francestal's reviews
16 reviews

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous emotional mysterious tense

• 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

4.0

Now this… this is is finally a book in the ACOTAR series that I can get with. My friend warned me that the third book was very history heavy and I thought it would be a drag to read this book. Since finishing this one, I’ve realized that I eat up history and and world building in fantasy books and I loved how SJM writes crumbs of it throughout the plot line until it builds up at the end. This is the book that got me wishing that this series gets made into a movie franchise just for a movie of ACOWAR specifically. Long story short, this book was very Avengers: Infinity War. 

*CONTAINS BIG SPOILER, DO NOT OPEN IF YOU HAVEN’T READ*

Now, because I related this book to Infinity War and because there is a literal war going on in this book, I expected high stakes losses to occur. Imagine how confused, annoyed, and frustrated I was when those so-called “high stakes losses” were brought back to life in the end. Like yeah, of course I love Rhys and want him to live forever, but SJM kills off beloved characters just to resurrect them in the end… so it’s technically not even a loss? The only notable person that died was their dad and while it was heartwarmingly cheesy, I didn’t feel that much attachment and loss from his death because he came so late in the book, we only learned about his true adventure trip and reasons secondhand from Lucien, and he never actually got to reunite with his daughters. So yes I was sad, but also… meh? I love all the characters and want them all happy and alive, but it leaves me wondering if the characters will ever truly experience a permanent and irreversible high stakes loss.

 

Thank you to whoever voiced the same sentiments about SJM’s rushed third act curse back then because it finally seems like she listened and properly built up her story. Because of this, I was able to enjoy one of my favorite things about SJM: how she never fails to make my jaw drop nonstop at the most unexpected times in the book. 

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

I’m not really the type to like “bad boy” romances because I feel cheesed out by them and… why would people willingly go for red flags, I’ll never know… but SJM got me in this one. However, that was only made possible by practically demolishing any of Tamlin’s moral framework to smithereens to be able to spotlight the (seemingly) refreshing extreme of Rhys inventing feminism. While appreciated, I found it so hard to believe that Feyre — the girl who hunted and provided for her family for years and supposedly “saved all of Prythian” — needed Rhys to make her magically realize that yes, women can make choices! Because of the way SJM wrote Feyre’s character development, it felt this book completely negated any of her existing values and strengths from the first book. 

Another complaint I have, which is consistent with my thoughts on the first book, is how SJM once again slaps us with the final act of the plot. This time, it felt even worse and more rushed than the first book, as if everything happened within the last 50 pages or so.

BOOM, Tamlin and Lucien are dirty traitors. BOOM, Elain and Nesta are fae. BOOM, Elain and Lucien (who met each other five minutes ago) are mates???

Can we ever have a normally paced unfolding of events rather than shredding through plot reveals just to set up the plot of the next book?

While I did enjoy getting into Rhys’ backstory, the side characters saved this book. Thank you Azriel, Amren, Cassian, and Mor for making this book interesting. If you’re a fan of the “found family” trope, you’re gonna love this one. 

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

I finally caved after (subconsciously) avoiding this book for so long. I went into this knowing nothing about the series, so it threw me off when I was introduced to the magical realm of fae when my original vision of fairies was Tinkerbell instead of muscly or stunningly beautiful people. I was also a fourth of the way through it when I said, “Oh. This is just Beauty and the Beast but with pointy ears.” Despite the disappointment, I appreciated the world building because it’s been a long time since I read a fantasy/other worldly book. My biggest gripe with this book was the pacing. You’re telling myself there was all this happy romance and pining just to be thrown into a whirlwind plot line during the last ~100 pages of the book?

Yet even worse was the “big reveal” at the end with Amarantha’s riddle (if you could even call it that). Call me pessimistic or whatever, but I actually had to blink, set my book down, and laugh when my dumb guess was correct and Feyre says “The answer is love.”

 

Despite my complaints, I will say that the story had me very invested. Though the characters often felt archetype-y, it’s been a while since a book has had me running to the library to get the next one, so props to SJM. 

Circe by Madeline Miller

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I read this book after being curious at how popular it was, but since finishing it, I don’t have much to say. I appreciated that the author uses Circe to examine her relation to femininity and what it means to be a woman through phases of her life (being a daughter, a woman being alone,  a woman navigating romance, becoming a mother, a woman as her own person). I  also appreciated the beautiful imagery and how easy it was to visualize any setting the story goes to. However, the book felt very slow. I felt like I had to take breaks and then drag myself through pages before getting invested again. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault

Maame by Jessica George

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad 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? Yes

4.5

"[Love] is not always about what it feels like, Mads, because sometimes it feels pointless. It’s about what love is.”

This book felt like experiencing life with a best friend. To put it simply, this is a book about the complexity of living as a daughter of immigrants finding out what it truly means to love through all the emotions life throws at us. Maddie was an absolute delight to learn with throughout the book! It’s really refreshing how many issues this book tries to tackle, which has its pros and cons (pro: visibility!, con: not enough page space to throughly talk about it). My favorite part was how relatable Maddie was from her Google searches (the dating advice was unhinged yet so funny) to how raw she felt her feelings and grief (WHEW I was blown away by Jessica George’s writing) to the pace she took her healing and learning (friendships, romantic relationships, and rebuilding familial bonds). By the end of the book, I felt like I just finished a long catch-up with a friend and I just wanted to give Maddie a hug. Maame may be Jessica George’s debut, but I’m all the more excited for what’s next for her.

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

“Shakespeare is real, but his characters live in a world of real extremes.”

So painfully messy and I can’t decide if it leaves me with a positive or negative impression of the book. Coming from someone who hadn’t seen a phrase of Shakespeare since a few years ago in high school, this was so hard to get into. If you’re an avid Shakespeare fan, you might feel at home and even blissful with all the quotes (they literally speak maybe 75% of the dialogue in Shakespearean lines). I’m fifty-fifty; part of me is thinking, “Wow, there’s probably so much hidden between these lines…” but also the other part of me is snorting, “Why does this feel like Mandella and Michael in 10 Things I Hate About You?” 

The thing I didn’t like most about this book is that the characters are stereotyped so hard. I understand it was the premise of the story (difficulty separating the character from the artist on and offstage) and that the author writes it into her blurb, but it was to a fault and they felt locked into a box. And when this book is advertised as a mystery, the predictability of the characters and plot stripped it bare and it fell flat. Another thing: agreeing with one of the reviewers below, the last line had me staring blankly at the page and going, “Really?” Still, I breezed through the book. Page turner yes, but messily predictable. 

Psyche and Eros by Luna McNamara

adventurous funny hopeful medium-paced

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

4.0

“By learning to love yourself, you learn to love the world. And yourself, which may be even harder.”

A retelling of the story of Psyche and Eros with themes of love, trust, and pure human soul. In this retelling, Psyche and Eros are a mirror of each other, both stubborn and withholding information from one another which spurs the plot of the story. The two main characters felt shallow and one-dimensional at times, but I think the author accomplished what she wanted throughout the book. I believe some of the critics below are too harsh about the accuracies of the myth and are distracting themselves from simply enjoying the story. Even the author openly acknowledges her personal choices to change details for thematic/plot reasons. 

Storytelling and the practice of passing down myths is a timelessly fluid and organic tradition. In the words of Psyche, “Let the mortal poets make my story their own. Let them live inside it while their own became unbearable.” And so that I did. I simply enjoyed this book for what it was; a humanized tale of the power of love (excuse my cheesiness) by reimagining Psyche and Eros, two unmoving and headstrong lovers. 

Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa

hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I believe it all has purpose. All experience adds up to a life lived as only you could. I feel sure the day will come when you can say: this is my life. 

A comforting yet moving and raw story about exploration of the meaning of life. I’ll be honest, I started this book off slow and it took me a bit to chug through the middle of it, but the second half comes as easy as a warm cup of tea. I was touched by the end and these characters have affected me more than I expected, coming at a perfect time in my life. Read if you want to enjoy a gentle push to reflect on what it means to live even in the seeming stillness of life. 

It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han
Did not finish book. Stopped at 49%.

I felt like I was trudging through quicksand with every page I turned. I started this two years ago (right after I finished the first book), but I could never get back to it despite several attempts. Definitely not Jenny Han’s best trilogy, I can confidently say that I liked the TATBILB series much more. 

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

funny lighthearted relaxing 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? Yes

3.75

This book proved to me that Emily Henry has a formula to all her books. Man who is perceived as broody but “deeper than what meets the eye” + tough boss woman who softens as she spends more time with said man + homey and quirky small town. Take from that as you will, but this is my second Emily Henry book in a row and it started getting old to me. The premise of the book was interesting, I liked the self awareness how it poked fun at book tropes but it kind of became what it was making fun of. I liked the book overall though, I appreciated Libby’s character and the two sisters trying to work through a transitional period of their lives. Cute and light summer/fall read.