prettyfunctional's reviews
116 reviews

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

adventurous challenging mysterious 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

3.5

I read this book after loving The Once and Future Witches. They were wildly different and I appreciate the author for that. I love the mix of plot twists you can see coming and the ones you can't

However... I'm not sure about the depictions of race in this book. Awkward at best. I'll be thinking on the topic for a while before I know how I feel

Content Warnings

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

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dark reflective sad slow-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

Content Warnings

A Touch of Ruin by Scarlett St. Clair

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fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.25

The Crown of Gilded Bones by Jennifer L. Armentrout

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fast-paced

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

2.0

I like some of the elements of the world-building but can't get into it. The vampire/werewolf dynamics are new to me and I like that but of course they hinge on a race metaphor because fantasy. Don't love that.
Cool plot ideas are happening in this most recent book but they sure take a while to get there and there is so much foreshadowing that you've probably figured it out long before the reveal happens. Definitely a confusing way to go about defining the character's lineage.
As far as the characters, there are a few attempts at diversity that feel forced at best while all the other characters are left racially ambiguous. For example, it was recently pointed out to me that "Kieran" literally means "black." All the characters of color basically serve to prop up the main character and make her seem like a good person. Obvious and uncomfortable.
Another qualm is the scale of events. Something is described as being a major event and is so shocking to the character but makes no lasting impression on the character's relationships or on the world... what's up with that? For example, when she was nearly murdered at the end of the last book and then nothing really happened because of it or when she was crowned queen and nothing about her life changed? why bother?

The Tiger's Daughter by K. Arsenault Rivera

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adventurous challenging slow-paced