talyasoytas's reviews
212 reviews

Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Ava Reid’s retelling of this gothic story absolutely entranced me. There is always a looming sense that things are darker than they seem. There is a goblin, a fiery snake, a cursed wizard, a tree of poison berries, and dark secrets that get revealed one at a time as Marlinchen steps out of her father’s scary shadow. I found her to be easy to care about, and the storytelling just whimsical enough to keep the story’s essence while breathing some modernity into it. I have enjoyed other reads more, so the loss of a star ranking is simply my consideration of how much I had fun during the read, however, if you are looking for a fresher fantasy that has old fairy tale vibes with a handful of dark sorcery tossed in there, you should pick this book up.

The Beauty of Darkness by Mary E. Pearson

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

I am pleased by the characters that do not follow an extremely generic arc in terms of relationships, however how they wrapped things up and just gave characters another to end up with was a little lackluster. There could have been more time spent building the connections. I say this, because character relations and court politics are the main strengths of the series. Not action scrnes or the magic. In fact the magic is just a whisper of premonition, which is fine in this case. I like the whimsy. But with the time left outside of said magic and battle, I think we could’ve had a lot more depth from multiple characters.

The Heart of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson

adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

This installment falters in the beginning and Lia’s character struggles to find purpose. I think the court politics and the worldbuilding of the Vendan kingsom are the most interesting parts, as dialogue and action scenes are often told not shown and kept very brief. I did think the most action that happens (in the last 10%) left things at an interesting point so I’ll continue. But the love triangle is growing tired and so am I. How long can this even be maintained?

The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi

emotional 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? No

4.0

An incredible, sad, and beautiful story of Vivek Oji, a child who was born to a world too cruel. The non-linear storytelling and the different perspectives that built out Vivek as a character really brought this rather contained but still impactful story to life. Family and friends trying to understand the person who died, questions asked a little too late, and a soft exploration of different gender identities and sexuality. I did think one of the key characters could’ve been built out more to bolster the emotional impact, but overal, this was a great read.

Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This destroyed me and remade me in the best ways. I think it was a great ending to the series. It was very satisfying to see some threads being tied. However I do have beef with one particular choice made by a character and that will remain my beef until the end.

Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This tandem read destroyed me. The world expanded so much, my fave characters are crossing paths and I can’t wait for the finale.

Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This tandem read destroyed me. The world expanded so much, my fave characters are crossing paths and I can’t wait for the finale.

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

Thrill, nowhere to be found. All the twists except one (and a weak one at that) I saw coming. It was a very promising premise but I feel like the story and characters needed to be pushed a lot further to evoke any sense of thrill and mystery here. Very easily read through though, thanks to short chapters. So I am simply ‘meh’ about this Lisa Jewel entry. She definitely has a lot better ones out there.

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

adventurous funny mysterious fast-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

Dragon riding/ militray school? Check. Good writing to bring characters and setting alive? Check. A tomance that I could not stop reading? Check. A lil cliché? Check but I do not CARE. I had the time of my life reading this book and finished it in a day. It is 690 something pages. A DAY! I think it will please a lot of people whether you care about lore, action or romance. A great cliffhanger too so gotta get my hands on the next one.

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Mystical, unusual and very sad in the end, Piranesi definitely opened up new horizons in my imagination and felt very fresh as far as modern fantasy writing goes. Clarke builds a perspective that is so unique and a world so curious that you get sucked right into the tides of the House.