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feuillycakes's reviews
153 reviews
Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
3.0
I'm not really sure how I feel about this book as a conclusion to a series. It's not that I was completely unsatisfied with how it all ended, but I didn't really like some of the ways we got there.
The whole dual POV thing got super convenient there to let Rose suddenly be able to read past thoughts as though she has always been able to when that could've been achieved through just adding in a little tidbit of information since it comes up like once and then is never used again.
I found the whole concept of vampire communes interesting and there were some hilarious moments, but it seemed thrown in there as a way to get the characters from a to b. I kept waiting for it to come into play later and it never did.
The mystery aspect kept me on my toes. The 'who is the secret Dragomir?' mystery that is. I had no idea until they turned up at the door and I liked that because it made sense to not know. For the murder mystery I had an idea of who the killer was for a while that got proved completely wrong, and I'm not so sure even if I read this book through again I'd be able to figure out who it really was. I like to be able to put the pieces together so I wasn't really satisfied with how that turned out or how it really took a backseat to the rest of the story even while being the driving force for the rest of the plot to happen.
I can't complain about Dimitri, he's done nothing wrong, but Rose irritated me. She cheats on Adrian. This isn't a spoiler. She's been emotionally cheating on him this entire time they've been together. I'm mad at her for what she did in this book and I feel bad for Adrian. He honestly deserves so much better.
I kind of want a novella about Rose's parents because I like them a lot. Their relationships with Rose are actually nice to see.
Can I just say this is the Lissa redemption book. She's acting like a person and doing things for herself! She's experiencing more thoughts than just 'boyfriend' 'jealous over a child' and 'boohoo I'm supernaturally sad'. My feelings have actually flipped to where I was more interested in what Lissa was doing than Rose most of the time. Love that. It's what I've been waiting for.
I can't be mad about the ending but I wish something had remained the same as it was. It was such a defining thing for the entire series and I think it would have meant more if it had still been there.I'm of course talking about the bond. I think that it would have been more of a step for Rose to learn to be her own person while still being bonded. I was unhappy that it was gone and no it wasn't because I wanted to see the coronation from Lissa's eyes instead of Rose's because I was annoyed at Rose. Nope. Not that at all.
Look, I know what I said about Lissa literally in every other book except this one, but I kind of want to see everything from her perspective instead now. Maybe there's a fanfiction...
The whole dual POV thing got super convenient there to let Rose suddenly be able to read past thoughts as though she has always been able to when that could've been achieved through just adding in a little tidbit of information since it comes up like once and then is never used again.
I found the whole concept of vampire communes interesting and there were some hilarious moments, but it seemed thrown in there as a way to get the characters from a to b. I kept waiting for it to come into play later and it never did.
The mystery aspect kept me on my toes. The 'who is the secret Dragomir?' mystery that is. I had no idea until they turned up at the door and I liked that because it made sense to not know. For the murder mystery I had an idea of who the killer was for a while that got proved completely wrong, and I'm not so sure even if I read this book through again I'd be able to figure out who it really was. I like to be able to put the pieces together so I wasn't really satisfied with how that turned out or how it really took a backseat to the rest of the story even while being the driving force for the rest of the plot to happen.
I can't complain about Dimitri, he's done nothing wrong, but Rose irritated me. She cheats on Adrian. This isn't a spoiler. She's been emotionally cheating on him this entire time they've been together. I'm mad at her for what she did in this book and I feel bad for Adrian. He honestly deserves so much better.
I kind of want a novella about Rose's parents because I like them a lot. Their relationships with Rose are actually nice to see.
Can I just say this is the Lissa redemption book. She's acting like a person and doing things for herself! She's experiencing more thoughts than just 'boyfriend' 'jealous over a child' and 'boohoo I'm supernaturally sad'. My feelings have actually flipped to where I was more interested in what Lissa was doing than Rose most of the time. Love that. It's what I've been waiting for.
I can't be mad about the ending but I wish something had remained the same as it was. It was such a defining thing for the entire series and I think it would have meant more if it had still been there.
Look, I know what I said about Lissa literally in every other book except this one, but I kind of want to see everything from her perspective instead now. Maybe there's a fanfiction...
Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I was pretty bored for the first half of this book but it picked up about half way. So many things happened it felt like I was bopping about from plot line to plot line without much emotion for a while. There was relationship drama, political drama, a heist, and this whole thing with Dimitri turning into a comic book villain as a Strigoi.
Despite all these many dramas, the most messed up part of the book was Lissa being jealous of a literal 14 year old girl. Like stop, she’s not going to steal your boyfriend, she’s 14. On a similar note, why does Christian blame her for kissing that guy while compelled in the last book? She was being MIND CONTROLLED. It’s stupid and I’m mad about it.
I wasn’t mad about the thing that happens about halfway through though. I loved that. Perfect way to get both hurt and comfort in large doses. Another thing I kinda loved was Rose’s relationship with Abe. There’s a lot that could be done with that after the information the end of the last book gave us.
The heist bored me. It felt too easy and lacked real consequences.
I’m going to be purposefully as vague as possible for the next paragraph but be warned this is VAGUELY SPOILERY.
I feel that despite how far Rose has come concerning her growth as a person, she’s still unbelievably selfish. She is more concerned about her feelings for Dimitri than about the horrible things he’s gone through and his trauma from that. He needs major therapy and she’s like wah wah wah my poor broken heart. Like girl give him space and focus on your actual boyfriend please. She uses all the people around her with little to no thought about how they are being affected by her actions.
Despite all these many dramas, the most messed up part of the book was Lissa being jealous of a literal 14 year old girl. Like stop, she’s not going to steal your boyfriend, she’s 14. On a similar note, why does Christian blame her for kissing that guy while compelled in the last book? She was being MIND CONTROLLED. It’s stupid and I’m mad about it.
I wasn’t mad about the thing that happens about halfway through though. I loved that. Perfect way to get both hurt and comfort in large doses. Another thing I kinda loved was Rose’s relationship with Abe. There’s a lot that could be done with that after the information the end of the last book gave us.
The heist bored me. It felt too easy and lacked real consequences.
I’m going to be purposefully as vague as possible for the next paragraph but be warned this is VAGUELY SPOILERY.
I feel that despite how far Rose has come concerning her growth as a person, she’s still unbelievably selfish. She is more concerned about her feelings for Dimitri than about the horrible things he’s gone through and his trauma from that. He needs major therapy and she’s like wah wah wah my poor broken heart. Like girl give him space and focus on your actual boyfriend please. She uses all the people around her with little to no thought about how they are being affected by her actions.
Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is both charming and difficult to read. I think this is the first child in the series I thought was better off going through the door, both for safety and for happiness. At least, I thought that at first. Not everything is as it seems, and despite appearances to the contrary, there is a mystery here.
Please take into account the trigger warning and the beginning of the book. It really does provoke anxiety. Antsy’s story is heartbreaking.
The Land Where the Lost Things Go is an interesting place, and the places Antsy goes from there are fascinating. I loved the little references to the rest of the series and the little glimpse of someone we already know. I’m really excited to see if Antsy shows up again in this series.
Please take into account the trigger warning and the beginning of the book. It really does provoke anxiety. Antsy’s story is heartbreaking.
The Land Where the Lost Things Go is an interesting place, and the places Antsy goes from there are fascinating. I loved the little references to the rest of the series and the little glimpse of someone we already know. I’m really excited to see if Antsy shows up again in this series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
Blood Promise by Richelle Mead
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I’m having a lot of emotions right now so bear with. That ending had me shrieking and swearing is all I’ll say about that.
Anyway, this book is very much leading into an expanding world I would say. We get a new category of people, find out more about Dhampir life outside the academies, and get a closer look at Strigoi behaviour. At the same time we are still getting looks back into the Academy through Lissa, which at times felt very much like the author wanted to write dual POV but didn’t want to fully commit, which I noticed in previous books but was definitely more obvious here. This gets slightly corrected later on in the book but I don’t see that lasting long.
Most of this book is about Rose and her personal journey, and with this we get to see flashbacks of her time with Dimitri. Those moments were very sweet and actually felt like Rose and Dimitri had been in love and not just lust. We also get to see Rose meeting and interacting with Dimitri’s family, which considering from the very beginning she’s looking for their town shouldn’t come as much surprise. I really enjoyed those moments, especially as Rose’s views on Dhampir communes changed and became more informed. These more peaceful moments makes it all the more jarring later on when Rose gets slammed back into the action as she always does.
For the sake of avoiding spoilers I can’t share my thoughts on certain sections of the book specifically, but I did find it a bit disappointing that the Strigoi are basically all they’ve been said to be. I was hoping for a bit of a commentary about how Strigoi can have feelings too and they aren’t automatically evil if they didn’t choose to kill but that did not happen. To be vague and if you know you know, I knew as it happened that a certain thing was a red herring and felt all the more vindicated when that was confirmed.
As to Lissa, her plot line seemed more obvious as to where it was gonna go. Basically she gets a new friend and is also acting weird and flying off the handle a lot. Hmm I wonder what could be the cause? I didn’t really enjoy her sections until the end of them where things got a bit more fun for me. Really feel bad for her though.
The ending was a lot but in a good way. I think I gave myself a bruise in my excitement at having guessed something directly before it was revealed. I loved the payoff of all the character development too, it was just a bit overshadowed by me screaming into my duvet. I just love a big reveal.
Anyway, this book is very much leading into an expanding world I would say. We get a new category of people, find out more about Dhampir life outside the academies, and get a closer look at Strigoi behaviour. At the same time we are still getting looks back into the Academy through Lissa, which at times felt very much like the author wanted to write dual POV but didn’t want to fully commit, which I noticed in previous books but was definitely more obvious here. This gets slightly corrected later on in the book but I don’t see that lasting long.
Most of this book is about Rose and her personal journey, and with this we get to see flashbacks of her time with Dimitri. Those moments were very sweet and actually felt like Rose and Dimitri had been in love and not just lust. We also get to see Rose meeting and interacting with Dimitri’s family, which considering from the very beginning she’s looking for their town shouldn’t come as much surprise. I really enjoyed those moments, especially as Rose’s views on Dhampir communes changed and became more informed. These more peaceful moments makes it all the more jarring later on when Rose gets slammed back into the action as she always does.
For the sake of avoiding spoilers I can’t share my thoughts on certain sections of the book specifically, but I did find it a bit disappointing that the Strigoi are basically all they’ve been said to be. I was hoping for a bit of a commentary about how Strigoi can have feelings too and they aren’t automatically evil if they didn’t choose to kill but that did not happen. To be vague and if you know you know, I knew as it happened that a certain thing was a red herring and felt all the more vindicated when that was confirmed.
As to Lissa, her plot line seemed more obvious as to where it was gonna go. Basically she gets a new friend and is also acting weird and flying off the handle a lot. Hmm I wonder what could be the cause? I didn’t really enjoy her sections until the end of them where things got a bit more fun for me. Really feel bad for her though.
The ending was a lot but in a good way. I think I gave myself a bruise in my excitement at having guessed something directly before it was revealed. I loved the payoff of all the character development too, it was just a bit overshadowed by me screaming into my duvet. I just love a big reveal.
Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
3.75
I felt a lot of things while reading this book, and most of them were frustration and sympathy. A lot of things seem stacked against Rose in this one, from her instructors being biased to literal ghosts stalking her. It’s definitely a story for character growth more than anything, and a lot was spent on setting things up for the next book.
I’ve started to realise that Rose isn’t that bright. We as readers get exactly the same information she does and yet I figured out almost exactly what was happening to her as soon as it started, while she takes nearly the whole book. Some things I knew from the last book. I love the growth for her though. Finally she gets to be selfish for a change and put her wants first. There is however an aspect I didn’t like very much and that is that she gets a bit overpowered seemingly out of nowhere. Taking down the 2 Strigoi in the last book was a great achievement, but the way she could suddenly do so much more less than 2 months later? Not a very clear progression of abilities.
As to the Rose/Dimitri relationship, I definitely felt more icky reading it here. Until certain things happen it was lovely that they were getting to know each other better and trusting each other, but it crossed some boundaries and I was uncomfortable. I had the barest knowledge of Dimitri’s overall storyline in this series so other events didn’t hit me quite as hard as they might have but I did feel a lot of feelings.
On a surprising note, I’ve found myself rooting for Adrian. I like him better than Dimitri even, and really although Rose treats him not the greatest they could’ve been a more acceptable forbidden romance in other circumstances. He’s never been Rose’s teacher after all.
On a final note, another aspect of Lissa’s personality has been unlocked and that is selfishness. She’s spoiled. She takes Rose for granted and it takes being shouted at for her to be more understanding of everything Rose has gone through. So to recap, we have loves animals, is often sad (because of magic), has boyfriend, sometimes shows caring for Rose, and has a selfish side. That’s more than what we started with but I still can’t figure her out.
I’ve started to realise that Rose isn’t that bright. We as readers get exactly the same information she does and yet I figured out almost exactly what was happening to her as soon as it started, while she takes nearly the whole book. Some things I knew from the last book. I love the growth for her though. Finally she gets to be selfish for a change and put her wants first. There is however an aspect I didn’t like very much and that is that she gets a bit overpowered seemingly out of nowhere. Taking down the 2 Strigoi in the last book was a great achievement, but the way she could suddenly do so much more less than 2 months later? Not a very clear progression of abilities.
As to the Rose/Dimitri relationship, I definitely felt more icky reading it here. Until certain things happen it was lovely that they were getting to know each other better and trusting each other, but it crossed some boundaries and I was uncomfortable. I had the barest knowledge of Dimitri’s overall storyline in this series so other events didn’t hit me quite as hard as they might have but I did feel a lot of feelings.
On a surprising note, I’ve found myself rooting for Adrian. I like him better than Dimitri even, and really although Rose treats him not the greatest they could’ve been a more acceptable forbidden romance in other circumstances. He’s never been Rose’s teacher after all.
On a final note, another aspect of Lissa’s personality has been unlocked and that is selfishness. She’s spoiled. She takes Rose for granted and it takes being shouted at for her to be more understanding of everything Rose has gone through. So to recap, we have loves animals, is often sad (because of magic), has boyfriend, sometimes shows caring for Rose, and has a selfish side. That’s more than what we started with but I still can’t figure her out.
Frostbite by Richelle Mead
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
If not for the setting being at a ski slope this might have been 5 stars. I really just don’t care for skiing.
I enjoyed the character growth in this book. Rose acknowledges her faults and tries to fix them, with little success but still she tries. Her relationship with her mother is very interesting to see and the way it changes as Rose grows as a person and gains new experiences is really quite nice to read.
The thing with Dimitri is still not icking me out like I thought it would. It’s a tiny bit uncomfortable but the reasons are discussed in the book and they do make an effort to move on.
Lissa remains largely personality-less though there are hints to her caring about Rose every so often. She’s very caught up in her boyfriend though and that’s most of her personality.
I was surprised at how this book does not shy away from the inherent horror and trauma of the situations these characters find themselves in. It’s very heavy and Rose most certainly has some sort of ptsd that is shown through flashbacks. Truly, this was darker than I expected it to be and the larger mystery and action had me quite hooked.
I enjoyed the character growth in this book. Rose acknowledges her faults and tries to fix them, with little success but still she tries. Her relationship with her mother is very interesting to see and the way it changes as Rose grows as a person and gains new experiences is really quite nice to read.
The thing with Dimitri is still not icking me out like I thought it would. It’s a tiny bit uncomfortable but the reasons are discussed in the book and they do make an effort to move on.
Lissa remains largely personality-less though there are hints to her caring about Rose every so often. She’s very caught up in her boyfriend though and that’s most of her personality.
I was surprised at how this book does not shy away from the inherent horror and trauma of the situations these characters find themselves in. It’s very heavy and Rose most certainly has some sort of ptsd that is shown through flashbacks. Truly, this was darker than I expected it to be and the larger mystery and action had me quite hooked.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Child death
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
dark
funny
mysterious
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? Yes
3.5
I really wasn’t expecting to enjoy this book so much while not liking the main character basically at all. Rose is annoying for her unearned pride and generally mean actions, and Lissa barely has a personality at all, and yet it was fun to read this book. I’ve surprised myself honestly.
The Moroi vampires are glorified witches who have to drink blood, the Dhampirs are just stronger humans with a genetic flaw, and from what we’ve seen of the Strigoi they are very traditional vampires and I really want to see more of them because I feel there’s a mystery there.
Speaking of mystery, this was technically a reread but it’s been so long and I cared so little the first time that I barely remembered anything and what I did was from the film, and yet I still figured out who was doing all the animal cruelty pretty early on (already knowing the major player).
I was pleased to see that aside from general cattiness between characters there was basically nothing offensive despite attitudes when this book was written. It’s like a breath of fresh air compared to all the little remarks that pop up in other books from the same time.
The Moroi vampires are glorified witches who have to drink blood, the Dhampirs are just stronger humans with a genetic flaw, and from what we’ve seen of the Strigoi they are very traditional vampires and I really want to see more of them because I feel there’s a mystery there.
Speaking of mystery, this was technically a reread but it’s been so long and I cared so little the first time that I barely remembered anything and what I did was from the film, and yet I still figured out who was doing all the animal cruelty pretty early on (already knowing the major player).
I was pleased to see that aside from general cattiness between characters there was basically nothing offensive despite attitudes when this book was written. It’s like a breath of fresh air compared to all the little remarks that pop up in other books from the same time.
These Twisted Bonds by Lexi Ryan
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A Dark Inheritance by H.F. Askwith
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I'm rather torn over this book. On the one hand, I really liked it for its readability and I got on well with the characters, but on the other hand it was so fast paced I lost the threads of plot a couple times.
I enjoyed many aspects of this book, starting with the content warnings at the very beginning. I really appreciate the author for warning us as readers about the subject of intense anxiety present in the book; it very much helped prepare me for the journey.
Felix is a great main character. Being in his head felt very familiar. He's doing his best without any real answers and is just trying to keep it all together. The realistic exploration of anxiety and the way it influenced Felix's thoughts and actions really clicked with me and I saw myself in him. I adored his relationship with his younger brother, Nick, too. It was very sweet the way he looked after him. His relationship with his best friend Lois took longer to grow on me. At first she annoyed me but I felt she got a bit more understanding as the book went on and by the end I was rooting for them both.
The overarching mystery was nicely done. I was surprised at how dark and graphic it got. I wish it could've been a slower sort of mystery but I was surprised at what was really going on, barring one specific person which I guessed from the vibes I was getting from them and then promptly second guessed myself. I've seen a similar sort of magic system in a book before, and it was no less horrifying here than it was there, which was very fun and added to the tension.
I'm going to put this next bit rather bluntly. The book was too short for all that happened, and I say this with the certainty that I felt when I thought it was trying to set up a series and had to check twice from my disbelief that it wasn't. I understand that a time limit builds tension, but approximately 25% from the end I realised that there wouldn't be enough time for the next arc to happen. The ending felt rushed and I had to read the last few chapters twice because I missed what happened. If this book were even 100 pages longer or perhaps split into 2 books with enough time devoted to each section, I would have probably felt more satisfied. That being said, I did find the waiting unbearable despite how fast the book went, so it didn't do too badly in that regard.
To end on a more positive note, while I was reading I found myself on several occasions wishing I could watch it as a movie. The descriptions and the way everything was set out really had me imagining it as if it were already a movie.
big thanks to netgalley for providing me with a digital arc in exchange for an honest review!
I enjoyed many aspects of this book, starting with the content warnings at the very beginning. I really appreciate the author for warning us as readers about the subject of intense anxiety present in the book; it very much helped prepare me for the journey.
Felix is a great main character. Being in his head felt very familiar. He's doing his best without any real answers and is just trying to keep it all together. The realistic exploration of anxiety and the way it influenced Felix's thoughts and actions really clicked with me and I saw myself in him. I adored his relationship with his younger brother, Nick, too. It was very sweet the way he looked after him. His relationship with his best friend Lois took longer to grow on me. At first she annoyed me but I felt she got a bit more understanding as the book went on and by the end I was rooting for them both.
The overarching mystery was nicely done. I was surprised at how dark and graphic it got. I wish it could've been a slower sort of mystery but I was surprised at what was really going on, barring one specific person which I guessed from the vibes I was getting from them and then promptly second guessed myself. I've seen a similar sort of magic system in a book before, and it was no less horrifying here than it was there, which was very fun and added to the tension.
I'm going to put this next bit rather bluntly. The book was too short for all that happened, and I say this with the certainty that I felt when I thought it was trying to set up a series and had to check twice from my disbelief that it wasn't. I understand that a time limit builds tension, but approximately 25% from the end I realised that there wouldn't be enough time for the next arc to happen. The ending felt rushed and I had to read the last few chapters twice because I missed what happened. If this book were even 100 pages longer or perhaps split into 2 books with enough time devoted to each section, I would have probably felt more satisfied. That being said, I did find the waiting unbearable despite how fast the book went, so it didn't do too badly in that regard.
To end on a more positive note, while I was reading I found myself on several occasions wishing I could watch it as a movie. The descriptions and the way everything was set out really had me imagining it as if it were already a movie.
big thanks to netgalley for providing me with a digital arc in exchange for an honest review!
Wrath & Mercy by Jessica Rubinkowski
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
In my review for The Bright & The Pale I made mention of the main character becoming the villain. There was enough time between then and now that I had completely forgotten that little aspect, so when I started reading this book I was very confused why I found Valeria so very annoying. Turns out I figured out what was happening exactly one page from it being revealed explicitly.
I can’t say this wasn’t a frustrating book but it was effective. I’m not personally one for war stories so I did get a bit bored of the constant planning for fights then fighting then repeating the process, but the mystery that shouldn’t have been a mystery kept me interested enough.
I do wish that the terror I felt while reading some very specific scenes in the first book had carried through a bit here, but honestly the most scary thing was the hands/chest scene that I will not elaborate on for those trying to avoid spoilers.
I can’t say this wasn’t a frustrating book but it was effective. I’m not personally one for war stories so I did get a bit bored of the constant planning for fights then fighting then repeating the process, but the mystery that shouldn’t have been a mystery kept me interested enough.
I do wish that the terror I felt while reading some very specific scenes in the first book had carried through a bit here, but honestly the most scary thing was the hands/chest scene that I will not elaborate on for those trying to avoid spoilers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Child death