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hegeleen_kissel's reviews
246 reviews
Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
Woman's Lore: 4,000 Years of Sirens, Serpents and Succubi by Sarah Clegg
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
The Sun and the Void by Gabriela Romero Lacruz
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
The story of The Sun and the Void is set in a colourful and vibrant world. Romero-Lacruz really makes it come to life with vivid descriptions that make you feel like you're wandering in the lush landscapes of Venazia yourself. It is clear the world lies close the the author's heart because that love seeps through in every sentence. To immerse yourself even more in the world and the story as it develops, I'd recommend investing some time in consulting the glossary of terms as you start reading.
I enjoyed the story, though I found the middle part dragging on a tad too long and sometimes didn't know where the story was heading exactly. I saw some reviews mentioning they found the beginning too long and slow, but I thought that space was necessary to set the story and the relationships between the characters. For me personally, it could even have been a bit longer. I don't want to spoil anything, but I think Doña Laurel's goodness and its impact on Reina's life would have benefitted the motivation of the events that were to come.
I really admire how Romero-Lacruz succeeded in making me simultaneously root for and yell at almost every single character: they all had their flaws and redeemable qualities. The dynamics between the characters were very intruiguing and complex and I can't wait to see how their relationships develop in the future. I found the f/f romance wonderful - and even surprising but in the most pleasant of ways!
What I missed a little was a clear explanation of the magic system, but in the end - and with the help of the short overview at the end of the book - it became more or less clear to me. I absolutely loved the lore and mythology, though, and I was blown away by various plot twists and revelations that suddenly put previous events or conversations in a whole new light.
In short, a very powerful and admirable debut novel that is clearly written with a lot of passion. I eagerly look forward to the rest of the series and I'd highly recommend it to anyone who loves some mythology-heavy fantasy!
I enjoyed the story, though I found the middle part dragging on a tad too long and sometimes didn't know where the story was heading exactly. I saw some reviews mentioning they found the beginning too long and slow, but I thought that space was necessary to set the story and the relationships between the characters. For me personally, it could even have been a bit longer. I don't want to spoil anything, but I think Doña Laurel's goodness and its impact on Reina's life would have benefitted the motivation of the events that were to come.
I really admire how Romero-Lacruz succeeded in making me simultaneously root for and yell at almost every single character: they all had their flaws and redeemable qualities. The dynamics between the characters were very intruiguing and complex and I can't wait to see how their relationships develop in the future. I found the f/f romance wonderful - and even surprising but in the most pleasant of ways!
What I missed a little was a clear explanation of the magic system, but in the end - and with the help of the short overview at the end of the book - it became more or less clear to me. I absolutely loved the lore and mythology, though, and I was blown away by various plot twists and revelations that suddenly put previous events or conversations in a whole new light.
In short, a very powerful and admirable debut novel that is clearly written with a lot of passion. I eagerly look forward to the rest of the series and I'd highly recommend it to anyone who loves some mythology-heavy fantasy!
Cities of Women by Kathleen B. Jones
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
The premise of Cities of Women sounded incredibly promising to me, since I, too, was fascinated by medieval manuscripts during my studies. Unfortunately, however, it failed to hit the mark for me.
I enjoyed the first half of the book, and especially the chapters following the life of the 14th century illuminator Béatrice were very moving and absorbing. As the story progressed and the present claimed more and more space in the story, I found myself growing rather frustrated and bored. The romance was a quite uninteresting (and at times problematic) subplot that didn't add anything to the story, but took the attention away from the main plot which redirected the story's course in a confusing and unsatisfying way. The dialogue was very stilted and caused the characters to fall quite flat - at the end I still didn't feel like I really knew them. Despite the fact that the chapters in the present didn't really speak to me, I did greatly appreciate the vast cast of characters that were women in academia.
I found it quite confusing why the author chose to include a couple of chapters from Christine de Pizan's pov, but abandoned her perspective once Béatrice made her acquaintance and why she didn't even mention Béatrice in Christine's chapters. I did like the chapters set in medieval France, though, and I'm certain I would have liked the book better if the ratio present-past had been different.
The writing style in general had a little too much telling and too little showing for my tastes and was littered with unnecessarily complex words and too detailed descriptions of every single action Verity made, which both resulted in a quite artificial and dragging feeling to the story.
It is clear that Jones has put an incredible amount of research behind this book which I greatly admire, as well as her view on womanhood and her passionate campaign to put women in the foreground of history and their own stories.
I enjoyed the first half of the book, and especially the chapters following the life of the 14th century illuminator Béatrice were very moving and absorbing. As the story progressed and the present claimed more and more space in the story, I found myself growing rather frustrated and bored. The romance was a quite uninteresting (and at times problematic) subplot that didn't add anything to the story, but took the attention away from the main plot which redirected the story's course in a confusing and unsatisfying way. The dialogue was very stilted and caused the characters to fall quite flat - at the end I still didn't feel like I really knew them. Despite the fact that the chapters in the present didn't really speak to me, I did greatly appreciate the vast cast of characters that were women in academia.
I found it quite confusing why the author chose to include a couple of chapters from Christine de Pizan's pov, but abandoned her perspective once Béatrice made her acquaintance and why she didn't even mention Béatrice in Christine's chapters. I did like the chapters set in medieval France, though, and I'm certain I would have liked the book better if the ratio present-past had been different.
The writing style in general had a little too much telling and too little showing for my tastes and was littered with unnecessarily complex words and too detailed descriptions of every single action Verity made, which both resulted in a quite artificial and dragging feeling to the story.
It is clear that Jones has put an incredible amount of research behind this book which I greatly admire, as well as her view on womanhood and her passionate campaign to put women in the foreground of history and their own stories.
Blue-Skinned Gods by SJ Sindu
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Epic of Helinthia by M.J. Pankey
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
MJ Pankey's Epic of Helinthia is the fast-paced and adventurous first instalment in a series set on the unique, ancient Greek-inspired island of Helinthia. When famine strikes harder and harder ever since anax Charixes seized control of the throne, some brave souls set out to put an end to his reign of terror that would only mean doom for the people of Helinthia.
I must admit it took me a little while before I could tell the difference between the vast cast of characters, but as the story developped and I got to know them, I was greatly impressed by the way Pankey presents her characters with all their flaws and vices. She really masters the way in which the characters act and make choices in line with their own beliefs and motivations, making them very human. While I found some characters rather unlikable, there were others who went through some marvellous character developement that's very promising for the next books in the series!
The island of Helinthia is a fictional one, but the society is well thought-out with Greek-inspired titles and ranks. I found the naming of the places and characters a bit confusing since most of them didn't sound very Greek, which made it difficult for me at first to really immerse myself in an otherwise Greek-inspired world. I loved the idioms that were invented for the island of Helinthia, however, which brought a richness to the world that helped to anchor me in the story.
Some of my favourite parts were the appearances of the gods. Pankey succeeds in portraying them as ethereal and larger-than-life beings who are close to yet at the same time very far away from humanity. I can only hope that we'll see more of them as the series continues.
Pankey's prose is tremendously varied, incredibly fluid and reads like a breeze yet is never dull or overly simple. But her true strengths in my opinion are her dialogues and her ability to create suspense that leaves you on the edge of your seat. Especially the final chapters are an avalanche of suspense and thrilling revelations. So I'm very curious to see how the story will develop in the following books.
I received an ARC from BookSirens in exchange for an honest review.
I must admit it took me a little while before I could tell the difference between the vast cast of characters, but as the story developped and I got to know them, I was greatly impressed by the way Pankey presents her characters with all their flaws and vices. She really masters the way in which the characters act and make choices in line with their own beliefs and motivations, making them very human. While I found some characters rather unlikable, there were others who went through some marvellous character developement that's very promising for the next books in the series!
The island of Helinthia is a fictional one, but the society is well thought-out with Greek-inspired titles and ranks. I found the naming of the places and characters a bit confusing since most of them didn't sound very Greek, which made it difficult for me at first to really immerse myself in an otherwise Greek-inspired world. I loved the idioms that were invented for the island of Helinthia, however, which brought a richness to the world that helped to anchor me in the story.
Some of my favourite parts were the appearances of the gods. Pankey succeeds in portraying them as ethereal and larger-than-life beings who are close to yet at the same time very far away from humanity. I can only hope that we'll see more of them as the series continues.
Pankey's prose is tremendously varied, incredibly fluid and reads like a breeze yet is never dull or overly simple. But her true strengths in my opinion are her dialogues and her ability to create suspense that leaves you on the edge of your seat. Especially the final chapters are an avalanche of suspense and thrilling revelations. So I'm very curious to see how the story will develop in the following books.
I received an ARC from BookSirens in exchange for an honest review.
The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
3.0