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phyllica_reads's reviews
726 reviews
The Mask of Mirrors by M.A. Carrick
challenging
slow-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
4.0
* Audio with a physical companion book review *
Narrator: (Nicky Massoud- listened via Spotify) 5 stars
Story: 3-3.5 stars
Overall: 4 stars
Another book that has been sitting on my shelf for ages is finally ticked off the list.
Mask of Mirrors is book one in the Rook & Rose trilogy which features a variety of characters, a political/social hierarchy, its own magic/religion system, and a fair amount of mystery.
I will not sugarcoat that I wanted to give up on this book within the first 100-150 pages. Why? Because it is exceptionally dense. Between the rapid introduction of characters, pages of long-winded info dumping, and a lack of solid physical world-building, I found myself very eager to close the book and move on.
What saved me was the audiobook. After putting this down for a day or two, I decided to give it another chance. If I hadn't been listening to it, I probably would have DNF'd it and donated the trilogy to my local library, but the uniqueness and variation of characters from the narrator convinced me to try again.
Starting from where I left off, I decided to mentally step back and try to focus on the story rather than reading as critically as I normally would with an epic fantasy such as this. This allowed me to come up for air since the authors writing remains heavy throughout.
I don't enjoy when other people tell me to "push through" or "it gets better after this page" but I am going to do just that and tell you that this story does get much better after pages 250-300. At least for me. If you don't want to physically read it, the audiobook is worth a try.
Once the story allowed the plot to shine and wasn't bogged down with unnecessary information, I liked the book much more. By the end, I was convinced enough that I will continue to read the next two books in the trilogy.
Highlights/Tropes:
LGBTQIA+ (mild underlying details)
magic system
religious system
social/political hierarchy
3rd person/multi pov
mystery
Narrator: (Nicky Massoud- listened via Spotify) 5 stars
Story: 3-3.5 stars
Overall: 4 stars
Another book that has been sitting on my shelf for ages is finally ticked off the list.
Mask of Mirrors is book one in the Rook & Rose trilogy which features a variety of characters, a political/social hierarchy, its own magic/religion system, and a fair amount of mystery.
I will not sugarcoat that I wanted to give up on this book within the first 100-150 pages. Why? Because it is exceptionally dense. Between the rapid introduction of characters, pages of long-winded info dumping, and a lack of solid physical world-building, I found myself very eager to close the book and move on.
What saved me was the audiobook. After putting this down for a day or two, I decided to give it another chance. If I hadn't been listening to it, I probably would have DNF'd it and donated the trilogy to my local library, but the uniqueness and variation of characters from the narrator convinced me to try again.
Starting from where I left off, I decided to mentally step back and try to focus on the story rather than reading as critically as I normally would with an epic fantasy such as this. This allowed me to come up for air since the authors writing remains heavy throughout.
I don't enjoy when other people tell me to "push through" or "it gets better after this page" but I am going to do just that and tell you that this story does get much better after pages 250-300. At least for me. If you don't want to physically read it, the audiobook is worth a try.
Once the story allowed the plot to shine and wasn't bogged down with unnecessary information, I liked the book much more. By the end, I was convinced enough that I will continue to read the next two books in the trilogy.
Highlights/Tropes:
LGBTQIA+ (mild underlying details)
magic system
religious system
social/political hierarchy
3rd person/multi pov
mystery
The Fires of Vengeance by Evan Winter
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
* Audio with physical companion review *
Narrator: 5+ stars. Fantastic job. Prentice Onayemi is incredible!
Story: 5 Stars
Overall: 5+ Stars
This book. This series.
So. Damn. Good!
Through every twist, turn, and breath-stealing moment, Evan Winter takes the reader on an outstanding journey and I was not ready for the ending.
Each page had something new to offer and unveiled more of the stunning world created.
Exhausted, broken, and fueled by unfathomable rage, we continue to follow Tau on his path to justice alongside his most trusted men.
A beautiful world soaked in blood and violence. Will they ever know peace?
Narrator: 5+ stars. Fantastic job. Prentice Onayemi is incredible!
Story: 5 Stars
Overall: 5+ Stars
This book. This series.
So. Damn. Good!
Through every twist, turn, and breath-stealing moment, Evan Winter takes the reader on an outstanding journey and I was not ready for the ending.
Each page had something new to offer and unveiled more of the stunning world created.
Exhausted, broken, and fueled by unfathomable rage, we continue to follow Tau on his path to justice alongside his most trusted men.
A beautiful world soaked in blood and violence. Will they ever know peace?
The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
5.0
* Audio with physical companion review *
Narrator: 5+ stars. Fantastic job. Prentice Onayemi brought this story to life.
Story: 4.75 Stars
Overall: 5 Stars
The Rage of Dragons is a gut-wrenching, African-inspired story filled with non-stop action, a diverse cast of characters, and an unquenchable thirst for revenge.
From the exceptional performance of the narrator to the gripping story being told, I found this book so hard to put down. So much so, that I almost read it in one sitting. These characters are put through and endless battle with no sign of reprieve.
It does have pieces of what lovers of this genre would expect in an epic fantasy, however, Evan Winter has managed to create a story unlike any I have read.
I have had these books on my shelf for FAR TOO LONG and I am so happy I decided now was a good time to experience this amazing journey.
Now if you'll excuse me, I am off to reach for book two, The Fires of Vengeance, from my bookshelf and dive back in.
Narrator: 5+ stars. Fantastic job. Prentice Onayemi brought this story to life.
Story: 4.75 Stars
Overall: 5 Stars
The Rage of Dragons is a gut-wrenching, African-inspired story filled with non-stop action, a diverse cast of characters, and an unquenchable thirst for revenge.
From the exceptional performance of the narrator to the gripping story being told, I found this book so hard to put down. So much so, that I almost read it in one sitting. These characters are put through and endless battle with no sign of reprieve.
It does have pieces of what lovers of this genre would expect in an epic fantasy, however, Evan Winter has managed to create a story unlike any I have read.
I have had these books on my shelf for FAR TOO LONG and I am so happy I decided now was a good time to experience this amazing journey.
Now if you'll excuse me, I am off to reach for book two, The Fires of Vengeance, from my bookshelf and dive back in.
A Game of Fate by Scarlett St. Clair
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
* Audio review with a physical book companion read *
Narrator: 3 stars
Story: 5 Stars
I am team multi-POV all of the way, so naturally I had to read/listen to this book immediately after A Touch of Darkness. I certainly preferred the narrator for Persephone's POV, however, I still enjoyed Hade's story just as much, if not more than hers. On paper, Persephone came off as juvenile and whiny at times.
With A Game of Fate, we experienced a lot more interaction with the gods and received a new subplot intermingled with the plot we know from ATOD. You also observe how angsty and horny Hades truly is.
Hecate is by far my favorite, especially with her constantly calling Hades out for doing something dumb. Getting more humor with Hermes was also a nice treat.
I am thoroughly entertained with this series and this book and plan on consuming the rest from both POVs.
Narrator: 3 stars
Story: 5 Stars
I am team multi-POV all of the way, so naturally I had to read/listen to this book immediately after A Touch of Darkness. I certainly preferred the narrator for Persephone's POV, however, I still enjoyed Hade's story just as much, if not more than hers. On paper, Persephone came off as juvenile and whiny at times.
With A Game of Fate, we experienced a lot more interaction with the gods and received a new subplot intermingled with the plot we know from ATOD. You also observe how angsty and horny Hades truly is.
Hecate is by far my favorite, especially with her constantly calling Hades out for doing something dumb. Getting more humor with Hermes was also a nice treat.
I am thoroughly entertained with this series and this book and plan on consuming the rest from both POVs.
A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
*Audio review with a physical companion*
Narrator: 5 stars (I don't normally like women voicing male characters, but I didn't mind it for this story)
Story: 5 stars
Overall: 5 Stars
This series has been sitting on my shelf for an embarrassingly long time, and I am finally getting to them. I have always heard excellent things about this series, I found myself jumping around on my shelves and telling myself I would get to these eventually.
I am glad I decided now was a good time to start.
I feel the gods/goddesses/greek mythology idea had been well and truly overdone, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that this series is set in a modern setting. It certainly made for a better experience. I would have liked this book on its own, however, having the audiobook as well, excited that experience. I found the narrator had a good range of voices and acted out the parts wonderfully. Because of this, I will be continuing the remainder of the series with both the physical copies from my shelf along with the audiobook
Narrator: 5 stars (I don't normally like women voicing male characters, but I didn't mind it for this story)
Story: 5 stars
Overall: 5 Stars
This series has been sitting on my shelf for an embarrassingly long time, and I am finally getting to them. I have always heard excellent things about this series, I found myself jumping around on my shelves and telling myself I would get to these eventually.
I am glad I decided now was a good time to start.
I feel the gods/goddesses/greek mythology idea had been well and truly overdone, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that this series is set in a modern setting. It certainly made for a better experience. I would have liked this book on its own, however, having the audiobook as well, excited that experience. I found the narrator had a good range of voices and acted out the parts wonderfully. Because of this, I will be continuing the remainder of the series with both the physical copies from my shelf along with the audiobook
Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.75
*Audio review with physical companion*
Narrator: 4.5 Stars
Story: 4.5- 5 Stars
Overall: 4.75-5 Stars
My epic green bone journey has officially come to a close and I'm left feeling... I don't know.
Did I love this book? Yes, but trying to put my thoughts into words is proving difficult.
Was this how I expected Jade Legacy to play out? Kind of. I mean, what else can you expect after the gigantic whirlwind of Jade War? It has Legacy written in the title.
Did I expect the long drawn-out war pages, with excessive amounts of politics involved? Also kind of.
What I didn't expect was the pace in which this story was written. It followed the path of more characters than the other stories which I appreciated and loved, however, I found certain chapters bogged down with unnecessary war topics that didn't have as much of an impact overall as the story suggested.
The faster-paced, action scenes and inner clan matters were more engulfing and entertaining. Those moments tugged at me as a reader and kept me hungry for more.
In conclusion, I still feel Jade Legacy and the Green Bone Saga as a whole is an amazing series and I highly recommend it for readers who want an in-depth reading experience. This book does tie everything together beautifully and will remain on my bookshelf for the foreseeable future when I am ready to pick it up again for a re-read.
Narrator: 4.5 Stars
Story: 4.5- 5 Stars
Overall: 4.75-5 Stars
My epic green bone journey has officially come to a close and I'm left feeling... I don't know.
Did I love this book? Yes, but trying to put my thoughts into words is proving difficult.
Was this how I expected Jade Legacy to play out? Kind of. I mean, what else can you expect after the gigantic whirlwind of Jade War? It has Legacy written in the title.
Did I expect the long drawn-out war pages, with excessive amounts of politics involved? Also kind of.
What I didn't expect was the pace in which this story was written. It followed the path of more characters than the other stories which I appreciated and loved, however, I found certain chapters bogged down with unnecessary war topics that didn't have as much of an impact overall as the story suggested.
The faster-paced, action scenes and inner clan matters were more engulfing and entertaining. Those moments tugged at me as a reader and kept me hungry for more.
In conclusion, I still feel Jade Legacy and the Green Bone Saga as a whole is an amazing series and I highly recommend it for readers who want an in-depth reading experience. This book does tie everything together beautifully and will remain on my bookshelf for the foreseeable future when I am ready to pick it up again for a re-read.
Jade War by Fonda Lee
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
*Audio Review with physical book companion*
Narrator: 4 stars
Story: 5+ stars
Overall: 5 stars
Wow.. Jade War was easily a five-star, emotional whirlwind read.
I picked book two up immediately after finishing book one, Jade City, and hated having to put this down for work. From start to finish this book was so damn good! Fonda Lee consistently weaves world-building, political intrigue/hierarchy, and a unique array of characters on each page. Every opportunity I had to dive back in, I took it. I was able to get lost in the pages and felt each emotional twist as they occurred
Narrator: 4 stars
Story: 5+ stars
Overall: 5 stars
Wow.. Jade War was easily a five-star, emotional whirlwind read.
I picked book two up immediately after finishing book one, Jade City, and hated having to put this down for work. From start to finish this book was so damn good! Fonda Lee consistently weaves world-building, political intrigue/hierarchy, and a unique array of characters on each page. Every opportunity I had to dive back in, I took it. I was able to get lost in the pages and felt each emotional twist as they occurred
Jade City by Fonda Lee
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
* Audio Review with physical companion *
Narrator: 4 Stars
Story: 4-4.5 stars
Overall: 4.25 Stars
I bought this book ages ago and it has been sitting on my bookshelf waiting to be devoured.
I listened to the audiobook while following and annotating the physical as well.
It did take me a few months to finish it, but that mostly fell on me and not the story.
I am grateful for the audio because, with such detail provided about the political hierarchy and world-building, I was able to remain on a steady pace and grasp the minor details as well.
The second half of the story is where the pace picks up and I felt more invested in the story and the characters. By the time I finished it, I was ready to dive straight into book two.
Narrator: 4 Stars
Story: 4-4.5 stars
Overall: 4.25 Stars
I bought this book ages ago and it has been sitting on my bookshelf waiting to be devoured.
I listened to the audiobook while following and annotating the physical as well.
It did take me a few months to finish it, but that mostly fell on me and not the story.
I am grateful for the audio because, with such detail provided about the political hierarchy and world-building, I was able to remain on a steady pace and grasp the minor details as well.
The second half of the story is where the pace picks up and I felt more invested in the story and the characters. By the time I finished it, I was ready to dive straight into book two.
Forever Reign by V.B. Lacey
slow-paced
3.5
* 3.5 Stars *
I went back and forth when deciding my rating for this book, because although I liked it, I wasn't head over heels for it.
Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this story as much as book one. Considering how open the ending was, I expected this story to be faster-paced and filled with more urgency, but it lacked that until the ending. Because of this, I did put this down quite a bit. This duet didn't pan out the way I expected, but it could be your cup of tea.
If you're looking for a simple, easy-to-follow, elemental fantasy duet, then you might want to check out The Elementals of Iona books.
I went back and forth when deciding my rating for this book, because although I liked it, I wasn't head over heels for it.
Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this story as much as book one. Considering how open the ending was, I expected this story to be faster-paced and filled with more urgency, but it lacked that until the ending. Because of this, I did put this down quite a bit. This duet didn't pan out the way I expected, but it could be your cup of tea.
If you're looking for a simple, easy-to-follow, elemental fantasy duet, then you might want to check out The Elementals of Iona books.
Between Dragons and their Wrath by Devin Madson
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
My first Devin Madson review.
The beginning of the book immediately throws the reader into the action with the threat of war and introduces us to the name of one of the antagonists. From the perspective of our first female lead, the uncertainty and distress begins right away.
World-building:
This is where the book fell a bit short for me. Since our three main characters are spread throughout this world, I found myself having a hard time imagining the scenes, the buildings, and the world around each character. Certain points remained vivid, while others lacked imagery entirely. Especially describing the monsters.
Characters:
Told from 1st person multi-pov, I didn't have any difficulty switching between their POVs. What could have been improved here were their descriptions. Unless I blatantly missed it, their (mainly the two FMCs) identities were very unclear to me and at times their images were blurry blobs moving throughout the scenes. I wasn't able to fully picture them and become engulfed in their body language or mannerisms.
Ashadi and Mana stole the show for me. 100%. Their storyline is by far my favorite and I can't wait to see how their situation-ship develops.
Story:
This is where the book thrived in my opinion. Even with a lack of development in other areas, I was able to follow the plot thread and the characters' subplots rather easily. Between undercover political takedowns, action scenes involving dragons, and a very mysterious Alchemist, I can honestly say this was a good read.
Highlights/Tropes:
1st person/multi pov
lgbtqia+
mild explicit scenes
action & adventure
alchemical intrigue
a secret society/gang
threats of war
political hierarchy
mystery
dragons
The beginning of the book immediately throws the reader into the action with the threat of war and introduces us to the name of one of the antagonists. From the perspective of our first female lead, the uncertainty and distress begins right away.
World-building:
This is where the book fell a bit short for me. Since our three main characters are spread throughout this world, I found myself having a hard time imagining the scenes, the buildings, and the world around each character. Certain points remained vivid, while others lacked imagery entirely. Especially describing the monsters.
Characters:
Told from 1st person multi-pov, I didn't have any difficulty switching between their POVs. What could have been improved here were their descriptions. Unless I blatantly missed it, their (mainly the two FMCs) identities were very unclear to me and at times their images were blurry blobs moving throughout the scenes. I wasn't able to fully picture them and become engulfed in their body language or mannerisms.
Ashadi and Mana stole the show for me. 100%. Their storyline is by far my favorite and I can't wait to see how their situation-ship develops.
Story:
This is where the book thrived in my opinion. Even with a lack of development in other areas, I was able to follow the plot thread and the characters' subplots rather easily. Between undercover political takedowns, action scenes involving dragons, and a very mysterious Alchemist, I can honestly say this was a good read.
Highlights/Tropes:
1st person/multi pov
lgbtqia+
mild explicit scenes
action & adventure
alchemical intrigue
a secret society/gang
threats of war
political hierarchy
mystery
dragons