hailslynn's reviews
225 reviews

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
Did not finish book. Stopped at 71%.

I can definitely see the appeal but unfortunately I just do not like it. My main issues are that our FMC acts so naive despite being 30 years old and I was expecting it be more of a dark fantasy since Kingfisher is known for their work in the horror genre

Evocation by S.T. Gibson

dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

3.5

This book promises a lot and delivers very little. Secret societies, occultism, queer poly relationships, family curses. What you get is a character driven book that focuses on the relationship between our main ensemble with the previously mentioned tropes and themes as a means to move along the development. I found the writing style quite irritating as there were often times she sounded pretentious with beautiful prose and unique word choices only to turn around and use modern slang in the same paragraph. Despite what I disliked, I will say I found myself unable to put it down. ST Gibson managed to completely suck me in to the rekindling relationship between David and Rhy and the budding one between David and Moira. I would compare how much I liked this book to how much I liked aftg and The Raven Cycle, you get drawn in and love the characters, but the plot is so unimportant that you don't even bother paying attention.

Vicious by V.E. Schwab

adventurous dark mysterious reflective sad tense 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

4.0

Once again, VE Schwab has made me fall in love with a tragic antagonist and the fact that it applies to basically our entire ensemble is testament to her writing prowess. Her work continues to draw me in and remind me of my love of reading and exploring new worlds and ideas. Vicious is not my favorite of Schwab's but that should say nothing against the craft of the book itself. There was just something missing for me to proclaim that I love it, but rest assured, this ranks high in my list of books I will always recommend for now on.

A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

4.5

Don't let how long this took me to read fool you because I absolutely adored this book. If you're looking for a book to fully immerse you in the atmosphere and lore of the world, may I please introduce to A Dark and Drowning Tide. Perfect for fall and dark academia lovers, Allison Saft does a tremendous job of weaving a unique world inspired by our own that easily pulls you in with how descriptive she gets. We get scary fae people!!! The side characters do fall a little flat in my opinion, but our two main characters are absolutely lovely. Lorelai's trauma and backstory is such an integral part of her and what becomes of her relationships with those around her, and it is beautifully done. My biggest downfall was the romance seemed to only be a contributing factor in the second half of the book when the book was marketed to seem that the romance was a major factor we would see throughout the whole book.

All in all, this is a book for people who love when author's go off on the littlest of details about their world to paint the most vivid of pictures you can imagine.

Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense 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

3.75

Knowing that I was going to be let down by this book honestly improved it's chances of me actually liking it. It's unfair to compare this book to Ninth House despite it being the direct sequel to but Ninth House is just one of those flagbearing titles for the dark academia subgenre that it's difficult not to. Leigh Bardugo does improve on some things such as character development and interactions, but she also straight up ignores some aspects that made Ninth House great in the first place. The secret societies was what drew me to pick up Ninth House in the first place and they virtually disappear in this book with only short appearances that only minority contributor to the plot if they do at all. 

I didn't not like this book, I actually quite enjoyed the premise and plot, but it feels like such a weird left turn from the tone and premise of Ninth House that I feel it would have performed better as a separate book from the series. I don't think it's quite Second Book Syndrome as in a way to connect books 2 and 3, but I do think there were better avenues to get the same desired outcome.

Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White

challenging dark informative mysterious sad 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

4.25

AJW strays from his previous works discussing religious trauma to give us a timely and necessary perspective on what in means to be queer and neurodivergent in a community that you've only known to love but fundamentally hates who you are. This book doesn't hold back on the harshness of what can and does happen to trans youth in rural America and what can happen when community stands together. If you love AJW's gruesome body horror and depictions of gore from his previous works, be warned that this book is not as gory but still depicts very disgusting actions. I overall enjoyed this but felt that he deviated from the main plot a little too much and was often repetitive discussing the current political environmental of rural West Virginia. Very pleased to see aromantic and queer platonic relationship representation amongst AJW's standard representation. 

Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.75

A delectable little morsel of a book. M.L. Rio really showcases their storytelling capabilities with this novella because this story hooks you right away and keeps you hooked all the way until the end. 5 hazbins of the night with nicotine addictions discover, investigate, solve, and reveal a mystery in their college town's cemetery on their nightly smoke break in what feels like The Last of Us meets Ninth House. I could have easily devoured this in one sitting, and it's a delightfully dark read. I wish the conclusion didn't feel so rushed, but I can 1000% see myself coming back to this when I'm in the mood for something a bit creepy. Thank you Flatiron for the advanced copy!

Daydream by Hannah Grace

emotional funny lighthearted relaxing 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

4.0

Honestly a vast improvement from both Icebreaker and Wildfire. I wasn't sure how I would feel when I found out the fmc has an extremely similar name to me (it turns me off from a book idk) and in all honesty it felt like a massive call out in some parts, but the chemistry between Henry and Halle is unmatched. The character development between the two is realistic and vulnerable  so you're rooting for our main couple the entire time. 

The biggest downfall is that the plot itself is boring and overdone and it caused me to have difficulty getting started with the book itself. I wouldn't really even consider it a plot because there was virtually no conflict or "action." 

I can't say I'll read another Maple Hills books as much as I enjoyed this one because I'm not really invested in any of the other characters, but I do recommend reading Daydream if you're looking for a fun swoon-worthy read 💜✨

Wisteria by Adalyn Grace

dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

4.75

Wow just wow. What an impeccable and magnificent ending to this series. Blythe has always been my favorite character in this series since Signa met her in Belladonna, and I knew Adalyn Grace would deliver on her story and boy did she. It's a second chance romance meet foes to lovers which doesn't make sense until you read it, and it's just so so great it had me an absolute wreck at the end. I despised Fate for all of Foxglove and for a good chunk of Wisteria, but she did a FABULOUS job of making you love him in the end. The plot and twists were genuinely the best in the series they had me audibly reacting while on break at work (where I typically don't like to noticeably react to books) Thank GOD Adalyn said she wants to return to this world because I have so many unanswered questions that I know couldn't be answered in this series.

Given, Vol. 9 by Natsuki Kizu

emotional inspiring relaxing sad slow-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

4.5

Alright buddy on the shelf you go... I'm in severe emotional distress. 

Why I chose to read this, knowing I would cry reading it, right after I finished another book that also made me cry is beyond me. But I found this volume to be such a sweet ending to Mafayu's journey. I'm sad that it's over, but I'm happy to have been introduced to this series so early in my manga journey and I'm excited to revisit the series in the future.