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stxrlight's reviews
110 reviews
The Fall of the Giants by Gregory Kontaxis
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I JUST WANT MORE, THAT ENDING πππ I EXPECTED SOMETHING BUT I DID NOT EXPECT THIS. AAHH, I JUST WANT MORE. I NEED THE THIRD BOOK LIKE, RIGHT NOW. MY LOVE FOR THESE CHARACTERS AND OHMYGOD I LOVE THE CREATURES/SPECIES CREATED IN THIS SERIES SOSO MUCH. I REFUSE TO SPOILER ANYTHING BUT I'M LOOKING FORWARDS RO THE NEXT BOOK!
DEFINITELY RECOMMEND THIS SERIES!
[ The Fall of the Giants is the second installment of The Dance of Light series, the first book is titled The Return of the Knights. This series is for any NA Fantasy readers who enjoy adventure, secrets, betrayals, a lot of races and creatures, a little bit of romance and a good storyline with great twists. There's a lot of character growth happening in the second book, some characters more than others. Again, definitely recommend this series. Go get yourself a copy of The Return of the Knights if you haven't yet! ]
DEFINITELY RECOMMEND THIS SERIES!
[ The Fall of the Giants is the second installment of The Dance of Light series, the first book is titled The Return of the Knights. This series is for any NA Fantasy readers who enjoy adventure, secrets, betrayals, a lot of races and creatures, a little bit of romance and a good storyline with great twists. There's a lot of character growth happening in the second book, some characters more than others. Again, definitely recommend this series. Go get yourself a copy of The Return of the Knights if you haven't yet! ]
Broken Blades by Liz Sauco
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Broken Blades is the second book of the Blades of the Goddess series, the first book is titled Lost Blades. It's a high fantasy with sci-fi elements, magic and so many intriquing, original aspects.
The Wargs really made the humour in this book, also Ander's POV was such a charm. I absolutely love him. Jamirh is also growing on me more throughout this book, I feel like his character growth is slowly happening and I'm so here for it! I also really like Takeshi and Ander's dynamic together, they gave vibes of a stronger connection that made me wonder if possibly romanticπ. And then there is Takeshi and Jamirh, they have such a mentor-student or father-son type of dynamic and i'm so here for it. I have always loved Hel and continue to do so ππ
I still think the pace of the book should be more medium then slow-paced but that could be a style choice. The story had depth, as do the characters, creatures and worldbuilding.
Any high Fantasy lovers who enjoy slow-paced books will love this! Definitely recommend.
The Wargs really made the humour in this book, also Ander's POV was such a charm. I absolutely love him. Jamirh is also growing on me more throughout this book, I feel like his character growth is slowly happening and I'm so here for it! I also really like Takeshi and Ander's dynamic together, they gave vibes of a stronger connection that made me wonder if possibly romanticπ. And then there is Takeshi and Jamirh, they have such a mentor-student or father-son type of dynamic and i'm so here for it. I have always loved Hel and continue to do so ππ
I still think the pace of the book should be more medium then slow-paced but that could be a style choice. The story had depth, as do the characters, creatures and worldbuilding.
Any high Fantasy lovers who enjoy slow-paced books will love this! Definitely recommend.
A Curse for True Love by Stephanie Garber
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A Curse for True Love is the final book of the Once Upon a Broken Heart Trilogy, it's a YA Fantasy that screams fairytale in every way. At first I thought it might have been a Cinderella retelling but then instead of Cinderella she's called Evangeline. But honestly the entire trilogy just screams all kinds of fairytales. While the first and second book had both expected and unexpected twists, I saw most of the twists in the final book coming. Regardless it was a satisfying read, an amazing end to this fairytale between Jacks and Evangeline. ππΉ
There's some things that are left unanswered that I want to know; what happened to Marisol, and what about Havelock because Evangeline should really talk with him after everything that happened, not to forget the Valors; with Aurora and Castor/Chaos still out there I doubt their reign will be a happy one. Speaking of Chaos, will he find control or keep going on killing sprees? And what about Dane and LaLa? Will Lala and Castor end up together? Will they put the helm on him again? I wish those things would have been cleared up.
That said, any YA fantasy lovers or readers who love fairytale retellings will love this trilogy. π©·π
There's some things that are left unanswered that I want to know; what happened to Marisol, and what about Havelock because Evangeline should really talk with him after everything that happened, not to forget the Valors; with Aurora and Castor/Chaos still out there I doubt their reign will be a happy one. Speaking of Chaos, will he find control or keep going on killing sprees? And what about Dane and LaLa? Will Lala and Castor end up together? Will they put the helm on him again? I wish those things would have been cleared up.
That said, any YA fantasy lovers or readers who love fairytale retellings will love this trilogy. π©·π
The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
HOLY SHIT HOW IS THIS ENDING REAL? THAT.. HOW... I CAN'T ππ«Άππ«Άππ«Ά HONESTLY I HAVE NO WORDS, I JUST WANT TO CONTINUE READING SO THIS IS IT. THIS IS MY REVIEW.
Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber
adventurous
dark
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
5.0
Once Upon a Broken Heart is a YA Fantasy that reminded me a lot of (dark) fairytales. I absolutely loved the fairytale vibes, the magic, spells, curses and betrayals. I love how it's lighthearted and dark at the same time.
The book reads smoothly and had some expected and unexpected twists. Unexpected twists really tend to give me a thrill, I love being taken by surprise.
I could have done without the vampire aspect in the book though, it takes away from the fairytale vibes and world in my opinion.
If you like YA Fantasy or fairytale retellings, then you'll definitely love this book.
The book reads smoothly and had some expected and unexpected twists. Unexpected twists really tend to give me a thrill, I love being taken by surprise.
I could have done without the vampire aspect in the book though, it takes away from the fairytale vibes and world in my opinion.
If you like YA Fantasy or fairytale retellings, then you'll definitely love this book.
Deep by Melanie Bokstad Horev
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
Deep is a YA dystopian book, the first of the Deep Blue Colony series, and one I definitely recommend. The writing is smooth and pulls you in from the start till finish. It's got a good pace and two POV'S.
Aside the two main characters there's also a good diversity of other characters, a thrilling storyline, dystopian world, interesting and advanced technology and a lot of secrets, betrayals and mysteries. The book had some twists I expected but also some I didn't see coming, which made it all the more fun to read.
Any YA dystopian lovers will adore this book and should definitely check it out!
Aside the two main characters there's also a good diversity of other characters, a thrilling storyline, dystopian world, interesting and advanced technology and a lot of secrets, betrayals and mysteries. The book had some twists I expected but also some I didn't see coming, which made it all the more fun to read.
Any YA dystopian lovers will adore this book and should definitely check it out!
Echoes of Dragons by C. Borden
adventurous
dark
hopeful
informative
inspiring
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Echoes of Dragons is a high fantasy with a slow-pace, multiple POV'S and many creatures/species, both good and evil: dwarves, trolls, dragons, elves, humans, half elf-humans, mages, merpeople, drow, pixies and more!
Personally, the unique way the magic is described in different species and the creatures/species themselves is what excited me about this book the most. The prologue, while very dark, excited me a lot too because of the dragon egg. The way the dragons are described so far is just so unique and exciting to me, and I remain curious to the dragon lore as well as the elves, dwarves, other species and the magic in general.
I must say the first few chapters after the prologue felt a tad too descriptive and rushed, but lacking depth in terms of thoughts, motivations and actual dialogue interactions. It felt chaotic and could have been structured better, but the potential of the book, the magical intrique, secrets and looming threat is what kept me going.
Also the book should have had some trigger warnings mentioned up front: torture, gore, mention/memory of cannibalism, rape (not described in detail, but it happened in the past for one of the characters), wars, cruelty, death, manipulation.
While I don't have many trigger warnings, mention/descriptions of cannibalism isn't for me and I nearly quit reading because of it. It wasn't too descriptive so I gave it a shot, but if it had been addressed again I wouldn't have continued.
What also bothered me is that the main storyline is only clear through the POV of the enemy, the other travelers have their own missions that had nothing to do with the impending danger but was just a way to get all of them together. Their almost instant loyalty towards each other is also rushed. They barely know each other, to have that kind of trust and loyalty already in others you met on your journey only recently is unrealistic.
So while aspects regarding relations are rushed over, sometimes lacking some depth, the storyline is the opposite and drawn out in the slow pace. It feels out of tune and could have been executed better.
The entirety of the first book is only of how these characters met through their different missions that eventually find overlap, and then the looming threat. There is no actual progress otherwise (other then for the dragons perhaps), I'm assuming that will happen in the next book of the series.
That said, the depth and creativity as well as uniqueness regarding the magic, creatures, species and their different customs are very lovely! So it has both good aspects and lesser ones that'll hopefully improve in the next book.
Personally, the unique way the magic is described in different species and the creatures/species themselves is what excited me about this book the most. The prologue, while very dark, excited me a lot too because of the dragon egg. The way the dragons are described so far is just so unique and exciting to me, and I remain curious to the dragon lore as well as the elves, dwarves, other species and the magic in general.
I must say the first few chapters after the prologue felt a tad too descriptive and rushed, but lacking depth in terms of thoughts, motivations and actual dialogue interactions. It felt chaotic and could have been structured better, but the potential of the book, the magical intrique, secrets and looming threat is what kept me going.
Also the book should have had some trigger warnings mentioned up front: torture, gore, mention/memory of cannibalism, rape (not described in detail, but it happened in the past for one of the characters), wars, cruelty, death, manipulation.
While I don't have many trigger warnings, mention/descriptions of cannibalism isn't for me and I nearly quit reading because of it. It wasn't too descriptive so I gave it a shot, but if it had been addressed again I wouldn't have continued.
What also bothered me is that the main storyline is only clear through the POV of the enemy, the other travelers have their own missions that had nothing to do with the impending danger but was just a way to get all of them together. Their almost instant loyalty towards each other is also rushed. They barely know each other, to have that kind of trust and loyalty already in others you met on your journey only recently is unrealistic.
So while aspects regarding relations are rushed over, sometimes lacking some depth, the storyline is the opposite and drawn out in the slow pace. It feels out of tune and could have been executed better.
The entirety of the first book is only of how these characters met through their different missions that eventually find overlap, and then the looming threat. There is no actual progress otherwise (other then for the dragons perhaps), I'm assuming that will happen in the next book of the series.
That said, the depth and creativity as well as uniqueness regarding the magic, creatures, species and their different customs are very lovely! So it has both good aspects and lesser ones that'll hopefully improve in the next book.
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-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
5.0
Iron Flame is absolutely amazing, just as adventurous and unique as Fourth Wing. I love how it was medium-paced and at the same time, something was always happening. I was unable to put the book down, all I wanted to do was keep reading and whenever I couldn't I was thinking about it. This book is such a reminder of why I love reading so much. It's exciting me in the ways books are supposed to do, and I can't wait for Onyx Storm!
Moonkissed by Latoya Morris
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moonkissed is a YA fantasy book with very unique concepts that make it such an interesting and fun read. Furthermore it has: the moon god, the sun goddess, magic, animals, romance, family dynamics, friendships and so much more!
If you're a YA fantasy lover who loves some good twists then this is definitely for you. I was quite sad at the end of the book merely because of finishing it. I already miss them!
I really adore the characters, the magic and I'm still intriqued about the gods and their customs and rules. Also the animals in this book are so fun to read about, it's quite the magical read. Definitely recommend! πβ¨
If you're a YA fantasy lover who loves some good twists then this is definitely for you. I was quite sad at the end of the book merely because of finishing it. I already miss them!
I really adore the characters, the magic and I'm still intriqued about the gods and their customs and rules. Also the animals in this book are so fun to read about, it's quite the magical read. Definitely recommend! πβ¨
Blessed by the Fae by Jada McCrary
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-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? It's complicated
3.5
Blessed by the Fae is a YA fantasy book with a lot of great aspects: magic, romance, mysteries, secrets, betrayals, fae, elves, humans, (good and evil) creatures, interesting world and so much more.
The first half of the book was fast-paced, it made some things lack certain depth and feel a tad rushed. This could have been executed better. The plot, characters, the world and the potential of the book is what kept me going. The second half of the book however significantly improved in pace and depth, so I'd definitely suggest to keep going if you're struggling in the first half because it's definitely worth it.
The first half of the book was fast-paced, it made some things lack certain depth and feel a tad rushed. This could have been executed better. The plot, characters, the world and the potential of the book is what kept me going. The second half of the book however significantly improved in pace and depth, so I'd definitely suggest to keep going if you're struggling in the first half because it's definitely worth it.