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wyarttist's Reviews (73)
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
For most of my reviews I preface that if I gave it a low rating it's probably because it wasn't my taste. But with The Friend Scheme that's not necessarily the case. There were many technical flaws that were incredibly hard to push through (I don't dnf books but if I ever were to this would be one of them). I've had a hard time putting my thoughts about this book into words so I will just sum it up with some bullet points:
1. if a plot can be resolved in one conversation, then it's a bad plot
2. the one (1) female side character was used as an alibi and had zero development
3. throwing a million pop culture references at a character does not count as development
4. very. dialogue. heavy. and the dialogue itself was so unrealistic it felt like a middle schoolers fantasies spewed out on paper
5. plot holes aplenty
1. if a plot can be resolved in one conversation, then it's a bad plot
2. the one (1) female side character was used as an alibi and had zero development
3. throwing a million pop culture references at a character does not count as development
4. very. dialogue. heavy. and the dialogue itself was so unrealistic it felt like a middle schoolers fantasies spewed out on paper
5. plot holes aplenty
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
I went into reading this book as a palette cleanser from the book I had read before it and it did its job. While enjoyable at the surface level it has its flaws. The pacing was too fast - it felt like every new challenge the characters faced encompassed 20 pages each and there were a lot of them. This easily could've been split up into a duology. My other major issue was the main villain. Vanessa had basically no character development making her a lackluster character/villain. Her motives make sense superficially but we never even heard her speak until she was outed as the evil mastermind behind Tal's kidnapping. The story is also not really about pirates in the way the cover art makes you think it will be but that's more on me for my own false expectations. Overall I enjoyed the read but probably wouldn't recommend it to a friend.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Personally I read for escapism and enjoyment and therefore most of the books I read tend to be more lighthearted, but I give myself a few more intense reads throughout the year here and there. I'm glad I chose this as one of my more serious reads. The beginning is a bit slow as it sets up Wallace's role within his university but quickly thereafter delves into the real lives (and traumas) of the characters. This book is heart wrenching and reflective in a way that left me somehow both empty and full after reading. The writing is superb and I would definitely recommend it to a friend (with a pointed recommendation to check the trigger warnings first).
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
slow-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
As an ending to a trilogy, this book left me with mixed feelings. The plot took a backseat to the characters dealing with their traumas and relationships which would be fine on its own if it weren't the finale to a series. If the author comes out with a fourth book maybe my opinion will change but for now the ending feels lackluster. I was thrilled to see the characters get the catharsis they need (and I love the characters which is why I give this a 4 star review and not lower) but was left with too many loose ends to feel content with the ending. For a trilogy whose whole thing is about The Chosen One and Prophecy, the finale didn't seem to spend too much time focusing on either. Maybe going into this series knowing it's more romance than fantasy would have better prepared me for how I'd feel about the plot, but as it stands it feels unfinished.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-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
this book was frustrating in the way that sequels usually are. you become familiar with the world and rules in place and you can't rely on the thing that drew you into the first book anymore. this isn't to say it's a bad book (I mean I gave it four stars), it's just a book about growing pains (appropriate for a sequel). Wayward Son is a character heavy story with a mildly lackluster ending in terms of plot (but I think that's mostly because it was setting up for a bigger conclusion to the whole series). but that's not to say it was unenjoyable -- it was but in a frustrating way. that's at least partially to do with a lot of miscommunication throughout the story. but overall it was a generally enjoyable and realistic depiction of a hero post-prophecy.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Carry On is the queer magic book I needed. It was hard to put down! I know it's the first of a trilogy but the ending was so immensely satisfying that I'm only slightly torn about reading the next one. The pacing was also superb -- most YA novels I've read recently that are similar to Carry On have all felt rushed at the end. But Carry On was clearly well planned and the changing perspectives throughout the novel made the ending feel well rounded. 5 stars would absolutely recommend this book!
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
Was this book perfect? No, but what book is? The pacing felt a little off at times and some things felt unnecessary BUT the impact this book has surpasses the few flaws it does have. The themes of The Fae Keeper are intensely relatable for POC, LGBT+, and readers from other minority groups. Personally, The Fae Keeper feels like everything I've been screaming into the void screamed back at me, and for the first time in a long time I felt known.