Scan barcode
thewritebooks's reviews
419 reviews
The North Wind by Alexandria Warwick
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review
This felt like such a guilty pleasure fantasy and I read it in one night! It had all the things I love: we already know they're gonna get together, she's taken to his dark and brooding castle but she's wilful and stubborn and fights him at every turn. And slowly, slowly they fall in love.
Okay maybe I take back the slowly because although I loved every emotional scene, every argument scene, I feel like perhaps I missed the bit where they really fell in love - I believed when they hated each other, and I believed it when they were happy together - but I just think the middle ground moment was missing for me.
However, the snappiness of both characters was perfect, I LOVED that he enjoys gardening, and the friendships were so cute too! Was so lovely to read, so will see if I can get my hands on the other books!
This felt like such a guilty pleasure fantasy and I read it in one night! It had all the things I love: we already know they're gonna get together, she's taken to his dark and brooding castle but she's wilful and stubborn and fights him at every turn. And slowly, slowly they fall in love.
Okay maybe I take back the slowly because although I loved every emotional scene, every argument scene, I feel like perhaps I missed the bit where they really fell in love - I believed when they hated each other, and I believed it when they were happy together - but I just think the middle ground moment was missing for me.
However, the snappiness of both characters was perfect, I LOVED that he enjoys gardening, and the friendships were so cute too! Was so lovely to read, so will see if I can get my hands on the other books!
The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Thank you to NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review
I absolutely agree with the comparison to Naomi Novik's style of writing. The narrative tone is almost removed, very reflective on the actions that are taking place, rather than being caught up in them. I enjoyed the eclectic range of character, particularly the old woman (impossible to not love her attitude towards life), Barsiley, and Toba (the elder).
I don't know how keen I was on all the various perspectives, I spent most of the time waiting to get back to Toba's POV but the pieces did all mostly come together for the finale. I don't know that I would pick up future books in this series, but I really enjoyed the overall historical-fantasy setting, and particularly all the ways this book covered topics such as language and translation!
I absolutely agree with the comparison to Naomi Novik's style of writing. The narrative tone is almost removed, very reflective on the actions that are taking place, rather than being caught up in them. I enjoyed the eclectic range of character, particularly the old woman (impossible to not love her attitude towards life), Barsiley, and Toba (the elder).
I don't know how keen I was on all the various perspectives, I spent most of the time waiting to get back to Toba's POV but the pieces did all mostly come together for the finale. I don't know that I would pick up future books in this series, but I really enjoyed the overall historical-fantasy setting, and particularly all the ways this book covered topics such as language and translation!
The Cure for Burnout by Emily Ballesteros
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Thank you to NetGalley for an audio-ARC in exchange for an honest review
I would be the first person to admit that I'm likely to overfill and over-plan my calendar until life becomes literally impossible. It has taken almost two full years of university to realise that that's entirely unfeasible and I need to scale things back! This book makes for a wonderful companion to my goal to chill out a bit more.
There are a whole range of useful tips to put into practise, that all start with a frank encouragement to take stock of how many hours you actually have in your life and what you want to prioritise. So for me, I'll need to factor in the subjects that I study, my extracurriculars like choir, and what refills my cup (reading, no surprises there). I'm looking forward to starting my third term of the year (and exam season!) with many of these chapters in mind.
Would love to get my hands on a physical copy just to have a record of some of the suggested exercises - very therapeutic to look at how we can all do less!
I would be the first person to admit that I'm likely to overfill and over-plan my calendar until life becomes literally impossible. It has taken almost two full years of university to realise that that's entirely unfeasible and I need to scale things back! This book makes for a wonderful companion to my goal to chill out a bit more.
There are a whole range of useful tips to put into practise, that all start with a frank encouragement to take stock of how many hours you actually have in your life and what you want to prioritise. So for me, I'll need to factor in the subjects that I study, my extracurriculars like choir, and what refills my cup (reading, no surprises there). I'm looking forward to starting my third term of the year (and exam season!) with many of these chapters in mind.
Would love to get my hands on a physical copy just to have a record of some of the suggested exercises - very therapeutic to look at how we can all do less!
The Hemlock Queen by Hannah Whitten
mysterious
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? It's complicated
thank you to NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review
This is the first sequel ARC I've received where I'd already read book 1 when it came out! So I found this quite exciting in my little NetGalley world.
One thing I appreciated about this book is that although it was the middle book of a trilogy, it didn't suffer from second book syndrome. As soon as I started reading, I was thrown straight back into a world of political intrigue and a complicated love triangle (is it even a triangle? Not too sure about that one and I love it). There was also a significant difference in the tone and setting from the first book which really highlighted the progression of the plot.
In book 1, the plot is restricted to the city and spends a lot more time running the streets rather than in the citadel. Book 2 allowed us to venture out into new locations, and began to look at the wider world, examining other kingdoms and histories from more than one perspective. Without giving any spoilers, the relationship between Lore and Bastian takes a stark turn and I was thoroughly captivated by the push and pull tension in that particularly plot line.
There was a bit less of Gabe in this book, but it looks like he's going to get more stage time in Book 3 perhaps, and the story still covered faith and religion in such an interesting way. Can't get enough of the shifts in power structures between the crown and the church in this series!
Thrilled to have been able to read this before release day and excited for the final instalment!
This is the first sequel ARC I've received where I'd already read book 1 when it came out! So I found this quite exciting in my little NetGalley world.
One thing I appreciated about this book is that although it was the middle book of a trilogy, it didn't suffer from second book syndrome. As soon as I started reading, I was thrown straight back into a world of political intrigue and a complicated love triangle (is it even a triangle? Not too sure about that one and I love it). There was also a significant difference in the tone and setting from the first book which really highlighted the progression of the plot.
In book 1, the plot is restricted to the city and spends a lot more time running the streets rather than in the citadel. Book 2 allowed us to venture out into new locations, and began to look at the wider world, examining other kingdoms and histories from more than one perspective. Without giving any spoilers, the relationship between Lore and Bastian takes a stark turn and I was thoroughly captivated by the push and pull tension in that particularly plot line.
There was a bit less of Gabe in this book, but it looks like he's going to get more stage time in Book 3 perhaps, and the story still covered faith and religion in such an interesting way. Can't get enough of the shifts in power structures between the crown and the church in this series!
Thrilled to have been able to read this before release day and excited for the final instalment!
Court Of Wanderers by Rin Chupeco
adventurous
dark
funny
inspiring
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
Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review
I have inhaled this duology over the last three days, I think I'll be seeing this universe every time I close my eyes for quite some time.
These books really had everything. They were bloody and horrible and teeming with fantastic villainous plots and at the same time so smart, sexy, and heartfeltly funny that I couldn't help but fall in love. The dynamics between Remy, Zidan, and Xiaodan were the best - the way Remy's unease grew into care in Book 1, to transform into this beautiful relationship that we saw in Book 2.
I'm so torn between wishing the review date had been further away because I would've loved to savour the two books, but also I'm so glad that this is now out for everyone to read. If you read and enjoyed Book 1, I think you'll love this - there's a focus shift away from Aluria and towards kindred court politics and the various histories associated with Remy's family. If you haven't read Book 1, or any of Chupeco's work for that matter, I highly recommend it. It has all the necessities of a gritty fantasy, but with particular twists when it comes to the romance and also horror aspects!
I felt like I could see every battle happening in front of me as a play by play which raised the tension further and further. After all the stress and hours that I put into this series, I felt like it really paid off and the ending was so special. Just such a joy to get so stuck into such a fantastic duology.
I have inhaled this duology over the last three days, I think I'll be seeing this universe every time I close my eyes for quite some time.
These books really had everything. They were bloody and horrible and teeming with fantastic villainous plots and at the same time so smart, sexy, and heartfeltly funny that I couldn't help but fall in love. The dynamics between Remy, Zidan, and Xiaodan were the best - the way Remy's unease grew into care in Book 1, to transform into this beautiful relationship that we saw in Book 2.
I'm so torn between wishing the review date had been further away because I would've loved to savour the two books, but also I'm so glad that this is now out for everyone to read. If you read and enjoyed Book 1, I think you'll love this - there's a focus shift away from Aluria and towards kindred court politics and the various histories associated with Remy's family. If you haven't read Book 1, or any of Chupeco's work for that matter, I highly recommend it. It has all the necessities of a gritty fantasy, but with particular twists when it comes to the romance and also horror aspects!
I felt like I could see every battle happening in front of me as a play by play which raised the tension further and further. After all the stress and hours that I put into this series, I felt like it really paid off and the ending was so special. Just such a joy to get so stuck into such a fantastic duology.
The Lies Among Us by Sarah Beth Durst
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-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? Yes
Thank you to NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review
I feel like I've covered a lot of strange books and plots over the years but this one was full of new ideas!
From the title and cover I was expecting some kind of murder mystery/thriller-esque story (went in blind to this one) but instead got a fascinating blend of family drama and magical realism. I felt there was a really strong theme of grief running through this that came across with a lot of tenderness, particularly towards the end. It was so lovely seeing characters who really stick up for each other, whether they've known each other forever or only just met. Towards the beginning, I was worried that there were too many plot points to keep track of and that the split perspectives were too different, but around half way they began to properly intertwine and I was brought back on board.
Definitely wins my vote as a more unusual YA!
I feel like I've covered a lot of strange books and plots over the years but this one was full of new ideas!
From the title and cover I was expecting some kind of murder mystery/thriller-esque story (went in blind to this one) but instead got a fascinating blend of family drama and magical realism. I felt there was a really strong theme of grief running through this that came across with a lot of tenderness, particularly towards the end. It was so lovely seeing characters who really stick up for each other, whether they've known each other forever or only just met. Towards the beginning, I was worried that there were too many plot points to keep track of and that the split perspectives were too different, but around half way they began to properly intertwine and I was brought back on board.
Definitely wins my vote as a more unusual YA!
What Is Love? by Jen Comfort
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Thank you to NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review
What is Love was a cute, high-energy romance that is 100% aimed at nerds. And I say that with all the love in my heart, because this is a competitive-trivia based romance - and I won't lie to you, I found basically every trivia fact in this so interesting, so I really feel like I was the target audience.
I felt like I cared a lot about our two MCs, and although the ending was maybe too cheesy even for me, it was very sweet and I was really rooting for them. There's a lovely set up of dynamics that were reminiscent of some of Chloe Liese's books: with an uptight, organised male MC and a joyful, outspoken female MC.
Glad to have picked this up as such a cheerful Spring read!
What is Love was a cute, high-energy romance that is 100% aimed at nerds. And I say that with all the love in my heart, because this is a competitive-trivia based romance - and I won't lie to you, I found basically every trivia fact in this so interesting, so I really feel like I was the target audience.
I felt like I cared a lot about our two MCs, and although the ending was maybe too cheesy even for me, it was very sweet and I was really rooting for them. There's a lovely set up of dynamics that were reminiscent of some of Chloe Liese's books: with an uptight, organised male MC and a joyful, outspoken female MC.
Glad to have picked this up as such a cheerful Spring read!
The Cerise by Bailey Black
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? No
Thank you to NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review
I was unimpressed with this first as a fantasy novel, and then as a structured novel over all. I made notes as I read specifically to not forget to bring up any here.
My first complaint is the way the plot unfolds. We are introduced to our protagonist as she moves in to make a kill. She's portrayed as some kind of assassin/revenge killer, this would be a great opening except that's all it is: an opening. This is never returned to, are there really no consequences to these actions? And from there, various plot point jumps are made with no explanation. For instance, discovering Tarrish in one night - only to be across the country (?) in the capital to enter some sort of royal selection process which apparently is a huge deal and not even alluded to until over 30% through. Some plot points clearly needed to happen to move the story along, but using "a strange pull" that has no follow up explanation is not a particularly strong device.
Continuing from my previous point, there is no explanation to the geography of this world - the Forbidden Forest receives a lot of page time towards the start, only to have no significance whatsoever. Her uncle's estate is described as being from the far westerly lands, but at no point is there any extended travel.
Then some of my complaints get more specific: I personally don't know how to feel about seeing the words "hype" or "landfill" in my fantasy books, but perhaps that's me relying on a more specific register. I did feel that it took away a little from the reading experience though.
Was not impressed with the (minimal) spicy scenes in this. With all the love in the world, I have read better fanfiction - it was not in keeping with the style of the rest of the novel, our protagonist's character, and I don't feel it added to the novel. Linked to this is the cursed description of her assaulter's penis (!) right at the start of the novel, and the repeated descriptions or references to the protagonist's breasts. Was not at all convinced.
Lastly, the set-up of our love triangle-ish plotline was also not convincing. The prince kisses her after she has just been throwing her guts up, and then the guard kisses her to shock her out of a panic attack that she's having because of how she's been touched by another man - I refuse to believe that is what we want to be reading. I also feel that at that point in the story, I hadn't even realised we were portraying the guard as a love interest, so that was quite a jump!
I feel I've been really critical of this novel but I was raising my eyebrows in disbelief at every page. Clearly there is a spark of an idea here, which is lovely, but this was not a well-executed story.
I was unimpressed with this first as a fantasy novel, and then as a structured novel over all. I made notes as I read specifically to not forget to bring up any here.
My first complaint is the way the plot unfolds. We are introduced to our protagonist as she moves in to make a kill. She's portrayed as some kind of assassin/revenge killer, this would be a great opening except that's all it is: an opening. This is never returned to, are there really no consequences to these actions? And from there, various plot point jumps are made with no explanation. For instance, discovering Tarrish in one night - only to be across the country (?) in the capital to enter some sort of royal selection process which apparently is a huge deal and not even alluded to until over 30% through. Some plot points clearly needed to happen to move the story along, but using "a strange pull" that has no follow up explanation is not a particularly strong device.
Continuing from my previous point, there is no explanation to the geography of this world - the Forbidden Forest receives a lot of page time towards the start, only to have no significance whatsoever. Her uncle's estate is described as being from the far westerly lands, but at no point is there any extended travel.
Then some of my complaints get more specific: I personally don't know how to feel about seeing the words "hype" or "landfill" in my fantasy books, but perhaps that's me relying on a more specific register. I did feel that it took away a little from the reading experience though.
Was not impressed with the (minimal) spicy scenes in this. With all the love in the world, I have read better fanfiction - it was not in keeping with the style of the rest of the novel, our protagonist's character, and I don't feel it added to the novel. Linked to this is the cursed description of her assaulter's penis (!) right at the start of the novel, and the repeated descriptions or references to the protagonist's breasts. Was not at all convinced.
Lastly, the set-up of our love triangle-ish plotline was also not convincing. The prince kisses her after she has just been throwing her guts up, and then the guard kisses her to shock her out of a panic attack that she's having because of how she's been touched by another man - I refuse to believe that is what we want to be reading. I also feel that at that point in the story, I hadn't even realised we were portraying the guard as a love interest, so that was quite a jump!
I feel I've been really critical of this novel but I was raising my eyebrows in disbelief at every page. Clearly there is a spark of an idea here, which is lovely, but this was not a well-executed story.
All the Painted Stars by Emma Denny
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
Thank you to NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review
Continuing my streak of medieval literature - today I offer you medieval lesbians, knights in dramatic jousting tournaments, and running away with the love of your life to live in a brewery. All in all, I'm quite jealous of Lily and Jo and loved following them on their adventure.
If you've read Gwen and Art are not in Love or you've ever watched BBC Merlin, then you'll already understand the kind of lighthearted historical tone that this book has - everyone is drinking ale or feasting or competing for ladies' favours. And then within this immersive environment, we have yearning, we have daring feats of bravery, and all sorts of dramatic antics.
This was just such a lovely story - and I got all the way to the end before I realised that the brothers who kept being mentioned in this book (who I ironically was thinking should get a spin off) were actually from a first book, and that All the Painted Stars is a sequel - so rest assured there's no need to read one before the other.
This makes such a brilliant addition to the repertoire of books I've been enjoying recently, that lean towards the medieval era/ myth and legend themes!
Continuing my streak of medieval literature - today I offer you medieval lesbians, knights in dramatic jousting tournaments, and running away with the love of your life to live in a brewery. All in all, I'm quite jealous of Lily and Jo and loved following them on their adventure.
If you've read Gwen and Art are not in Love or you've ever watched BBC Merlin, then you'll already understand the kind of lighthearted historical tone that this book has - everyone is drinking ale or feasting or competing for ladies' favours. And then within this immersive environment, we have yearning, we have daring feats of bravery, and all sorts of dramatic antics.
This was just such a lovely story - and I got all the way to the end before I realised that the brothers who kept being mentioned in this book (who I ironically was thinking should get a spin off) were actually from a first book, and that All the Painted Stars is a sequel - so rest assured there's no need to read one before the other.
This makes such a brilliant addition to the repertoire of books I've been enjoying recently, that lean towards the medieval era/ myth and legend themes!
Medea by Rosie Hewlett
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Thank you to NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review
Following in the footsteps of other popular Greek mythology retellings in recent years, Hewlett's 'Medea' exposes the lesser known characters of famous stories - in this case, the sorceress wife of Jason of the Argonauts. For those who have an existing interest in mythology, there are a plethora of familiar characters with Hecate, Circe, and King Aegeus all making appearances.
As all good retellings do, this story flipped the traditionally-known narrative on its head, and rather than revelling in stories of Jason's greatness as he completes his 3 trials and claims the Golden Fleece, we're given a stark insight into the life of Medea, a young girl determined to escape the dismal life she has always known - no matter the cost.
There are some larger time jumps in this novel that I wasn't expecting but actually worked really well in providing the reader with very clear distinctions between different parts of Medea's life, and how everything she had lived through eventually began to come to fruition in her adulthood. It was one of those bittersweet stories, where clearly a woman has been failed over and over again before she is pushed to extremes to get people to listen to her. I felt a deep empathy for her character, even as she (and Jason!) made terrible choice after terrible choice.
Would highly recommend this to any Madeline Miller or Jennifer Saint fans!
Following in the footsteps of other popular Greek mythology retellings in recent years, Hewlett's 'Medea' exposes the lesser known characters of famous stories - in this case, the sorceress wife of Jason of the Argonauts. For those who have an existing interest in mythology, there are a plethora of familiar characters with Hecate, Circe, and King Aegeus all making appearances.
As all good retellings do, this story flipped the traditionally-known narrative on its head, and rather than revelling in stories of Jason's greatness as he completes his 3 trials and claims the Golden Fleece, we're given a stark insight into the life of Medea, a young girl determined to escape the dismal life she has always known - no matter the cost.
There are some larger time jumps in this novel that I wasn't expecting but actually worked really well in providing the reader with very clear distinctions between different parts of Medea's life, and how everything she had lived through eventually began to come to fruition in her adulthood. It was one of those bittersweet stories, where clearly a woman has been failed over and over again before she is pushed to extremes to get people to listen to her. I felt a deep empathy for her character, even as she (and Jason!) made terrible choice after terrible choice.
Would highly recommend this to any Madeline Miller or Jennifer Saint fans!