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iam's reviews
1659 reviews
Bromantic Puckboy by Eden Finley, Saxon James
4.0
Audio reread March 2025: This was a lot of fun in audio, and I still enjoy this as one of my favs from this series. Miles and Bilson just are so silly but earnest, and a lil stupid, but oh so charming. Nevermind about the whole frat thing that I was really afraid of.
That said, I did not enjoy the narrators. For one, I found the two voices unfitting - in my opinion, the narrators should have switched characters. I also found that Miles's narrator was a bit too fast - not because I couldn't follow what he said, but because there was almost no distinction between who was talking, and between thoughts and dialogue, making in incredibly hard to follow any conversation or to figure out who said what.
Since a lot of the charm from this series comes from the dialogue, this really threw me out of several of my favorite scenes.
Still lovely romance, just for me it's best enjoyed in any other format than audio.
That said, I did not enjoy the narrators. For one, I found the two voices unfitting - in my opinion, the narrators should have switched characters. I also found that Miles's narrator was a bit too fast - not because I couldn't follow what he said, but because there was almost no distinction between who was talking, and between thoughts and dialogue, making in incredibly hard to follow any conversation or to figure out who said what.
Since a lot of the charm from this series comes from the dialogue, this really threw me out of several of my favorite scenes.
Still lovely romance, just for me it's best enjoyed in any other format than audio.
Move In Day: A Secondhand Skin Bonus by Hailey Turner
4.0
Cute short story about Wade and Riordan moving in together.
Secondhand Skin by Hailey Turner
3.5
Wade was a super fun character in the Soulbound series, albeit a bit of a comedic relief character, so I was curious to see him get his own book.
It plays 5 years after Wade got rescued from the clutches of the God who enslaved and abused him, and Wade is now 23, confident and happy with his place in New York City's god pack. While of course he is no POV character in the Soulbound series, I couldn't see much of a difference between how he read as a character as a teen in the original series and in this book, which I guess felt a bit strange.
Still, reading from his POV was fun - after seeing how carefully the other characters in the series have to navigate the difficult relationships between various parts of the preternatural community, it was super fun to see Wade just not have to care due to being a dragon and therefore being somewhat except from many of the political intrigues of the community.
I really enjoyed the plot in this one - Wade gets send to Boston after the local god pack's dire requests aid because her alphas got kidnapped by a fae looking to take over the city - and the god pack aren't the only victims.
This brings us to the other protagonit, Riordan. He's the leader of a prominent selkie clan in Boston and as such also got targeted by the ambitous fae, as his sister's sealskin got stolen. Selkies were not brought up in Soulbound at all, so it was a nice addition and lore expansion. That said, I couldn't quite wrap my head around selkies' standing in the fae community - they are fae, but also seemingly not quite seen as such by other fae? That was a bit confusing.
Riordan was a nice character, though not really a stand out. I enjoyed his dynamic with his siblings, but to be honest, the overall workings of his clan and business and him being a clan leader felt a bit underdeveloped. However, for the scope of the story in this book, it worked. A bigger gripe I had with his POV chapters was the parts where he was in his seal form and working magic. Those I found a bit hard to follow.
My favourite part of the book was the plot. I really enjoyed seeing all the different players of the preternatural community coming together. Not everyone is friendly, but thanks to Wade being a dragon it was just fun to see how it all worked out. The final reveal about the main antagonist was a bit underwhelming, though, even though it could have been really big. I am also a bit confused about the ending, and how what happened was supposed to stop the main antagonist.
There were plenty of cameos from familiar faces, which I enjoyed, even though those were not always fully fleshed out.
The romance was fine. I did enjoy the whole "fixation" aspect from Riordan's side, and how it tied the romance to selkie culture. That said, I found it a bit difficult to believe that a over 400 year old fae clan leader would be in any way interested in a 23 year old who he believes to be a mundane human. And even after he finds out that Wade is a dragon, that does not change his age.
Another aspect I wasn't quite happy with was Wade's trauma. That was not handled with anything close to the depth is deserved and needed. Sure, Riordan quickly realizes about parts of Wade's past, and he quickly and without struggle puts consent at the forefront of their romantic and sexual interactions, but... I still found that many of the romance scenes reverted back to the typical M/M romance patterns that I'm used to from the author, with a sprinkle of "oh right Wade has some issues" here and there. One thing I also found very strange was that the word "rape" was never used on-page, despite it being made very clear that Wade was raped in the past. I can totally see how maybe Wade would not want to use that word, nevermind his years of therapy, but it still struck me as almost a cop-out to not have that conversation and instead advance the romance quickly.
I suppose that was my main gripe with it - it advances a bit too quickly for me, though I think I noted the "too quick romance" thing in the author's other books as well. That said, in several of the other books, the characters at least outright acknowledge that it's fast, and it's not love from the beginning but something to gow into. Meanwhile in Secondhand Skin there are love confessions at the end of the book, whcih plays over the course of maybe 5 days? Possibly less??
I still had a very good time with this book. It's only in retrospect that I notice some of the flaws. I think I would enjoy reading more from Wade and Riordan, as well as from the rest of the crew in the universe.
It plays 5 years after Wade got rescued from the clutches of the God who enslaved and abused him, and Wade is now 23, confident and happy with his place in New York City's god pack. While of course he is no POV character in the Soulbound series, I couldn't see much of a difference between how he read as a character as a teen in the original series and in this book, which I guess felt a bit strange.
Still, reading from his POV was fun - after seeing how carefully the other characters in the series have to navigate the difficult relationships between various parts of the preternatural community, it was super fun to see Wade just not have to care due to being a dragon and therefore being somewhat except from many of the political intrigues of the community.
I really enjoyed the plot in this one - Wade gets send to Boston after the local god pack's dire requests aid because her alphas got kidnapped by a fae looking to take over the city - and the god pack aren't the only victims.
This brings us to the other protagonit, Riordan. He's the leader of a prominent selkie clan in Boston and as such also got targeted by the ambitous fae, as his sister's sealskin got stolen. Selkies were not brought up in Soulbound at all, so it was a nice addition and lore expansion. That said, I couldn't quite wrap my head around selkies' standing in the fae community - they are fae, but also seemingly not quite seen as such by other fae? That was a bit confusing.
Riordan was a nice character, though not really a stand out. I enjoyed his dynamic with his siblings, but to be honest, the overall workings of his clan and business and him being a clan leader felt a bit underdeveloped. However, for the scope of the story in this book, it worked. A bigger gripe I had with his POV chapters was the parts where he was in his seal form and working magic. Those I found a bit hard to follow.
My favourite part of the book was the plot. I really enjoyed seeing all the different players of the preternatural community coming together. Not everyone is friendly, but thanks to Wade being a dragon it was just fun to see how it all worked out. The final reveal about the main antagonist was a bit underwhelming, though, even though it could have been really big. I am also a bit confused about the ending, and how what happened was supposed to stop the main antagonist.
There were plenty of cameos from familiar faces, which I enjoyed, even though those were not always fully fleshed out.
The romance was fine. I did enjoy the whole "fixation" aspect from Riordan's side, and how it tied the romance to selkie culture. That said, I found it a bit difficult to believe that a over 400 year old fae clan leader would be in any way interested in a 23 year old who he believes to be a mundane human. And even after he finds out that Wade is a dragon, that does not change his age.
Another aspect I wasn't quite happy with was Wade's trauma. That was not handled with anything close to the depth is deserved and needed. Sure, Riordan quickly realizes about parts of Wade's past, and he quickly and without struggle puts consent at the forefront of their romantic and sexual interactions, but... I still found that many of the romance scenes reverted back to the typical M/M romance patterns that I'm used to from the author, with a sprinkle of "oh right Wade has some issues" here and there. One thing I also found very strange was that the word "rape" was never used on-page, despite it being made very clear that Wade was raped in the past. I can totally see how maybe Wade would not want to use that word, nevermind his years of therapy, but it still struck me as almost a cop-out to not have that conversation and instead advance the romance quickly.
I suppose that was my main gripe with it - it advances a bit too quickly for me, though I think I noted the "too quick romance" thing in the author's other books as well. That said, in several of the other books, the characters at least outright acknowledge that it's fast, and it's not love from the beginning but something to gow into. Meanwhile in Secondhand Skin there are love confessions at the end of the book, whcih plays over the course of maybe 5 days? Possibly less??
I still had a very good time with this book. It's only in retrospect that I notice some of the flaws. I think I would enjoy reading more from Wade and Riordan, as well as from the rest of the crew in the universe.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Slavery and Kidnapping
Minor: Child abuse, Rape, and Death of parent
Resurrection Reprise by Hailey Turner
adventurous
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? No
4.0
I loved Spencer in On the Wings of War and A Veiled & Hallowed Eve so I was very excited that he got his own book.
Resurrection Reprise is set around 2 years after the end of the Soulbound series, and Spencer, newly signed on to the SOA, is sent to Seattle to hunt down a powerful magical artefact tied to demon summoning.
Once in Seattle, Spencer is introduced to a new team, and quickly finds his case leads him to one of the local covens and the local god pack... as well as the local Night Court.
I went into this book without looking up the overarching plot, and while I knew there would be a romance, I didn't know who the love interest - and second POV character - would be. But I had my suspicions, or hopes, rather, and to my delight I was correct!
Takoma had a few moments in A Veiled & Hallowed Eve, several of which were mostly centered around Spencer, as he was tasked with protecting Spencer during the final showdown. As it turns out, Spencer was protecting Takoma and his Night Court during the battle as well, so Takoma is not at all displeased to find Spencer in his territory - and that lack of displeasure quickly turns into active interest.
I did greatly enjoy Spencer and Takoma together, not least because the Vampires are kind of antagonistic in the Soulbound series, for all that they fight on the same side. So reading from Spencer's POV, who is as open to vampires as to any other preternatural person, was refreshing.
Reading from Takoma's POV was even more interesting, though he did not get as many chapters as Spencer. I both liked reading his perspective as a Vampire, given that they are sort of neglected in the original series, but specifically as a very old Native Americanm specifically Tulalip, Vampire. I liked his perspective as not believing in what he terms colonizer law, while at the same time realizing that in order to grow in power, sometimes you have to pretend to play along.
The plot was exciting and action packed, as usual from the author. I liked how the differen threads played out and came together in the end, though I will say not all of them seemed entirely fleshed out.
There was a subplot of Spencer, as a nercromancy-adjacent mage, is basically under permanent supervision from the government and only alive on their conditions, and Takoma is offering him a way out. That isn't as explored as it could have been (though maybe a plot hook for a sequel? I would certainly like it.)
There are cameos from familiar (and fan-favourite) faces from the original series, which I loved seeing and catching up with, but they also weren't the most elegantly handled. As I love cameos and familiar characters showing up, I am more than happy to excuse them.
Generally, the side character, big and small, were great. A personal highlight was Fatima, Spencer's pyschopomp who takes the form of an ocelot. I also really liked Takoma's Night Court, though I would have liked to see more details about their day to day operations, and interactions between them and Spencer.
Finally, the romance was... well. So I really enjoyed Spencer and Takoma together. They certainly had a spark, and were great to read about. That said, a lot of their initial attraction is very surface level. Or rather, given that they don't know each other well, and their attraction is only based on physical attraction, a battle together, and some surface level interest based on that... they are very deeply invested into each other. By which I mean, the level of devotion and effort they put into each other hugely exceeds their personal rapport with each other. I am mostly happy to excuse that, too, but there certainly is a cognitive dissonance, when the same conversation mentions wanting to spend their (potentially eternal) lives together, and not being in love yet (but hopefully developing love eventually).
All these things feel like complaining on a high level though. I had a great time reading this, and cannot wait for more from this universe.
Resurrection Reprise is set around 2 years after the end of the Soulbound series, and Spencer, newly signed on to the SOA, is sent to Seattle to hunt down a powerful magical artefact tied to demon summoning.
Once in Seattle, Spencer is introduced to a new team, and quickly finds his case leads him to one of the local covens and the local god pack... as well as the local Night Court.
I went into this book without looking up the overarching plot, and while I knew there would be a romance, I didn't know who the love interest - and second POV character - would be. But I had my suspicions, or hopes, rather, and to my delight I was correct!
Takoma had a few moments in A Veiled & Hallowed Eve, several of which were mostly centered around Spencer, as he was tasked with protecting Spencer during the final showdown. As it turns out, Spencer was protecting Takoma and his Night Court during the battle as well, so Takoma is not at all displeased to find Spencer in his territory - and that lack of displeasure quickly turns into active interest.
I did greatly enjoy Spencer and Takoma together, not least because the Vampires are kind of antagonistic in the Soulbound series, for all that they fight on the same side. So reading from Spencer's POV, who is as open to vampires as to any other preternatural person, was refreshing.
Reading from Takoma's POV was even more interesting, though he did not get as many chapters as Spencer. I both liked reading his perspective as a Vampire, given that they are sort of neglected in the original series, but specifically as a very old Native Americanm specifically Tulalip, Vampire. I liked his perspective as not believing in what he terms colonizer law, while at the same time realizing that in order to grow in power, sometimes you have to pretend to play along.
The plot was exciting and action packed, as usual from the author. I liked how the differen threads played out and came together in the end, though I will say not all of them seemed entirely fleshed out.
There was a subplot of Spencer, as a nercromancy-adjacent mage, is basically under permanent supervision from the government and only alive on their conditions, and Takoma is offering him a way out. That isn't as explored as it could have been (though maybe a plot hook for a sequel? I would certainly like it.)
There are cameos from familiar (and fan-favourite) faces from the original series, which I loved seeing and catching up with, but they also weren't the most elegantly handled. As I love cameos and familiar characters showing up, I am more than happy to excuse them.
Generally, the side character, big and small, were great. A personal highlight was Fatima, Spencer's pyschopomp who takes the form of an ocelot. I also really liked Takoma's Night Court, though I would have liked to see more details about their day to day operations, and interactions between them and Spencer.
Finally, the romance was... well. So I really enjoyed Spencer and Takoma together. They certainly had a spark, and were great to read about. That said, a lot of their initial attraction is very surface level. Or rather, given that they don't know each other well, and their attraction is only based on physical attraction, a battle together, and some surface level interest based on that... they are very deeply invested into each other. By which I mean, the level of devotion and effort they put into each other hugely exceeds their personal rapport with each other. I am mostly happy to excuse that, too, but there certainly is a cognitive dissonance, when the same conversation mentions wanting to spend their (potentially eternal) lives together, and not being in love yet (but hopefully developing love eventually).
All these things feel like complaining on a high level though. I had a great time reading this, and cannot wait for more from this universe.
The Golden Raven by Nora Sakavic
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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
4.0
I'll be the first to admit that I didn't really enjoy The Sunshine Court, and I can also admit that a lot of that was because of how heavy it was, while also not giving a (happy) conclusion to Jean's story.
The Golden Raven was much more up my speed - it was still heavy, but not quite as unbearably so as The Sunshine Court , and while it still doesn't give a conclusion to Jean's story, it ends on a much higher note.
Content warnings include: PTSD (not diagnosed), homophobia, racism, violence, self-harm, arson, sex off-page. Mentions of: rape, torture, suicide, organised crime, murder, dugs, neglect, heavy child abuse.
Reading this without having reread TSC was a bit like jumping in blind. The first chapter alone re-introduces at least half of the over 30 person strong Trojans team plus add-ons, and my god, that certainly felt like whiplash. Generally, Sakavic does not shy away from trusting the reader to figure things out - the narration is entirely focussed on being in the character's head, and there are no allowances made for descriptions of things the characters already know. Readers need to entirely rely on context clues to figure out who people are, what place names mean, what the relationship between characters is, what past their share, etc. While this can be a bit annoying in terms of just wanting to know all the context, this also endears the books to me - it's part of why I reread the original trilogy so much. Maybe it's because of those rereads that the original trilogy feels so much more coherent to me, and if I reread Jean's story down the road, I will understand it just as well.
TGR introduced much more of Jeremy's struggles rather than just focussing on Jean's. Jeremy's family is not all that great, and he has his own skeletons in his closet that are slowly revealed. I did enjoy getting to know him better, especially after I found that TSC only treated him very surface level.
I also enjoyed Jean much more in this one. TSC is very dark because Jean is very stuck in his own head and his trauma, and it ends with him finally finding a small spark of a path forward. This path becomes bigger and bigger in TGR, which I loved to see. He also has much more external support, with Kevin making some appearances (and my god, he is NOT afraid to burn bridges, which I did not except but cheered on heavily.)
There is still so. Much. Trauma. And unexplained details from Jean's past and the Ravens, but I found them to be much more bearable this time around - partiually because Jean is finally reaching a point where he accepts and even seeks out help, and slowly begins to warm up to the Trojans, and even begins to feel like one of them.
We also got to see some more personality from differnt Trojans, whcih I enjoyed.
The plot around the starting Exy season is a bit of a clusterfuck too, but I suppose that was expected. It's still much slower than the original trilogy, though. I really enjoyed how the Trojans offer a whole new perspective of Exy - so far we only got to see Neil's and Jean's perspective, as well as some of Kevin's and the Raven's, all of which are... extreme, to put it mildly. While the Trojans are definitely not an average team either, and are singled out and even ridiculed for their specific playing style, the attitude of the Trojans overall was very refreshing. I won't say I always agreed with them, but, like Jean, I found myself convinced at the end of the book.
The unforgiving narration aside, another thing that stands out to me about Sakavic's writing in this series is the romance. It's incredibly subtle. While the attraction between Jean and Jeremy is made clear, it's still fascinating to me how Jean's sexuality in particular is only ever addressed in other people's reactions to his (nonverbal) reaction to people, and it's never addressed by him. Jeremy is a bit more vocal about his sexuality and has multiple sexual partners in the book, but it's also from his POV that we get the first real glimpses of there maybe being potential for something more between him and Jean. I would still not call this a romance, at all - except I had the same thought while reading the original trilogy, and now, looking bad an reread, Andrew being smitten with Neil is very obvious when you know where to look. But even then, it's still very much hidden behind his characterization.
It's fascinating to read, is what I'm saying, and it's another thing that makes these books so rereadable (which I am already looking forward to).
Overall I had a much better experienced with this than with the prequel, and I am very much looking forward to the final book in the trilogy! I can also imagine enjoying TSC much more on a reread.
The Golden Raven was much more up my speed - it was still heavy, but not quite as unbearably so as The Sunshine Court , and while it still doesn't give a conclusion to Jean's story, it ends on a much higher note.
Content warnings include: PTSD (not diagnosed), homophobia, racism, violence, self-harm, arson, sex off-page. Mentions of: rape, torture, suicide, organised crime, murder, dugs, neglect, heavy child abuse.
Reading this without having reread TSC was a bit like jumping in blind. The first chapter alone re-introduces at least half of the over 30 person strong Trojans team plus add-ons, and my god, that certainly felt like whiplash. Generally, Sakavic does not shy away from trusting the reader to figure things out - the narration is entirely focussed on being in the character's head, and there are no allowances made for descriptions of things the characters already know. Readers need to entirely rely on context clues to figure out who people are, what place names mean, what the relationship between characters is, what past their share, etc. While this can be a bit annoying in terms of just wanting to know all the context, this also endears the books to me - it's part of why I reread the original trilogy so much. Maybe it's because of those rereads that the original trilogy feels so much more coherent to me, and if I reread Jean's story down the road, I will understand it just as well.
TGR introduced much more of Jeremy's struggles rather than just focussing on Jean's. Jeremy's family is not all that great, and he has his own skeletons in his closet that are slowly revealed. I did enjoy getting to know him better, especially after I found that TSC only treated him very surface level.
I also enjoyed Jean much more in this one. TSC is very dark because Jean is very stuck in his own head and his trauma, and it ends with him finally finding a small spark of a path forward. This path becomes bigger and bigger in TGR, which I loved to see. He also has much more external support, with Kevin making some appearances (and my god, he is NOT afraid to burn bridges, which I did not except but cheered on heavily.)
There is still so. Much. Trauma. And unexplained details from Jean's past and the Ravens, but I found them to be much more bearable this time around - partiually because Jean is finally reaching a point where he accepts and even seeks out help, and slowly begins to warm up to the Trojans, and even begins to feel like one of them.
We also got to see some more personality from differnt Trojans, whcih I enjoyed.
The plot around the starting Exy season is a bit of a clusterfuck too, but I suppose that was expected. It's still much slower than the original trilogy, though. I really enjoyed how the Trojans offer a whole new perspective of Exy - so far we only got to see Neil's and Jean's perspective, as well as some of Kevin's and the Raven's, all of which are... extreme, to put it mildly. While the Trojans are definitely not an average team either, and are singled out and even ridiculed for their specific playing style, the attitude of the Trojans overall was very refreshing. I won't say I always agreed with them, but, like Jean, I found myself convinced at the end of the book.
The unforgiving narration aside, another thing that stands out to me about Sakavic's writing in this series is the romance. It's incredibly subtle. While the attraction between Jean and Jeremy is made clear, it's still fascinating to me how Jean's sexuality in particular is only ever addressed in other people's reactions to his (nonverbal) reaction to people, and it's never addressed by him. Jeremy is a bit more vocal about his sexuality and has multiple sexual partners in the book, but it's also from his POV that we get the first real glimpses of there maybe being potential for something more between him and Jean. I would still not call this a romance, at all - except I had the same thought while reading the original trilogy, and now, looking bad an reread, Andrew being smitten with Neil is very obvious when you know where to look. But even then, it's still very much hidden behind his characterization.
It's fascinating to read, is what I'm saying, and it's another thing that makes these books so rereadable (which I am already looking forward to).
Overall I had a much better experienced with this than with the prequel, and I am very much looking forward to the final book in the trilogy! I can also imagine enjoying TSC much more on a reread.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Violence, Islamophobia, Medical content, Grief, and Alcohol
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Rape, Suicide, and Blood
Minor: Drug abuse and Classism
A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
I really enjoy T. Kingfisher's fantasies, they always feel cozy and warm, even when their themes are quite distressing. A Sorceress Comes to Call was no exception.
Apparently this is a retelling of the Goose Girl fairy tale, bit as I don't have any recollection of that fairy tale, I will not judge it based on that. That said, some of the aspects of worldbuilding and vibes definitely felt vaguely fairy tale-ish, with how it felt magical and kind of light and airy.
The plot follows 14 year old Cordelia and middle-aged Hester, who has chronic pain. Cordelia's mother, a sorceress who emotionally and mentally abuses her daughter, is on the hunt for a new husband, and Hester's bachelor brother is her newest victim.
As Cordelia dreads what her mother is going to do to these nice people, Hester can feel the impending doom, but does not quite understand what is going on - the only thing she is sure of, is that poor Cordelia is suffering under her mother.
The themes of child abuse and manipulation were like a shadow of dread constantly looming over the story, and every time there was a beam of hope breaking through the cover, it got squashed quite quickly.
Despite that feeling, it was not an entirely dark book, which I appreciated. I think part of that was because, while vily and manipulative, the sorceress is also made clear to be very arrogant and egocentric, to the point of not being subtle. Not that that causes her to be any less awfuly or horrible, but it opens avenues for the protagonists to fight her, and it aided it the feeling of no matter how awful it is in the moment, there is hope and there will be a happy ending.
I will admit that I read this in part because I heard this is a horse book (TM). There is a very prominent horse, which is particulary important in the beginning and in the end, so in that way I got my fill. However, I did absolutley NOT expect the horse to play the role it did in the story, so that was a surprise!
I did enjoy the story, especially the combination of a child and adult protagonist. Their interactions were quite adorable at times, and I think this mix of both child-like charm and adult themes and stories is something Kingfisher excells at.
That said, I felt like not all plotlines came to their full fruition. There were several things I felt were hinted at that ended up going nowhere, though maybe I misinterpreted the hints?
Some way the plots ended were a bit surprising to me, but also made me feel quite tender in how they respected the characters and their wishes.
My only real complaint is that I wanted more of the geese!
Apparently this is a retelling of the Goose Girl fairy tale, bit as I don't have any recollection of that fairy tale, I will not judge it based on that. That said, some of the aspects of worldbuilding and vibes definitely felt vaguely fairy tale-ish, with how it felt magical and kind of light and airy.
The plot follows 14 year old Cordelia and middle-aged Hester, who has chronic pain. Cordelia's mother, a sorceress who emotionally and mentally abuses her daughter, is on the hunt for a new husband, and Hester's bachelor brother is her newest victim.
As Cordelia dreads what her mother is going to do to these nice people, Hester can feel the impending doom, but does not quite understand what is going on - the only thing she is sure of, is that poor Cordelia is suffering under her mother.
The themes of child abuse and manipulation were like a shadow of dread constantly looming over the story, and every time there was a beam of hope breaking through the cover, it got squashed quite quickly.
Despite that feeling, it was not an entirely dark book, which I appreciated. I think part of that was because, while vily and manipulative, the sorceress is also made clear to be very arrogant and egocentric, to the point of not being subtle. Not that that causes her to be any less awfuly or horrible, but it opens avenues for the protagonists to fight her, and it aided it the feeling of no matter how awful it is in the moment, there is hope and there will be a happy ending.
I will admit that I read this in part because I heard this is a horse book (TM). There is a very prominent horse, which is particulary important in the beginning and in the end, so in that way I got my fill. However, I did absolutley NOT expect the horse to play the role it did in the story, so that was a surprise!
I did enjoy the story, especially the combination of a child and adult protagonist. Their interactions were quite adorable at times, and I think this mix of both child-like charm and adult themes and stories is something Kingfisher excells at.
That said, I felt like not all plotlines came to their full fruition. There were several things I felt were hinted at that ended up going nowhere, though maybe I misinterpreted the hints?
Some way the plots ended were a bit surprising to me, but also made me feel quite tender in how they respected the characters and their wishes.
My only real complaint is that I wanted more of the geese!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Animal death, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
I'm a Dumbo Octopus! A Graphic Guide to Cephalopods by Anne Lambelet
3.0
Super cute illustrated guide to various types of Cephalopods.
The illustrations are a adorable, a bit simplistic, but it works.
There is a bit of humor, which at times I found a bit unoriginal as it doesn't entirely add to the guide. I suppose it's there for levity, but since there isn't really and plot of many characters, I found it more distracting. The one character there is is the narrator Dumbo octopus, but I also wasn't the biggest fan of the "story" that comes up towards the end, of the little Dumbo being sad it doesn't have anything special like all the other cephalopods.
Again, I didn't think that added much - there was too little of a story for that to really feel charming. Instead, integrating more plot, or other characters could have made it work, or to leave it out entirely.
The cephalopod facts were cool and interesting, though I almost wanted more. However, the way it is is definitely also child friendly, as this is also a children's book.
The one flaw I found, my personal problems with the "story" aside, was that at one point 1 foot gets labelled as 30cm, and at another point as 30.5cm. I appreciated that all measures were given in two units (cm vs foot, miles vs meters), but I hope these inconsistencies will be fixed in the final version.
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
The illustrations are a adorable, a bit simplistic, but it works.
There is a bit of humor, which at times I found a bit unoriginal as it doesn't entirely add to the guide. I suppose it's there for levity, but since there isn't really and plot of many characters, I found it more distracting. The one character there is is the narrator Dumbo octopus, but I also wasn't the biggest fan of the "story" that comes up towards the end, of the little Dumbo being sad it doesn't have anything special like all the other cephalopods.
Again, I didn't think that added much - there was too little of a story for that to really feel charming. Instead, integrating more plot, or other characters could have made it work, or to leave it out entirely.
The cephalopod facts were cool and interesting, though I almost wanted more. However, the way it is is definitely also child friendly, as this is also a children's book.
The one flaw I found, my personal problems with the "story" aside, was that at one point 1 foot gets labelled as 30cm, and at another point as 30.5cm. I appreciated that all measures were given in two units (cm vs foot, miles vs meters), but I hope these inconsistencies will be fixed in the final version.
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
The Knight and the Butcherbird by Alix E. Harrow
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
I absolutely loved The Six Deaths of the Saint, so I was very excited to read another short story by Alix E. Harrow - and The Knight and the Butcherbird did not disappoint.
For a short story, this does an amazing job building both the world and the characters, establishing a sense of how the setting works as well as plenty of emotional engagement.
The apocalyptic setting isn't particularly novel, per se, but still fresh enough and executed excellently. I loved the idea of the conclaves, and the secretaries, who are basically storytellers and keepers or lore and knowledge in a world where no technology or reliable storage exists anymore. One of my favourite details was how, this was, popculture still lives on, and how historical or literary records are indistiguishable.
The twist of what the demons are, and what is going on with the knight, were not entirely unexpected, but super fun, and the pacing was excellent. The reveals are staggered together perfectly, and give you just enough emotional investment to really hit you as you read.
I also really loved the feelings of hope and determination this story fills you with, despite the simultaneous feeling of dread and futility of the setting.
I'm not usually a fan of short stories, but this one pushes all the right buttons, and I cannot wait to reread this every few years, knowing it'll hit the same very single time.
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
For a short story, this does an amazing job building both the world and the characters, establishing a sense of how the setting works as well as plenty of emotional engagement.
The apocalyptic setting isn't particularly novel, per se, but still fresh enough and executed excellently. I loved the idea of the conclaves, and the secretaries, who are basically storytellers and keepers or lore and knowledge in a world where no technology or reliable storage exists anymore. One of my favourite details was how, this was, popculture still lives on, and how historical or literary records are indistiguishable.
The twist of what the demons are, and what is going on with the knight, were not entirely unexpected, but super fun, and the pacing was excellent. The reveals are staggered together perfectly, and give you just enough emotional investment to really hit you as you read.
I also really loved the feelings of hope and determination this story fills you with, despite the simultaneous feeling of dread and futility of the setting.
I'm not usually a fan of short stories, but this one pushes all the right buttons, and I cannot wait to reread this every few years, knowing it'll hit the same very single time.
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.