Scan barcode
mkw1lson's reviews
150 reviews
The Golden Raven by Nora Sakavic
"But I will choose you every time. You, and Cat, and Laila, every time. I will lose them all if I must.”
Unpopular opinion (maybe?): This is the best book in the series... so far.
I'll have more to say later, when I've gotten my thoughts together, but ugh, it was so good, and I am already eagerly awaiting book 3.
-
Okay, back with a proper-ish review.
Before this book, The Sunshine Court was my favourite of the series. It's obvious how much Sakavic has grown as a writer since the original trilogy and how much thought and care went into crafting that book. The Golden Raven is a perfect continuation of that. Where the first one focused on Jean and his recovery, this book broadens that world and explores more characters and their struggles outside of Jean.
That is not to say that this book doesn't still focus on Jean and his recovery, that is so much of the core of this trilogy, but with Jean's healing there's space to learn about Jeremy beyond being Jean's support system. In TSC, he was such an unreliable narrator, there were only little hints about Jeremy's life and struggles, but this book blows that wide open. I have always found him to be an interesting character, just a bit mysterious, but in this book we are allowed to know and understand those complexities along with Jean. We see their relationship grow to become something where they depend on each other, it feels much more even because they are starting to learn each other and understand each other better.
I also love the developing friendships between Jean and Cat, Laila, and the rest of the Trojans. Jean and Cody have a very sweet friendship, and there's a fun, almost brotherly dynamic between Jean and Derek and Derrick. Jean really comes into his own on the team as well, solidifies his place and his importance with them. I love seeing this for him.
Now for some minor spoilers of things I loved:
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
4.75
Unpopular opinion (maybe?): This is the best book in the series... so far.
I'll have more to say later, when I've gotten my thoughts together, but ugh, it was so good, and I am already eagerly awaiting book 3.
-
Okay, back with a proper-ish review.
Before this book, The Sunshine Court was my favourite of the series. It's obvious how much Sakavic has grown as a writer since the original trilogy and how much thought and care went into crafting that book. The Golden Raven is a perfect continuation of that. Where the first one focused on Jean and his recovery, this book broadens that world and explores more characters and their struggles outside of Jean.
That is not to say that this book doesn't still focus on Jean and his recovery, that is so much of the core of this trilogy, but with Jean's healing there's space to learn about Jeremy beyond being Jean's support system. In TSC, he was such an unreliable narrator, there were only little hints about Jeremy's life and struggles, but this book blows that wide open. I have always found him to be an interesting character, just a bit mysterious, but in this book we are allowed to know and understand those complexities along with Jean. We see their relationship grow to become something where they depend on each other, it feels much more even because they are starting to learn each other and understand each other better.
I also love the developing friendships between Jean and Cat, Laila, and the rest of the Trojans. Jean and Cody have a very sweet friendship, and there's a fun, almost brotherly dynamic between Jean and Derek and Derrick. Jean really comes into his own on the team as well, solidifies his place and his importance with them. I love seeing this for him.
Now for some minor spoilers of things I loved:
Kevin's visit for the interview was intense, but it was really fascinating seeing him from Jean and Jeremy's perspectives. Jean's first game with the Trojans was perfection! Jeremy's backstory was much darker than I expected, very gutwrenching, and he needs some love desperately -
Jean in protective mode.... yeees. Rhemann is the best, omg. Fireworks and Fathers being added to Jean's list The fire was devastating, Laila's house became as much a safe space for the characters as it did for the reader and it's just a gutting loss -
Jabberwocky Moreau !!!!!! -
TSC ending with Jean realizing he can have friends and TGR ending with Jean realizing that maybe he can have love too <3
Five Little Indians by Michelle Good
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
This book is phenomenally good, and while the topic is very heavy and can be hard to read, it is also engaging, enlightening, and even a little hopeful.
The characters are beautifully well-rounded and complex, I found myself really adoring each of them. They make mistakes and have flaws, but they're all just trying to live, exist, and cope with the trauma of the residential schools. The book doesn't shy away from the most brutal of abuse and coping mechanisms, which is so important, but Good has navigates that fine line by never becoming over-descriptive when unnecessary.
My heart broke for these characters so many times, but just as many times I felt the warmth at the love and companionship, how these characters find joy and hope when things are so bleak and difficult. I cried a lot, but I laughed and smiled too, and I think it's so important that Good showed the whole picture that way.
I really loved it.
The characters are beautifully well-rounded and complex, I found myself really adoring each of them. They make mistakes and have flaws, but they're all just trying to live, exist, and cope with the trauma of the residential schools. The book doesn't shy away from the most brutal of abuse and coping mechanisms, which is so important, but Good has navigates that fine line by never becoming over-descriptive when unnecessary.
My heart broke for these characters so many times, but just as many times I felt the warmth at the love and companionship, how these characters find joy and hope when things are so bleak and difficult. I cried a lot, but I laughed and smiled too, and I think it's so important that Good showed the whole picture that way.
I really loved it.
The Favorites by Layne Fargo
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I feel like I'm the only person who read this book and went: huh?
This book is somehow both too dramatic and not dramatic enough. I found myself baffled that Fargo decided to go so far as bringing something into her story(eg. the Russian Mafia shows up, the number of times these skaters are bleeding out on the ice) and then even more baffled when big reveals were incredibly tepid (eg. Heath was trained in Russia and gave away secrets, no one is dead in the end) . It's like Fargo thought the book needed bigger stakes (which it didn't), but then was so set on her ending that she refused to let the story flow a certain way
The characters are mostly unlikeable and grating, the will-they-won't-they feels more like an eye roll than anything else(especially because by the end you're hoping that it will not work out because these two are toxic together) .
This might come down to preferences, but this book didn't work for me.
The style was interesting and kind of fun.
Note 1: As a Canadian, I also feel a little weird about this book essentially overwriting the history of VirtueMoir. I'm glad Canada still won gold in Vancouver (I would RIOT), but it did feel a little weird in this alt-world without them. Definitely don't think Fargo made a bad choice by omitting them! Just a little odd for me, personally.
Note 2:I cannot be the only one who thought a better ending would have been Kat and Heath nailing their final skating and walking together to the drug testing knowing what will happen but accepting it and the end of their legacy/this chapter. Not the draaaaaama.
This book is somehow both too dramatic and not dramatic enough. I found myself baffled that Fargo decided to go so far as bringing something into her story
The characters are mostly unlikeable and grating, the will-they-won't-they feels more like an eye roll than anything else
This might come down to preferences, but this book didn't work for me.
The style was interesting and kind of fun.
Note 1: As a Canadian, I also feel a little weird about this book essentially overwriting the history of VirtueMoir. I'm glad Canada still won gold in Vancouver (I would RIOT), but it did feel a little weird in this alt-world without them. Definitely don't think Fargo made a bad choice by omitting them! Just a little odd for me, personally.
Note 2:
Kings Rising by C.S. Pacat
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
"A kingdom, or this."
I could read 100 more books about Damen and Laurent.
I think my favourite thing about this book is how quickly it demolishes our expectations. Going into this book, we know that Damen has embraced his true identity again, that he is set to work with Laurent and stop the Regent from starting a war, and intends to march down to Ios and reclaim his throne.We also know that when Damen and Laurent meet again, Damen will have to crush Laurent with the horrible truth that he is the man who killed Laurent's brother, only to very quickly find out that Laurent has known all along.
I love how simple and obvious this is, but how much it packs a punch as well. Damen thought that Laurent was just a cruel man when they met, a man who would torture and abuse an enslaved former soldier from Akielos simply for being who he is, but that has never been the story. Laurent - right or wrong - was torturing the man who killed his brother, who left him with the Regent to be abused and tortured himself. It was so much more complicated and this one revelation reconciles the Laurent we've come to know with the Laurent from the beginning of the first book. It also isn't shocking (which I love about all the reveals in this book) because each revelation will be something that the reader either has an instinct for there being something more there or the reader will have put together. It's satisfying to see those pieces come together.
This book packs a punch as Damen and Laurent try to find a way to navigate this intensely complex relationship between them and their countries, what can they mean to each other, what does their future look like together - can they even have a future together?
When they do find their way back to each other it's perfect, even though it never loses the edge and complex dynamic, there is love and trust and it really is special. The ending isn't what I expected, but it's better than anything I could have anticipated. There's a odd and fucked up balance between them, and something hopeful about what they can build with each other.
I don't know what more to say other than I would be the first in line for a book about how they navigate reigning over their kingdom(s) together.
I could read 100 more books about Damen and Laurent.
I think my favourite thing about this book is how quickly it demolishes our expectations. Going into this book, we know that Damen has embraced his true identity again, that he is set to work with Laurent and stop the Regent from starting a war, and intends to march down to Ios and reclaim his throne.
I love how simple and obvious this is, but how much it packs a punch as well. Damen thought that Laurent was just a cruel man when they met, a man who would torture and abuse an enslaved former soldier from Akielos simply for being who he is, but that has never been the story. Laurent - right or wrong - was torturing the man who killed his brother, who left him with the Regent to be abused and tortured himself. It was so much more complicated and this one revelation reconciles the Laurent we've come to know with the Laurent from the beginning of the first book. It also isn't shocking (which I love about all the reveals in this book) because each revelation will be something that the reader either has an instinct for there being something more there or the reader will have put together. It's satisfying to see those pieces come together.
This book packs a punch as Damen and Laurent try to find a way to navigate this intensely complex relationship between them and their countries, what can they mean to each other, what does their future look like together - can they even have a future together?
I don't know what more to say other than I would be the first in line for a book about how they navigate reigning over their kingdom(s) together.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, and War
Moderate: Pedophilia and Sexual assault
Minor: Suicide
Prince's Gambit by C.S. Pacat
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The ultimate enemies-to-lovers here.
I adore this book, this is the pay off for the set up in the first book. This is two guys who hate each other, who loathe each other, stuck together by the circumstances of a nefarious plot because out of everyone they can only really depend on each other to make sure they are their countries survive this. And somehow along the way, they start to learn more about each other, they begin to understand each other and their worlds and experiences. There's a big, heavy secret between them,more than one and it adds this tension of knowing that their growing closer and knowing that they're falling in love, but also knowing that this weight hangs over them that can crush this fragile thing at any time.
It is so good.
I love the moments we see Laurent start to thaw and reveal himself more and more as he starts to trust and depend on Damen more and more. The moments where he gets to be young and free are so refreshing and beautiful. Damen also shows this natural leadership and capability. Who else could go from a slave to the most trusted Captain of the Prince of Vere? The man is born a King and can't even pretend to be less than that. I love that the very existence of Damen and the trust that somehow exists between Damen and Laurent is enough to throw a wrench in the Regent's careful plots. And it's so beautiful how Laurent goes from this hopeless place, knowing he's marching to his death with gritted teeth, to having hope because Damen is there to say - hold on, no, that's not happening.
This book will completely engross you and if you don't love Damen and Laurent and their love story by the end of this book, I don't know how to help you, because this is perfection.
Also, once again, the end of this book will leave you grabbing for the third.
Heed the warnings. It's not as bad as the first one, in my opinion, but there are still a lot of heavy topics dealt with in this book and the characters are flawed, so it's not always with the best/most sensitivity, but it is true to the characters.
I adore this book, this is the pay off for the set up in the first book. This is two guys who hate each other, who loathe each other, stuck together by the circumstances of a nefarious plot because out of everyone they can only really depend on each other to make sure they are their countries survive this. And somehow along the way, they start to learn more about each other, they begin to understand each other and their worlds and experiences. There's a big, heavy secret between them,
It is so good.
This book will completely engross you and if you don't love Damen and Laurent and their love story by the end of this book, I don't know how to help you, because this is perfection.
Also, once again, the end of this book will leave you grabbing for the third.
Heed the warnings. It's not as bad as the first one, in my opinion, but there are still a lot of heavy topics dealt with in this book and the characters are flawed, so it's not always with the best/most sensitivity, but it is true to the characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, and War
Moderate: Pedophilia and Suicide
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
The Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
This is a tough book to rate because it is a good book on its own, but it is a great set up for the next two books in the series. A lot of this book is world-building and introducing the characters, establishing the stakes, and exactly how much Damen and Laurent loathe each other - then the circumstances that force them to continue to depend on each other.
That means the book does suffer a bit because the meat of the story is yet to come, but you will find that once you reach the end of this book, you'll be desperately reaching for the next one. It's addicting and dark and dramatic - I gobbled it up and really came to love both these very complex, grey characters.
Yes, both of them, even in this first bookbecause while it may seem like one of the two is irredeemably evil, it is so important to remember, that Damen is an unreliable and uninformed narrator, he's got heavy biases and is missing a lot of information about what is going on and what has happened. Small spoilers for the rest of the trilogy: If you pay attention, a lot of the hints are in this book as to what will be revealed in the second and third books.
As for the controversial material in this book... it is controversial, and this book is definitely the roughest,mostly because it appears as if Laurent is unbothered by it all while Damen is horrified, but I don't think any of it lacks purpose even if it may seem so in the first book. The book is not glorifying and romanticizing anything, in my opinion, but heed the warnings.
That means the book does suffer a bit because the meat of the story is yet to come, but you will find that once you reach the end of this book, you'll be desperately reaching for the next one. It's addicting and dark and dramatic - I gobbled it up and really came to love both these very complex, grey characters.
Yes, both of them, even in this first book
As for the controversial material in this book... it is controversial, and this book is definitely the roughest,
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, and Torture
Moderate: Pedophilia
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This book is a fundamental read. It is foundational for so much literature to follow, playing with the themes of obsession and hedonism, what do we sacrifice to prioritize pleasure? It's a really interesting delve into the decent and psyche of Dorian as he becomes more and more vain and hedonistic - "corrupted". It's cool to see how many books have foundations in this book and although the plot wasn't difficult to put together, the journey was so beautifully constructed.
Wilde has a way with words that I adore, there's something to his description and style that I can't get enough of. There are so many quotes in this novel that I adore.
My one complaint is how often women are belittled and mistreated in the novel, which is not unexpected for the time, but it still means I'm going to have a hard time giving it a higher rating. However much you think there is, there is more. This is partially because Henry is awful and Dorian is too, but it's still a lot.
That said, thank you Henry and Wilde for my new favourite quote: "Punctuality is a thief of time."
Catch me saying this every time I show up 15 minutes late with Starbucks.
Wilde has a way with words that I adore, there's something to his description and style that I can't get enough of. There are so many quotes in this novel that I adore.
My one complaint is how often women are belittled and mistreated in the novel, which is not unexpected for the time, but it still means I'm going to have a hard time giving it a higher rating. However much you think there is, there is more. This is partially because Henry is awful and Dorian is too, but it's still a lot.
That said, thank you Henry and Wilde for my new favourite quote: "Punctuality is a thief of time."
Catch me saying this every time I show up 15 minutes late with Starbucks.
The Story of Art without Men by Katy Hessel
informative
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
3.5
I enjoyed this book, there was a lot of fascinating information about the history of art and women's (often overlooked) contributions. Hessel also delved into intersectionality and how women of colour are often dismissed or overlooked in the world of art, and their contributions stolen and celebrated even into modern times. It's a comprehensive and compelling examination of the art and feminism.
I have one complaint, which is that I listened to the audiobook and while Hessel is a great narrator with a lot of passion and emotion to draw the listener in, this is a book about art, and being unable to see the art or examples of the types of art is detrimental to the experience. I am not an artist nor do I know much about Art History, so the lack of an example to quickly look to was hard for me, and I did do quite a bit of googling, but ideally, you shouldn't need to be doing that with an audiobook.
Overall, I still think this was a good book, but I would hesitate to recommend the audiobook alone.
I have one complaint, which is that I listened to the audiobook and while Hessel is a great narrator with a lot of passion and emotion to draw the listener in, this is a book about art, and being unable to see the art or examples of the types of art is detrimental to the experience. I am not an artist nor do I know much about Art History, so the lack of an example to quickly look to was hard for me, and I did do quite a bit of googling, but ideally, you shouldn't need to be doing that with an audiobook.
Overall, I still think this was a good book, but I would hesitate to recommend the audiobook alone.
Januaries: Stories of Love, Magic & Betrayal by Olivie Blake
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I want to say I loved this book because I do love Olivie Blake's writing (I adored the Atlas trilogy and Masters of Death), but this didn't completely work for me. I quite enjoyed a few stories, but the majority were misses for me. I've always struggled with short stories, so that was already going to make this anthology a bit tricky for me, but I had hope! Overall, I think it's still good and worth the read, especially if you enjoy Blake's quirky sense of humour and subversion of expectations, but it is far from the first work of hers that I would recommend.
Best Stories:
Best Stories:
- The Wish Bridge (Very sweet, reminded me a bit of Addie LaRue)
- The Audit (The quarter-life crisis vibes - I get it!)
- Fates and Consequences (Not unpredictable but still a bit of a subversion, lots of fun comedy and Masters of Death-vibes.... which is my #1 Olive Blake novel)
- Chaos Theory (An other Atlas Trilogy fans pointing and going "hmm" about this? I know it's not related, but fun to see more of an exploration of the Multiple Worlds Theory)
- A Year in January (It's sweet and a lovely take on depressive cycles that is kind of... inspiring)
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Oh my God. I don't know how I'm feeling yet. I knew the last 100 pages would pack a punch, but oof.
The book is definitely much more plot-heavy than the last two and like Iron Flame, there are a few background characters we get to know much better (Ridoc, in particular) which I loved. I love that we're discovering more of this world and how Yarros is almost leaning more into the intricating fantasy world-building than you'd expect from a romantasy series. A lot of my complaints about Iron Flame are corrected in this book, Xaden and Violet are a team as much as they can be and that is SO refreshing. This book also deviates a bit from the war school and war plot to have an adventure/quest storyline which is a lot of fun. I love getting to know more of the world and seeing Violet interact with characters that we don't normally see her with, and I love her coming into her own and recognizing that she has to be a leader because Tairn is a leader.
I also love how Yarros subverts expectations of Violet being the most special snowflake, for lack of a better term, that so often happens in romantasy books. Or even just fantasy books in general! Violet is not a God reborn, she doesn't have a special lineage, she is just Violet who had the determination and compassion to have endeared Andarna, and that's it! She's special because a very special dragon looked at her and said: I choose you. I love that. I love it when characters are special because of who they are, not some pre-destined/biological thing.
Per usual, the ending has my brain spinning with new questions and old theories that haven't been proven or disproven. I'm eagerly awaiting the next book and am so excited to see what is in store for us next.
As I stated of the previous books: It's not a masterpiece, but it's so much fun and what is reading about if not having fun?
The book is definitely much more plot-heavy than the last two and like Iron Flame, there are a few background characters we get to know much better (Ridoc, in particular) which I loved. I love that we're discovering more of this world and how Yarros is almost leaning more into the intricating fantasy world-building than you'd expect from a romantasy series. A lot of my complaints about Iron Flame are corrected in this book, Xaden and Violet are a team as much as they can be and that is SO refreshing. This book also deviates a bit from the war school and war plot to have an adventure/quest storyline which is a lot of fun. I love getting to know more of the world and seeing Violet interact with characters that we don't normally see her with, and I love her coming into her own and recognizing that she has to be a leader because Tairn is a leader.
Per usual, the ending has my brain spinning with new questions and old theories that haven't been proven or disproven. I'm eagerly awaiting the next book and am so excited to see what is in store for us next.
As I stated of the previous books: It's not a masterpiece, but it's so much fun and what is reading about if not having fun?