Scan barcode
fadingapple's reviews
445 reviews
The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid
3.0
I really wanted to love this and while I did like it, I definitely didn't love it. I didn't feel like I had enough background in the beginning to really understand what was happening or why I should care, other than the government was taking a girl from a village like they do every few years. It took a long time for me to understand what was happening and why and by then, it was far enough into the plot that it was hard to be fully invested.
The romance felt like an after thought as well - I didn't really, fully buy into their love story. And then there were some inconsistencies..."I'll never be able to shoot a bow again" but a few pages later is hunting with a bow...I get there was magic involved but that didn't feel like a gap bridged. He's a terrible hunter but then he can fight, and the only explanation is along the lines of "gone was the poor woodsman"...again, I could have missed it but this just felt like a forced change to make plot work.
Overall I thin it was a great concept and super interesting world, but I think it was lacking depth where it was needed to really make it feel cohesive and believable, and to make me fully invested from the start. Not bad, but not great either.
The romance felt like an after thought as well - I didn't really, fully buy into their love story. And then there were some inconsistencies..."I'll never be able to shoot a bow again" but a few pages later is hunting with a bow...I get there was magic involved but that didn't feel like a gap bridged. He's a terrible hunter but then he can fight, and the only explanation is along the lines of "gone was the poor woodsman"...again, I could have missed it but this just felt like a forced change to make plot work.
Overall I thin it was a great concept and super interesting world, but I think it was lacking depth where it was needed to really make it feel cohesive and believable, and to make me fully invested from the start. Not bad, but not great either.
A Fate Inked In Blood by Danielle L. Jensen
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
4.25/5 stars
This was absolutely awesome, so much fun! I love the Norse history and I mean, who doesn't love Vikings? The slow-burn and yearning was on point and the writing was great. I did find some of the "plot twists" fairly predictable, but they were still executed very well.
I didn't love Freya referring to her genitals as her "sex" most of the time...but maybe that's just me, since I've never heard it referred to that way before. It makes sense, just felt weird! But other than that this was well written, super fun, and most definitely the definition of slow burn yearning. It was so well done and very well paced.
I think anyone that loves Norse mythology and/or fantasy romance will fall in love with this one. And I am most definitely dying for the sequel!
This was absolutely awesome, so much fun! I love the Norse history and I mean, who doesn't love Vikings? The slow-burn and yearning was on point and the writing was great. I did find some of the "plot twists" fairly predictable, but they were still executed very well.
I didn't love Freya referring to her genitals as her "sex" most of the time...but maybe that's just me, since I've never heard it referred to that way before. It makes sense, just felt weird! But other than that this was well written, super fun, and most definitely the definition of slow burn yearning. It was so well done and very well paced.
I think anyone that loves Norse mythology and/or fantasy romance will fall in love with this one. And I am most definitely dying for the sequel!
The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.75
4.75/5 stars
This was such a perfect historical fantasy. It broken my heart, it made me smile, it left me in wonder and awe - both in regards to magic and human cruelty. The writing was stunning, the plot held my attention from start to finish, and I adored the characters.
This is such an amazing story - and I love that it was set in WWI, an oft overlooked wartime. I know personally I've read several books about WWII, The Revolutionary War, and the Civil War...but I don't know I had ever read a book solo focused on WWI before this one. I especially appreciated Arden's note at the end about that, how WWI is often forgotten and all the research she did to write this book.
As much as I loved the story, the history, and the characters - it all paled in comparison to the writing. Arden's lyrical but down-to-earth writing will twist your heart and your soul, give you visions as if you were there, and leave you feeling as though you've read a symphony in story form. Truly one of my favorite writing styles I've encountered.
Highly highly recommend this one!
This was such a perfect historical fantasy. It broken my heart, it made me smile, it left me in wonder and awe - both in regards to magic and human cruelty. The writing was stunning, the plot held my attention from start to finish, and I adored the characters.
This is such an amazing story - and I love that it was set in WWI, an oft overlooked wartime. I know personally I've read several books about WWII, The Revolutionary War, and the Civil War...but I don't know I had ever read a book solo focused on WWI before this one. I especially appreciated Arden's note at the end about that, how WWI is often forgotten and all the research she did to write this book.
As much as I loved the story, the history, and the characters - it all paled in comparison to the writing. Arden's lyrical but down-to-earth writing will twist your heart and your soul, give you visions as if you were there, and leave you feeling as though you've read a symphony in story form. Truly one of my favorite writing styles I've encountered.
Highly highly recommend this one!
The Brides of High Hill by Nghi Vo
4.0
This was unexpected, refreshing, unique, impactful - in very few pages. At roughly 100 pages, this novella packs a powerful punch that will leave you feeling fully satisfied and yet thoughtful. This is a story you have to experience - my words or descriptions would be far insufficient.
I adore the concept of a scholar monk travelling to gather stories to add to the archives, and using that knowledge to survive situations that should not be survivable. This addition leans much more heavily into the lore and magic that is extremely real in this world - Chih finds themselves in a tricky situation and it's only dumb luck, Almost Brilliant, and their collective stories that save them. It felt different than the other stories but just as captivating.
It's just so well done and extremely obvious that Vo knew the story she wanted to tell and had a passion for it; it takes a special kind of skill to write so much in so few words.
I adore the concept of a scholar monk travelling to gather stories to add to the archives, and using that knowledge to survive situations that should not be survivable. This addition leans much more heavily into the lore and magic that is extremely real in this world - Chih finds themselves in a tricky situation and it's only dumb luck, Almost Brilliant, and their collective stories that save them. It felt different than the other stories but just as captivating.
It's just so well done and extremely obvious that Vo knew the story she wanted to tell and had a passion for it; it takes a special kind of skill to write so much in so few words.
The Fireborne Blade by Charlotte Bond
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Thanks to NetGalley for the Audio ARC!
I really enjoyed this. It lacks the rich world building and lore of a lot of epic fantasies, but it's less than 200 pages so that's to be expected. It exhibits excellent story telling and I love the snippets of the past and pieces of interviews and books from the archives - it fills in gaps without feeling info dumpy. The story was compelling and accomplishes quite a bit in sub-200 pages.
The twist....now that I was not expecting. I am not sure how I feel about the resolution of the twist and plot, and I wish I had a bit more information about the magic system that wrought the results, but I still feel as though it was very effective and it definitely caught me off guard. I had a lot of theories....but none of them proved true.
I will definitely read more in this world should Bond write more, or really any more of her stories. Especially if there are dragons...
I really enjoyed this. It lacks the rich world building and lore of a lot of epic fantasies, but it's less than 200 pages so that's to be expected. It exhibits excellent story telling and I love the snippets of the past and pieces of interviews and books from the archives - it fills in gaps without feeling info dumpy. The story was compelling and accomplishes quite a bit in sub-200 pages.
The twist....now that I was not expecting. I am not sure how I feel about the resolution of the twist and plot, and I wish I had a bit more information about the magic system that wrought the results, but I still feel as though it was very effective and it definitely caught me off guard. I had a lot of theories....but none of them proved true.
I will definitely read more in this world should Bond write more, or really any more of her stories. Especially if there are dragons...
The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
3.5/5 stars
This was good, but not great. I loved the concept, I loved the magic, and I even really enjoyed the characters. However, there was just something that didn't quite click - I think part of it was how competent Mari was right after her grandmother died....if I read it correctly, she had just over a month of training after knowing nothing of magic her whole life and she suddenly knew how to do everything her grandmother did? It just felt like she needed more time or needed to struggle more...Not to mention the romance was great, but the way the curse worked was incredibly obvious to me so I found it frustrating when the characters took most of the book to figure it out.
Really I think some of my issues were just that the author had great writing and great ideas, but the pacing felt off. Not that it was too slow, but that things didn't always feel smooth. Characters understood things too quickly or easily or knew things too conveniently....obvious things were overlook in favor of plot progression....maybe I'm just being nit-picky!
I still really do recommend this book - it was cozy for the most part but definitely had some trauma and high stakes, so please check trigger warnings. The writing was good and the author shows a ton of promise - I would definitely read more from her.
3.5/5 stars
This was good, but not great. I loved the concept, I loved the magic, and I even really enjoyed the characters. However, there was just something that didn't quite click - I think part of it was how competent Mari was right after her grandmother died....if I read it correctly, she had just over a month of training after knowing nothing of magic her whole life and she suddenly knew how to do everything her grandmother did? It just felt like she needed more time or needed to struggle more...Not to mention the romance was great, but the way the curse worked was incredibly obvious to me so I found it frustrating when the characters took most of the book to figure it out.
Really I think some of my issues were just that the author had great writing and great ideas, but the pacing felt off. Not that it was too slow, but that things didn't always feel smooth. Characters understood things too quickly or easily or knew things too conveniently....obvious things were overlook in favor of plot progression....maybe I'm just being nit-picky!
I still really do recommend this book - it was cozy for the most part but definitely had some trauma and high stakes, so please check trigger warnings. The writing was good and the author shows a ton of promise - I would definitely read more from her.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
5.0
Such a classic, fun, easy, addicting young adult dystopian and I am so here for it. It seriously held up so well from when I first read it in HS to now as an adult.
If you want something fun, quick, easy, heart pounding, endearing…look no further. Suzanne Collins is a master of her chosen craft, creating rich characters, a compelling story, and an emotionally charged setting/political climate while remaining easy to read and extremely accessible.
Forever a favorite for any age.
If you want something fun, quick, easy, heart pounding, endearing…look no further. Suzanne Collins is a master of her chosen craft, creating rich characters, a compelling story, and an emotionally charged setting/political climate while remaining easy to read and extremely accessible.
Forever a favorite for any age.
Mammoths at the Gates by Nghi Vo
4.25
4.25/5 stars
This was unexpected, refreshing, unique, impactful - in very few pages. At roughly 100 pages, this novella packs a powerful punch that will leave you feeling fully satisfied and yet thoughtful. This is a story you have to experience - my words or descriptions would be far insufficient.
I adore the concept of a scholar monk travelling to gather stories to add to the archives, and using that knowledge to survive situations that should not be survivable. But, I especially loved that this one gives us insight into where Chih comes from as they return to their abbey. It was a completely different setup from the first 3 books and captured my attention in a new way. We learn more about the monk sand the Order of the Singing Hills - about the story keepers more than stories themselves. It was fascinating and leaves me hungry for more about the world!
It's just so well done and extremely obvious that Vo knew the story she wanted to tell and had a passion for it; it takes a special kind of skill to write so much in so few words.
This was unexpected, refreshing, unique, impactful - in very few pages. At roughly 100 pages, this novella packs a powerful punch that will leave you feeling fully satisfied and yet thoughtful. This is a story you have to experience - my words or descriptions would be far insufficient.
I adore the concept of a scholar monk travelling to gather stories to add to the archives, and using that knowledge to survive situations that should not be survivable. But, I especially loved that this one gives us insight into where Chih comes from as they return to their abbey. It was a completely different setup from the first 3 books and captured my attention in a new way. We learn more about the monk sand the Order of the Singing Hills - about the story keepers more than stories themselves. It was fascinating and leaves me hungry for more about the world!
It's just so well done and extremely obvious that Vo knew the story she wanted to tell and had a passion for it; it takes a special kind of skill to write so much in so few words.