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madison_mls's Reviews (128)
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What a hoot this book was! There were legit laugh out loud moments and some endearing ones as well. It was strange having a book be so funny yet so brutal at times in its descriptions (the body horror is pretty gnarly in this one) but it definitely fit the vibe of the story overall. Definitely deserves more hype imo!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had this on hold for so long that I forgot the premise, when I remembered what it was about I was really intrigued to start it! I also assumed that the hype around it meant I was in for a really good read. Sadly I’m left a little disappointed by this one. While I really enjoyed that this book tried some new routes with vampire lore I found the world building a little muddled and some of the details got lost in the sauce. I think this book took on a lot to its own detriment.
I do appreciate that we got some diverse African representation and I loved how it tied into the story, that was pretty cool! I also liked the slow burn enemies to less-than-enemies/hate-you-but-would-def-bang-you dynamic lol. Definitely don’t think this is really a YA read, maybe more NA? Some of the themes are pretty heavy.
Overall I think the hype for some elements of this book is worth it but it still had some flaws that dampened the experience in my eyes, sadly.
I do appreciate that we got some diverse African representation and I loved how it tied into the story, that was pretty cool! I also liked the slow burn enemies to less-than-enemies/hate-you-but-would-def-bang-you dynamic lol. Definitely don’t think this is really a YA read, maybe more NA? Some of the themes are pretty heavy.
Overall I think the hype for some elements of this book is worth it but it still had some flaws that dampened the experience in my eyes, sadly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
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:
Yes
This is probably my favorite book of the year so far! Holy shit was this good! The realness of the dystopian world mixed with footnotes of actual facts on the American prison system made this hit HARD. This felt like an important read and I was completely immersed the whole time. This was the first book in a while that made me itch to pick it up and continue reading! Please read this book!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Suicide, Torture, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
A truly solid read! The setting for this was so well written I could feel the tension between characters and the thick, hot air of the heat wave. The only thing holding this from a full five star rating was that at times it kind of dragged in the pacing and not all of the characters felt like separate entities to me. Still had me gripped till the end tho!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Homophobia
Moderate: Terminal illness, Abortion
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I partly blame the reading slump I was in for why it took me so long to get through this but I also slightly blame the book. Overall it was a really solid read but at times I would get almost overwhelmed by the magic system, or systems really. This book had a lot going on and at times it was to its detriment. In the end I enjoyed it enough that I do want to continue with the series and see where it leads!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was just what I needed! Ugh so good and wholesome. It was short, sweet, and utterly affective!
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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
This book has me desperately wanting to go back to Maine 😮💨! Plus I think I really like a second chance romance trope?? Idk I found this one super cute and easy to read. I had a great time with the story and characters!
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I put this off so long partially bc I wanted to save it and also bc I was a little nervous. I loved this world so much in the Shades of Magic trilogy I didn’t want it to go wrong in any way and BOY was I wrong for doubting this. Schwab continued to hit with this one! Coming back into the world with this book was like wrapping a cozy blanket around my shoulders. I loved the addition of the two new characters and was pleasantly surprised by the continuation of some old ones that I love!
I totally get the criticisms on the pacing and flashbacks in this book, but as I haven’t read the original series in quite a while I found it really helpful! This definitely is a sequel series and should be treated as such. Jumping into this one without reading the previous three will be doing this book a major disservice! Overall absolutely loved this and we are SO BACK BABYYY!
I totally get the criticisms on the pacing and flashbacks in this book, but as I haven’t read the original series in quite a while I found it really helpful! This definitely is a sequel series and should be treated as such. Jumping into this one without reading the previous three will be doing this book a major disservice! Overall absolutely loved this and we are SO BACK BABYYY!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Death, Gore
Minor: Child abuse
challenging
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The first 60% of this really had me but after that it started to kind of drag and it started to feel like a chore to read. But then the ending felt too abrupt! Overall I thought the shapeshifting concept was super unique, and that it was a powerful method to use to submerse the reader in Paul’s experiences and feelings with gender.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Hate crime, Homophobia
Minor: Death, Pandemic/Epidemic
adventurous
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The last 100 pages of this book definitely brought up this rating. This book was a little too long in my opinion, but I will say those last chapters really gripped me. Besides the drawn out meditating and work out montages (not necessarily sword training just flat out working out) I did enjoy this book. Had it just been shorter it would’ve been better than the second. I really liked watching Nesta’s journey and PoV. I also enjoyed the sisterhood element that was put into play with the friendships she made along the way. Overall a fine read that just dragged a lil