inhisbluegardens's reviews
236 reviews

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

challenging informative slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I think it's fair to say that Hilary Mantel was a titan of modern literature and I am simply a FOOL for never having read her before. My attempt to remedy this was to sign up for the Footnotes & Tangents slows read of the Cromwell trilogy on Substack - it is *the* definitive read-along.

Wolf Hall describes the beginnings of Thomas Cromwell's rise to power in the courts of Henry VIII. Mantel's prose is a feast for the senses - this is history, viscerally told. Her imagery is so alive and atmospheric, it is genuinely spell-binding. Her characterisation of Cromwell is compelling. His calculating shrewdness, his quiet observation borne of a childhood at the mercy of his violent father is the making of him.

Alliances shift, betrayals abound and ambition bubbles under the surface of every interaction. A staggering work of fiction.

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.75

I've been meaning to get to this series for literal years and I'm so glad I finally have. It follows Jude, a human who was, alongside her sisters, taken by a Fey assassin following the murder of her parents and forced to grow up in the bloodthirsty Fey courts.

Black writes a Fey realm that is cruel and sinister, an immersive world of spies, political intrigue and cut-throat ambitions. Deceit and murder is commonplace and Jude is very much a product of her environment. She, a mortal, struggles to make space for herself in a world that rejects her but she doesn't let this stop her from climbing the ladder of power to get what she wants, the only way she's been taught - lies cunning and betrayal. We love a scheming, bitchy queen.

This was an incredibly fun read and I can't wait to read more.

A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous dark tense slow-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? Yes

3.0

It's over. It's done. I finished the ACOTAR series. I'll start off by saying that I'm a proud Nesta Archeron apologist. She can paint Velaris red  and party her war trauma into oblivion as a little treat, she deserves it.

As with the rest of the series, this one also felt unnecessarily bloated and long. Both plot and much of the character development was absolutely glacial in the first four hundred pages. And yet(!) it was quite engrossing. I much preferred Nesta and Cassian's perspectives to those of Feyre and Rhysand, whom I now find even more unbearable. Despite some absolutely wild discrepancies in world-building (ie. they have indoor plumbing and nightclubs but can't do caesarean sections on Super-Duper High Fae??) there really is a marked difference in writing quality, especially considering the earlier books in the series.

Again, very readable and easy to get into. I'd read more from Nesta's point of view, but honestly, when is it going to be my babygirl Azriel's turn? Luv u, pookie <3

Final thoughts: idk why people are so rabid for this series, you are all on drugs.

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by S.A. Chakraborty

adventurous funny tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is a historical fantasy set across the Indian Ocean during the Middle Ages. It follows retired pirate Amina Al-Sirafi who leaves her daughter behind for one last adventure at the promise of major riches. Amina is a funny, exciting protagonist with a refreshingly modern sensibility in a vivid historical world. The supporting characters of Amina's crew give a varied dynamic which offers some wry dialogue and a layered motivation behind the main goal of the story.

The fantasy elements were fun and engagingly explored and I'd like to read more of Chakraborty's fantasy. I will say that overall, she packed a little too much of her development of these elements into just the second half of the book. There also wasn't quite enough swash-buckling as I had hoped - I need more timber-shivering piracy in my nautical adventure stories tbh.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

challenging emotional slow-paced

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

5.0

"The Great Gatsby" is one of my favourite books of all time. Nick Carraway's perspective as a narrator is famously unreliable and at times frustratingly skewed by his own judgments and prejudices. It is his biases that make for such a romanticised view of this version of America - the struggle of the dusty poor, those that claw their way out of that dust and the damning opulence of the wealthy with their cloying riches and disregard for honest reality.

Fitzgerald says so much in a fairly short novel, carried by prose that is somehow dreamlike and exact - every word feels precisely chosen and yet more is said between the lines. His characters are in turn ridiculous and intensely dislikable, and yet aren't we all at some point subject to obsession, loneliness and desperation to be liked? To fit into places not made for us? Aren't we all careless with the lives of others in the wake of our own ambitions?

Without hyperbole, I consider this to be the perfect novel. Reading Fitzgerald at the age of fourteen altered my brain chemistry I fear, old sport.

A Fire Endless by Rebecca Ross

adventurous emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

4.0

This is the second book in Rebecca Ross' Elements of Cadence series, set on the mystical isle of Cadence where nature spirits roam free amidst tensions between two rival clans.

Separated on opposite sides, Jack and Adaira struggle to adjust to their new positions in their respective clans. Sidra and Torin face further challenges as a strange sickness spreads throughout the village and the spirits of Cadence seem out of balance, under threat from the powerful spirit of the Northern Wind.

Although a slower start in this book, the plot was engaging once it got going and the characters and the relationships between them were nicely developed. Personally, I didn't completely love the ending but Ross' imagery and storytelling is so magical and heart-warming. A cosy, romantic fantasy.

The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien

adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

And the ship went out into the High Sea and passed on into the West, until at last on a night of rain Frodo smelled a sweet fragrance on the air and heard the sound of singing that came over the water. And then it seemed to him that as in his dream in the house of Bombadil, the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a far green country under a swift sunrise.

Five star perfection, no notes. Up the Shire!!

The Library of Greek Mythology by Apollodorus

challenging dark informative medium-paced

3.75

This is a really great overview of the Greek myths, organised chronologically by familial timeline. I think this way of ordering the myths is a nice way to tell these stories for someone who is unfamiliar with who's who in Ancient Greece. Keep in mind that this doesn't have the same sort of epic storytelling like Homer - they are sparsely told and read more like summaries.

"The Library" is a good mix of old favourites and stories that were new to me, so I personally had a great time taking note of the myths that I wanted to know more about. The section on Herakles and his family members is a highlight.

Again, this is very much a summary of the Greek myths but is definitely valuable as a reference for general study. You must know by now that I am Oxford World's Classics Barbie and this volume is no different: a fascinating introduction that is well worth the read and great explanatory notes, too.

A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas

lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.0

Am I considred an ACOTAR hater yet? I think SJM wrote this to serve as a huge dump of character reflection and development before what is currently the last book in the ACOTAR series. If you get three books into the series you're writing and your characters haven't had the interactions you want yet (even with the thousand meetings/planning sessions/meals they've had so far), that's on you, babes.

In television, this would be considered a filler episode, as almost nothing happens to move the overarching plot of the series along. Maas couldn't pace her way to her turn at ten-pin bowling, I'm so sorry. In its defence, ACOFAS is perfect "switch-your-brain-off" material with low stakes, Christmassy vibes and I did enjoy it a lot more than Book 3.

At this point in the series, I'm so sick of Feyre's point of view, I can't wait to read nothing from her more often in A Court of Silver Flames.

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was an unexpected gem - a cosy, whimsical fantasy that I just loved!

Set in an alternative Edwardian Iceland, it follows faerie scholar Emily Wilde who is there on a research trip. She is a fish out of water, struggling to ingratiate herself amongst the rural villagers who live at the mercy of the local fae, harmless and otherwise. What serves as Emily's academic pursuits is their everyday reality. Lacking an understanding of social cues and long on awkwardness, things are made even more difficult by the unexpected arrival of her much-lauded academic rival, Wendell Bambleby.

This was so enchanting and I'm looking forward to more from this series. If you enjoyed The Spiderwick Chronicles as a child, you'd definitely like this. Fantastic!