librarianlayla's reviews
920 reviews

Vivatera by Candace J. Thomas

Go to review page

3.0

I received an eARC through NetGalley. So I'm not 100% sure how much the ARC differs from the final product as Goodreads suggests the book is longer than the copy I received.

Overall I really enjoyed the story idea. Anything to do with magic and self-discovery is always right up my alley. However I also require a lot of depth to my characters, which I feel was a little lacking. Especially as this story is told from multiple view points.

At times there was a lot of detail about the surrounding areas, and then nothing at all about the people. Some of the scenes appeared a little skimmed over, and I feel that they could have been perfect opportunities for more character interactions and relationship building.

The world itself sounds vast and there are so many different culture's and races that I felt needed to be experienced a little bit more. I really wanted to connect deeply with the world and the characters, as a lot of them had the makings of really interesting, in depth people. I just felt that there was something missing.

And one slightly picky view (again I'm not sure if this is different in the finished book) is that all of the characters have great, well thought out names, except for a character named 'Browneyes' - I feel for such a mysterious, badass, villain - she deserved a better name than just Browneyes. All the other characters have great names, and I was just disappointed. She seems like she should be an important character, although not much was revealed about her past, and how she connects to everything.

Great story premise - I just wanted a bit more from the characters so I could really root for them.

The Lord of the Sabbath by Mariana Palova

Go to review page

4.0

I was lucky enough to be sent an eARC of this story through NetGalley, for an honest review.

A fast paced mix of folklore and cultures. Dark, raw and filled with the unknown.

I don't think I've ever seen such a mix of New Orleans voodoo, Native American spiritualism coupled and Hinduism. There is so much rich history interwoven into this one story.

I am always fascinated by New Orleans and the atmosphere that it creates. And I've always been interested in Native American beliefs. So I knew that this story of self discovery would really speak to me.

If I had anything negative to say it would be that it can sometimes be confusing as to whose voice you're reading. The story is told from multiple view points but all of them are in first person. Therefore it is a little hard to understand who's viewpoint you're reading from until several pages into a chapter. But this could be down to it being translated from Spanish to English, I'm not 100% sure.

The way it is written could easily be translated to screen and I feel that a TV adaptation would do this fantastic story, justice.

A wild ride from start to finish.
The Steel Prince #1 by V.E. Schwab

Go to review page

5.0

Quick read, action packed, loved it.
Accept and close

By using The StoryGraph, you agree to our use of cookies.
We use a small number of cookies to provide you with a great experience.

Find out more