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shcleveland's reviews
165 reviews
Faerie Fallen by Carol Beth Anderson
adventurous
medium-paced
5.0
Plot and Premise:
When rebellious young faerie Sela finds herself on the wrong side of the king’s displeasure, she is given a chance to earn back her place in the Seelie Court. To do this, she must infiltrate the household of a human family suspected of plotting against the faeries. She has two months to find out something useful, or face banishment. The mission turns out to be more than Sela bargained for when she meets Kovian, the oldest son of the Darro family.
Oh, also, this is all happening on another planet in the distant future after both faeries and human separately fled earth and colonized it.
I really enjoy this undercover sort of enemies to lovers (but unknown to one side of the equation) premise. Anderson works in a lot of our favorite romance tropes in fun, refreshing ways. The plot is engaging and twisty. Anderson reveals surprises for the reader with expert timing.
Characters:
As usual, Anderson does a fantastic job writing young adult characters who are relatable and realistic—even when they have angel wings sprouting from their backs. Sela and Kovian are each a unique blend of intelligent, innocent, and broken.
The supporting cast are developed enough. Their relationships with the main characters are well defined, but morph and grow realistically as the story progresses. We grow to hate, love, and forgive them right along with Sela and Kovian.
Worldbuilding:
The worldbuilding for Faerie Fallen is fascinating. It shows a human world frozen in a quasi early-1900s state of technological development. They have analog clocks, for example, and drive carts pulled by native beasts of burden. Yet birth control is readily available. Human society is mostly kept content in this state. The magic of the Seelie Court brings them health and relative ease of life. The beautiful faeries also protect them from the terrifying Unseelie.
Anderson also drops little hints in her worldbuilding. For example, it seems that Transa — the planet where the story takes place — seems to be in the same story universe as Anderson’s Magic Eaters books. Additional depth is added by the teasing of more revelations to come. Such as how the faeries came to exist, and… well, I’m not going to spoil anything.
Writing:
I just plain enjoy the way Anderson writes. I find her authorial voice to be pleasant and engaging. In particular, I enjoy her use of the different senses in her descriptions and imagery.
Final Thoughts:
I’m so mad about the cliffhanger ending. I wanted more of the book and I plan to pout just a little bit until I get the next one in my grubby little mitts. Anderson did a masterful job of building up a world in the early chapters and then proceeding to dismantle and warp it bit by bit through the rest of the book. Everyone in this book is wearing a mask at the start, and it is so much fun to watch those masks fall away.
5 stars. Give me the next book please.
When rebellious young faerie Sela finds herself on the wrong side of the king’s displeasure, she is given a chance to earn back her place in the Seelie Court. To do this, she must infiltrate the household of a human family suspected of plotting against the faeries. She has two months to find out something useful, or face banishment. The mission turns out to be more than Sela bargained for when she meets Kovian, the oldest son of the Darro family.
Oh, also, this is all happening on another planet in the distant future after both faeries and human separately fled earth and colonized it.
I really enjoy this undercover sort of enemies to lovers (but unknown to one side of the equation) premise. Anderson works in a lot of our favorite romance tropes in fun, refreshing ways. The plot is engaging and twisty. Anderson reveals surprises for the reader with expert timing.
Characters:
As usual, Anderson does a fantastic job writing young adult characters who are relatable and realistic—even when they have angel wings sprouting from their backs. Sela and Kovian are each a unique blend of intelligent, innocent, and broken.
The supporting cast are developed enough. Their relationships with the main characters are well defined, but morph and grow realistically as the story progresses. We grow to hate, love, and forgive them right along with Sela and Kovian.
Worldbuilding:
The worldbuilding for Faerie Fallen is fascinating. It shows a human world frozen in a quasi early-1900s state of technological development. They have analog clocks, for example, and drive carts pulled by native beasts of burden. Yet birth control is readily available. Human society is mostly kept content in this state. The magic of the Seelie Court brings them health and relative ease of life. The beautiful faeries also protect them from the terrifying Unseelie.
Anderson also drops little hints in her worldbuilding. For example, it seems that Transa — the planet where the story takes place — seems to be in the same story universe as Anderson’s Magic Eaters books. Additional depth is added by the teasing of more revelations to come. Such as how the faeries came to exist, and… well, I’m not going to spoil anything.
Writing:
I just plain enjoy the way Anderson writes. I find her authorial voice to be pleasant and engaging. In particular, I enjoy her use of the different senses in her descriptions and imagery.
Final Thoughts:
I’m so mad about the cliffhanger ending. I wanted more of the book and I plan to pout just a little bit until I get the next one in my grubby little mitts. Anderson did a masterful job of building up a world in the early chapters and then proceeding to dismantle and warp it bit by bit through the rest of the book. Everyone in this book is wearing a mask at the start, and it is so much fun to watch those masks fall away.
5 stars. Give me the next book please.
The Horseman of Sleepy Hollow by Rebecca F. Kenney
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
4.5
The premise of The Horseman of Sleepy Hollow is of course that it is a retelling of Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Admittedly, I'm not super familiar with the source material beyond some pop culture references. I've never even seen the Disney adaptation. I think I might have seen part of 1999's Sleepy Hollow? Maybe. Anyway, as I (and Wikipedia) understand it, much of the elements of the story remain the same: the lovely Katrina is caught in the rivalry of her two suitors--Ichabod Crane, the Schoolteacher and Brom. Where the stories diverge, well... what if Katrina was given a third option?
I don't want to spoil too much about the Horseman himself. This take is very much inspired by Irish mythology and gives us a much... sexier character than one might expect. His relationship with Katrina and the goings-on is interesting and kept me guessing for a little while. Leave it to Kenney to turn the Headless Horseman into a swoon-worthy romantic hero.
My only regret with the characters is that the relationship between Katrina and the man she ultimately chooses is a bit rushed. It makes sense, given the length of the story. As this is a novella and a retelling of a short story, the plot is rather straightforward. There's an incident with a tree branch that almost broke my suspension of disbelief, but I was able to roll with it and enjoy the story. Honestly though, part of me wishes that there had been more story, fleshing this out to a full-blown novel. I would have liked some more romance and some more intrigue with the real evil of Sleepy Hollow. Still, the plot was sensical and enjoyable.
I really enjoyed The Horseman of Sleepy Hollow. It was a fun Halloween-time read that didn't leave me hiding under the covers. It was just the right about of spook and steam for a chilly autumn night.
I don't want to spoil too much about the Horseman himself. This take is very much inspired by Irish mythology and gives us a much... sexier character than one might expect. His relationship with Katrina and the goings-on is interesting and kept me guessing for a little while. Leave it to Kenney to turn the Headless Horseman into a swoon-worthy romantic hero.
My only regret with the characters is that the relationship between Katrina and the man she ultimately chooses is a bit rushed. It makes sense, given the length of the story. As this is a novella and a retelling of a short story, the plot is rather straightforward. There's an incident with a tree branch that almost broke my suspension of disbelief, but I was able to roll with it and enjoy the story. Honestly though, part of me wishes that there had been more story, fleshing this out to a full-blown novel. I would have liked some more romance and some more intrigue with the real evil of Sleepy Hollow. Still, the plot was sensical and enjoyable.
I really enjoyed The Horseman of Sleepy Hollow. It was a fun Halloween-time read that didn't leave me hiding under the covers. It was just the right about of spook and steam for a chilly autumn night.
The Chrysillium Tree by Laken Honeycutt
adventurous
medium-paced
4.0
The book starts with an interesting premise. The main character, Mæve, has been taken as a slave by a cruel, expansionist empire. Her slavery puts her in the right place to learn some of the terrible secrets and plunge her into a whirlwind of rebellion and romance.
The worldbuilding is fantastic. It just feels like there's a ton of history, myth, and lore hiding behind every door in this book. I suspect we only got a small taste of everything there is. Further, each world element that was introduced seemed to have a direct impact on the story while still giving the world depth and breadth.
Some of the characters did fall a little flat for me at times. While there were injuries and deaths, they weren't particularly impactful because we weren't really given enough time with those characters to feel a lot of attachment to them.
I did have some issues with the plot. There were some great twists I was not expecting and the characters did suffer some serious injuries and losses. However. There were times when it felt like certain things were just too easy and it lost some tension for me. The romance that ended up being end-game also felt a bit underdeveloped to me, which may be why some people were Team <Redacted>.
The Chrysillium Tree was a great read with a world that felt deep and full of interesting cultures and conflicts. Its greatest strengths are in its world-building and the interesting stage in which the characters tell their story. I'm really looking forward to a follow-up!
The worldbuilding is fantastic. It just feels like there's a ton of history, myth, and lore hiding behind every door in this book. I suspect we only got a small taste of everything there is. Further, each world element that was introduced seemed to have a direct impact on the story while still giving the world depth and breadth.
Some of the characters did fall a little flat for me at times. While there were injuries and deaths, they weren't particularly impactful because we weren't really given enough time with those characters to feel a lot of attachment to them.
I did have some issues with the plot. There were some great twists I was not expecting and the characters did suffer some serious injuries and losses. However. There were times when it felt like certain things were just too easy and it lost some tension for me. The romance that ended up being end-game also felt a bit underdeveloped to me, which may be why some people were Team <Redacted>.
The Chrysillium Tree was a great read with a world that felt deep and full of interesting cultures and conflicts. Its greatest strengths are in its world-building and the interesting stage in which the characters tell their story. I'm really looking forward to a follow-up!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery, Violence, War
The Teeth in the Tide by Rebecca F. Kenney
dark
emotional
medium-paced
5.0
There are very few books where I'm less than two chapters in and I'm already thinking "this is going to be a 5 stars review." The Teeth in the Tide was one of those for me. It is just plain good. The writing is spot on. The character development is great. Kenney somehow manages to bring a sense of absolute horror without actually turning it into a horror novel. I got to the end of the book and I my immediate thought was I want more. Fortunately for me, it appears that Kenney does intend to continue the story in a second installment and I am already chomping at the bit for it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism
Moderate: Gore
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Death of parent
The Exile Empire by Joshua Done
4.0
This book is one part space opera, one part war-story, and one-part political saga. Several of the characters are interesting and the pace is often break-neck. With humanity on the brink of extinction and on the run it was certainly a nice change of pace from several of the usual tropes that litter the genre. Humanity hasn't won all its battles and hasn't solved all its problems.
The only real beef I have with this book isn't so much a writing thing as a formatting issue. Some places in the book which, upon re-reading them several times, appear to be scene changes have nothing to cue the reader that the scene is about to change. The effect is a little jarring and left me a bit confused at first.
The Blood Lure by Peter Meredith
4.0
The only thing that drove me crazy was the misuse of exorcise and exercise. But it was a great story.