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outsidestar's reviews
82 reviews
Wendy, Darling by A.C. Wise
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Heartstopper Volume 4 by Alice Oseman
emotional
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
Heartstopper Volume 3 by Alice Oseman
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Heartstopper Volume 2 by Alice Oseman
emotional
funny
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
Heartstopper Volume 1 by Alice Oseman
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
Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko
adventurous
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? Yes
5.0
WOW. JUST WOW.
I did not expect to like this book as much as I did. I wasn't even thinking about reading it to begin with. Yet here we are.
This is one of those books where you should know as little as possible going in, so I won't give you a synopsis. Instead, I'm gonna leave you with my messy it's-1am-and-i-just-finished-reading-a-5star-book thoughts.
I'm still amazed with the crafting of this book. Every fantasy requires a high dose of imagination from the writer, they're building up a whole new world out of thin air, after all. But this book. This book. It baffles me how someone can come up with a world so intricate as this one with this level of detail. It's not just the world-building, it's the magic system, the politics... The whole thing is chef's kiss perfection.
And the characters. Yes, there were some council members we didn't really get to see much of, but the characters we did get to know had layers to them, a backstory, I knew who they were and why they did what they did. Let's talk about The Lady and all the work that went into her as a character. Do I hate her? Do I feel sorry for her? Is she the villain? Aren't we not all villains in someone's story? The way she was crafted was so great I can't really say anything else because I don't have words.
Everything in this book was brilliant and unlike anything I have ever read. I think that's all I need to say.
I did not expect to like this book as much as I did. I wasn't even thinking about reading it to begin with. Yet here we are.
This is one of those books where you should know as little as possible going in, so I won't give you a synopsis. Instead, I'm gonna leave you with my messy it's-1am-and-i-just-finished-reading-a-5star-book thoughts.
I'm still amazed with the crafting of this book. Every fantasy requires a high dose of imagination from the writer, they're building up a whole new world out of thin air, after all. But this book. This book. It baffles me how someone can come up with a world so intricate as this one with this level of detail. It's not just the world-building, it's the magic system, the politics... The whole thing is chef's kiss perfection.
And the characters. Yes, there were some council members we didn't really get to see much of, but the characters we did get to know had layers to them, a backstory, I knew who they were and why they did what they did. Let's talk about The Lady and all the work that went into her as a character. Do I hate her? Do I feel sorry for her? Is she the villain? Aren't we not all villains in someone's story? The way she was crafted was so great I can't really say anything else because I don't have words.
Everything in this book was brilliant and unlike anything I have ever read. I think that's all I need to say.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, and Sexism
Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent, Grief, and Misogyny
Unravel the Dusk by Elizabeth Lim
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
When I read Spin the Dawn I really loved the first half of the story but was sort of disappointed with the second half. Unravel the Dusk was the opposite. I had trouble getting into it, I found it dragged at the beginning and I just wasn't getting what I wanted out of it. But then the last half of the book happened and I loved it. Special mention to chapter 32, which had me sobbing loud enough to worry my mom (I'm sorry mom, that's what books do to me).
Overall, I think this was a very enjoyable story and a great twist on the Mulan trope, if we can call it that. I'm glad I finally read it and all I can say is that if you liked this duology, do yourself a favor and pick up Six Crimson Cranes also by Elizabeth Lim because you'll fall in love.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a digital review copy in exchange of an honest and voluntary review.
Overall, I think this was a very enjoyable story and a great twist on the Mulan trope, if we can call it that. I'm glad I finally read it and all I can say is that if you liked this duology, do yourself a favor and pick up Six Crimson Cranes also by Elizabeth Lim because you'll fall in love.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a digital review copy in exchange of an honest and voluntary review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim
Spin the Dawn is pitched as Mulan meets Project Runway and it’s exactly that, but let me add it also reminded me of Aladdin, which makes it even better.
We follow Maia, the youngest of four siblings and only daughter of a renowned tailor. Out of the four siblings, Maia is the only one with a gift for the needle but she’s a girl and the only way for girls to honor their families is by getting married. She could never be in charge of her father’s shop, never become a Master Tailor, let alone the imperial tailor, no matter how much she wishes for it.
After losing her mother and then her two older brothers to the Five Winters War between A’landi and the shansen, things are looking really bad. Her father is lost in grief, not even a shadow of the man he was, and Maia struggles to make ends meet. Then, following the announcement of the Emperor of A’landi’s marriage to the shensen’s daughter, an imperial messenger shows up at their shop. He comes for Maia’s father, since the best tailors of the land are being called to the palace for a chance to become the new imperial tailor. Knowing her father will never make it, she dresses up as a boy and goes in his place.
The first 35-40% of the book is the competition for the spot as imperial tailor. We see Maia and 11 other tailors fight to please the shansen’s daughter and her twisted requests, while keeping her cover as a boy, and we also meet Edan, the Lord Enchanter. I really enjoyed that first part of the book, I was getting the full-on Mulan vibes, I was intrigued by Edan, and was trying to figure out both the emperor and the shensen’s daughter, who are not entirely who they seem to be.
However, the rest of the book was a bit of a letdown. Maia is sent on an impossible quest to make the three dresses of Amana: one woven with the laughter of the sun, one embroidered with the tears of the moon and one painted with the blood of the stars. As promising as that sounds, Edan accompanies Maia in her quest and, as their love story develops, I felt that was all the book focused on. Instead of reading about an adventure, an impossible quest and sky-high stakes with a romance side plot as the cherry on the cake, I found myself reading about a romance with an impossible quest as a side plot. I wanted the cake but only got the cherry.
I had the chance to read an ARC of Six Crimson Cranes, also by Elizabeth Lim and really enjoyed finding out that the two books are connected in some way, like a story within a story. I do have to say that I liked Six Crimson Cranes better, though. I’m starting to see a pattern with Elizabeth Lim’s love interests too: they’re always the too-perfect boyfriend who will die a thousand times over for the main character, move the sun and moon for her, they can only love her because she’s not like the other girls and she’s the one and only for them and they knew it before even speaking to her almost. As much as I liked Edan and Takkan in both stories, I wish they were more complex in that sense since I believe it would do wonders for both stories.
Overall, it was an enjoyable read and I’m definitely looking forward to reading Unravel the Dusk next, but I liked the first part more than I did the second and was expecting a little more from this. (3.5 stars)
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a digital review copy in exchange of an honest and voluntary review.
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
“Seize the wind. Don't become the kite that never flies.”
Spin the Dawn is pitched as Mulan meets Project Runway and it’s exactly that, but let me add it also reminded me of Aladdin, which makes it even better.
We follow Maia, the youngest of four siblings and only daughter of a renowned tailor. Out of the four siblings, Maia is the only one with a gift for the needle but she’s a girl and the only way for girls to honor their families is by getting married. She could never be in charge of her father’s shop, never become a Master Tailor, let alone the imperial tailor, no matter how much she wishes for it.
After losing her mother and then her two older brothers to the Five Winters War between A’landi and the shansen, things are looking really bad. Her father is lost in grief, not even a shadow of the man he was, and Maia struggles to make ends meet. Then, following the announcement of the Emperor of A’landi’s marriage to the shensen’s daughter, an imperial messenger shows up at their shop. He comes for Maia’s father, since the best tailors of the land are being called to the palace for a chance to become the new imperial tailor. Knowing her father will never make it, she dresses up as a boy and goes in his place.
The first 35-40% of the book is the competition for the spot as imperial tailor. We see Maia and 11 other tailors fight to please the shansen’s daughter and her twisted requests, while keeping her cover as a boy, and we also meet Edan, the Lord Enchanter. I really enjoyed that first part of the book, I was getting the full-on Mulan vibes, I was intrigued by Edan, and was trying to figure out both the emperor and the shensen’s daughter, who are not entirely who they seem to be.
However, the rest of the book was a bit of a letdown. Maia is sent on an impossible quest to make the three dresses of Amana: one woven with the laughter of the sun, one embroidered with the tears of the moon and one painted with the blood of the stars. As promising as that sounds, Edan accompanies Maia in her quest and, as their love story develops, I felt that was all the book focused on. Instead of reading about an adventure, an impossible quest and sky-high stakes with a romance side plot as the cherry on the cake, I found myself reading about a romance with an impossible quest as a side plot. I wanted the cake but only got the cherry.
I had the chance to read an ARC of Six Crimson Cranes, also by Elizabeth Lim and really enjoyed finding out that the two books are connected in some way, like a story within a story. I do have to say that I liked Six Crimson Cranes better, though. I’m starting to see a pattern with Elizabeth Lim’s love interests too: they’re always the too-perfect boyfriend who will die a thousand times over for the main character, move the sun and moon for her, they can only love her because she’s not like the other girls and she’s the one and only for them and they knew it before even speaking to her almost. As much as I liked Edan and Takkan in both stories, I wish they were more complex in that sense since I believe it would do wonders for both stories.
Overall, it was an enjoyable read and I’m definitely looking forward to reading Unravel the Dusk next, but I liked the first part more than I did the second and was expecting a little more from this. (3.5 stars)
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a digital review copy in exchange of an honest and voluntary review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death of parent and Sexism
Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim
We follow 16 year-old Shiori, the youngest of 7 siblings and only daughter of the Emperor of Kiata. The story starts the day of her betrothal ceremony, something she’d want to avoid at any cost (she’s somewhat of an entitled little brat at this point). Something else she’d want to avoid at all costs? Someone finding out she can wield magic.
Mix those two things together and she ends up jumping into a lake and almost drowning instead of meeting her betrothed. And who saves her? None other than a dragon (yes, there are drgons in this book, it just keeps getting better, I know). Of course, no one believes her, and she’s left to embroider a tapestry as an apology to her betrothed under her stepmother’s watch.
In between sewing, Shiori goes back to her signature mischief, running off to meet with Seryu (the aforementioned dragon) and basically sticking her nose where she should not. That’s how she discovers her stepmother is not who she seems to be. However, when she runs to her brothers to tell them all about their stepmother’ dark magic, they are turned into cranes and the young princess is banished to the farthest reaches of Kiata with a curse by which one of her brothers will die for every word she utters. Penniless, voiceless, and alone, Shiori searches for her brothers, and, on her journey, uncovers a conspiracy to overtake the throne and finds some unexpected allies.
The only critique I can give is that I felt like the pace of the first 30-40% was a little too fast. Everything that happened had an immediate solution, obviously not the whole curse thing, but the small things. For example, Shiori’s alone with no money and no roof over her head but only a couple pages later she already has a job and somewhere to sleep. It was good because it avoided the whole dragging at the beginning that many books suffer, but it was a little too fast for my liking.
Other than that, it was great. The world-building was fantastic, the fairytale vibes where there and, most importantly, I felt for the characters. I have a soft spot for Kiki; I absolutely loved Megari, I want to claim her as my best friend; and Takkan… As much as he was the cliché, perfect book boyfriend who will go to the ends of the world for our girl and die a thousand times over just to see her smile *eyeroll*, I didn’t care because he told the best stories and I want to marry him. What else do you want in life other than a boyfriend who tells you stories?
Also, have you seen this gorgeous cover? I thought the US cover was amazing, but this UK edition? Absolutely flawless.
I can’t wait to read the sequel and find out what mischief Seryu will be up to (is someone else sensing a love triangle in the making or is it just me?)
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the e-ARC in exchange of an honest and voluntary review.
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I’m pre-ordering a copy of this book as soon as I finish writing this review, that’s how much I loved this story.
I love retellings and pretty much anything with fairy tale vibes, so this was right up my alley and it didn’t disappoint. Six Crimson Cranes is a beautifully crafted story about magic, family bonds, love and embracing who you are.
I love retellings and pretty much anything with fairy tale vibes, so this was right up my alley and it didn’t disappoint. Six Crimson Cranes is a beautifully crafted story about magic, family bonds, love and embracing who you are.
“Find the light that makes your lantern shine. Hold on to it, even when the dark surrounds you. Not even the strongest wind will blow out the flame”
We follow 16 year-old Shiori, the youngest of 7 siblings and only daughter of the Emperor of Kiata. The story starts the day of her betrothal ceremony, something she’d want to avoid at any cost (she’s somewhat of an entitled little brat at this point). Something else she’d want to avoid at all costs? Someone finding out she can wield magic.
Mix those two things together and she ends up jumping into a lake and almost drowning instead of meeting her betrothed. And who saves her? None other than a dragon (yes, there are drgons in this book, it just keeps getting better, I know). Of course, no one believes her, and she’s left to embroider a tapestry as an apology to her betrothed under her stepmother’s watch.
In between sewing, Shiori goes back to her signature mischief, running off to meet with Seryu (the aforementioned dragon) and basically sticking her nose where she should not. That’s how she discovers her stepmother is not who she seems to be. However, when she runs to her brothers to tell them all about their stepmother’ dark magic, they are turned into cranes and the young princess is banished to the farthest reaches of Kiata with a curse by which one of her brothers will die for every word she utters. Penniless, voiceless, and alone, Shiori searches for her brothers, and, on her journey, uncovers a conspiracy to overtake the throne and finds some unexpected allies.
“Fear is just a game. You win by playing”
The only critique I can give is that I felt like the pace of the first 30-40% was a little too fast. Everything that happened had an immediate solution, obviously not the whole curse thing, but the small things. For example, Shiori’s alone with no money and no roof over her head but only a couple pages later she already has a job and somewhere to sleep. It was good because it avoided the whole dragging at the beginning that many books suffer, but it was a little too fast for my liking.
Other than that, it was great. The world-building was fantastic, the fairytale vibes where there and, most importantly, I felt for the characters. I have a soft spot for Kiki; I absolutely loved Megari, I want to claim her as my best friend; and Takkan… As much as he was the cliché, perfect book boyfriend who will go to the ends of the world for our girl and die a thousand times over just to see her smile *eyeroll*, I didn’t care because he told the best stories and I want to marry him. What else do you want in life other than a boyfriend who tells you stories?
Also, have you seen this gorgeous cover? I thought the US cover was amazing, but this UK edition? Absolutely flawless.
I can’t wait to read the sequel and find out what mischief Seryu will be up to (is someone else sensing a love triangle in the making or is it just me?)
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the e-ARC in exchange of an honest and voluntary review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Death
Moderate: Death of parent