zagfros's reviews
372 reviews

Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White

dark emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

Hell Followed With Us was a super unique read. Benji our protagonist is a Trans teen escaping a cult who ended the world. He joins the Watch at the ALC a community of LGBTQ+ survivors and has to decide what to do next as they turn into the Seraph. It's such an amazing concept and the world is absolutely terrifying, our introduction to the Grace and their super visceral descriptions were so unsettling. The body horror in this book was just on another level, some of the descriptions of either the Graces or Benji's transformations made me need to pause they were so intense. The teeth especially!

The writing style is fantastic & the whole story flows so well keeping you hooked. I'm looking forward to reading more of the authors works. A couple revelations in the book had me shocked & Nick's first pov was a shock. There's not many pov switches but each one leaves such an impact. Overall, an amazing read and I'd highly recommend it.

Thanks to Netgalley & Daphne Press for the arc

The Curse of Sins by Kate Dramis

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

4.0

Sins was a good continuation of Aya's story & I loved the expanded world building from Dramis. It's honestly my favourite part of the series as the world is so fleshed out and not overshadowed by the romance, personally I find this is where the story shines! Aya & Will's relationship is still front and centre though and despite certain struggles the relationship still grows over the course of the plot.

I did find the novel a tiny bit lengthy and occasionally wanting to rush through certain POVs to get back to Aya's. However, overall the book was still a great read and I loved learning more about the world and characters from Saints.

The wait for the next installment is going to be tough though... that cliffhanger!!!

Rabid by Ivy Asher, Raven Kennedy

dark fast-paced

3.0

The Night Ends With Fire by K.X. Song

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The Night Ends With Fire is a fascinating retelling of Mulan, including elements of the supernatural. We see Meilin struggle not just due to her place in society as a woman but also having access to magic which is outlawed. A big theme in the book is isolation and not just because of her circumstances but also due to the other characters motivations. The book can at times feel lonely as there's downsides to all of Meilin's potential allies, even Meilin herself is dealing with controlling her impulses due to her magic's influence. It makes it all feel rather hopeless at times, not knowing who to trust has you second guessing everyone's motivations and even Meilin. Despite this or because of this... The novel itself is a riveting read and flows well as Meilin escapes her marriage and joins the army in the three kingdoms war.

The cast of supporting characters are great and standouts such as Autumn, Lei and Sparrow really bring the book together even with you guessing the motivations and how they'll react if they discover Meilin's secrets.

I look forward to seeing what happens next in Meilin's story and if she can find some allies she can confide in! Thanks to Netgalley & Hodder & Stoughton for the arc.

Empire of Shadows by Jacquelyn Benson

adventurous funny informative inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

If you're like me and a huge fan of The Mummy, you'll adore this book! From the start we're introduced to Ellie outside parliament with the suffragette movement and we see bits of her life before the events through her activities and friendship with Constance after a rather calamitous day at the office and it really enamours you to her. She's fantastic and one my favourites from this year! 

Bates first chapter and his subsequent introduction to Ellie was perfect in setting up his character and the two's relationship. Their banter throughout their journey was fantastic and Bates supporting Ellie's investigation into any interesting piece of history along the way. Both characters have their strengths and they both regularly have a chance to shine.

The conflict picks up later in the book as the two parties hunting for the city interact but the story is best when our duo are reunited and the trials they go through in the city was riveting.

Overall, loved this book and the hints at a sequel through the plot were appreciated and I can't wait to read the Tomb of the Sun King. Thanks to Netgalley & Crimson Fox Publishing for the arc.

A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen

adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

A great read for fans of Vikings, magic, romance & epic battles. A Fate Inked in Blood was a fast paced read with non stop action and intrigue, easy to read in one sitting. It flows so fast you'll be hard pressed to stop at any chapter whether through danger or uncovering another plot.

The setting is a welcome breath of fresh air withing this subgenre & Freya & Bjorn's banter was well done and their relationship felt refreshing compared to others.

Eagerly awaiting the sequel and will be looking into Jensen's previous books.

To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods by Molly X. Chang

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods was very much a prologue to Ruying's story and that's not a bad thing, I'm eager to see what happens next. I just think it's best to preface this review that a lot of people have been making assumptions based on other reviews and buzzwords when the 'romance' was a tiny tiny part of this book.

The world has been invaded and it's inhabitants live under fear of Rome. The theme of magic vs science is really interesting and the horror of what modern weapons could do to this world is ever present. We know more than Ruying what Rome is capable of and this further amplifies the stakes.

Throughout the novel you'll find it incredibly tense and at times uncomfortable as Ruying is subjected to Roman rule, the disturbing consequences of that across the city and the direct manipulations of one of its rulers. We follow Ruying as she works for the Roman Prince, Anthony Augustus, as his personal assassin from what she thinks is her own free will but is very much manipulation. Small details add up across the story which further increase your unease, such as Anthony immediately using pet names once Ruying agrees to his 'offer' & his schemes to get her to kill for him. 

As stated before the story very much reads as a prologue wherein the characters and their motivations are laid out, the growth that Ruying goes through under terrible circumstances is vital for that personal element to her journey in the sequel. I just hope enough people give this book a chance for themselves & that there's not too long a wait!

Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White by Amélie Wen Zhao

adventurous emotional 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

Lan and Zen's conflict on how to achieve their shared goal continues on and both povs are gripping. I couldn't choose a favourite, both are enthralling and the switches also provided a breather at times as both main characters faced rather difficult obstacles! Also despite the distance between our two main characters we still find their stories intertwined, with information gained by one character providing more context on the others situation.

The new locations in this book are vividly described and the difference in setting such as the desert really helped expand upon the world from the 1st book. New characters introduced are kept to a minimum but are all standouts.

A very bittersweet ending but it was masterfully done and helped bring closure to this amazing duology and all loose ends were tied up.

Thanks to Netgalley & HarperCollins for the arc.

A Feather So Black by Lyra Selene

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

5.0

For fans of The Cruel Prince & These Hollow Vows who want to read something skewing older. A Feather So Black is a unique take on Fae stories, both the human & Fae world are such described in great deta that you'll be able to visualise both easily. I really enjoyed the pacing & the reasoning for the differences in pace between each world worked perfectly. It provided a great balance between all the action & intrigue and you'll be desperate to return back to each world to continue the story in both. We start off as Fia goes to help her childhood love, Rogan, rescue her sister from Tír na nÓg.

Fia starts off quite naive & trusting and grows throughout the story as she discovers the truth of her task & the stories being told by multiple characters. The magic she uses is described in vivid detail and there's such unique applications of it throughout the story.

The story is full of twists and turns and you'll struggle to know who to trust! However, the truth is discovered and you'll appreciate the earlier foreshadowing and have a greater understanding to other character's motivations. It definitely leaves you wanting to know what happens next to not only Fia but Rogan, Eala, Irian & Chandi.

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for this Arc

Bride by Ali Hazelwood

adventurous emotional funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Yesssss mainstream werewolf book & by Ali Hazelwood? Been waiting for this for a long time and can only hope this starts off more werewolf books! Maybe a sequel as well?

The dynamics between Misery & Lowe were brilliant, honestly all of the supporting cast were also great and I do hope we get a sequel to further explore some of the other pack members. There's a mix of romance, found family, mystery & politics which really help create a captivating story. 

I hope we see more published fantasy from Hazelwood in the near future, Bride was an A+ start.