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smokedshelves's reviews
568 reviews
Hurricane Child by Kacen Callender
2.0
i worry the low rating this one is partially from boredom and partially from other things in my life effecting my enjoyment. i'll consider a reread a few years down the line to see if my feelings change about this one once i'm more removed from what's going on right now. :/
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown
4.0
for reference, the disability rep: MMC has panic attacks/anxiety and FMC has migraines
Shoestring Theory by Mariana Costa
5.0
thank you to angry robot books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
i sat on this book for way longer than i intended to and i will regret that decision for many moons to come. this book was everything (and more) i could want from a cosy fantasy. time travelling hijinks to try and save the future. romance with a splash of enemies in between. found family vibes!
cyril was such a compelling character to follow as he goes back about 30 years into the past to try and stop his home country and his husband (the king) from ruining their land. a lot of his decisions in this book are centered around his self worth (well, lack thereof) and and underlying need to try and fix his previous wrongs. so, what does it say about me that i kinned with cyril so hard. i truly just appreciated that he was essentially ride or die for his home, for his family (found and actual). and throughout the book we follow him as he finds his confidence in said life. it made my heart so full to see cyril learn how much his family truly loves him despite any flaws or mess ups.
i feel like usually i write a lot in my reviews. i actually want to keep this one a bit short since like with many books with sci-fi type elements (time travel) it would ruin a lot of the story if i began to explain the plot and all the aspects of it. i will say that i really loved the use of the “visible” magic system and how there were specialties/sub-sects. i think that aspect of the story truly elevated it even further for me (i mean, freya marske’s a marvellous light is one of my favorite magic systems and that was cat’s cradle... so it’s no surprise a somewhat similar style would also become a favorite!). i think this story was so clever but 1000% you can put the pieces together as you go. and, to me, i think that’s what makes it a great cosy fantasy.
and don’t get me started on the romance! if nothing else, they had me blushing and giggling and kicking my feet the whole way through. their star-crossed romance will sway you over if nothing else did!
i sat on this book for way longer than i intended to and i will regret that decision for many moons to come. this book was everything (and more) i could want from a cosy fantasy. time travelling hijinks to try and save the future. romance with a splash of enemies in between. found family vibes!
cyril was such a compelling character to follow as he goes back about 30 years into the past to try and stop his home country and his husband (the king) from ruining their land. a lot of his decisions in this book are centered around his self worth (well, lack thereof) and and underlying need to try and fix his previous wrongs. so, what does it say about me that i kinned with cyril so hard. i truly just appreciated that he was essentially ride or die for his home, for his family (found and actual). and throughout the book we follow him as he finds his confidence in said life. it made my heart so full to see cyril learn how much his family truly loves him despite any flaws or mess ups.
i feel like usually i write a lot in my reviews. i actually want to keep this one a bit short since like with many books with sci-fi type elements (time travel) it would ruin a lot of the story if i began to explain the plot and all the aspects of it. i will say that i really loved the use of the “visible” magic system and how there were specialties/sub-sects. i think that aspect of the story truly elevated it even further for me (i mean, freya marske’s a marvellous light is one of my favorite magic systems and that was cat’s cradle... so it’s no surprise a somewhat similar style would also become a favorite!). i think this story was so clever but 1000% you can put the pieces together as you go. and, to me, i think that’s what makes it a great cosy fantasy.
and don’t get me started on the romance! if nothing else, they had me blushing and giggling and kicking my feet the whole way through. their star-crossed romance will sway you over if nothing else did!