Even though this might go against popular opinion, I dislike the decision to make Cook Laia's long thought dead mother. It is such a rushed revelation at the end of the novel, and there is no prior hint or clue ever given as to her true identity. It didn't feel like the mind blowing plot twist I think it was intended as.
To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online/
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⁕ The pacing of this book redeemed the slower second installment that was A Torch Against the Night. I put off reading this one because I was worried that it would also be full of slow, quest-based traveling, but it was not! The action once again picked up and I could not put the book down!
⁕ Helene/The Blood Shrike is given a spot in the limelight and I am absolutely obsessed with and attached to her character. No longer is she the lovesick schoolmate of Elias, but a woman and warrior caught between family, duty, and justice. I absolutely ATE up her arc and I can't wait for more.
To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online/
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Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and War
Moderate: Forced institutionalization
Darling Girl by Liz Michalski
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? Yes
2.5
Overall Thoughts:
⁕ This book spends so much time telling the reader that the Neverland depicted in the original Peter Pan book is SO different and subdued compared to the actual thing. EXCEPT WE NEVER GO TO NEVERLAND AND SEE FOR OURSELVES. The entire plot takes place in New York and London.
⁕ SPOILER: The plot and pacing of this book is wack. 75% of the story is the same argument between Holly and her son over and over again. When it FINALLY appears that the conflict is about to crescendo, Holly is knocked out by her mother, who goes off and defeats the evil Peter Pan on her own, then explains what happened to Holly (and the reader) after the fact!
⁕ Michalski likes to remind us that is, in fact, a DARK retelling by only using the characters from the original story to sexually assault women and drug children in 2-3 brief scenes. But don't worry! She also repeatedly bludgeons the reader with includes one liners from Barrie's original book.
⁕ This book spends so much time telling the reader that the Neverland depicted in the original Peter Pan book is SO different and subdued compared to the actual thing. EXCEPT WE NEVER GO TO NEVERLAND AND SEE FOR OURSELVES. The entire plot takes place in New York and London.
To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online/
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For regular book-related content, follow my Instagram account: @eve_reads
A Vow So Bold and Deadly by Brigid Kemmerer
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Overall Thoughts:
⁕ The good news is that this book finally gave insight to the erratic and abrupt change in Rhen's behavior that occurred in A Heart So Fierce and Broken. The bad news is that the explanation was rushed and sloppy. I think had she included the additional narratives of Rhen and Bre in the previous book, it would have been more believable.
⁕ I am relieved that this book focused less on travelling and more on the grander politics of two nations.
⁕ SPOILER: I love that the ending is an imperfect sort of happy. The characters obviously still have a lot of healing to do after the trauma of the last two books and, even though they ultimately make up, it's clear that there's still so much they'll have to overcome together. Kemmerer's conclusion is unique to the YA genre in that it really honors the impact of war, death, etc. instead of sweeping their circumstances under the rug in favor of a golden sunset.
To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online/
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⁕ The good news is that this book finally gave insight to the erratic and abrupt change in Rhen's behavior that occurred in A Heart So Fierce and Broken. The bad news is that the explanation was rushed and sloppy. I think had she included the additional narratives of Rhen and Bre in the previous book, it would have been more believable.
⁕ I am relieved that this book focused less on travelling and more on the grander politics of two nations.
To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online/
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Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Gun violence, Torture, and War
The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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
4.5
Overall Thoughts:
⁕ My own ties to indigenous culture is very minimal, so I am in NO way an expert or authority on these topics, but my personal opinion (as well as the many reviews from own voices readers on Goodreads, etc.) is that this a great introduction to discussing white supremacy and its impact with younger readers. I wish I had books like this in high school instead of Hatchet and To Kill a Mockingbird.
⁕ We get many of the background characters' "coming to" stories, which provided some context to the state of their dystopian society. I admit that I wanted a little more world-building, but I don't think it was necessary to the plot and overall message Dimaline was trying to get across.
⁕ The ending is such a beautiful display of resiliency and hope. I cried and snotted all over the place when I read it.
To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online/
For regular book-related content, follow my Instagram account: @eve_reads
⁕ My own ties to indigenous culture is very minimal, so I am in NO way an expert or authority on these topics, but my personal opinion (as well as the many reviews from own voices readers on Goodreads, etc.) is that this a great introduction to discussing white supremacy and its impact with younger readers. I wish I had books like this in high school instead of Hatchet and To Kill a Mockingbird.
⁕ We get many of the background characters' "coming to" stories, which provided some context to the state of their dystopian society. I admit that I wanted a little more world-building, but I don't think it was necessary to the plot and overall message Dimaline was trying to get across.
⁕ The ending is such a beautiful display of resiliency and hope. I cried and snotted all over the place when I read it.
To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online/
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Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
3.25
⁕ The dark fantasy elements of this novel were top notch and surprisingly intense for a YA novel. Craig does not shy away from the more sickening details of death, rot, and ghosts, even though the main characters through which we experience these things are literal children.
⁕ The slow burn romance honestly made me feel stupid giddy. I read this book months ago and I still remember the toe-tingling delight I felt when *the kiss* FINALLY happened.
⁕ I didn't very much care for the characters as individuals (I felt that they were one-dimensional and stereotypical), but I loved their relationships and arguments as siblings. The jealousy and love between them were very well-written.
⁕ SPOILER: Portions of the plot felt haphazardly thrown together. We spend the entirety of the book trying to solve which friend or family member killed Annaleigh's sisters, only to find that it was largely the work of an evil demon that we didn't even know existed until the last few chapters? Also, the main love interest has magical powers and is related to royalty but doesn't use these attributes to help solve the mystery? Okay....
⁕ The slow burn romance honestly made me feel stupid giddy. I read this book months ago and I still remember the toe-tingling delight I felt when *the kiss* FINALLY happened.
⁕ I didn't very much care for the characters as individuals (I felt that they were one-dimensional and stereotypical), but I loved their relationships and arguments as siblings. The jealousy and love between them were very well-written.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Gore, Suicide, Medical content, Murder, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Death of parent
Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth, Sara Lautman
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Overall Thoughts:
⁕ Danforth's ability to flesh out characters is strong, but comes at the cost of a painfully slow narrative. Even though I appreciated the depth of the contemporary characters (Meritt, Audrey, and Harper), it took FOREVER for them to be united and on the set of Brookhants. Once there, only a minimal amount time was spent in the spooky gothic setting that I picked the book up for in the first place.
⁕ I was disappointed with the weak connection between the contemporary storyline and the historic one. There was so much potential for a paranormal overlap (or, at the least, a metaphorical one), but after hundreds of pages of build-up, both storylines diverged and went their separate ways? It was infuriating!
⁕ This book did have its moments. The unreliable, self-aware narrator gives major Lemony-Snicket-tells-ghost-story-vibes, and when the action did move forward I was gripped by it. I just wish these features of the book had been more consistent.
⁕ SPOILER: I hate that the entirety of the horror elements in this book are rooted in the sexual assault of a woman that's not even really introduced until the last 100 pages or so. Way to use random, gendered acts of violence as a plot device (*read that last sentence as sarcasm*)!
To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online/
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⁕ Danforth's ability to flesh out characters is strong, but comes at the cost of a painfully slow narrative. Even though I appreciated the depth of the contemporary characters (Meritt, Audrey, and Harper), it took FOREVER for them to be united and on the set of Brookhants. Once there, only a minimal amount time was spent in the spooky gothic setting that I picked the book up for in the first place.
⁕ I was disappointed with the weak connection between the contemporary storyline and the historic one. There was so much potential for a paranormal overlap (or, at the least, a metaphorical one), but after hundreds of pages of build-up, both storylines diverged and went their separate ways? It was infuriating!
⁕ This book did have its moments. The unreliable, self-aware narrator gives major Lemony-Snicket-tells-ghost-story-vibes, and when the action did move forward I was gripped by it. I just wish these features of the book had been more consistent.
To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online/
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Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Lesbophobia
Kingsbane by Claire Legrand
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
3.75
Overall Thoughts:
⁕ I am happy to report that, as I had hoped, this book does expand MUCH upon the historical context of the angelic/human wars. A majority of my questions were answered and I was very satisfied.
⁕ This book did not give me the fast-paced, edge of seat, nail-biting start that the Furyborn did. The chapters were still decently short, but I wasn't as absorbed in the action as consistently. The ending (and a massive plot twist) did turn things around in the end, though.
⁕SPOILER: The development of a few romantic relationships had me quite baffled. There is much hinting that Ludivine, Rielle, and Audric are all at least interested in some sort of polyamorous relationship, but didn't Ludivine explicitly state in Furyborn that she was never attracted to them in that way? Also, I get that Corien offers Rielle an opportunity to be completely herself and not tied to the restrictions of a kingdom, but how does Rielle so easily overlook the horror of his actions (the literal murder of her friends and family) when addressing her romantic feelings towards him?
⁕ SPOILER: There were a couple of glaring mistakes in the text that I cannot believe an editor did not catch. The biggest being in chapter 33 when Rielle yells through the door to her guard Evyline that she's upset because she thought she could sleep in, but then later it's written that Evyline is still traveling to the castle on foot after a visit to a neighboring kingdom. How can she be in 2 places at once?! Gahh!! It's a detail that's inconsequential to the plot but still so sloppy.
To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online/
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⁕ I am happy to report that, as I had hoped, this book does expand MUCH upon the historical context of the angelic/human wars. A majority of my questions were answered and I was very satisfied.
⁕ This book did not give me the fast-paced, edge of seat, nail-biting start that the Furyborn did. The chapters were still decently short, but I wasn't as absorbed in the action as consistently. The ending (and a massive plot twist) did turn things around in the end, though.
To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online/
For regular book-related content, follow my Instagram account: @eve_reads
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and War