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multitaskingwithbecca's reviews
123 reviews
Covet by Tracy Wolff
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is the first in this series that I have not rated five stars. I have often heard from others that with every book in the series the story itself gets better and I do still agree with that.
Just because I rated this one lower does not mean I lacked the desire to continue it or felt like I could take breaks. It was still a one sitting read. It still drew me in and kept me there until I finished. This series has refused to let me stop it for any reason.
I just felt that this one spent a bit too much time inside Grace's head and drawing out her feelings. Obviously we want that to an extent, but it felt almost repetitive here.
It also felt very wishy washy as in back and forth with how she felt. I know she is young and when you are young a lot of your decisions are like that, but this was above and beyond that.
I do still enjoy this world and I still get surprised by the twists and turns. It just felt slower than the previous books. I am looking forward to the next one.
Just because I rated this one lower does not mean I lacked the desire to continue it or felt like I could take breaks. It was still a one sitting read. It still drew me in and kept me there until I finished. This series has refused to let me stop it for any reason.
I just felt that this one spent a bit too much time inside Grace's head and drawing out her feelings. Obviously we want that to an extent, but it felt almost repetitive here.
It also felt very wishy washy as in back and forth with how she felt. I know she is young and when you are young a lot of your decisions are like that, but this was above and beyond that.
I do still enjoy this world and I still get surprised by the twists and turns. It just felt slower than the previous books. I am looking forward to the next one.
The Return by Jennifer L. Armentrout
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Stealing Embers by Julie Hall
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
A Pack of Storms and Stars by Olivia Wildenstein
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Blood Casino by Nina Walker
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
I recieved an e-arc of this book prior to release and loved it so much I bought it as a finished ebook as well.
I sometimes found myself annoyed with the main character, but in a way that I think makes sense. She IS young and she IS supposed to be making rash decisions because she doesn't have that figured out yet. I found her to be realistic and relatable because of this. She really acted as I expected her to act, it felt natural.
I also felt that for a vampire story I was finally reading something different. It did not feel like just another adaptation of the same thing. This was so different than any other vampire story I have read that it felt like a breath of fresh air.
I am looking forward to the next one.
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
challenging
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I'm not really sure what I expected when I picked up this book but this was not it. I had heard about how wonderful and great it was and found it to be underwhelming. I have only read the first one as of right this moment so maybe that will change when I read more, but as of right now I'm not blown away.
I enjoyed it enough to keep reading but was really disappointed. The tests are often summarized and skipped over when I think they could have really added to the story. I wanted to see how great she really was instead of just hearing about. Yet, we never really do. The action scenes are a lot like this too. For an assassin's story it was very lacking in the action department.
I also found Celaena to be really spoiled and vain for someone who was supposedly a slave for the last year, not to mention kind of dense. She accepts a dog as a pet, but doesn't want any of the responsibility of training and caring for it. She demands Chaol to bring her some slippers as if he is the slave instead. It feels like she spends as much time staring at herself in mirrors as she does performing tests. Then when she starts figuring things out she starts looking at her closest friend like she's a bad guy when she has literally seen the bad guy! Just can't seem to picture him as it, but can somehow picture it as her bast friend? WHAT?
Speaking of slavery, I do not get the point of it in this story. The people could have suffered just as much being locked away in a dungeon/jail/prison instead of becoming slaves. It wouldn't have really changed anything plot wise except remove the ickiness that is slavery. So why? Is the king that lacking in workers to mine these mines that he needs slaves or is he just that evil that he has to have them?
I do not really understand what is happening with the magic or anything of that nature. Maybe I am just missing that or maybe it is further explained later on? I have no idea.
Also, for a series about fae why have we only seen one? I mean I get that they're being slaughtered and magic is outlawed but besides seeing Elena and hearing about that forest...we do not get any back story. Maybe there's more of this later on????
A thing that really bugged me is that around the beginning of the story we hear about Sam alot. We hear about how hard this loss is. Then nothing. It is like she just completely forgets about him and is just magically over someone she loved. This happens with her mentioning of who betrayed her as well. She thinks about it all the time and then suddenly she just doesn't. It seems like all the really interesting aspects and layers of Celaena's story are just skimmed over. This is stuff that was interesting and stuff I actually wanted to learn about.
I liked her with Dorian, but I understand why they weren't meant to be. I think he was more in love with the idea of her than actually her. He wanted an adventure and something different. She was that for him, but he didn't really see her I do not think. Chaol sees her for what she is and not what he wants her to be. So I hope out of everything I actually wanted for this story that at least that works out. I do not know. I will see if any of my questions are answered in the next book and if my overall enjoyment raises.
I enjoyed it enough to keep reading but was really disappointed. The tests are often summarized and skipped over when I think they could have really added to the story. I wanted to see how great she really was instead of just hearing about. Yet, we never really do. The action scenes are a lot like this too. For an assassin's story it was very lacking in the action department.
I also found Celaena to be really spoiled and vain for someone who was supposedly a slave for the last year, not to mention kind of dense. She accepts a dog as a pet, but doesn't want any of the responsibility of training and caring for it. She demands Chaol to bring her some slippers as if he is the slave instead. It feels like she spends as much time staring at herself in mirrors as she does performing tests. Then when she starts figuring things out she starts looking at her closest friend like she's a bad guy when she has literally seen the bad guy! Just can't seem to picture him as it, but can somehow picture it as her bast friend? WHAT?
Speaking of slavery, I do not get the point of it in this story. The people could have suffered just as much being locked away in a dungeon/jail/prison instead of becoming slaves. It wouldn't have really changed anything plot wise except remove the ickiness that is slavery. So why? Is the king that lacking in workers to mine these mines that he needs slaves or is he just that evil that he has to have them?
I do not really understand what is happening with the magic or anything of that nature. Maybe I am just missing that or maybe it is further explained later on? I have no idea.
Also, for a series about fae why have we only seen one? I mean I get that they're being slaughtered and magic is outlawed but besides seeing Elena and hearing about that forest...we do not get any back story. Maybe there's more of this later on????
A thing that really bugged me is that around the beginning of the story we hear about Sam alot. We hear about how hard this loss is. Then nothing. It is like she just completely forgets about him and is just magically over someone she loved. This happens with her mentioning of who betrayed her as well. She thinks about it all the time and then suddenly she just doesn't. It seems like all the really interesting aspects and layers of Celaena's story are just skimmed over. This is stuff that was interesting and stuff I actually wanted to learn about.
I liked her with Dorian, but I understand why they weren't meant to be. I think he was more in love with the idea of her than actually her. He wanted an adventure and something different. She was that for him, but he didn't really see her I do not think. Chaol sees her for what she is and not what he wants her to be. So I hope out of everything I actually wanted for this story that at least that works out. I do not know. I will see if any of my questions are answered in the next book and if my overall enjoyment raises.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery
Supernaturally by Kiersten White
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated