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pagethatreads's reviews
7 reviews
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? Yes
5.0
“That's the point of it, Bryce. Of life. To live, to love, knowing that it might all vanish tomorrow. It makes everything that much more precious.”
Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life, until her closest friends were brutally murdered, turning her life upside down and leaving her alone. When the crimes begin anew, she finds herself teaming up with notorious fallen angel, Hunt Athalar, the Umbra Mortis, in an investigation to uncover the killer and avenge her friends.
---
This book s h a t t e r e d me.
It’s urban fantasy meets murder mystery, with an enemies to lovers slowburn sprinkled into the mix.
I LOVE that the core focus of this story is friendship.
Bryce’s friendship with Danika shapes the entirety of the story, it is the absolute soul of the book. No matter which page or chapter you’re reading, the impact of that particular relationship is so deeply felt. Bryce’s relationships with Juniper and Lehabah create some truly touching moments throughout the story and her growing friendship with Hunt as they learn to work together was a joy to behold.
Honourable mentions go to Ember and Randall, Syrinx, Ruhn and Aidas, and that one vacuum cleaner in particular.
The last 200 pages or so really blow me away everytime I read them. I’ve read this book several times now and even though I know what’s going to happen, I still feel it every single time.
I absolutely cannot wait for Crescent City II: House of Sky and Breath.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-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
3.0
“THE CIRCUS ARRIVES WITHOUT WARNING.
NO ANNOUNCEMENTS PRECEDE IT...
IT IS SIMPLY THERE, WHEN YESTERDAY IT WAS NOT.”
---
This book follows protagonists Celia and Marco as they’re bound in a contest neither of them understand by the very people who were intended to guide and shape them in life.
The venue of their contest and our primary setting for this story is The Night Circus.
This story is a dark fantasy, containing elements of child abuse, found family and enemies to lovers. There’s an extremely mild implied sex scene and more shakespearian references than expected.
The atmosphere created for The Night Circus is absolutely stunning.
It’s dreamlike, it’s theatrical, it’s whimsical, it’s ethereal. It is a dazzling concept brought to life.
I thoroughly enjoyed the depth of detail, I really felt as if I was walking through the endless tents exploring everything as it was written before me.
I could feel the warmth, hear the crackling of the fire. I could smell the caramel on the breeze as if I’d been transported there to experience it.
I've never wanted to try a chocolate mouse more.
I haven't found many books that have the ability or the allure to bring me into their world, rather than allow me to experience it with a degree of separation from an outsider's perspective.
Nevertheless, this book is not going to be for everyone.
It's thought provoking and full of intrigue, the story written on a non linear timeline that takes place over decades, rather than weeks or years.
It has a slow build up, with multiple timeskips and pov changes that I found ridiculously convoluted at times.
While I enjoyed reading and piecing it together as I went, even towards the end when I had more of a clear picture, I still had far more questions than answers.
The characters are flawed people, which makes them interesting to follow, but unfortunately I found them lacking in true character development.
Their love story develops over the span of years throughout the book, it was trickled in over the pages, a little here and a little there, but I didn't find it convincing. It was a by-product of the story, rather than the integral part it needed to be.
This book was written as though the wonder of the circus was paramount, and its characters secondary.
The Night Circus was an enchanting book to read though I found it’s conclusion a little lacking.
NO ANNOUNCEMENTS PRECEDE IT...
IT IS SIMPLY THERE, WHEN YESTERDAY IT WAS NOT.”
---
This book follows protagonists Celia and Marco as they’re bound in a contest neither of them understand by the very people who were intended to guide and shape them in life.
The venue of their contest and our primary setting for this story is The Night Circus.
This story is a dark fantasy, containing elements of child abuse, found family and enemies to lovers. There’s an extremely mild implied sex scene and more shakespearian references than expected.
The atmosphere created for The Night Circus is absolutely stunning.
It’s dreamlike, it’s theatrical, it’s whimsical, it’s ethereal. It is a dazzling concept brought to life.
I thoroughly enjoyed the depth of detail, I really felt as if I was walking through the endless tents exploring everything as it was written before me.
I could feel the warmth, hear the crackling of the fire. I could smell the caramel on the breeze as if I’d been transported there to experience it.
I've never wanted to try a chocolate mouse more.
I haven't found many books that have the ability or the allure to bring me into their world, rather than allow me to experience it with a degree of separation from an outsider's perspective.
Nevertheless, this book is not going to be for everyone.
It's thought provoking and full of intrigue, the story written on a non linear timeline that takes place over decades, rather than weeks or years.
It has a slow build up, with multiple timeskips and pov changes that I found ridiculously convoluted at times.
While I enjoyed reading and piecing it together as I went, even towards the end when I had more of a clear picture, I still had far more questions than answers.
The characters are flawed people, which makes them interesting to follow, but unfortunately I found them lacking in true character development.
Their love story develops over the span of years throughout the book, it was trickled in over the pages, a little here and a little there, but I didn't find it convincing. It was a by-product of the story, rather than the integral part it needed to be.
This book was written as though the wonder of the circus was paramount, and its characters secondary.
The Night Circus was an enchanting book to read though I found it’s conclusion a little lacking.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Murder
The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni
dark
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The message was clear:
“Don’t let her die.
We are coming.”
---
Our protagonist is seventeen year old Kiva, prisoner of Zalindov, a notorious prison for the worst kinds of criminals, or those of severely unfortunate circumstances. For ten years she has survived against all odds, rising to the rank of Prison Healer. Her tasks; to care for those inside the walls and carve the Z that marks new prisoners for what they are.
Despite her role as healer, Kiva is not generally well liked.
She regularly interacts with a naive little brother figure named Tipp, who is just too pure for this world. The prison warden who is supposed to feel more threatening than he actually does, the new POC guard Naari, who is probably the most likable character and new prisoner and love interest Jaren, who is just a little too perfect for such a gritty setting.
With so few characters to care about, the scope of the story feels incredibly narrow. Although you understand that there is a whole world outside of the prison, it’s not touched on enough to elicit an emotional reaction to it yet.
When the Rebel Queen is captured, it falls to Kiva to keep her alive long enough for her to complete the trial by ordeal, IF she survives all four ordeals she will be declared innocent and be granted her freedom.
In a fairly predictable Hunger Gamesesque maneuver, our heroine finds herself volunteering to undertake these trials, while trying to keep the rebel queen alive, navigate her budding love life and finding the solution to a pandemic that's systematically killing off troves of prisoners.
If you’ve read YA fiction before, you’ll recognise the tropes within this book.
If you wrote a book combining The Hunger Games, Divergent, Throne of Glass and Red Queen I think you’d come fairly close to what The Prison Healer has to offer.
That being said, I enjoyed this book for what it was.
What it lacked in memorability, it made up for with that ending.
For that alone, I’m excited to see where the sequel will take us.
“Don’t let her die.
We are coming.”
---
Our protagonist is seventeen year old Kiva, prisoner of Zalindov, a notorious prison for the worst kinds of criminals, or those of severely unfortunate circumstances. For ten years she has survived against all odds, rising to the rank of Prison Healer. Her tasks; to care for those inside the walls and carve the Z that marks new prisoners for what they are.
Despite her role as healer, Kiva is not generally well liked.
She regularly interacts with a naive little brother figure named Tipp, who is just too pure for this world. The prison warden who is supposed to feel more threatening than he actually does, the new POC guard Naari, who is probably the most likable character and new prisoner and love interest Jaren, who is just a little too perfect for such a gritty setting.
With so few characters to care about, the scope of the story feels incredibly narrow. Although you understand that there is a whole world outside of the prison, it’s not touched on enough to elicit an emotional reaction to it yet.
When the Rebel Queen is captured, it falls to Kiva to keep her alive long enough for her to complete the trial by ordeal, IF she survives all four ordeals she will be declared innocent and be granted her freedom.
In a fairly predictable Hunger Gamesesque maneuver, our heroine finds herself volunteering to undertake these trials, while trying to keep the rebel queen alive, navigate her budding love life and finding the solution to a pandemic that's systematically killing off troves of prisoners.
If you’ve read YA fiction before, you’ll recognise the tropes within this book.
If you wrote a book combining The Hunger Games, Divergent, Throne of Glass and Red Queen I think you’d come fairly close to what The Prison Healer has to offer.
That being said, I enjoyed this book for what it was.
What it lacked in memorability, it made up for with that ending.
For that alone, I’m excited to see where the sequel will take us.
Content Warnings
Minor: Genocide, Medical trauma, Rape, and Trafficking
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
“The way I see it, we all have a choice right now.
Are we girls, or are we demons?
Are we going to die, or are we going to survive?”
---
Sixteen year old Deka lives in fear of the Ritual of Purity that determines whether she will be allowed to remain in her village. If she bleeds red, she will truly belong.
But when the day comes, she bleeds gold - the colour of impurity, a demon.
It’s a fate worse than death.
Until a mysterious woman appears, retrieving girls like Deka to join the emperor's army and face the empire’s greatest threat.
This is Namina Forna’s debut novel and considering that fact, it did not disappoint.
Deka starts off as a meek, sweet natured farm girl living in a tiny village in the country's far north. She is deeply religious, but suffers from being considered an outcast for the colour of her skin. As the story progresses and Deka is exposed to new circumstances and situations, she begins having revelations about the way that she was raised and who she is as a person. Seeing her perspective gradually change as she grows into herself through her experiences was definitely a highlight for me.
Another thing I really appreciated with this story are the bonds that Deka forms with other women. It is very much a story of female empowerment, women lifting other women up and taking back their power from their past traumas. Sadly, despite being portrayed as a strong, tight knit group of women, some of their characters did feel a little underdeveloped, although I’m hoping that will be rectified as the series continues.
There was a romantic aspect to the story that came across as endearing, but vague.
This aspect was touched on lightly throughout the story, but never fully embraced.
The Gilded Ones suffers for its use of common YA tropes and a general feeling of predictability. There are scenes of graphic violence, racism, internalised misogyny and female oppression. Overall though, it held a solid story that is definitely worth the read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Misogyny and Sexism
Minor: Rape and Trafficking
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