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valpyre's reviews
173 reviews
A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland
funny
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
2.25 stars rounded down
uhh i was pretty excited for this at the beginning -- a bodyguard romance!! hate that turns into love!! it all sounded fun to me, and my enthusiasm for the start of this is what gets it at least 2 stars.
i was definitely overwhelmed by the exposition at the start of the book, but i was willing to deal with its intricacies and get into the worldbuilding. unfortunately, i found the lore all over the place -- the two main deities that are revered in this world are constantly referenced, but we only got a vague story of their actual mythology close to the end, which was awkward. a lot of the worldbuilding was like that -- a mention of things and no further explanation. like this planet has two moons?? and vague mentions of rules about consummation but no clarity as to how that would actually affect a union? maybe that's supposed to be immersion, but it just left me without a foundation.
i also found kadou very inconsistent as a character, and evemer was very flat. i didn't feel that these two ever truly developed as people and the romance suffered as well because of it. once we got to around the 80% mark, i wasn't enthusiastic about this, but felt like i just needed to see it through to the end.
just not the vibe for me
uhh i was pretty excited for this at the beginning -- a bodyguard romance!! hate that turns into love!! it all sounded fun to me, and my enthusiasm for the start of this is what gets it at least 2 stars.
i was definitely overwhelmed by the exposition at the start of the book, but i was willing to deal with its intricacies and get into the worldbuilding. unfortunately, i found the lore all over the place -- the two main deities that are revered in this world are constantly referenced, but we only got a vague story of their actual mythology close to the end, which was awkward. a lot of the worldbuilding was like that -- a mention of things and no further explanation. like this planet has two moons?? and vague mentions of rules about consummation but no clarity as to how that would actually affect a union? maybe that's supposed to be immersion, but it just left me without a foundation.
i also found kadou very inconsistent as a character, and evemer was very flat. i didn't feel that these two ever truly developed as people and the romance suffered as well because of it. once we got to around the 80% mark, i wasn't enthusiastic about this, but felt like i just needed to see it through to the end.
just not the vibe for me
Funny Story by Emily Henry
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
i was so into this for the fake dating! it was pretty fun, but fell off a little for me at the end -- i think there was just so much of daphne's internal monologue and a little bit of miscommunication that frustrated me. a pretty cute story overall, i just don't think i'll return to it.
Happy Place by Emily Henry
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
i was definitely in the mood for this book, plus i tend to love a breakup-makeup storyline, so this was a very enjoyable read for me.
other reviews have definitely put into perspective some of what was lacking for me -- i loved the friend group in this, but felt like a lot of the side characters had more substance in flashbacks as opposed to the present. i was really drawn into the little bits of their present day lives and how they had their own struggles, and wished there was more development in that by the end, as opposed to a generic wrap up. the moment when harriet went to sit with parth and he told her she was family took me a little aback, because i hadn't really felt the development of their relationship compared to the others at all, even though it was a sweet sentiment. and through the Plot Twist, it was pointed out how harriet and sabrina had barely had anytime alone together to catch up and i was bummed that we didn't really see that resolve on the page by the end. i liked the group as an ensemble though.
the feelings, though, those kept me going. EH's writing just drew me in with her descriptive writing. i was so into harriet and wyn's love, even if harriet constantly being overwhelmed by wyn everytime he was near was a liiiittle over the top -- i was all there for it! they were obsessed with each other and it was great. i was waiting for a miscommunication shoe to drop for me though, one that went isn't this a little much? couldn't y'all have just talked about it? but i guess i relate a little too hard to Not Talking About It, so it was a fine balance for me. i was also so delighted whenever wyn showed up exactly when harriet was thinking of him, who cares if it was realistic/practical or not!
i'm not sure if i'll reread it, but i'm glad i read at all.
other reviews have definitely put into perspective some of what was lacking for me -- i loved the friend group in this, but felt like a lot of the side characters had more substance in flashbacks as opposed to the present. i was really drawn into the little bits of their present day lives and how they had their own struggles, and wished there was more development in that by the end, as opposed to a generic wrap up. the moment when harriet went to sit with parth and he told her she was family took me a little aback, because i hadn't really felt the development of their relationship compared to the others at all, even though it was a sweet sentiment. and through the Plot Twist, it was pointed out how harriet and sabrina had barely had anytime alone together to catch up and i was bummed that we didn't really see that resolve on the page by the end. i liked the group as an ensemble though.
the feelings, though, those kept me going. EH's writing just drew me in with her descriptive writing. i was so into harriet and wyn's love, even if harriet constantly being overwhelmed by wyn everytime he was near was a liiiittle over the top -- i was all there for it! they were obsessed with each other and it was great. i was waiting for a miscommunication shoe to drop for me though, one that went isn't this a little much? couldn't y'all have just talked about it? but i guess i relate a little too hard to Not Talking About It, so it was a fine balance for me. i was also so delighted whenever wyn showed up exactly when harriet was thinking of him, who cares if it was realistic/practical or not!
i'm not sure if i'll reread it, but i'm glad i read at all.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Pregnancy
The Deepest Roots by Miranda Asebedo
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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
this book got me in my feels to the point i cried a little at the overwhelming emotions and desperation that the characters felt around the climax of the story. there was so much love in the details of this book, in the way that the relationship between the various women and girls of cottonwood hollow related and relied on each other. the friendship between the main trio felt so natural and lived in.
there were moments throughout the book where i felt frustrated at some miscommunications between characters, but it made it all the better when it was something they worked through. the struggles of the main character and her friends were real -- even though this was single pov, asebedo had a way of writing the other two friends in a way where i still saw them and felt so strongly for them.
the mystery of the missing diary was a little silly to me, especially since they didn't figure out that garret had taken it for the majority of the book. i clocked that shit the moment he walked out of rome's bedroom with his hands in his jacket. i was able to suspend my disbelief though, considering the stress of the situation and just imagining that that probably wasn't a detail that took priority in rome's mind at the time.
there were also a couple times where rome and her mother's eyes are referred to as "rusty", and i couldn't really picture what was meant by that (particularly in comparison to another character's brown eyes).
overall, i really enjoyed reading this -- the setting and characters felt so grounded, and the magic was wonderfully weaved in throughout.
there were moments throughout the book where i felt frustrated at some miscommunications between characters, but it made it all the better when it was something they worked through. the struggles of the main character and her friends were real -- even though this was single pov, asebedo had a way of writing the other two friends in a way where i still saw them and felt so strongly for them.
the mystery of the
there were also a couple times where rome and her mother's eyes are referred to as "rusty", and i couldn't really picture what was meant by that (particularly in comparison to another character's brown eyes).
overall, i really enjoyed reading this -- the setting and characters felt so grounded, and the magic was wonderfully weaved in throughout.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Blood, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Sexual assault, Lesbophobia, and Sexual harassment
Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
a light read, though i did find myself skimming parts. the whole thing was enjoyable enough, if juvenile. i wanted more out of the romance but it was a pretty chaste slow burn. even the plot moved fast, which made it easier to read, but it also felt very much like boxes were being checked instead of a natural development of the relationship. i liked a lot of the side characters, just wish we got more time with them instead of being given a wikipedia rundown of their pasts. i might check out the sequel if i need another head empty read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
My Lady Jane by Jodi Meadows, Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
i wanted to read this before watching the tv show adaptation, so i started in on it the moment it came off hold for me. this was seriously delightful -- i had no idea of the magical twist and i was all for it when it was explained. i was surprised that edward's pov was a prominent part of this book, but it definitely added nuance to the plot. and the romance between jane and gifford was such a good slow burn, even if it was mostly circumstance that kept them apart, which made it all the sweeter when they properly talked about their feelings.
i've also been watching the tv show since i finished, and while i understand and enjoy a lot of the changes they've made in the adaptation, people should know they're not going to get a very close retelling of the source material. it's lovely though as both book and tv show have their own charm.
i've also been watching the tv show since i finished, and while i understand and enjoy a lot of the changes they've made in the adaptation, people should know they're not going to get a very close retelling of the source material. it's lovely though as both book and tv show have their own charm.
Serendipity: A gorgeous collection of stories of all kinds of falling in love . . . by Marissa Meyer
emotional
lighthearted
fast-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? It's complicated
2.0
a light but underwhelming read. unfortunately none of the stories really managed to captivate me or tug on my heartstrings, even meyer's, whose writing i'm familiar with and do enjoy.
i never really felt that i was reading subverted or transformed tropes, as the book advertised. the closest any story came to doing that was "in the blink of an eye", as the characters in that story weren't the actual couple and didn't get together (which, they were sweet, but it was still a bit of a bummer). this story and the two following it (the last three stories in the book) were the only stories that i really felt any positive feelings about. i really liked the nuance of the couple that was portrayed in "liberty" -- both afraid to be themselves but for different reasons, and then being unafraid together. the couple "the surprise match" was really cute to me as well, even if the plot was cliche (perfect for a book about tropes, i suppose).
the story about the best friend love epiphany trope actively put me off with the drama surrounding the love confessions and the main characters actions towards his best friend. i also felt like there was a cliche "third" convenient female friend of the group who was all-knowing and ended up getting the couple together.
ultimately i'm glad i finished this book -- it was nice to have something to read at all at times.
i never really felt that i was reading subverted or transformed tropes, as the book advertised. the closest any story came to doing that was "in the blink of an eye", as
the story about the best friend love epiphany trope actively put me off with the drama surrounding the love confessions and the main characters actions towards his best friend. i also felt like there was a cliche "third" convenient female friend of the group who was all-knowing and ended up getting the couple together.
ultimately i'm glad i finished this book -- it was nice to have something to read at all at times.
Loveboat Reunion by Abigail Hing Wen
Did not finish book. Stopped at 74%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 74%.
not the book i was expecting it to be. i really, really enjoyed loveboat, taipei, so this has been on my TBR for a while now. unfortunately, it lacked all the charm of the first book for me. i was intrigued enough about xavier and sophie (despite sophie's actions in LbT) to really keep trying to get through but ultimately, this just didn't hold my attention. i actually found myself skimming parts of the book instead of actually taking them in.
i think there was just too much going on, to be honest -- i don't mind a dual POV, but each character was juggling so many things. the intricacies of xavier's struggles with his family on top of his school project on top of him accommodating his dyslexia was so much going on at once. sophie felt like an entirely different character from the first book, and her college compsci class felt so unrealistic. why was she groveling and working so hard for a class she wasn't even paying for? that combined with the interpersonal drama of the ocean campus loveboat students was just too much drama that could have been avoided. how are you going to have sophie saying "oh i'm not organizing this random reunion" and then have her allow anyone and everyone onto xavier's private plane?
i really tried to hold out hope for this -- i found the underlying plot with the xavier family business, particularly concerning xavier's aunts (named by number, which, really?) intriguing, but it got lost in everything else.
i think there was just too much going on, to be honest -- i don't mind a dual POV, but each character was juggling so many things. the intricacies of xavier's struggles with his family on top of his school project on top of him accommodating his dyslexia was so much going on at once. sophie felt like an entirely different character from the first book, and her college compsci class felt so unrealistic. why was she groveling and working so hard for a class she wasn't even paying for? that combined with the interpersonal drama of the ocean campus loveboat students was just too much drama that could have been avoided. how are you going to have sophie saying "oh i'm not organizing this random reunion" and then have her allow anyone and everyone onto xavier's private plane?
i really tried to hold out hope for this -- i found the underlying plot with the xavier family business, particularly concerning xavier's aunts (named by number, which, really?) intriguing, but it got lost in everything else.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse and Sexism
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Did not finish book. Stopped at 61%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 61%.
i havent opened this in literal months so i think it's about time i logged it. uh, let's be real, i fully gave into the hype about this against my better judgement. to the people who genuinely enjoyed this, i'm so happy for you but that just wasn't my experience reading this, and it just grinds my gears hearing constant praise for this book with little to no nuance or criticism about it (two things can be true at the same time!).
from the jump, i was not a fan of the exposition -- the physical description of violet was very juvenile and gave me very "the most special and unique girl in the world" vibes. i've also heard praise for this book's representation of a character with a disability/chronic illness, but, and i admittedly say this with little expertise, i found violet's abilities so inconsistently described. she always has no confidence that she'll be able to pass any of the college's bizarre trials, and the next, she's reminding us about how speedy and agile she is. and her quirk of reciting facts about the literal world setting when she's nervous just felt overdone and convenient. this book is full of telling you as opposed to showing you.
violet's voice as a protagonist was just grating -- i can take a little anachronism for fun but structure and tone was just all over the place in this book. there were times where chapters ended on a tension-filled cliffhanger and then the next chapter started back up after all the action had happened. there were also so many repetitions that defined certain events like gauntlet and presentation day, and then other events like squad battle just happened with no prior explanation. it was just hard to get into for me.
i tried to get through it just for the romance aspect, but even the fun of that fell away after a while. the "forbidden" romance in part bc of the xenophobia associated with xaden's character was just icky for me. the appeal was superficial (really, really superficial considering all the descriptions of xaden's godlike physique).
so yeah, not for me.
from the jump, i was not a fan of the exposition -- the physical description of violet was very juvenile and gave me very "the most special and unique girl in the world" vibes. i've also heard praise for this book's representation of a character with a disability/chronic illness, but, and i admittedly say this with little expertise, i found violet's abilities so inconsistently described. she always has no confidence that she'll be able to pass any of the college's bizarre trials, and the next, she's reminding us about how speedy and agile she is. and her quirk of reciting facts about the literal world setting when she's nervous just felt overdone and convenient. this book is full of telling you as opposed to showing you.
violet's voice as a protagonist was just grating -- i can take a little anachronism for fun but structure and tone was just all over the place in this book. there were times where chapters ended on a tension-filled cliffhanger and then the next chapter started back up after all the action had happened. there were also so many repetitions that defined certain events like gauntlet and presentation day, and then other events like squad battle just happened with no prior explanation. it was just hard to get into for me.
i tried to get through it just for the romance aspect, but even the fun of that fell away after a while. the "forbidden" romance in part bc of the xenophobia associated with xaden's character was just icky for me. the appeal was superficial (really, really superficial considering all the descriptions of xaden's godlike physique).
so yeah, not for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and War
A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
in a weird way, this was like a head empty all vibes book for me? like the writing was good, and the plot was fleshed out enough that it didn't put me off and i was just along for the ride.
i suppose a lot of the style of the book is meant to reflect effy's state of mind, especially considering her recent trauma, which seems to have exacerbated all her childhood trauma. i think all the water related imagery and metaphors were a little overdone, but obviously fit the theme of the book so im not complaining too much.
i guess i wished that this book was more magical than it ended up being? like were effy's hallucinations just that, or something more? i feel like the whole unraveling of the mystery at the end was a bit blown over, but perhaps that was to put emphasis on the women of the story (honestly, at one point, i was confused as to whether a certain character was even real or not).
i was also intrigued by the war between fantasy france (??) and fantasy wales but it didnt play much into the plot at hand, plus i could've done without the xenophobia throughout. i felt like preston was way too forgiving about that, but i guess that's reality in a way too.
the romance was very sweet, and at the same time, it didn't pull me in or make me feel too much. it just felt like a given of the story, so i enjoyed the beats as they came.
overall, this was a fine read, but i don't think it's a story that will stick with me. i might check out the sequel when it comes out as the very ending of the book holds intrigue in that sense, so i'm a little curious.
i suppose a lot of the style of the book is meant to reflect effy's state of mind, especially considering her recent trauma, which seems to have exacerbated all her childhood trauma. i think all the water related imagery and metaphors were a little overdone, but obviously fit the theme of the book so im not complaining too much.
i guess i wished that this book was more magical than it ended up being? like were effy's hallucinations just that, or something more? i feel like the whole unraveling of the mystery at the end was a bit blown over, but perhaps that was to put emphasis on the women of the story (honestly, at one point, i was confused as to whether a certain character was even real or not).
i was also intrigued by the war between fantasy france (??) and fantasy wales but it didnt play much into the plot at hand, plus i could've done without the xenophobia throughout. i felt like preston was way too forgiving about that, but i guess that's reality in a way too.
the romance was very sweet, and at the same time, it didn't pull me in or make me feel too much. it just felt like a given of the story, so i enjoyed the beats as they came.
overall, this was a fine read, but i don't think it's a story that will stick with me. i might check out the sequel when it comes out as the very ending of the book holds intrigue in that sense, so i'm a little curious.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail