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minerva_library's Reviews (83)
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
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
As a first in the series of a now well-known TV show, I've loved reading this book and seeing more from Sookie's perspective than even seen in the show. My mom loves the show, so it was fun to read and share with her differences from book to show.
I love hearing Sookie's internal thoughts as shereads everyone else's thoughts! I wasn't a huge True Blood fan until I was an adult and had watched about halfway through the first season before starting the book. I remember watching the show and not putting together that Rene was the serial killer until the reveal and being absolutely gutted but nothing beats Sookie having that same discovery in the book.
I love hearing Sookie's internal thoughts as she
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Stalking, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Incest, Rape
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-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
I saw the first movie years ago before ever reading these books and I LOVED IT. I was enamored with Toothless and I loved the action and the characters in the movies (and shows). Someone from work recommended that if I were to read this book, I should listen to the audiobook as David Tenant's narration is amazing. I have to agree - he does a fantastic job providing not only Hiccup's voice, but Toothless and Stoick the Vast's voice in a way that breathes life into the characters.
Going from being a huge fan of the movies and shows to reading the book was a big change as I realized that there's pretty big differences between the two. Whereas the movie portrays Hiccup’s village as dragon-killing Vikings, whereas in the book on the island of Berk, almost EVERYONE is a dragon tamer. If they've been initiated in the Viking Clan (of which there are a few enemy Clans) then they've managed to catch and raise their very own dragon. Snotlout, Hiccup's cousin, manages to capture a Monstrous Nightmare dragon - of which is typically reserved for the Chief's son - who is Hiccup.
In the movie, Toothless is a large, and terrifying dragon known as the Night Fury. He's goofy, lovable, and protective of the other dragons and Hiccup. In the book - he's actually a tiny dragon. Hiccup and Fishlegs lie that he's in fact a rare and deadly dragon breed . Toothless (book version) requires bargaining to do work, and due to his size prefers to curl up in Hiccup's shirt avoid work if he can. Besides the imagery of that being adorable, Hiccups is able to speak to Toothless and other dragons in Dragonese - something that no one else in the tribe is able to do.
I found it a little hard to get into right away with the beginning feeling slower than the rest of the book. When jumping into a cast of characters I did have trouble initially following who was who beyond what I knew of movie counterpart names. I probably still love the movie more for the feats of engineering and fighting but I love the witty lines and getting to know more about Hiccup.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Violence, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I wanna live inside this book and have a quiet day with the little insects living in the mushroom.
challenging
dark
emotional
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:
Complicated
Serpent & Dove takes place in Belterra - which is heavily inspired by France - with many terms, names, and places using a French name. I did find it a bit odd at first as it's not set in France, it's set in a fictional world, yet not much else in this world (besides the ploy being about witches) screams fantasy-land. A review I read from "Inside my Library Mind" mentions how this could have taken place in 15th Century France and it wouldn't have changed much.
In this series, Lou is a Dame Blanche (witch) and are constantly hunted by Chasseurs (Witch Hunters) for their against nature use of magic. Magic use in this novel was a bit confusing as it's described as patterns in the air, and yes in a way needing a cost asLou wipes the memory of an ex-lover so he couldn't reveal information and it costs her the memory of biting his chin and scarring it. She later reflects on this scar of his and wondering where he'd gotten it - which I liked.
It's not often I read a book that I don't enjoy and that was true for this novel here. I enjoyed the banter between Lou and Reid - even if it was a bit repetative - and I found the plot compelling enough to keep me reading. I foundLou's secrecy from the reader who she was running from a little tiring - as to Lou it wasn't a secret - and the book was told in first-person yet that was information we weren't privy to despite being in Lou's head. Third-person omniscient or limited probably would have suited the narrative better.
In this series, Lou is a Dame Blanche (witch) and are constantly hunted by Chasseurs (Witch Hunters) for their against nature use of magic. Magic use in this novel was a bit confusing as it's described as patterns in the air, and yes in a way needing a cost as
It's not often I read a book that I don't enjoy and that was true for this novel here. I enjoyed the banter between Lou and Reid - even if it was a bit repetative - and I found the plot compelling enough to keep me reading. I found
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Religious bigotry
Minor: Sexual content, Murder
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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
Compared to the other books in the series which I’ve now read, this one - though very enjoyable - was probably the slowest of all the books in the series with pacing. In my opinion, Sarah J. Mass successfully set up Tamlin as a red herring in terms of a romantic interest as when Rhysand arrived and Feyre noticed how handsome he was that I suspected he was likely going to be the real romantic interest. Though it wasn’t stated nor enacted upon until Book 2. Some fans think it plays put this way as SJM never intended for Rhysand to be a love interest but after realizing that she herself like Rhysand more that it would be a good narrative - the dark morally grey love interest . However, over the course of time they spent together, Tamlin and Feyre get intimate and form a romantic relationship. Feyre is truly in love at this time with Tamlin and would do anything to help him and keep him safe.
Their relationship is what sets the main plot and the antagonist's plans in motion. Unlike Mass' other series, Throne of Glass, whose plot is propelled by the events of the story and puts a lot of the romantic relationships of characters on the backburner - romance is an integral part to the plot progression in this series. It's dependent on Feyre's love and her willingness to put herself in dangerous situations to save Tamlin.
In the book, I felt for Feyre and her situation. In a new place - the Spring Court of the Fae Realm - and surrounding by people she didn’t know, away from her family, with no choice but to trust those arround her for her survival. Personally, though I liked the scenes between Tamlin and Feyre, I definitely didn’t like Tamlin right away.
I found rooting for him difficult as besides being Feyre's kidnapper who she grows close to - I didn't find him all that dashing. He paid a lot of attention to Feyre, and made her feel special and wanted in ways she didn't at home, but personality wise - I found Lucien more dynamically interesting. I really like Lucien’s friendship with Feyre and their banter and I was glad to see that he continues to be a recurring character in the series.
Their relationship is what sets the main plot and the antagonist's plans in motion. Unlike Mass' other series, Throne of Glass, whose plot is propelled by the events of the story and puts a lot of the romantic relationships of characters on the backburner - romance is an integral part to the plot progression in this series. It's dependent on Feyre's love and her willingness to put herself in dangerous situations to save Tamlin.
In the book, I felt for Feyre and her situation. In a new place - the Spring Court of the Fae Realm - and surrounding by people she didn’t know, away from her family, with no choice but to trust those arround her for her survival. Personally, though I liked the scenes between Tamlin and Feyre, I definitely didn’t like Tamlin right away.
I found rooting for him difficult as besides being Feyre's kidnapper who she grows close to - I didn't find him all that dashing. He paid a lot of attention to Feyre, and made her feel special and wanted in ways she didn't at home, but personality wise - I found Lucien more dynamically interesting. I really like Lucien’s friendship with Feyre and their banter and I was glad to see that he continues to be a recurring character in the series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
At the library where I work, this book got massively popular (not only due to the movie) but as it is a Battle of the Books selection for the local elementary schools. The movie trailer looked so cute, and I kept hearing good things about it. I loved the short chapters of this book as it helped the pacing as the book explored multiple seasons on the island. In the back of the book, there were included sketches of the author's original idea of what Roz and Brightbill should look like, which are fun to compare to the movie's adaptation of Roz. However, when I started (and then ended) the book, I was unaware it was a series, and I was SHOOK and SAD to see it ended on a cliffhanger when I was fully under the impression that it was a standalone novel.
adventurous
dark
emotional
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:
Complicated
Jumping off from the identity reveal at the end of the first book Poppy is left reeling and feeling betrayed at the information that's been held back from her. With numerous attempts to get away from Hawke (now Prince Casteel) after he reveals he plans to marry Poppy - once again showing that she doesn't want to be a damsel in distress - Poppy has to reckon with the consequences of her actions. By uncovering the secrets of what it actually means to be a Maiden, Poppy can't in good conscious continue on with her role in the ascension.
On the side of Poppy and her romance with Hawke/Prince 'Cas' Casteel I do like that this second book of the series doesn't rush through Poppy's feelings. She doesn't immediately forgive or come to terms with Hawke's reveal and accept his plan. I appreciate books that let characters sit with their emotions especially as in this novel the hits keep coming for Poppy with her own identity reveal and power discovery .
On the side of Poppy and
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, Blood
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-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
I had to double check my text threads with my best friend, but I was in fact live reviewing it for her as I read - since she was the one who asked I read it. I sped through this book, but not in the way that I feel I didn't absorb it. As there was much to absorb!
Unlike Sarah J. Mass' other series that I typically recommend as "spicy with a side of political intrigue" this is definitely the opposite - "political intrigue with a side of romance" rather than spice. At work, Mass' other series "A Court of Thornes and Roses" is shelved in Adult Fantasy, whereas this series is shelved with Young Adult Fiction. The romance in this novel is much more low-key and slow burning, which I appreciated considering the amount of lore and political conflict that is thrown at readers within the first 10 chapters alone. Within those first few chapters (that I originally listened to on a road trip rather than read), I felt invested to the main cast of 3-4 characters and their well-being.
Unlike Sarah J. Mass' other series that I typically recommend as "spicy with a side of political intrigue" this is definitely the opposite - "political intrigue with a side of romance" rather than spice. At work, Mass' other series "A Court of Thornes and Roses" is shelved in Adult Fantasy, whereas this series is shelved with Young Adult Fiction. The romance in this novel is much more low-key and slow burning, which I appreciated considering the amount of lore and political conflict that is thrown at readers within the first 10 chapters alone. Within those first few chapters (that I originally listened to on a road trip rather than read), I felt invested to the main cast of 3-4 characters and their well-being.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Death, Xenophobia, Blood
Minor: Grief
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-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
I devoured this book and finished it in one day. I can see myself reading it again and taking my time. I loved the world this book introduced, and the attention to detail in the characters roles (and therefore their restrictions and responsibilities) within that world. I loved how we as the reader were also learning with Poppy these intricate parts of the world that she's not really supposed to be privy to.
When I watch movies and tv shows, I'm often guessing the endings, or the next story beat and that can often be boring. But I can say with confidence that the ending of this book surprised me - in the best way! Plus, the spice-to-plot ratio was spot on, especially for what essentially is forbidden romance. I enjoyed the way the author introduced a unique variant of vampires into her world. It was a good twist on a loved paranormal trope.
Poppy is a Maiden, chosen by the gods to help ascend the next generation of youth. A vague concept as it's meant to also be ingrained as almost a religious and honored event within the world. Tropes I noticed (and loved) within this book are: enemies to lovers, forced proximity, miscommunication, not so distressed damsel, andidentity reveals .
When I watch movies and tv shows, I'm often guessing the endings, or the next story beat and that can often be boring. But I can say with confidence that the ending of this book surprised me - in the best way! Plus, the spice-to-plot ratio was spot on, especially for what essentially is forbidden romance.
Poppy is a Maiden, chosen by the gods to help ascend the next generation of youth. A vague concept as it's meant to also be ingrained as almost a religious and honored event within the world. Tropes I noticed (and loved) within this book are: enemies to lovers, forced proximity, miscommunication, not so distressed damsel, and
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, War
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This picture book by Brandon Sanderson and Kazu Kibuishi is delightful! The art is vibrant and colorful, and the story is enjoyable with every turn on the page being enjoyable. It was recommended to me by a Librarian at work who's a fan of Sanderson.