justabookishreader's reviews
158 reviews

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I read this book for a class on YA Books and materials. Well, I listened to it. I haven't seen or heard first person done this well in a YA in a very long time. Usually its at least a little distracting, taking me out of the story, but listening to it and it being in first person actually made it feel more personal and drew me in more. This isn't a book I'd normally read but it felt well executed and the conversations sparked by it in class were really hard hitting and emotional. For what it is, it's really well done and I enjoyed my time with the story.

Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous mysterious 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? No

5.0

This was an epic ending to an epic series. I've been trying to convince myself that the ending leaves a slight opening for Leigh Bardugo to extend the series should she wish to do so in the future, but she's said she isn't planning any future books and is working on the Alex Stern books right now, so I won't get my hopes up too high. I LOVE THAT ZOYA WAS MADE QUEEN. Also excuse me, but DAVID? Anyway, still can't wrap my brain around the fact that this entire world has come to an end.

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous challenging dark mysterious 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? No

5.0

Wow, I don't know what I expected from this one, but I don't think I expected almost anything that happened here. So I think I'm gonna break it down character by character (and I mean main POV characters)? In no particular order of course ;)

Nina:

While I kept either tearing up or straight up crying during her inner thoughts "to/with" Matthias on the way to put his body to rest, and I was literally yelling at my phone to "STOP IT LEIGH BARDUGO" I concede that this is likely to be incredibly accurate, which only shines the light even more onto Leigh Bardugo's talents. Also was she written to have some... bisexual vibes, because the way she kept describing Hanne sounded... a little *gay* to me (a very very lesbian). Either way, good luck making me not love her character. 

Zoya:
Ooooooh. Ooooooh. I love her. Her character development. Top tier. And I literally ranted to my dad like, a month ago about the shadow and bone tv show and how Zoya says "I'm going to see my aunt" and it makes me tear up every re-watch... well I'm gonna be sobbing like a goddamn baby from now on after that explanation, which I had to listen to, while at W O R K (yes yes, I know, my own damn fault). Is there more to say, other than YESSS THE POWERS OH MY GOD

Nikolai:
He's always been my favorite dude - at least from the OG series. In the whole of the 3 sets of books, it would probably be Jesper, but that's a story for another day. My heart ached for him. I really liked his point of view. Sadly I don't usually get as connected to guy characters as I do to female characters but that's not a bad thing at all!

Extra: Leoni
I'm sorry, I was at work and literally slapped my hand over my masked mouth when they dropped JESPER'S MOMS NAME LIKE THAT. How did they do that so casually? She was explaining what had happened to her, and I was finishing up a task and I was like "do do do, this sounds awfully familiar, huh?" then I finished, stood up and started to gather my stuff to go back to the elevator to go back to the first floor, and then they confirmed and so. Mask on mouth. Hand on mask. In front of people. This is why I don't like listening to audiobooks in public but I am just gonna stop caring and loving my books.

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

First, my favorite quotes

"It's not natural for women to fight." 

"It's not natural for someone to be as stupid as he is tall and yet, there you stand"


"I will have you without armor, Kaz Brekker. Or not at all."


----

Now for the real review. First of all. Why the fuck was I sleeping on this when I was the target demographic? I mean clearly I still am even at almost 21 years old and I - Leigh Bardugo can do no wrong. Unless... unless she were to kill off Nina or Inej. That's where I draw the damn line. Especially at Nina. And I did see the Shadow and Bone TV show first, so I'm thinking tonight after rewatching the new West Side Story, I'll be rewatching that with more insight since reading that series and this book. This was my second audiobook of the month and I fucking flew through this - I mean look at the date I started and the date I finished - literally in like 24 hours I listened to this whole book. Anyway - I love everyone in this, the character development, Kaz finally realizing his feelings for Inej and our bisexual Jesper <3 I'm gonna wait til monday to start Crooked Kingdom because I'm going to my parents tomorrow so I won't have time to really listen to it at all, but believe me fuck I wanna just speed through it again after that damn ending. Side note, I was finishing a final exam in a half semester class online while finishing most of this book, and I am worried my neighbors think I'm insane, cuz last time I was yelling was over Ninth House the other day - literally the other day - and then I was yelling "HE BETTER BE FAKING HE BETTER BE FUCKING LYING FUCK WHAT THE FUCK" over the whole Matthias betrays Nina thing. So yea I might be a Leigh Bardugo stan now...

House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? No

5.0

OH WOWOWOWOWOW. 

It's been a while since I've been on the edge of my seat like this, since it's been such a good audio that I knocked it out in one day (I think last time I did that was Six of Crows), but yea this one did that. My younger sister read this before me and warned me that while I would absolutely love it (clearly she was absolutely right) that it was a dark fantasy bordering on horror. I want more of this so much. I don't even know how to describe how or why I enjoyed it I just did. Anyway I shall be listening to my sister more often on book reccs in the future.

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? No

5.0

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous challenging dark mysterious 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? No

3.5

Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

I liked this book so much that it was painful for my kindle to give me the same ad for a week straight - an ad for the sequel that at the time didn't even have a cover yet - and doesn't come out until August. 


This was the first book I read on my Kindle, and it was so good! I loved the development, how they kept going back to the stepmother, and the reveal at the end to do with her stepmother. I finished this book while attending a university class and had to stop myself from being like "um why would you think the stepmother who cursed you could possibly be not evil?" to not freaking crying while sitting in the front row of my lecture hall. Everything in this book was perfection, except maybe a bit in the beginning, the pace felt off at first, but that also could have been due to the fact that in the past semester I had only read books for classes and listened to audiobooks so I was no longer so used to physically reading print. The characters are fun, I loved hating the characters I hated, and was surprised at how much I ended up loving her betrothed in the end!

When the author posted on instagram with the book cover reveal and info for preorder, I was in the doctor's office, waiting to get a stressful procedure done, and just about lost my shit, very quickly preordering just before they came in - which felt like a really big relief because I had needed that plus that day. Anyway, I cannot WAIT for August...