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theinquisitxor's reviews
804 reviews
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
3.0
Hello 2012 YA my old friend....
no really, this was a flashback to our lovely early 2010s YA tropes. I first read Shadow and Bone back when I was in high school, and generally enjoyed it. Summer 2021 is going to be a re-read of all the Grishaverse books for me. It's been probably 4 years since I last read them, and I want to read Rule of Wolves, but I really don't remember what happened in King of Scars at all
no really, this was a flashback to our lovely early 2010s YA tropes. I first read Shadow and Bone back when I was in high school, and generally enjoyed it. Summer 2021 is going to be a re-read of all the Grishaverse books for me. It's been probably 4 years since I last read them, and I want to read Rule of Wolves, but I really don't remember what happened in King of Scars at all
The Binding by Bridget Collins
3.0
Really not sure how I feel about this. One one hand, I was thoroughly entertained while reading, and didn’t want to put the book down because I wanted to know what happened next. On the other hand, this book was not what I expected from the blurb on the back and I had very different expectations for this book. It wasn’t bad, but I was left feeling very ‘meh’ towards the how the book went overall.
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
5.0
I've been putting off writing a review for this book because I'm not sure I could ever articulate what this book means to me and what reading this book was like. This book gets all the stars, and will probably end up in my very top favorite books of all time.
This book is like: The Winternight Trilogy with a hint of Narnia and Howl's Moving Castle. Interdimensional slippage, a dark snowy forest, a warm hearth, fairy tales, jewish identity, and mother's that never truly leave us
I read Uprooted back in high school, and generally enjoyed it. It wasn't anything super special to me, so I didn't pick up Spinning Silver right away. Now, I kinda want to go back and reread Uprooted to see if I like it more a second time.
I picked up Spinning Silver on a bit of a whim, and read it in about 3 days. I actually might pick up the book again and comb through it chapter by chapter and make notes of my favorite scenes, themes and other aspects of the book. From what I remember of Uprooted, Spinning Silver is slower, more character-driven, and more about the gentle domesticity of life.
I love the prose, and the changing point-of-views. Even though they are not marked, you can immediately tell who is who, within the first sentence or two. I love the characters. Miryam, Wanda, Irina (and the other povs) were all wonderful and I loved how their story comes together. The Staryk are some of the best 'fae' characters/race that I've encountered in a while. They're definitely their own group, with different rule and culture than humans- enough that it takes Miryam a while to figure out and get used to.
One of the biggest things I liked about this book is almost the 'domestic fantasy' aspect of it. The simple day-to-day life chores, families sitting and eating together, celebrations, weddings, knitting by the fire, are all parts of this book that I held dear. If you know what I mean by 'the cabin scenes' then you know what I mean. All in all, this book is a treasure, and I'm so glad I read it.
This book is like: The Winternight Trilogy with a hint of Narnia and Howl's Moving Castle. Interdimensional slippage, a dark snowy forest, a warm hearth, fairy tales, jewish identity, and mother's that never truly leave us
I read Uprooted back in high school, and generally enjoyed it. It wasn't anything super special to me, so I didn't pick up Spinning Silver right away. Now, I kinda want to go back and reread Uprooted to see if I like it more a second time.
I picked up Spinning Silver on a bit of a whim, and read it in about 3 days. I actually might pick up the book again and comb through it chapter by chapter and make notes of my favorite scenes, themes and other aspects of the book. From what I remember of Uprooted, Spinning Silver is slower, more character-driven, and more about the gentle domesticity of life.
I love the prose, and the changing point-of-views. Even though they are not marked, you can immediately tell who is who, within the first sentence or two. I love the characters. Miryam, Wanda, Irina (and the other povs) were all wonderful and I loved how their story comes together. The Staryk are some of the best 'fae' characters/race that I've encountered in a while. They're definitely their own group, with different rule and culture than humans- enough that it takes Miryam a while to figure out and get used to.
One of the biggest things I liked about this book is almost the 'domestic fantasy' aspect of it. The simple day-to-day life chores, families sitting and eating together, celebrations, weddings, knitting by the fire, are all parts of this book that I held dear. If you know what I mean by 'the cabin scenes' then you know what I mean. All in all, this book is a treasure, and I'm so glad I read it.
Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell
4.0
4/5 stars. This has been on my radar since before it was released, and I was immediately intrigued. This is definitely part-romance, part political intrigue, and I really liked both aspects in the book. I could see this as a book that I come back when I want a cozy, fun read.
Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft
4.0
Oh to be stuck with my sworn enemy in a gothic mansion healing him from a mysterious illness while I have to uncover the secrets behind the disappearance of several people. This book is lush, it's beautiful and I could not put it down.
Wren Southlander is the best healer in the Queen's Guard (she is also the Queen's niece) but Wren keeps making mistakes and lets her heart and emotions guide her too much. When she is offered a job at Colwick Hall, a mysterious, haunting mansion in a neighboring country, Wren seizes the opportunity to prove herself useful. Little does she know, the 'valet' she has been called in to heal is actually Hal Cavensish, her kindgom's sworn enemy. Wren must figure out how to cure Hal of his mysterious illness, and the two of them find themselves increasingly tangled in a political plot between their countries.
I wish I could just sink back into this book, and savor the beautiful prose, characters and gothic vibe that this story gives. Wren is not your typical YA heroine, and I enjoyed her all the more for that. She makes mistakes, she's emotional (she's a disaster bisexual if there ever was one), but she's smart and capable and willing to do what is right. Hal is our mysterious, broody, byronic hero. He's done bad things in his past, but he's much more than Wren first assumes.
I really enjoyed the character relationships. We see that Wren isn't treated all that well by people who are supposed to love and take care of her. This sort of toxic relationship is highlighted and we see Wren begin to understand and move on to better, healthier relationships. The setting is also great-- who doesn't love an icy, haunted manor house? I also really enjoyed the political situation in the novel, and for being a stand-alone, I thought this was all well fleshed out and fit well within the length of this novel.
My only complaint about the book is the pacing. The last 25% of the book is a bit more fast paced than the rest, but it didn't really bother me that much. I've certainly read books where the pacing is much worse and all over the place. I'm always grateful for good standalone fantasy novels, and I'm probably going to read whatever else Allison Saft writes.
Wren Southlander is the best healer in the Queen's Guard (she is also the Queen's niece) but Wren keeps making mistakes and lets her heart and emotions guide her too much. When she is offered a job at Colwick Hall, a mysterious, haunting mansion in a neighboring country, Wren seizes the opportunity to prove herself useful. Little does she know, the 'valet' she has been called in to heal is actually Hal Cavensish, her kindgom's sworn enemy. Wren must figure out how to cure Hal of his mysterious illness, and the two of them find themselves increasingly tangled in a political plot between their countries.
I wish I could just sink back into this book, and savor the beautiful prose, characters and gothic vibe that this story gives. Wren is not your typical YA heroine, and I enjoyed her all the more for that. She makes mistakes, she's emotional (she's a disaster bisexual if there ever was one), but she's smart and capable and willing to do what is right. Hal is our mysterious, broody, byronic hero. He's done bad things in his past, but he's much more than Wren first assumes.
I really enjoyed the character relationships. We see that Wren isn't treated all that well by people who are supposed to love and take care of her. This sort of toxic relationship is highlighted and we see Wren begin to understand and move on to better, healthier relationships. The setting is also great-- who doesn't love an icy, haunted manor house? I also really enjoyed the political situation in the novel, and for being a stand-alone, I thought this was all well fleshed out and fit well within the length of this novel.
My only complaint about the book is the pacing. The last 25% of the book is a bit more fast paced than the rest, but it didn't really bother me that much. I've certainly read books where the pacing is much worse and all over the place. I'm always grateful for good standalone fantasy novels, and I'm probably going to read whatever else Allison Saft writes.
The Iron Trial by Holly Black, Cassandra Clare
4.0
I keep telling myself that I want to read more middle grade, I bought this book and then let it sit on my shelf for 2 years. I finally read this book, and with a super busy month of final papers, projects and my thesis, this short, fun book was a welcome distraction. I'm a sucker for the 'magic school' trope, and I think the rest of the series will be enjoyable! Not sure when I'll get around to the next book, but I want to!
Caliban's War by James S. A. Corey
4.0
This was significantly better than the first book. The first book, Leviathan Wakes, was a solid 3.5 stars for me, while this one is 4 or 4.5 stars. The pace of the book and the character work were much better than the first. I also feel like the authors took some of critiques of the first book and made them much better here.
I really enjoyed the two of the new perspectives, Avasarala and Bobbie. The first book was lacking female perspectives, and a governmental/political setting. The inclusion of the politic maneuvering on Earth was absolutely great and I always love some good scheming.
Jim Holden got toned down from his 'perfect man' in the first book and he seemed much more realistic and flawed in this book. Of course, I still love Alex, Amos and Naomi. This book set up for the 3rd book and the rest of the series much better than the first did, in my opinion. Definitely excited to read the 3rd book, especially after the very very ending of this book!
I really enjoyed the two of the new perspectives, Avasarala and Bobbie. The first book was lacking female perspectives, and a governmental/political setting. The inclusion of the politic maneuvering on Earth was absolutely great and I always love some good scheming.
Jim Holden got toned down from his 'perfect man' in the first book and he seemed much more realistic and flawed in this book. Of course, I still love Alex, Amos and Naomi. This book set up for the 3rd book and the rest of the series much better than the first did, in my opinion. Definitely excited to read the 3rd book, especially after the very very ending of this book!