inkandpaperandbook's reviews
284 reviews

Az aratás hajnala by Suzanne Collins

5.0

I can't stop sobbing rn.

Longer review TBA (4-5 working days until I recover from this).

Rhapsodic ​– Az Éjszaka Királya by Laura Thalassa

challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

0.5

And the stars might fall from the heavens, and night might cloak the earth, but until darkness dies, I will always be yours.

Date: 2023.12.31
STOPPED AT 6%
———————————————————
Date: 2025.03.12
I went into this thinking that I need some fantasy after bound by honor, because what was that. And now I'm here again with this what was that feeling. I liked the beginning, the goddess knows  that it was okay, interesting world building and a relatively okay start, nothing special. Then came the fall on my face.

At first I was like, okay, fairies etc not a big deal, nowadays all fantasy consists only of these. I'm swallowing it. But then, as everything started to build up, I knew I made a terribly wrong decision. It was the same as ACOTAR (which got 1 star from me), only in a cheaper and worse version.

Callypso was ANNOYING, with capital letters. So I just wanted to suffocate her for most of the book. This constant "my siren wants this, wants that", but "it can't be". WHO CARES? Not me. Stop complaining about everything. She was flat and superficial. The perfect Mary Sue (along with Feyre).

And there is Rhysand 2.0, sorrys Desmond. Why do all 500+ year old men (I have no idea how old he is, but he must be much older than Callie) want to fuck the 16-year-old protagonist?? This is disgusting and WRONG. Rhysand's personality and Rowan's look put together would be Desmond. It's horrible, but that's how it is. 

The romance (whether we can call it that, it is doubtful) is incredibly poorly executed, even with the most subtle adjective. And good lord this mate thing. There was no chemistry between them. Nothing.

And speaking of nothing; There was nothing unique about it. I had the feeling that the author had taken herself and randomly ripped out plot points from other books and vomited on it, just in case, and that's the book. This  child/women thread, I don't even know how I phrased it, to be honest, because the whole thing was so messed up. When I first read it I thought I was crazy lol. The time jump (running past & present in parallel) was a good idea, but I can only give it so much good. So the end (?) what it was, I don't know, perhaps some kind abomination.

So yes, I have to wash my eyes with acid and pray that some kind of amnesia will come to my short-term memory, because it was worse than any torture in the Middle Ages.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Blood, Murder, Alcohol

Moderate: Violence, Vomit, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Death of parent

Bound by Honor by Cora Reilly

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

1.0

I enter alive and I will have to get out dead.

Like everyone else, I started my career at Wattpad (I'm guilty, yes), and like everyone else, I stumbled upon mafia stories, although to be honest, I never particularly went into them, somehow I wasn't attracted to its world. But now in the New Year, I vowed to open up to new things (in reading), so here we are. This is not my first Mafia book, but to be honest, it didn't enchant me that much either. I don't understand and I don't feel the hype around the genre, but I guess everyone reads what they want. Anyway, this was recommended for "beginners", so I went with the flow.

Well, Aria was lovable in her own way, but like anyone else, she had no real depth or personality, she was so empty. 

On the other hand, Luca was weird, so I couldn't understand him, especially not after what he did. Okay, I understand that he has needs and all, but what the hell was that. Personally, I would run AWAY from such a person sobbing. (And they praise him  - A HUMAN GESTURE THAT SHOULD BE OKAY - for not raping her and for being willing to wait a while??? What.the.hell) And this; mine, mine, mine. NO. She is her own. 

Gianna gets a little credit, I liked her and I thought she was interesting.

And excuse me, but what is this medieval custom?? What is this misogyny? What is this abuse? So what?? 

As I mentioned above, since there was no depth to the plot, I didn't really get into it, it was kind of like it wanted to give everything at once, but in the meantime, everything was taken away. The paece was very consistent, sometimes we were running antoher time we went with a snail's pace. The time jump was strange at the beginning, but I won't say that it was so disturbing. The end, at first I didn't want to believe that this is the end?? I looked for the other chapters, excuse me, but I had to realize that there were no more??? It ended so quickly and abruptly that I just blinked. Nothing like okay, “we're getting closer to the end”,  this one was like the other chapters?

Overall, this won't be my favorite genre, maybe I'll stick to fantasy, but I'll try to give it another chance.

A ketrec by Lynette Noni

emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I have to come back here to write a longer review, but for now I can't think clearly - and I don't want to after the end. How could they do this to her?  

Kiva is me, my only Kiva has been through so much and yet is still so, so real (which, let's face it, is very rare in fantasy books anymore). Jaren is perfect inside and out,

but oh my goodness, his power is gone now??

I really liked this family atmosphere at the beginning. It gave me a kind of peace, which I desperately needed after the Hunger Games books. I'm curious what will happen in the next book.

Wings of Starlight by Allison Saft

adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted relaxing 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? N/A

5.0

And even if I am not beside you, you will still have me. There will never be a star brighter. I will always love you.

It’s just so surreal, it seems so impossibly unreal that I finished this book. It’s so terribly strange to feel so complete. As a child, I never thought — not even in my wildest dreams — that years later I could re-enter, even for a short while, the wonderful world of Pixie Hollow.

I didn’t realize how much I needed this book. I wouldn’t have thought that now — lifetimes later — it would answer every question I had. I’m not saying my adult self was entirely satisfied, because it wasn’t, but I want to evaluate it not with my adult self, but with my inner child, because this book was for her.

Clarion was already an endlessly lovable and adorable character in the movies. While she was 400 years old there, here she’s a young and inexperienced fairy. What we once called wisdom gave way to naivety, and honestly, I don’t mind. The whole world was still ahead of her, with all its troubles and pain. She couldn’t know what would happen, so she made wild decisions, rebelled against the rules, and ran away from everything (doing things she surely wouldn’t do now). Yet because of that, she found peace — which she later lost — and happiness. Many people said she loved Tinkerbell because she saw herself in her. That’s partly true, but not entirely. I don’t think Clarion ever saw herself in Tinkerbell; they were too different. They had and still have similar traits, but no, that just wasn’t the case. I think she only saw her friend Petra in her—a friend she had probably lost by then.

Milori… Oh, dear gods, I’m dead. This man— sorry, fairy — is SO perfect. Seriously. Not a single flaw. He was a gentleman from beginning to end, with the right set of rules. He never did anything wrong, not even for a moment. There’s so much kindness in him, it’s incredible. Even in his youth, he took his duties seriously and always cared for Clarion (he was always the first to suggest she go back to the warm seasons). He never let her get hurt, never pushed her too hard, and gave her everything, even when he lost everything himself. Until now, I believed — hoped — that he lost his wing for the same reason as Periwinkle almost did; recklessly crossing the border to see another world. But no. He gave up his wing for something much more noble; for her. This shook my world so deeply that I will never see them the same way again. This fairy deserves the whole world and everything in it.

The others:

Petra. I was never fully at peace with her; somehow, I didn’t understand her (and I didn’t want to). Then she betrayed Clarion (which, to be fair, she had every right to do, and I understand it), but it still hurt. I could never fully trust her. She seemed doomed to fail from the beginning for me.

Artemis, my dear Artemis. She gave so much and asked for so little in return. She gave me Asterin vibes, but that’s probably just because their goals were similar. I loved her with all my heart. 

Elvina somehow didn’t grow on me, probably because I couldn’t quite place her in my mind. Honestly, I have mixed feelings about her. A part of me understands why she was so protective of Clarion, but another part resents her for being so biased.

I was absolutely terrified of the love story— there, I said it — but I was pleasantly surprised. It developed well. I liked that neither of them suddenly trusted the other; they were full of desires and unspoken words. Their love is so pure and beautiful, I can’t get enough of it.

As for the story itself, it didn’t always hold my attention completely. It was interesting, and I enjoyed visiting familiar places again with small changes, but I didn’t always feel it was heading in the right direction. Still, it was filled with new customs, stories, and moments that added a lot to it. The writing — I’ve never read anything by this author before — was enjoyable. Not outstanding, but I liked it. Although I read it in the original language this time, I might give it another chance if it comes out in my native language. The pacing was appropriate. Even though only weeks (a month) passed, it didn’t feel too slow or too fast.

The ending. Oh, the ending broke me. It hurt so terribly to read that I can’t even explain it. I knew what was coming, but that didn’t lessen the pain. It’s unbelievable to me that they couldn’t truly see each other for centuries! Their goodbye was beautiful and tradic.

Overall, it was worth the wait — a wait that felt endlessly long and difficult — and it mostly lived up to my expectations. This was a love letter to our younger selves, and that’s how it should be treated. I would love to see a movie adaptation of this, though I know it’s pointless to beg the gods for it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Medical content

Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott

emotional inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.0

I want to be fearless and free. It's just life, Will. It'II be over before we know it

I didn't feel completely satisfied when I finished it. It was sad, sure, but something felt a bit hollow.

 I liked Stella's strength and determination, though her perfectionist tendencies felt a bit forced at times.

Will was sarcastic and rebellious all the time. I liked his wit, but his character sometimes felt like a cliché. Overall I didn't faint of him. 

 Poe, my sweet Poe, you deserved the whole world and more. I just wish he got more focus in the book.

The plot was predictable but emotional. The pacing felt rushed toward the end, and the writing was, well, it didn't enchanted ne, it was quite avarage. The ending was nicely closed (not perfect, but it went for one).

Az ​arany iránytű by Philip Pullman
Did not finish book. Stopped at 18%.

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
Did not finish book. Stopped at 4%.

I'll finish it, but right now I'd rather read something other. 

Mother of Rome by Lauren J.A. Bear
Did not finish book. Stopped at 4%.

It seems promising, but I'm not in the right mood for it

A Császárné by Gigi Griffis

hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

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

2.0

It’s Elisabeth or no one.

A wise man once said, “Don’t speak unless you’re asked.” But I’ve never been one to listen to wise men. So here we are again. I didn't like this book. 

I’m not sure where the writing went wrong — whether at the author’s or translator’s hands — but I'm trembling in hope that they're still practicing it. 

Sisi's character seemed annoying to me, I didn't really care what happened to her, even though she was the main character (and that says a lot). On the other hand, I found Helena far more likable. As for the historical accuracy, I wouldn’t call it remarkable either. Overall, not worth the time