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smpearce's reviews
116 reviews
King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo
I really liked KING OF SCARS! The characters were all really interesting and the plot kept me turning the pages as quickly as I could!
Some of the parts I loved were the individual character arcs for Zoya, Nikolai, and Nina—it was great to learn more about all of these characters and follow their growth. The writing and dialogue were also excellent/witty, and I enjoyed seeing more of the political aspect of things in Ravka. The romance also felt realistic and well done! Definitely one of the top reads so far this year!
There were some parts I liked less. I really wasn’t happy with the Darkling’s return, and all of the stuff at the end surrounding the saints felt a bit off. Also, while I loved Nina’s POV a lot, it didn’t really connect to the Nikolai story, and it could have been great to see her in a separate book instead.
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Overall an amazing book, and I definitely recommend checking it out if you like fantasy! SOC & Crooked Kingdom are still my absolute favourites in the Grishaverse, but KOS was an excellent read!
4.0
I really liked KING OF SCARS! The characters were all really interesting and the plot kept me turning the pages as quickly as I could!
Some of the parts I loved were the individual character arcs for Zoya, Nikolai, and Nina—it was great to learn more about all of these characters and follow their growth. The writing and dialogue were also excellent/witty, and I enjoyed seeing more of the political aspect of things in Ravka. The romance also felt realistic and well done! Definitely one of the top reads so far this year!
There were some parts I liked less. I really wasn’t happy with the Darkling’s return, and all of the stuff at the end surrounding the saints felt a bit off. Also, while I loved Nina’s POV a lot, it didn’t really connect to the Nikolai story, and it could have been great to see her in a separate book instead.
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Overall an amazing book, and I definitely recommend checking it out if you like fantasy! SOC & Crooked Kingdom are still my absolute favourites in the Grishaverse, but KOS was an excellent read!
Stranded by Melinda Braun
2.0
I was really excited for this book, I love survival-type stories. I was pretty disappointed. To be honest, this was an annoying read in a lot of ways.
I’ll start with the positives I guess:
-the pacing was good, and the read was quick.
-the main character’s backstory was interesting
-the plot concept was really cool
The negatives:
-probably the most significant factor in my dislike for this book was the constant instances of bigotry (particularly homophobia, misogyny, racism, ableism) that while not usually put in a positive light, weren’t exactly challenged, either. The “good” characters didn’t call things out very often at all, the instances felt too normalized.
-the first 100 pages or so of the book seemed to be building romantic chemistry for Emma and Chloe, and I quite liked their friendship, but then Emma starts having a (very sudden?) interest in Oscar which I felt was awkward/lacked chemistry.
-Isaac was clearly a threat to safety and overall horrible to the group, yet nothing was done about him. They kept saying they needed him to survive but this really didn’t seem to be the case. It would have been very easy to leave him behind or eliminate him entirely, and I especially thought this would be done after he made clear he was a sexual predator.
-The somewhat sympathetic backstory that seemed randomly given to Isaac near the end? Not sure what readers were supposed to take from this. He didn’t grow at all and doesn’t deserve sympathy for his terrible actions.
-character development could have been a lot stronger.
-some of the survival things didn’t seem quite accurate, and the characters seemed to lack logic in some ways.
Overall I was able to finish the read and liked the concept behind this novel a lot, however the delivery had a lot of problematic and unappealing elements in my opinion. Please note this is my subjective opinion and readers should always be encouraged to form their own perspectives.
I’ll start with the positives I guess:
-the pacing was good, and the read was quick.
-the main character’s backstory was interesting
-the plot concept was really cool
The negatives:
-probably the most significant factor in my dislike for this book was the constant instances of bigotry (particularly homophobia, misogyny, racism, ableism) that while not usually put in a positive light, weren’t exactly challenged, either. The “good” characters didn’t call things out very often at all, the instances felt too normalized.
-the first 100 pages or so of the book seemed to be building romantic chemistry for Emma and Chloe, and I quite liked their friendship, but then Emma starts having a (very sudden?) interest in Oscar which I felt was awkward/lacked chemistry.
-Isaac was clearly a threat to safety and overall horrible to the group, yet nothing was done about him. They kept saying they needed him to survive but this really didn’t seem to be the case. It would have been very easy to leave him behind or eliminate him entirely, and I especially thought this would be done after he made clear he was a sexual predator.
-The somewhat sympathetic backstory that seemed randomly given to Isaac near the end? Not sure what readers were supposed to take from this. He didn’t grow at all and doesn’t deserve sympathy for his terrible actions.
-character development could have been a lot stronger.
-some of the survival things didn’t seem quite accurate, and the characters seemed to lack logic in some ways.
Overall I was able to finish the read and liked the concept behind this novel a lot, however the delivery had a lot of problematic and unappealing elements in my opinion. Please note this is my subjective opinion and readers should always be encouraged to form their own perspectives.
Hunted by the Sky by Tanaz Bhathena
4.0
This was a great read! 3.5/5 stars
I really loved the world-building here, the culture and settings were super immersive and fun to read. I thought the plot was intriguing and it definitely kept me turning the pages! I was eager to find out more about the royal structures and follow Gul as she infiltrated them.
There were a lot of things I loved about this book, from the main character histories to some of the awesome minor characters. I’d love to see more about Kali, Amar, and Malti in the next book!
However, despite finding Cavas’ situation/motive interesting, I didn’t really connect with him as character much, and I preferred Gul’s POV. I didn’t find him very distinct voice-wise or personality-wise.
I also wasn’t a big fan of the romance. Now, I have to add a disclaimer that I’m really not into destiny/soulmate type romances, so this probably wouldn’t have appealed to me anyways. I just found it to be kind of unnecessary and jammed in for the sake of having a romantic subplot. I couldn’t really see much in the way of chemistry or emotional connection between them, and the subplot felt like a hindrance at times.
Overall Hunted By the Sky was a great read and I highly recommend checking it out! Though some parts drew me in less, the plot and world-building kept me turning the pages quickly!
I really loved the world-building here, the culture and settings were super immersive and fun to read. I thought the plot was intriguing and it definitely kept me turning the pages! I was eager to find out more about the royal structures and follow Gul as she infiltrated them.
There were a lot of things I loved about this book, from the main character histories to some of the awesome minor characters. I’d love to see more about Kali, Amar, and Malti in the next book!
However, despite finding Cavas’ situation/motive interesting, I didn’t really connect with him as character much, and I preferred Gul’s POV. I didn’t find him very distinct voice-wise or personality-wise.
I also wasn’t a big fan of the romance. Now, I have to add a disclaimer that I’m really not into destiny/soulmate type romances, so this probably wouldn’t have appealed to me anyways. I just found it to be kind of unnecessary and jammed in for the sake of having a romantic subplot. I couldn’t really see much in the way of chemistry or emotional connection between them, and the subplot felt like a hindrance at times.
Overall Hunted By the Sky was a great read and I highly recommend checking it out! Though some parts drew me in less, the plot and world-building kept me turning the pages quickly!
The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
5.0
4.5/5 Stars
Wow—I wasn’t expecting to love this book so much!
I listened to the audiobook of this, and it’s the first audiobook I’ve actually really enjoyed! Usually I can’t get into audiobooks or I get distracted
Wow—I wasn’t expecting to love this book so much!
I listened to the audiobook of this, and it’s the first audiobook I’ve actually really enjoyed! Usually I can’t get into audiobooks or I get distracted
Fractured Tide by Leslie Lutz
3.0
I was pretty hyped for this book— A young adult version of Lost? Sign me up!
I really liked the concept and survival themes, and I thought it was cool to learn more about diving! Some of the descriptions were super pretty and I liked the analogies the main character made.
Things started out pretty exciting, with a mysterious monster and a shipwreck off the bat! I enjoyed the MC’s confidence in her diving skills, too, and her backstory was intriguing.
The book unfortunately fell a bit flat for me, especially towards the end. The idea is interesting but it didn’t feel especially well planned out—lots of plot convenience, lack of character development, and an unnecessary/unrealistic romance tampered the book’s potential a lot.
I think there was some missed opportunity with the writing-to-dad style too. The narrator was already kind of interestingly unreliable, and it could have been great to see that style of writing played with more. The Martian is one of my absolute favourite books and largely because of the way the journal/log style is used for humour, foreshadowing, character insight, etc and I think this book could have taken advantage of the style in a similar way.
I also love seeing siblings in fiction, so it was great to have Felix along, but I’d have loved to see them spend more time together/their dynamic be more developed.
Overall, the book had a great start and some awesome concepts/elements, but felt like it needed to be planned and developed a lot more. I’d recommend checking it out if you’re interested and like thriller/survival type stories!
I really liked the concept and survival themes, and I thought it was cool to learn more about diving! Some of the descriptions were super pretty and I liked the analogies the main character made.
Things started out pretty exciting, with a mysterious monster and a shipwreck off the bat! I enjoyed the MC’s confidence in her diving skills, too, and her backstory was intriguing.
The book unfortunately fell a bit flat for me, especially towards the end. The idea is interesting but it didn’t feel especially well planned out—lots of plot convenience, lack of character development, and an unnecessary/unrealistic romance tampered the book’s potential a lot.
I think there was some missed opportunity with the writing-to-dad style too. The narrator was already kind of interestingly unreliable, and it could have been great to see that style of writing played with more. The Martian is one of my absolute favourite books and largely because of the way the journal/log style is used for humour, foreshadowing, character insight, etc and I think this book could have taken advantage of the style in a similar way.
I also love seeing siblings in fiction, so it was great to have Felix along, but I’d have loved to see them spend more time together/their dynamic be more developed.
Overall, the book had a great start and some awesome concepts/elements, but felt like it needed to be planned and developed a lot more. I’d recommend checking it out if you’re interested and like thriller/survival type stories!
Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron
4.0
I’ve been waiting awhile to read this book and it did not disappoint!
I loved so much about this book. The dystopian themes, feminist messages, well developed characters, and fast paced plot all made this an amazing read. There were so many spots I had to put down the book for a second just to enjoy a really good quote!
I’ve seen so many Cinderella retellings but this one was so original and twisted the story in a super interesting way. I loved that Sophia was impulsive and empathetic, and the romance was just so sweet. It’s been awhile since I found a book I really couldn’t put down and this one definitely drew me in!
The only small thing I’d say could have been improved was Sophia’s grief—she seemed to get over losing people a bit quickly sometimes. I’ve seen some people say that the book was a bit on the nose, and sure it was at points, but I felt like that was a good thing personally—this book had something powerful to say and it wasn’t beating around the bush on everything.
If you haven’t read this yet I definitely recommend checking it out!
I loved so much about this book. The dystopian themes, feminist messages, well developed characters, and fast paced plot all made this an amazing read. There were so many spots I had to put down the book for a second just to enjoy a really good quote!
I’ve seen so many Cinderella retellings but this one was so original and twisted the story in a super interesting way. I loved that Sophia was impulsive and empathetic, and the romance was just so sweet. It’s been awhile since I found a book I really couldn’t put down and this one definitely drew me in!
The only small thing I’d say could have been improved was Sophia’s grief—she seemed to get over losing people a bit quickly sometimes. I’ve seen some people say that the book was a bit on the nose, and sure it was at points, but I felt like that was a good thing personally—this book had something powerful to say and it wasn’t beating around the bush on everything.
If you haven’t read this yet I definitely recommend checking it out!
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
3.0
So I’m in an odd situation with this book. When I bought it, I’d mixed up the description with another, which meant right off the gate this wasn’t what I’d expected (and that was totally my bad).
Truth is, I probably wouldn’t have picked this up if I’d read the description properly, and that’s all down to personal preference. The concept/world just wasn’t my cup of tea, but that’s all super subjective and I’ve tried to leave it out of my rating as much as possible.
Some things I liked:
-Bree was an interesting main-character
-the Root-crafting and all that was intriguing and helped me to keep reading, I wish we’d gotten more of it
-the themes around colonialism and racism really helped to give depth/insight into the story/tropes
-the diversity was great
-I thought overall the writing style was nice
Dislikes:
-I didn’t like the instalove/love triangle situation, though others might
-the world-building could be a bit confusing and info-dumped quite a bit
-stronger character development aside from Bree would have been good to see
-pacing was a bit slow
-there were a lot of references and a lot of nicknames, which felt a bit unnatural
I debated not continuing with the book/reviewing but I wanted to give it a fair chance (and I’d already bought it in hardcover). Plus, as an author I know how much review counts matter.
I might not have really vibed with LEGENDBORN, but I can definitely see why so many people like it after reading, and if Arthurian legends are up your alley I’d recommend checking it out
Truth is, I probably wouldn’t have picked this up if I’d read the description properly, and that’s all down to personal preference. The concept/world just wasn’t my cup of tea, but that’s all super subjective and I’ve tried to leave it out of my rating as much as possible.
Some things I liked:
-Bree was an interesting main-character
-the Root-crafting and all that was intriguing and helped me to keep reading, I wish we’d gotten more of it
-the themes around colonialism and racism really helped to give depth/insight into the story/tropes
-the diversity was great
-I thought overall the writing style was nice
Dislikes:
-I didn’t like the instalove/love triangle situation, though others might
-the world-building could be a bit confusing and info-dumped quite a bit
-stronger character development aside from Bree would have been good to see
-pacing was a bit slow
-there were a lot of references and a lot of nicknames, which felt a bit unnatural
I debated not continuing with the book/reviewing but I wanted to give it a fair chance (and I’d already bought it in hardcover). Plus, as an author I know how much review counts matter.
I might not have really vibed with LEGENDBORN, but I can definitely see why so many people like it after reading, and if Arthurian legends are up your alley I’d recommend checking it out
Resist by Sarah Crossan
4.0
3.5/5
This was an enjoyable read! The pacing was great and the plot was super compelling! The writing style was nice and easy to read, and I liked the shorter chapters. The characters were likeable and I really rooted for them.
This is a pretty 2012 book in terms of certain tropes however, and the book could have benefitted so much from some diversity. I also would have liked to see more distinction in the character voices, and get more insight about Sequoia/how things progressed after the book’s resolution.
Overall a good, easy read and I’d be excited to see some more recent books from the Crossan!
This was an enjoyable read! The pacing was great and the plot was super compelling! The writing style was nice and easy to read, and I liked the shorter chapters. The characters were likeable and I really rooted for them.
This is a pretty 2012 book in terms of certain tropes however, and the book could have benefitted so much from some diversity. I also would have liked to see more distinction in the character voices, and get more insight about Sequoia/how things progressed after the book’s resolution.
Overall a good, easy read and I’d be excited to see some more recent books from the Crossan!
Day Zero by Kelly deVos
3.0
So this was a really confusing book. I wasn’t even sure how to rate it, and I might need to come back to it eventually.
I mean, the fast pacing and the action were great. I thought the doomsday rules were super interesting and the tension kept me reading. This was an entertaining read for sure.
But in terms of the world-building and political parties, I have to admit I was pretty lost at times. For a book that was so centred on its politics it didn’t seem to have a clear message, and the parties/national situation/timeframe felt seriously under-explained given how relevant they were.
I don’t know, maybe I’ll come back and review this book again at some point—maybe there’s just something I’ve missed. But for now I genuinely don’t know how to feel about this read—at any rate it was pretty interesting.
I mean, the fast pacing and the action were great. I thought the doomsday rules were super interesting and the tension kept me reading. This was an entertaining read for sure.
But in terms of the world-building and political parties, I have to admit I was pretty lost at times. For a book that was so centred on its politics it didn’t seem to have a clear message, and the parties/national situation/timeframe felt seriously under-explained given how relevant they were.
I don’t know, maybe I’ll come back and review this book again at some point—maybe there’s just something I’ve missed. But for now I genuinely don’t know how to feel about this read—at any rate it was pretty interesting.