zoelzebub's reviews
48 reviews

Grave Matter by Karina Halle

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.

By the 10th time the FMC said “hella” I was over it.

Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig

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adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

4.0

This book was a surprise.

After reading One Dark Window, the first in this duology, I was disappointed. Though I loved the plot, general vibes, and the monster, I felt it lacking in the character department.

Two Twisted Crowns certainly fixed its mistakes in the second book when it came to character development.

Spoilers start here‼️

While I found Rayvn and Eslpeth lackluster and boring, Ione and Elm were wonderful. For a subplot romance, both characters felt in depth, their relationship growth felt realistic, and their shared experiences and pain were heartbreaking beautiful.

While I don’t think I’d consider this duology a romance, I think the Two Twosted Crowns’ romantic subplot was well written.

The plot itself, was wonderful. I found it engaging and exciting. I love the dynamic between Elspeth and the monster. I fell in love with Taxus really. His story of redemption a beautiful read

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

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adventurous dark mysterious 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? No

3.25

I wish I could rate this book higher. I truly loved the world building. The unique magic system was refreshing and fun. The overall vibe of this book was foreboding, melancholy, gothic, and intriguing. The plot itself is interesting and fun to follow.

However, the characters in this book felt incredibly dull to me. It seemed as if their character building was left on the back burner and readers were supposed to instantly root for them. Our FMC is far less interesting than the creature that inhabits her. There was backstory to her, but none that truly explained her as a person or her views of the world around her. The MCM was boring in every sense of the imagination. I imagine the author was trying to make him seem both stoic and lighthearted, but really just ended up making him feel like an otherwise emotionless man except for his instant love for the FMC. Because of this, I had almost no emotional tether to the romance in this novel.

The only characters that are somewhat flushed out are the Monster, the Shepard King, and Elm. Ione was a vibrant and unique character but were also given zero backstory or details on her in the first book.

However; The characters give enough to go off of to drive the plot forward. And because I love the world building and the plot so much, I am going to read book 2 and hope that the characters develop more over time.

If you’re looking for a good romance or slow burn though, I don’t think this book hits the mark.

The Poisoner by I.V. Ophelia

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

What a wonderfully macabre and interesting romance.

This book will not be for every reader. But as a lover of horror, unusual characters, romance, and Victorian era settings - this has become one of my all time favorite books.

I truly look forward to the next two books in this series as they come out.

Content Warnings