4 ⭐️

The “Eh”:

Honestly, the pace at which the MC’s fell in love was not believable to me. If their journey was dragged out for longer or had even started earlier than it did, I think it would’ve felt better to me, but as it stands, it felt rushed and kind of insta-lovey. But the result of that pairing was beautiful, and even if I feel like the quickness with which they arrived there was not great, the endgame did what it should’ve. The pacing also makes more sense if you remember this is a Romeo & Juliet retelling.

This next “eh” is no fault of the book because I chose to read a modern fantasy. The inclusion of real world pop culture references is still something I’m getting used to because I tend to lean towards “swords and tunic” fantasy. It was just confusing because some of the language was very lyrical and beyond what I tend to hear 21st century 18-20 year olds say, and then in the next breath, they sound age appropriate. So I feel like the voice altered a little bit too much for my liking.

Finally, the ending felt a bit corny and like an after school special making sure you’re understanding the message, but it’s a YA novel so that doesn’t ruin it for me.

The Good:

The depiction of grief was outstanding. You can feel the love that not only June had for her father but how everyone else in the story processed these tragedies and how they affected all the relationships. Her relationship with her best friend was one of the most genuine depictions of female friendships I’ve ever seen, and I feel like authors don’t always get it right, so that was nice to see. If the book just rested on the romance between June and Saul, I don’t think I would’ve continued, but June’s connection to her father, family history, and the other around her is what kept me engaged. This was enough to outweigh the points above and resulted in a solid 4 star rating.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

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adventurous emotional 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

4.0

From the beginning, I think Patroclus was an interesting character to be in the mind of. Growing and maturing with him through the years was definitely felt in the way the book was written. The unknown feelings turning to butterflies becoming true angst to love was portrayed beautifully. My only true problem with the book was the pacing lagged in certain areas, and then my expectations were warped from other people’s love of the book — which is only my own fault. I’ve seen so many people bawling at the conclusion of this novel, but I didn’t even think about shedding a tear. I still enjoyed it though and would recommend!

A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee

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dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I don’t have anything exciting or extensive to say except I just had fun with this book. I like that the FMC is an unreliable narrator, and while some parts were under developed to me (like the romance), the overall story was enjoyable and came together in the end.

The Sacrifice by Rin Chupeco

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dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Overall I enjoyed this book and feel comfortable recommending it to people that I know are into this genre. The parts I really liked were the lore and mythology woven into the story. I always appreciate a vengeful god and love seeing colonizers / cultural appropriators get what’s coming to them. The parts I wasn’t really a fan of was the romance between two of the characters or anything really dealing with one of the mmcs. His storyline seemed forced, and I just felt nothing for him, despite the authors efforts to make him more sympathetic. The end to me was also a bit of a let down, though still exciting. It just felt like the conclusion to an episode of Scooby Doo with the villain reveal and subsequent monologue. Some parts of it were actually laughable, but I doubt that was the author’s intent. Like I said, fun, easy read that I will likely not think about again, but I wouldn’t think someone was insane for giving this 4-5 stars.

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nixter's reviews 138 reviews

nixter's reviews
138 reviews