jo_cbooks's reviews
253 reviews

The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber

fast-paced

4.25

This one gets a higher rating than the first because I absolutely love Jacks. However, I still want to give it a low rating because I still dislike Evangeline and the story felt like it kept going in circles. I did not expect that ending though!

Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated

4.0

I wanted to give this a lower rating because Evangeline is such a bland a naive character but I still wanted to finish the book so it clearly captivated me despite her

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

Well that was a unique and enticing read! The magic was fascinating and the plot twists, though quite predictable, add good layers to the story. 

Atalanta by Jennifer Saint

adventurous challenging emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

Powerless by Lauren Roberts

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.5

I wasn’t sure if I was going to DNF this book or not. It was so cheesy and the banter was honestly just eye rolling, not to mention the constant comments about Kai not wearing a shirt ~ever~. The flirting/banter felt so forced in how it was written; it felt so evident that Roberts was trying to create swoon-worthy/trope-y lines. The plot was extremely similar to Red Queen and The Hunger Games. Thankfully, it did improve. It became its own story and blossomed into a fantastic slow burn. I’m curious how this is going to play out over two more books. 

Elektra by Jennifer Saint

adventurous emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated

4.0

Queens of Themiscyra by Hannah Lynn

challenging emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

Queens of Themiscyra is the final book in Hannah Lynn’s The Grecian Women Trilogy. It opens us up to a version of the story of two queens of the Amazons— Hippolyta and Penthesilea. Following Hippolyta as she is swept away from her people to be queen of Athens, and Penthesilea as she steps into her new role as Queen of the Amazons, the reader is taken on a journey of sisterhood, love, vengeance, and heartbreak. A fitting story for anyone seeking to read a Greek myth that has never been retold before. 

Going into the book, I was curious what tale Lynn would choose to spin as the stories of Hippolyta vary so greatly and are quite vague. The emotions that Hippolyta’s trials stirred in me were immense; I rejoiced with her, I wept with her, and I was furious on her behalf. Likewise, seeing the grow of Penthesilea was rewarding. 

However, throughout the book I often found myself wondering when it would end. I would check what page I was on and be confused that I was not yet even half way through. The story seemed to stretch on longer than necessary with an abundance of filler descriptors, many that were well written and pictorial but sometimes felt poorly placed or too long. At some points in the middle of conversations I felt I was ripped away from the dialogue by a long paragraph of internal ramblings of the character. Likewise, many of the chapters ended so abruptly, seemingly trying to add dramatic effect to statements but simply causing me annoyance at the odd point of narrative breaking. 

That being said, I was so drawn into the story, desiring to know how Lynn would choose to play out the chronicles of these fierce queens. Looking beyond my own discontentment of certain writing choices or missed writing errors, I still connected with the women. Even though I knew how their stories would end I was still yearning for Lynn to choose to rewrite their endings. 

I believe Hannah Lynn did a wonderful job intertwining different versions of the tales of the Amazon Queens to create an all-encompassing account of their legacies. 

*Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

A Spartan's Sorrow by Hannah Lynn

adventurous dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

A Spartan’s Sorrow is based on the story of Clytemnestra, as well as her son Orestes, from Greek mythology. It begins in the early years of the Trojan War, and follows the rippling of events after Agamemnon sacrifices their daughter to Athena. The book is a great fit for anyone seeking to dive deeper into Greek mythology retellings. 

It is not often that Clytemnestra’s story is told from her perspective. I have read numerous books where she is a character (and often vilified) yet this was my first where the story was from her point of view. I loved how Hannah Lynn created so much background and justification for Clytemnestra’s choices. Women in Greek mythology are often overlooked, abused, and used by the ‘heroes’ and gods. Lynn truly captures the brutality, emotional distress, and injustice that Clytemnestra had to suffer not just at the hands of her husband, but also those who looked up to and/or feared him—including her own daughter. 

*Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

adventurous emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated

4.0

You can never go wrong with mythology retellings, and Jennifer Saint does a fantastic job capturing the anguish and injustice that women in mythology faced repeatedly. I loved that this wasn’t just from Ariadne’s perspective, that we were able to follow Phaedra’s path as welll. The ending felt a bit rushed for me, and I had hoped to get from

Ariadne and Dionysus’ relationship

However, I think Saint did the lore of Ariadne justice

Doctors and Distillers: The Remarkable Medicinal History of Beer, Wine, Spirits, and Cocktails by Camper English

informative slow-paced

4.0