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writervid's reviews
129 reviews
The Diviners by Libba Bray
5.0
WOW.
I absolutely loved this book. Libba Bray excels in developing characters and environment in a lyrical tone that brings an atmosphere to the piece. Each character was developed and distinct, and each piece of the puzzle felt as though we could solve it, too. One of my favorite things about mystery novels is when the pieces stack together in a way that readers can almost see how they connect, but not quite, which is done exceptionally well here. The other thing I absolutely adored was how Bray took full liberty of the 20s and brought so many historical elements of it to life, painting such a complete picture of the time period.
The book lost points for me on some insta-lovey bits. But honestly, it was such a small part of the book, and the couples were so cute, that I couldn't help but forgive it entirely.
The Diviners is a stunner. I'm looking forward to reading the next book.
I absolutely loved this book. Libba Bray excels in developing characters and environment in a lyrical tone that brings an atmosphere to the piece. Each character was developed and distinct, and each piece of the puzzle felt as though we could solve it, too. One of my favorite things about mystery novels is when the pieces stack together in a way that readers can almost see how they connect, but not quite, which is done exceptionally well here. The other thing I absolutely adored was how Bray took full liberty of the 20s and brought so many historical elements of it to life, painting such a complete picture of the time period.
The book lost points for me on some insta-lovey bits. But honestly, it was such a small part of the book, and the couples were so cute, that I couldn't help but forgive it entirely.
The Diviners is a stunner. I'm looking forward to reading the next book.
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
4.0
Another win for V.E. Schwab! Every London was crafted brilliantly, and the use of color to tell them apart added even more gorgeousness to the story. I thought the book flowed well, that the characters, particularly Kell and Holland, shone, and the the magic system was well-defined. The start to this series feels extremely world-based, so the fact that the world-building was so excellently executed excites me to keep reading.
The thing that took away from this book for me was Lila. I was bothered by her incompetence. She was constantly being saved by Kell, so much so that it made the series of events predictable. While I enjoyed reading from her perspective, I couldn't see what she was adding to the plot other than a bit of style and the possible mystery of her glass eye, which is why this book is a solid four stars instead of near a 5.
The thing that took away from this book for me was Lila. I was bothered by her incompetence. She was constantly being saved by Kell, so much so that it made the series of events predictable. While I enjoyed reading from her perspective, I couldn't see what she was adding to the plot other than a bit of style and the possible mystery of her glass eye, which is why this book is a solid four stars instead of near a 5.
King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo
4.0
(3.5/5 stars)
Okay. Here's the thing you have to keep in mind when reading this: This book is for us. It's not going to be easy for new readers to understand all the time, although Bardugo does a good job of making this a good gateway to her world. It's for us fans who read The Grisha Trilogy and Six of Crows and wanted MORE. And that's clear from the way the book is written; it's more characterization based than conflict based. Which could get tiresome, after a time, but if you're a fan, you're going to love this. A lot of characters we know and love, like Zoya (ZOYA oh my god) and Adrik, get more page time in this book, and we get more insight into them, which was wonderful. The most compelling things about this book were the characters and the world.
However, there were flaws. I think what felt off for this book for me was Nina. I don't think she, as much as I love her, added to the plot at all. There was no inherent theme she was attached to, other than perhaps that of a second chance. Her story took away from the main plot, slowed down the pacing, and brought me out of the action. I'd much rather see her again as a cameo later than have her doing things in an entirely separate location with an entirely different goal. I would die for Nina, but here, I was just unclear as to why she was there outside of fanservice.
This book walks a fine line between fanservice and great. I loved this book, despite the slower pacing, the confusion of Nina's plotline, and how hard it was to get into.
Okay. Here's the thing you have to keep in mind when reading this: This book is for us. It's not going to be easy for new readers to understand all the time, although Bardugo does a good job of making this a good gateway to her world. It's for us fans who read The Grisha Trilogy and Six of Crows and wanted MORE. And that's clear from the way the book is written; it's more characterization based than conflict based. Which could get tiresome, after a time, but if you're a fan, you're going to love this. A lot of characters we know and love, like Zoya (ZOYA oh my god) and Adrik, get more page time in this book, and we get more insight into them, which was wonderful. The most compelling things about this book were the characters and the world.
However, there were flaws. I think what felt off for this book for me was Nina. I don't think she, as much as I love her, added to the plot at all. There was no inherent theme she was attached to, other than perhaps that of a second chance. Her story took away from the main plot, slowed down the pacing, and brought me out of the action. I'd much rather see her again as a cameo later than have her doing things in an entirely separate location with an entirely different goal. I would die for Nina, but here, I was just unclear as to why she was there outside of fanservice.
This book walks a fine line between fanservice and great. I loved this book, despite the slower pacing, the confusion of Nina's plotline, and how hard it was to get into.
Pride by Ibi Zoboi
3.0
3/5 stars
I'm all for angst. I'm all for seeing classics get a new take. And Pride mostly delivered on both counts.
I think this remix of Pride and Prejudice did a good job of creating an idea of prejudice in a contemporary setting, one that I learned a lot from. The topic of gentrification is a tricky one to tackle, and Zoboi did it justice and seamlessly wove it into the narrative. I found the characters and the sense of community realistic, and there was clearly a lot of heart in this story.
Not only that, but the way culture played such a major role in this story was fresh and enjoyable. So often in contemporary, heritage is brushed over in favor of the same cliche beats. And while I enjoy those beats, the focus on Zuri's heritage made this story so much better and so much more realistic. So many teenagers out there are intrinsically tied to their heritage, including me, that it thrilled me to see that portrayed on the page as a normal part of life. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
However, there are downsides to every story. I found myself being told a lot of who the characters were, rather than being shown. If Janae is so sweet, and she and Zuri are so close, don't just describe that; show it! I also found that Zuri's dislike of Darius came on too quick, so much so it felt contrived. I did find that once we were well in the dislike stage, the emotions she felt were extremely well executed, causing plenty of *angst*. However, after some of the angst was over, her feelings of dislike were resolved too quickly, which made a lot of the angst disappear, and made me wonder why I was still reading. The rearrangement of the beats in Pride and Prejudice didn't always work. Zuri's emotions often felt rushed, and didn't quite flesh out into a full arc. With such a character-arc driven novel, the arc needs to feel complete and fully realistic, and this story was too intent on making things happen quickly for plot's sake to do that. In a story like this, the characters should carry the plot, not the other way around.
I'm all for angst. I'm all for seeing classics get a new take. And Pride mostly delivered on both counts.
I think this remix of Pride and Prejudice did a good job of creating an idea of prejudice in a contemporary setting, one that I learned a lot from. The topic of gentrification is a tricky one to tackle, and Zoboi did it justice and seamlessly wove it into the narrative. I found the characters and the sense of community realistic, and there was clearly a lot of heart in this story.
Not only that, but the way culture played such a major role in this story was fresh and enjoyable. So often in contemporary, heritage is brushed over in favor of the same cliche beats. And while I enjoy those beats, the focus on Zuri's heritage made this story so much better and so much more realistic. So many teenagers out there are intrinsically tied to their heritage, including me, that it thrilled me to see that portrayed on the page as a normal part of life. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
However, there are downsides to every story. I found myself being told a lot of who the characters were, rather than being shown. If Janae is so sweet, and she and Zuri are so close, don't just describe that; show it! I also found that Zuri's dislike of Darius came on too quick, so much so it felt contrived. I did find that once we were well in the dislike stage, the emotions she felt were extremely well executed, causing plenty of *angst*. However, after some of the angst was over, her feelings of dislike were resolved too quickly, which made a lot of the angst disappear, and made me wonder why I was still reading. The rearrangement of the beats in Pride and Prejudice didn't always work. Zuri's emotions often felt rushed, and didn't quite flesh out into a full arc. With such a character-arc driven novel, the arc needs to feel complete and fully realistic, and this story was too intent on making things happen quickly for plot's sake to do that. In a story like this, the characters should carry the plot, not the other way around.
Wildcard by Marie Lu
4.0
4/5
I may be the odd one out here, but I actually loved Wildcard a lot more than I loved Warcross. Warcross to me felt very generic and by-the-book hero's journey, whereas in Wildcard, I found myself guessing at the twists and turns of the plot more than I had before. I also enjoyed the new depth given to characters from the first book, who had originally felt very much like paper cutouts to me. I honestly had a better time reading Wildcard than Warcross because I felt much more comfortable in the world, and like I was being taken along for the ride, as opposed to Warcross, where I could often guess what was going to happen next.
There are some negatives. The climax didn't feel super climactic for me. There was too much going on for it to be as intense as it was intended to be, and there were elements of the story that overwhelmed rather than add anything to the characters, messages, or plot. And while I didn't initially notice it, Emika is a passive character in this novel. However, I do think that added to the story more than people give it credit for. It gave me the sense that Emika was in over her head, and allowed for the side characters to really shine, something I felt was missing in Warcross. It also brought to light ideas of what gives someone power in a corporate world, which I found to be one of the truest messages Lu has written. I also always find that I enjoy the ultimate conclusion of Lu's series, and Wildcard was no different--much like Champion, it brought to light themes I thought were worth exploring, and left me satisfied.
I may be the odd one out here, but I actually loved Wildcard a lot more than I loved Warcross. Warcross to me felt very generic and by-the-book hero's journey, whereas in Wildcard, I found myself guessing at the twists and turns of the plot more than I had before. I also enjoyed the new depth given to characters from the first book, who had originally felt very much like paper cutouts to me. I honestly had a better time reading Wildcard than Warcross because I felt much more comfortable in the world, and like I was being taken along for the ride, as opposed to Warcross, where I could often guess what was going to happen next.
There are some negatives. The climax didn't feel super climactic for me. There was too much going on for it to be as intense as it was intended to be, and there were elements of the story that overwhelmed rather than add anything to the characters, messages, or plot. And while I didn't initially notice it, Emika is a passive character in this novel. However, I do think that added to the story more than people give it credit for. It gave me the sense that Emika was in over her head, and allowed for the side characters to really shine, something I felt was missing in Warcross. It also brought to light ideas of what gives someone power in a corporate world, which I found to be one of the truest messages Lu has written. I also always find that I enjoy the ultimate conclusion of Lu's series, and Wildcard was no different--much like Champion, it brought to light themes I thought were worth exploring, and left me satisfied.
On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
5.0
5/5
Wow. Angie Thomas outdid herself. With THUG, I didn't have a total emotional connection to Starr; it felt more about the issue than the characters. With OTCU, I did not have that issue at all. Here, Thomas explores issues of racism, police brutality, stereotypes, and so much more, but all THROUGH the lenses of characters, as opposed to characters riding the waves of what happened. I felt like Brianna and the characters around her were truly driving the plot at all times. It was well paced, and each character interacted with the page in a different and distinct way.
Brianna is one of the best teenagers I've ever read. She felt realistic from the start, and had so much more complexity to her than so many other characters I've read, this year and beyond. Her motivations were complex, the arc was well-executed, and, through her, the narrative felt strong and had a wonderful voice.
This was incredible. I didn't want to ever put it down. I'm so excited to reread it.
Wow. Angie Thomas outdid herself. With THUG, I didn't have a total emotional connection to Starr; it felt more about the issue than the characters. With OTCU, I did not have that issue at all. Here, Thomas explores issues of racism, police brutality, stereotypes, and so much more, but all THROUGH the lenses of characters, as opposed to characters riding the waves of what happened. I felt like Brianna and the characters around her were truly driving the plot at all times. It was well paced, and each character interacted with the page in a different and distinct way.
Brianna is one of the best teenagers I've ever read. She felt realistic from the start, and had so much more complexity to her than so many other characters I've read, this year and beyond. Her motivations were complex, the arc was well-executed, and, through her, the narrative felt strong and had a wonderful voice.
This was incredible. I didn't want to ever put it down. I'm so excited to reread it.
Circle of Shadows by Evelyn Skye
2.0
I wish I could say I enjoyed this book. After loving The Crown's Game (though not so much its sequel) I was hoping that Circle of Shadows would be a win. However, I found the characters to be cliche, the pacing to be off, and the style to be clunky.
When I started reading the first chapter, I experienced many an eye roll at Sora and Daemon. Sora seemed to be an attempt at almost a Fred and George style trickster character, but that felt skimmed over, especially after her character motivations took a complete 180 after one scene. Daemon, too, played into this idea of an unrequited love interest who is down on his luck about his skills. There wasn't any depth in them, so I was never truly invested in their characters. The characters that did seem interesting to me-Fairy and Aki-were never really expanded on, and the character whose tropes I would normally be a sucker for, Virtuoso, felt so one-dimensional that I wanted to skip over scenes with her. The premises of the characters felt cliche. Had there been more depth, I could see myself liking them, but the focus was never on the characters-rather, about stakes that felt totally off kilter. I felt as though the idea that these kids could combat a war effort was totally foolish, particularly because of the ease with which they did and the lack of pressure they seemed to feel. The way the military system and magic systems worked also felt undeveloped and as such, brought about this idea of "ease" which took away pressure.
The style also brought about an eye roll. While there were a few beautiful descriptions, it felt unpolished and unedited. I was also confused, because the setting was never really touched on. I felt lost as to where we were; while I thought I saw elements of Japanese culture, those elements felt inconstant with others, such as the blonde hair needed for the ruling family. Which could be problematic.
I feel as if this book had taken more time with its characters, developed them more, and let its characters drive the plot, this could have been pretty good.
I will not be continuing this series.
When I started reading the first chapter, I experienced many an eye roll at Sora and Daemon. Sora seemed to be an attempt at almost a Fred and George style trickster character, but that felt skimmed over, especially after her character motivations took a complete 180 after one scene. Daemon, too, played into this idea of an unrequited love interest who is down on his luck about his skills. There wasn't any depth in them, so I was never truly invested in their characters. The characters that did seem interesting to me-Fairy and Aki-were never really expanded on, and the character whose tropes I would normally be a sucker for, Virtuoso, felt so one-dimensional that I wanted to skip over scenes with her. The premises of the characters felt cliche. Had there been more depth, I could see myself liking them, but the focus was never on the characters-rather, about stakes that felt totally off kilter. I felt as though the idea that these kids could combat a war effort was totally foolish, particularly because of the ease with which they did and the lack of pressure they seemed to feel. The way the military system and magic systems worked also felt undeveloped and as such, brought about this idea of "ease" which took away pressure.
The style also brought about an eye roll. While there were a few beautiful descriptions, it felt unpolished and unedited. I was also confused, because the setting was never really touched on. I felt lost as to where we were; while I thought I saw elements of Japanese culture, those elements felt inconstant with others, such as the blonde hair needed for the ruling family. Which could be problematic.
I feel as if this book had taken more time with its characters, developed them more, and let its characters drive the plot, this could have been pretty good.
I will not be continuing this series.