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mattiedancer's Reviews (126)
adventurous
fast-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
Writing: 4⭐️/5
The writing is strong throughout the book and yet a few sections throughout the novel really pulled me from the story. When the writing is good, it’s great. When it’s not, I wished an editor had pushed a little harder on the prose because it’s jarring. The weaker sections of writing – mixed with a few grammatical errors that really screwed with my head – really marred the otherwise strong writing in other sections.
Characters: 4⭐️/5
The characters were lovable and felt mostly rounded. A few side characters relied on us just innately understanding that they were worth knowing, though, which I didn’t love. I wanted a bit more exploration of these characters to understand why they were so worthy of our love and faith.
Plot: 4.25⭐️/5
A few moments of “trust me even though I’m your enemy shit talking your friend” aside, I did like the overarching plot. It seems like the second book (which I have yet to read) is going to dive into the main story. This book started to feel like its main job was to set up the next plot, which isn’t a bad thing as it makes me more excited to read the next one.
Post-Reading Rating: 4.5⭐️/5
Should have bought book two already.
Who Should Read This?
- Fans of YA fantasy
- Someone looking for a fun and often well-written book, who doesn’t mind a few errors
- A unique plot mixing magic and nobility
CW: Death, death of a parent, vomiting, animal abuse
Final Rating: 4⭐️/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Writing & Art Style: 4.75⭐️/5
Again, as with most Sailor Moon/Codename: Sailor V mangas, the writing sometimes feels a bit awkward, in which I assume is due to the translation. For the most part, the writing is stunning, however. The art style is particularly beautiful. Honestly, one of my favourite parts.
Characters: 4.25⭐️/5
I love Minako. Even though she’s not my fave Sailor Scout, she’s so much fun to follow around. I really enjoyed being inside her head, listening to her thoughts, understanding her perspective, and waiting for her to fully reawaken to her old life.
Plot: 3.75⭐️/5
The first two stories in this collection were not my fave, which is why I can’t rate this higher. I would have loved for the main plots of these to not focus so heavily on fatphobia and aesthetic perfection. Otherwise, I did thoroughly enjoy the complexity in which the story grew and how it was told. I wanted a bit more time with her once she had fully reawakened to remember her previous life, though, because this was probably the best part of the manga.
Post-Reading Rating: 5⭐️/5
Oh, I wish there was more.
Who Should Read This?
- Fans of Sailor Moon
- Fans of manga aimed at early teens
- Those looking for a fun, light-hearted read with gorgeous artwork
CW: Fatphobia
Final Rating: 4⭐️/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Violence
hopeful
sad
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
Writing: 5⭐️/5
Genuinely some of the most beautiful writing I’ve read in a bit. Part of the reason the writing felt so gorgeous was definitely the focus on words and their definitions, and yet a lot of the writing was thoroughly developed in a way that did much to show without telling. While being slow-paced, I never felt bored or confused.
Characters: 5⭐️/5
While I didn’t love every character, they all felt real. People who annoyed our MC, Esme, weren’t forced to annoy us in contrived ways. Instead, their characters grated against hers in a natural way. Characters who our MC loved were given consistent personalities and were thrown into situations in which they were required to react.
Plot: 5⭐️/5
It’s a simple story: a young girl grows up watching her father help build the dictionary and chooses that life for herself. And yet, the depth in which Williams is able to apply other themes and subplots into such a simple story is masterfully done. The inclusion of the rise of feminism, the faults of new movements, the coming-of-age aspects from a woman’s perspective, and the harsh realities of life and death were adeptly handled.
Post-Reading Rating: 5⭐️/5
Oh, how sad and wonderful.
Who Should Read This?
- Fans of historical fiction
- Word-lovers and feminists
- Those looking for a slow coming-of-age story that evolves into a story about life in general
CW: Pregnancy, adoption, death, war, violence, trauma, abuse, misogyny, classism
Final Rating: 5⭐️/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Self harm, Car accident, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Writing: 3.25⭐️/5
Again, the writing is a bit dry for my tastes. This book had the most spicy scenes so far in the serie – or at least it felt like it – and honestly they started to take away from any other plot. A lot of them didn’t make sense in the story and seemed just thrown in.
Characters: 3.75⭐️/5
Kind of the same as the other books. Persephone is the most well-developed, and Hades also has very little personality outside of Persephone, as do many of those who Persephone is close to.
Plot: 4⭐️/5
The plot definitely took a bit of a different turn than the other books. I enjoyed the overarching plot, but I got a little frustrated that nearly any time Hades and Persephone were alone together, they had sex. It just started getting a bit predictable and repetitive. That being said, the bits with the Demeter plot were really interesting.
Post-Reading Rating: 4⭐️/5
I’m curious where the story will go next.
Who Should Read This?
- Those looking for a smutty Persephone-Hades retelling
CW: Sexual abuse, mentions of rape, sexual assault, murder, death
Final Rating: 3.75⭐️/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Sexual harassment
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
**Some spoilers within**
Writing: 3.75⭐️/5
At times, the writing was a bit jarring, but it mostly was an easy read. At spots the writing definitely felt awkward.
Characters: 3.5⭐️/5
I’d give the characters a bit higher mark but most of the characterization of Persephone came with the death of her friend, which felt a bit contrived. Hades also has very little personality outside of Persephone, as do many of those who Persephone is close to.
Plot: 3.25⭐️/5
I found the plot a bit uninspired. I like the overarching plot that seems to be building towards a third book, but much of the conflict in this novel occurs around the death of a certain friend. The way Persephone acted during this process seemed relatively out of character and rather silly, which made a lot of it seem contrived for plot alone.
Post-Reading Rating: 3.5⭐️/5
Meh.
Who Should Read This?
- Those looking for a smutty Persephone-Hades retelling
CW: Sexual content, sexual assault, sexual harassment
Final Rating: 3.5⭐️/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Medical content, Medical trauma, Sexual harassment
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Writing: 4⭐️/5
The writing is fine throughout the book. I did really enjoy certain sections, but others definitely lacked a bit of finesse I was hoping for. Some of the spicy scenes definitely felt a bit forced and sudden, which was jarring.
Characters: 3.5⭐️/5
Persephone is a decently developed character, and I found Demeter kind of interesting from afar, but most other characters fell a bit flat for me. Hades was interesting in most parts, but I did find him lack a bit of substance outside of Persephone. Definitely enough character to keep the story moving.
Plot: 4⭐️/5
It’s a fairly basic plot for a Persephone and Hades retelling, but I loved the incorporation to modern day. The final result definitely was interesting, and I like how the romance progressed well enough.
Post-Reading Rating: 3.5⭐️/5
It was good. Definitely didn’t think I was going to pick up the next one though.
Who Should Read This?
- Those looking for a smutty Persephone-Hades retelling
CW: Sexual content
Final Rating: 3.75⭐️/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Alcohol, Sexual harassment
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Writing: 3.5⭐️/5
The many grammar/spelling errors in this book did take me out of the writing. I’m not sure it’s actually not good writing, so much as it needed a bit more love during editing. Overall, it was more than enjoyable on a writing level.
Characters: 4.5⭐️/5
The characters were shockingly well-developed. Each love interest really felt like they had their own personality, motives, characteristics, and goals. Despite all characters ending up more or less obsessed with our main character, each still felt like their own person, which is honestly quite a feat in and of itself.
Plot: 3⭐️/5
Okay, so the non-sex plot of this book was a really intriguing idea. I love the vampires, the seraphs, and the history between the two. I would have loved for this to be much more fleshed out in detail because, while the potential was there, I don’t think we got quite enough of it.
The sex plot was about as contrived as it needed to be to make sense, though I did appreciate the attention to detail in order to make basically everything in this world sexy as hell.
Post-Reading Rating: 3.75⭐️/5
Again, I really liked the overarching story.
Who Should Read This?
- Someone looking for spicy sex scenes
- Those who like fantasy erotica
CW: Pregnancy, blurred consent, violence, blood, gore
Final Rating: 3.5⭐️/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Abandonment
Minor: Ableism, Abortion
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Writing: 4.25⭐️/5
This is written for children and so, as an adult coming into this series, the writing took a second to get used to. The beginning was quite jarring for me as well, as I didn’t really think it felt natural for a child to be reacting to these traumatic situations as he was. After the novel got going, I do think the writing found its stride.
Characters: 4.75⭐️/5
Turns out, I love retellings of Greek mythology. While I personally found some of the characters a bit stereotypical and bland, many of the characters, especially the ones from Greek mythology, were wonderfully reimagined. I appreciated the attention to detail with the Greek gods and the fact that Riordan wasn’t scared to have fun with how they appeared to the characters, as well as how they had grown throughout the centuries.
Plot: 4.5⭐️/5
Zeus blaming his brothers for a lost lightning bolt, threatening a young hero, and refusing to help him get the bolt back? Yeah, that’s pretty fun. I would have loved this as a child and honestly kind of dug it as an adult. I did love the appearances and references to various gods and how their stories played into the overarching plot.
Post-Reading Rating: 4.5⭐️/5
Can’t wait to read the next one.
Who Should Read This?
- Children ages 10 and up
- Fans of Greek mythology retellings
- Fans of Harry Potter
- Those looking for a fun but adventurous read
Final Rating: 4.5⭐️/5
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Writing & Art: 4.5⭐️/5
Much of this manga is written well and intriguingly. This might be in part because it’s translated, but some sections read a bit awkwardly. Overall, the writing is solid. The art style and design are, as with all of Takeuchi’s work, gorgeous.
Characters: 4.75⭐️/5
Mina is a great main character, especially as a young MC. It’s fun to follow her around and watch her life be a fantastically chaotic mess. I wanted a bit more from Artemis, who is such a compelling little creature in the Sailor Moon mangas, but many of the characters were fun and perfect.
Plot: 3.5⭐️/5
Partially because, after reading the high-stakes plots in Sailor Moon, Sailor V’s plots fell just short for me. I appreciated the little callouts and setups to characters and storylines explored in the Sailor Moon mangas, but mostly it just felt a bit too fluffy for a fully intriguing take. I wanted a bit more, though I’m hopeful this will pick up in Volume 2.
Post-Reading Rating: 5⭐️/5
Fun, enjoyable.
Who Should Read This?
- Fans of Sailor Moon
- Fans of manga aimed at early teens
- Those looking for a fun, light-hearted read with gorgeous artwork
Final Rating: 4⭐️/5
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual harassment
funny
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
Writing & Art Style: 5⭐️/5
I really love Smythe’s way of writing, especially as she focuses on the Greek Gods. She manages to make the writing believable and funny, without it ever feeling too silly or childish. In particular, I love the art style because of how she weaves motifs throughout the graphic novel, bringing us back to certain moments without needing flashbacks or explanations. Very well-crafted.
Characters: 5⭐️/5
I think the gods are brought to gorgeous life in Lore Olympus. They are simultaneously relatable and unattainable. At all times they feel real and ethereal, beyond us. It’s a hard balance to strike when writing about highly powerful beings, but it works in this novel. I’m particularly impressed with how well-crafted Minthe is. Despite her being a very unlikable character, Smythe brings a sense of understanding to her character that I appreciate. Much more interesting than just a jealous ex-lover.
Plot: 4.5⭐️/5
It’s frustrating in the best way. The mutual pining between Hades and Persephone, while both try to figure out their current overwhelming situations, is masterfully done. I think as the series grows it may be nice to see and understand certain characters more, but I understand why the plot doesn’t necessarily focus on them too much or too often.
Post-Reading Rating: 5⭐️/5
Gorgeous read.
Who Should Read This?
- Anyone who loves graphic novels or manga
- Anyone who likes modern spins on mythology
- Anyone who is a fan of Greek mythology, specifically
- Anyone who loves a beautiful, healthy love story
CW: Sexual assault, sexual harassment, rape,
Final Rating: 4.75⭐️/5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment