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shcleveland's reviews
165 reviews
Sistersong by Lucy Holland
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
My feelings about this book are complicated.
At first, I had a really hard time caring about Riva and Sinne. In particular, I found Sinne's sections grating. Up to about the 60% mark, I was wishing Keyne was an only child. As the plot picked up, however, the importance of Riva and Sinne's threads became more apparent. I had an inkling about the big plot twist early on, but the author managed to have me going back and forth second-guessing my assumptions. If I were just rating on plot and characters, the book would be a solid 4.5 stars. However...
There were so many details about the historical setting that I found confusing or just made me want to beat my head against a wall. "WHAT YEAR IS IT????"' was a question I found myself asking constantly. Based on the ash falling from the sky I'm GUESSING that we're looking at 536 CE and boy or boy does that lead me to more questions about the state of affairs as far as the Christianization of these pagan cultures goes. The Romano-Britons probably would have been mainly Christian at that point if I remember correctly.
Which brings me to the paganism of the book. I couldn't tell if the author was going for syncretism, or just pulling the names of pagan gods out of a hat. Some of the West Saxon enemies might have been worshiping Woden, but probably not these Brythonic-speaking celts? The festivals mentioned also looked suspiciously like the Wiccan Wheel of the Year. The Old English Eostre was used in place of Ostara at least, but... the author is clearly aware that it was the Saxons that spoke Old English since there's straight up OE dialogue for them in the book. It's more likely they would have worshipped Eostre? I have questions.
There's also a reference to Lammas, which is again Middle English though it comes from the Old English for "loaf mass" a term that I don't think even the West Saxons would have been using in 536? I'm pretty sure there's a Welsh harvest festival that would have made more sense.
Anyway, the religion and linguistics were just a distracting mess.
At first, I had a really hard time caring about Riva and Sinne. In particular, I found Sinne's sections grating. Up to about the 60% mark, I was wishing Keyne was an only child. As the plot picked up, however, the importance of Riva and Sinne's threads became more apparent. I had an inkling about the big plot twist early on, but the author managed to have me going back and forth second-guessing my assumptions. If I were just rating on plot and characters, the book would be a solid 4.5 stars. However...
There were so many details about the historical setting that I found confusing or just made me want to beat my head against a wall. "WHAT YEAR IS IT????"' was a question I found myself asking constantly. Based on the ash falling from the sky I'm GUESSING that we're looking at 536 CE and boy or boy does that lead me to more questions about the state of affairs as far as the Christianization of these pagan cultures goes. The Romano-Britons probably would have been mainly Christian at that point if I remember correctly.
Which brings me to the paganism of the book. I couldn't tell if the author was going for syncretism, or just pulling the names of pagan gods out of a hat. Some of the West Saxon enemies might have been worshiping Woden, but probably not these Brythonic-speaking celts? The festivals mentioned also looked suspiciously like the Wiccan Wheel of the Year. The Old English Eostre was used in place of Ostara at least, but... the author is clearly aware that it was the Saxons that spoke Old English since there's straight up OE dialogue for them in the book. It's more likely they would have worshipped Eostre? I have questions.
There's also a reference to Lammas, which is again Middle English though it comes from the Old English for "loaf mass" a term that I don't think even the West Saxons would have been using in 536? I'm pretty sure there's a Welsh harvest festival that would have made more sense.
Anyway, the religion and linguistics were just a distracting mess.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Sexism, Transphobia, Violence, Religious bigotry, Death of parent
Minor: Pregnancy, War
Set the Record Straight by Hannah Bonam-Young
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
The story was enjoyable and generally delivered on the blurb. However, I really wish there'd been more tension and build-up. The characters just sort of went from fake dating to real dating at the drop of a hat before they even got to the big events they were supposed to be fake dating for. We also barely got to see those events and nothing much interesting happened at them. It was sort of anticlimactic in a way.
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia, Lesbophobia
Yule Be Back by Aurora Biggs
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
By the title, I was expecting this to be a little more of a holiday book. The events do start around Samhain and wrap up at Yule, but there really isn't anything festive about the book at all. Most of it is focused on the loss of Malcolm's mother and the rekindling of the main characters' relationship.
I think the book handles the process of losing a parent and grief in general fairly well. I found myself in tears from about the 62 to 80% mark.
All in all, it's not a bad book, but I don't recommend picking it up if you're just looking for a light holiday read.
I think the book handles the process of losing a parent and grief in general fairly well. I found myself in tears from about the 62 to 80% mark.
All in all, it's not a bad book, but I don't recommend picking it up if you're just looking for a light holiday read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders
The Pale Horseman by Bernard Cornwell
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Gore, Violence
Minor: Vomit
A Sea of Pearls & Leaves by Rosalyn Briar
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
I really struggled to get through the book. There's nothing wrong with it, per se. The writing is great and it's well edited. I just found most of the characters to just be unlikable. Soren was the best of the bunch. The romance was also lacking. We got to see Ingrid and Soren start to fall in love, but the relationship between Soren and Lilura was too under-developed for the ending. I just can't imagine these characters actually working together in the long-run.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content, Death of parent
The Anglo-Saxons: A History of the Beginnings of England by Marc Morris
informative
slow-paced
3.5
I think the worst thing about this book was the way it sort of wove different threads together at the beginning of the chapters, following different historical figures through the same time periods. It was very confusing at times, especially in the audiobook format. Still, I think it's a good overview of the Anglo-Saxon period in England.
Blood Crescent by S.M. McCoy
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
I was listening to the audiobook and I just could not get into the narrator. I will pick this up later in digital or paperback.
Maiden of Pain by Kameron M. Franklin
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I picked this up specifically because I'm playing a cleric of Loviatar in a D&D campaign set in Forgotten Realms. So I slogged through the whole book mainly to get an idea of how such characters are treated in canon. Anywho, this is probably the worst Forgotten Realms book I've ever read.
The idea of Ythnel being more of a neutral, morally-gray character was interesting. I liked the nuance of the approach to a book about a cleric to an "evil" deity. And that's pretty much where my praise for the book ends.
I found the overall execution of the book clunky. I did a lot of skimming, if I'm being honest. And while I normally like many POV characters, I think the story bounces around a little too much in places or show a scene from the wrong POV. Saestra, for example, was a completely pointless character and I have no idea why ANYTHING was told from her POV. And on that note... what was the point of the vampires? They did nothing for the plot that I could see. Padding to hit a minimum word count?
On the bright side, I did find some interesting tidbits for my D&D character, so it wasn't a total waste. I just regret buying it and instead of checking the library first.
The idea of Ythnel being more of a neutral, morally-gray character was interesting. I liked the nuance of the approach to a book about a cleric to an "evil" deity. And that's pretty much where my praise for the book ends.
I found the overall execution of the book clunky. I did a lot of skimming, if I'm being honest. And while I normally like many POV characters, I think the story bounces around a little too much in places or show a scene from the wrong POV. Saestra, for example, was a completely pointless character and I have no idea why ANYTHING was told from her POV. And on that note... what was the point of the vampires? They did nothing for the plot that I could see. Padding to hit a minimum word count?
On the bright side, I did find some interesting tidbits for my D&D character, so it wasn't a total waste. I just regret buying it and instead of checking the library first.
Embers of Fate by Michele Quirke
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Disclaimer: I was a beta reader for this book, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. I try to remain as unbiased as I can.
No sophomore slump for Michele Quirke. Embers of Fate is a fantastic follow-up, and in my opinion a stronger book than The Fires of Treason.
Embers of Fate sees Elizabeth and Greg having to deal with the fallout of the events of book one and their continued exile. After a chance encounter, the protestant siblings find themselves wintering in a pagan village. Elizabeth and Greg must overcome their own biases as they find their places among the villagers. Unfortunately for Elizabeth, many believe prophecy places her at the side of their arrogant chief. Will Elizabeth marry Eric? Or will her building love for Matthias, the cursed village outcast, be too strong to resist? I love this premise and the way it plays with the fated love trope.
While it does not slack on character development, I find Embers of Fate is much more plot-driven than the previous book. I found the story to be more exciting and engaging than The Fires of Treason, which did more to introduce us to the main characters, plus the kingdom and politics of Caracalla.
I guessed the big twist for the book pretty early on, but that didn't make me enjoy the plot any less. I couldn't wait to see how the characters unraveled everything. The story also wrapped up in such a satisfying way while still hitting us with one hell of a hook for the next book. I need book 3 stat.
For a more in-depth review, you can check out my blog post.
https://www.sara-cleveland.com/review...
No sophomore slump for Michele Quirke. Embers of Fate is a fantastic follow-up, and in my opinion a stronger book than The Fires of Treason.
Embers of Fate sees Elizabeth and Greg having to deal with the fallout of the events of book one and their continued exile. After a chance encounter, the protestant siblings find themselves wintering in a pagan village. Elizabeth and Greg must overcome their own biases as they find their places among the villagers. Unfortunately for Elizabeth, many believe prophecy places her at the side of their arrogant chief. Will Elizabeth marry Eric? Or will her building love for Matthias, the cursed village outcast, be too strong to resist? I love this premise and the way it plays with the fated love trope.
While it does not slack on character development, I find Embers of Fate is much more plot-driven than the previous book. I found the story to be more exciting and engaging than The Fires of Treason, which did more to introduce us to the main characters, plus the kingdom and politics of Caracalla.
I guessed the big twist for the book pretty early on, but that didn't make me enjoy the plot any less. I couldn't wait to see how the characters unraveled everything. The story also wrapped up in such a satisfying way while still hitting us with one hell of a hook for the next book. I need book 3 stat.
For a more in-depth review, you can check out my blog post.
https://www.sara-cleveland.com/review...