lifeonasofa's reviews
231 reviews

Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff

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adventurous challenging dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Empire of the Vampire 🧛🏼‍♂️ Review

“Finally, he retrieved a tarnished royale from his pocket. 'Here.'

'What is that for?' Jean-François demanded.

'I want you to take this coin to market, and buy me a fuck to give.” - Jay Kristoff 🪙

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4.5 Stars

If you’re looking for an adult vampire world to live in for the foreseeable future…this is it. At over 700 pages, this is only part one and Jay Kristoff is taking his TIME telling Gabriel’s tale. But for an opening, this book was art 😘

It took me some time to get through this. It’s definitely not a relaxing read, it’s an experience. Having said that, when I did read it, the plot still moved pretty quickly. The book jumps everywhere along the timeline so it keeps it interesting 🤔

I LOVED Gabriel, his character was so fleshed out. He felt so real. The whole silversaint thing, so interesting. Surprisingly, the religion side of this was probably my favourite part. Particularly, the loss in belief and light - it really helped flesh out the history of the world👌🏻

Heads up, it’s a blood bath so if you’re put off by blood, death (some pretty sad) and foul language…I’d be wary 😂 it’s definitely not a kids book. I really loved how Kristoff combined such a classic story telling writing style with the relaxed banter dialogue, it somehow kept it light 👏🏻

Content Warnings

A Different Sort of Normal by Abigail Balfe

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funny informative lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

4.5

A Different Sort of Normal 🎨 Review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 4.5 Stars

I cannot express how much I recommend this book. Everyone! Go and grab a copy! I’d recommend to anyone from 8+ ✨

I’m so so so happy that there are books out there for young people to learn more about themselves and those around them💕

Written by @Abigail Galfe, this memoir style book gives lots of information surrounding Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Working in a school, I was particularly interested in learning more about a ASD in girls ☺️

Cute illustrations, funny footnotes, super interesting experiences and facts. Being neurodivergent, I loved the relaxed layout but so understand that others may find it a little overwhelming ☀️

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

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adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.75

The Atlas Six 🪐 Review

“The moral of this story is:
Beware the man who faces you unarmed.
If in his eyes you are not the target,
then you can be sure you are the weapon” - Olivie Blake

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 3.75 Stars

I have NO IDEA how to rate this book. I ADORED the characters! So much depth. Everyone had their moment, everyone had their own story and the dynamics between the six of them, great! I’m a big character reader, so this was top tier for me. 😍

I think the plot needed some refinement and defo some pacing tweaks. The concept, amazing. And at moments, when things were rolling, SUPER INTERESTING if not a little confusing. 🤯

However! At times we were standing still so long, I dazed out. (Recommend the audiobook). Don’t get me wrong, I got pulled back in, but I just think this book had the potential to be a 5 star and it makes me sad it fell short. 😭

I’m so interested as to where this is heading, I’m glad I have the sequel. I have a strange love for this series already 🙈

Shoutout for this @illumicrate edition of The Atlas Six, the art work inside is STUNNING! ✨

Project Nought by Chelsey Furedi

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adventurous funny hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

AD - PR PRODUCT - Thank you @harper360ya and Chelsey Furedi for sending across an advanced copy to review.

➕ Inclusive Characters, Gorgeous Illustrations and Colour Palettes, Entry Level Sci Fi for All Ages, Great Character Relationships/Dynamics

➖ Ending Wrapped Up Quickly, Slightly Too Short

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

2.0

The Raven Boys 🪶 Review

“My words are unerring tools of

destruction, and I’ve come unequipped with the ability to disarm them” - Maggie Stiefvater

⭐️⭐️ 2 Stars ✨ SPOILERS ✨

It should’ve been the perfect fantasy for me! Promises of killing your true love with a kiss and talking to the dead? Sign me up! 👻

The first section was what I expected. Spooky atmosphere, humour and mystery. It was a little slow sure, but I was intrigued. Out of nowhere, the book took a detour and never returned 🤷🏻‍♀️

I honestly couldn’t tell you what happened, all of a sudden we were best mates with the Raven boys and looking for a Welsh king? Some guy called Noah was a plot twist? But was it? I didn’t care. 🙈

It didn’t help that I just didn’t like any characters, I felt disconnected, I didn’t know any of them. Adam was probably the best character, there were some humorous one liners, but that’s about all I can say 💀

I’m just disappointed ☹️ this series is so highly rated and I wanted to love it. But even with the help of an audiobook, it couldn’t capture my attention.

The No-Show by Beth O'Leary

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hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.0

“That sort of kindness, it gets into your bones. Once you’ve felt it, you can’t help but look for ways to pass the feeling on” - Beth O’Leary

➕ Multiple Overlapping Storylines, Unpredictable, Loveable Characters, Fun Easy Read

➖ A little more love/more Jane

Content Warnings

This Is Not a Personal Statement by Tracy Badua

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hopeful slow-paced

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

2.5

AD - PR Product - @harper

➕ Diverse Characters, Easy to Read, Coming of Age Story, Strong Opening

➖ Lack of Consequences Resulting in Slower Pace, A Little Lengthy

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Five Survive by Holly Jackson

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Fast paced, truly thrilling, kept me guessing. Lots of dialogue and shortish chapters. Undeveloped characters - I didn’t care about any of them. Didn’t like the audio reader personally. 100 pages too long,

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The Stolen Heir by Holly Black

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adventurous mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.5

The Stolen Heir 🦊 Review

“Your might have woken me, I could have done something, surely. Applauded at the right moments? Held your bag?” - Holly Black 🪶

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.5 Stars

Thank you @tandem for having me as part of the readalong. And to @hotkeys and @hollyblack of course! ✨

I was MORE than excited to get back into Elfhame, I couldn’t wait for Oak to get his moment. Off the bat, I noticed Black’s writing has really come into its own, this book felt more mature than The Folk of the Air Trilogy. ✍🏻

I ADORED Wren. I think she’s the best written character to date. I’m glad we got a lot of back story for her - I just wanted to bundle her up. I didn’t expect her to be the main voice but was pleasantly surprised. 👏🏻

Oak had great humour, I like that he was pretty mysterious and super smart throughout. I will say, I don’t get any romance from him, like at all. I think he needs more time to shine. I didn’t know where we stood with him at any point. 🙈

Plot wise, I do still prefer The Cruel Prince - but that’s likely to change with book 2 I imagine. It’s heavily journey focused, at times it felt a little slow - a lot of talking/memories. But the last 100 pages of action had me speed reading! I adored the ending. 👀

If you loved Elfhame, pick it up. But be reminded, this isn’t another Cruel Prince, it’s very much a different vibe. Can’t wait for the second book 👌🏻

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Content Warnings

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

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hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

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

3.5

“Is there anything better than iced coffee and a bookstore on a sunny day? I mean, aside from hot coffee and a bookstore on a rainy day” - Emily Henry ☕️

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 3.5 Stars

Oh, I do adore Emily Henry’s writing. This book was just as easy to blitz through. Very relaxing and feel good. And top tier characters. ✨

I loved how we got Nora - a straight talking, career driver powerhouse. The type of woman avoided by most men, and rarely a main girlie in any book, let alone a romance. 👏🏻 Charlie was pretty cool too. Your classic grump but some powerful one liners 💕

Also adored that this book focused heavily on family. Nora’s sister Libby was a true bestie and the memories of their mum were beautiful. Charlie’s family had a great part to play in the plot too 🏡

What I really enjoyed about this book is the realism. No one was forced to suddenly fall for a small town and a farmer. No one was forced to move for love. It was truly accepting each other and their wants/needs 🎉

Overall, a fun bookish read. Not my favourite so far but nice none the less 📖

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lifeonasofa's reviews 231 reviews

lifeonasofa's reviews
231 reviews