Bookstagram – Page 11 – takes two to book review

Review: Monsters of Verity Duology by Victoria Schwab

November 20, 2021 Anna and AlexisLeave a comment

Alexis:

I have to admit: Schwab’s books are either a hit or miss for me, and I’ve avoided reading more of her books for that reason.

But I think This Savage Song, the first in the duology, is my favorite of hers so far!

It follows two juniors in high school named Kate and August, in an apocalyptic America that’s been divided into territories and overrun with monsters born from violence.

Kate is the daughter of Harker, who rules one side of the city of Verity, and August’s father is Flynn, who rules the other side. Kate does her best to get kicked out of every boarding school her father has dumped her in, in an attempt to come home to Verity. When Kate finally returns to Verity, August is enrolled into her high school, his enemy’s high school, in order to spy on her.

But here’s the thing: August isn’t actually human, no matter how hard he tries to be. He’s a Sunai, and he can reap souls through music, with his violin.

I loved the gritty, urban feel of this book. Schwab’s writing style definitely works the best with this kind of book (as opposed to The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, which is a lot less punchy and to the point, and instead very flowery). And I’m always a sucker for a dual POV.

August was by far my favorite character in this book. I loved his personality, and how he tries his best to balance who he wants to be with his monster side. And his musical, monster-y superpower was so interesting to read about. He’s such a wholesome and well-rounded character.

Kate is a great character, too. Schwab did a great job of writing how her past trauma impacted her and continues to influence her character. She’s a strong badass with a soft side, and she and August’s personalities mesh well together.

Though a long book, the pacing was great, and I loved the survival plotline.

VERDICT: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

Our Dark Duet

I flew through this book because I wanted to know what happened. That being said, it just felt a little disjointed, especially in comparison to the first one. The gritty vibes were all there, all good, and I really liked Kate’s character arc.

I liked August’s character arc, too, but I felt like we didn’t get to see his transformation, while we got scenes in the beginning explaining and detailing how Kate got to where she is.

The plot was a little bit frustrating, mostly because there was one monster that appears and is never explained/explored enough, so that I was left with a lot of questions. But mostly, I enjoyed this book overall…if it wasn’t for the ending.

It was a very specific kind of ending that I really, really don’t like. It’s totally a personal preference, but for me, it just kind of ruined the story.

VERDICT: ⭐⭐⭐

Overall, if you’re looking for a gritty, YA urban fantasy, definitely pick this up! Now, the question is: should I finally read A Darker Shade of Magic?

Review: Dreams Lie Beneath by Rebecca Ross

November 17, 2021November 17, 2021 Anna and AlexisLeave a comment

Alexis:

Dreams Lie Beneath follows Clementine, or Clem, who is her father’s apprentice magician in a small town. Each new moon, people’s nightmares come to life, and it’s Clem and her father’s job to not only record the townspeople’s dreams, but to fight any that come to life.

But then two strange magicians come to town, challenging Clem’s father for his position. When he loses, Clem seeks revenge on the two men who upended her life.

I absolutely loved the beginning of this book. Ross’ writing style is lovely, and I enjoyed the worldbuilding. Clem is a great main character, and even when she makes some questionable decisions, I found myself always rooting for her.

I enjoyed the magic system, and how Ross describes the nightmares coming to life. I also enjoyed the history of this world and the book’s plot.

This easily could have been a 5-star read for me. However, after the beginning of the book, some of the side characters begin to feel a little too flat for my liking. Phelan, the magician Clem ends up working with, was intriguing in the beginning, but as the story moved along, his character was just too flat. Despite his copious amount of page time, I felt like I knew Imonie, Clem’s family cook, and Mazarine, an old lady from Clem’s hometown, better than I knew Phelan.

Despite this, I really enjoyed this book. If you’re looking for a book full of dreams and nightmares, with a cool magic system and a dynamic main character, then you might enjoy this!

VERDICT: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Review: Dance of Thieves Duology

November 7, 2021November 7, 2021 Anna and AlexisLeave a comment

The spines of the Dance of Thieves duology perches on a windowsill next to a Sweater Weather wood-wick candle, and a small pot of cat grass.

Alexis:

Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson had been on my tbr for years, and I finally said, You know what? I should get it from the library.

I had no idea this book would focus so heavily on the romance, but I didn’t mind it. The story follows Kazi, a solider of the queen’s, and Jase, the leader of the Ballenger family, an influential family that rules a kingdom that the queen doesn’t recognize.

Let me start out by saying that Pearson’s writing is great; the writing itself is 5 ⭐s. She has the perfect writing style for a fantasy book like this one, and I really enjoyed it. I also really love dual POVs, and I think it worked well for the story.

I simultaneously loved this book and thought it was just okay. I sped through the first half (despite never having read Pearson’s other series, where Dance of Thieves takes place, and struggling a bit with the worldbuilding).

But this book has a lot of long sections that drag. The writing and world feel like adult fantasy, but this is definitely a YA book, because we have some almost-insta-love, enemies to lovers, and teenage angst.

I think the parts that just felt okay to me were the constant backs and forths. This is basically an enemies to lovers, and then lovers to enemies, and then back to enemies to lovers book. There was a lot of miscommunication, which I’m starting to dread in romance-heavy books. And to think it was the miscommunication plotlines, as well as all the extraneous worldbuilding details, that bogged down the story.

That being said, I enjoyed it as a whole, and I’m hoping I’ll like the second one even more!

VERDICT: ⭐⭐⭐/5

Vow of Thieves:

What a sequel! This book makes up for the slow plot in Dance of Thieves. While the book is still long, there’s so much more action. The stakes are super high. Kazi and Jase are separated for the majority of the book, which adds to the longing and stakes of the book.

I enjoyed getting to know all of the side characters more.

There are a couple aspects that kept this from being a 5-star read, however. While I liked that Kazi and Jase were separated, as I think it helped with character growth, I think it went on just a little too long. I waited like 300 pages just for them to be together again, and considering the first book was mostly insta-love, I didn’t really get to see them grow together as a couple.

On top of that, there was one “plot twist” that kept being hinted at, but it was very obvious from the get-go what it was. And it also dragged on for almost 300 pages.

Despite that, I flew through this book, and overall, I enjoyed it!

VERDICT: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Alexis’ October Wrap Up

November 3, 2021November 3, 2021 Anna and AlexisLeave a comment

Alexis. wearing a gray sweater, stands in front of a bookshelf while holding a stack of books.

🎃 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝗪𝐫𝐚𝐩 𝐔𝐩! 🎃⁣

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⁣

Kingdom of the Cursed ⁣by Kerri Maniscalco

I’ve already written my review, but this second book in the trilogy was passionate and electrifying. It was great to see Emilia’s character arc, and Wrath’s, as well. Is it a perfect book? No. However, this was a thrilling sequel that completely sucked me in!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⁣

Kingdom of the Wicked (re-read) by Kerri Maniscalco ⁣

Vow of Thieves ⁣by Mary E. Pearson

Vow of Thieves is the sequel to the Dance of Thieves duology. I loved the more fast-action plot, as compared to the slow pace of the first book. Overall, I just enjoyed this one much more than the first, despite the fact that Kazi and Jase, the main characters, are separated from each other during the majority of it. It added more tension!

Six Crimson Cranes ⁣by Elizabeth Lim

This book is an East Asian inspired fairytale retelling. It follows a cursed princess named Shiori who attempts to break the curse cast on her six brothers; their stepmother turned them into cranes. I loved Shiori’s character arc, and I enjoyed the worldbuilding. I do wish the romance was more developed, and I wanted more dragons! But this was a great read overall.

⭐⭐⭐✨⁣

Vespertine ⁣by Margaret Rogerson

Vespertine follows Artemisia, a Gray Sister, a nun who cleanses the bodies of the deceased so that their souls can pass on. When a revenant, an ancient spirit bound to a saint’s relic, is woken up, it attaches itself to Artemisia. While this was a cool concept, I wasn’t feeling the book overall. It was missing the charm and humor of Rogerson’s other books. In the acknowledgments, Rogerson mentions that she wrote it while depressed and under Covid lockdown, and unfortunately, you can feel that heaviness really come through. The extra half star was for Artemisia’s character, who I thought was a unique main character; but ultimately, I didn’t connect with this story as much as I wanted to.

⭐⭐⭐⁣

Dance of Thieves ⁣by Mary E. Pearson

The first in the duology, Dance of Thieves had the potential to be a 5-star read; however, long sections of this book dragged on with extraneous detail. After some insta-love, Kazi and Jase go back and forth between enemies and lovers constantly, and it gave me whiplash. The writing is 5-star worthy, and while there were moments I loved, I found myself skipping large chunks of paragraphs just to finish the book.

⭐⭐✨⁣

Sky in the Deep ⁣by Adrienne Young

The story follows warrior Eelyn in a Viking-inspired world. When she discovers her brother, Iri, is actually still alive, she is stolen by Fiske, the same man who saved Iri. But Fiske, and now Iri, belong to an enemy clan, and Eelyn can’t wait to escape to go back home to her father.

Maybe because I heard glowing reviews of this one, but the writing just felt very bland to me. The character development and romance didn’t have a great arc, and while I loved the world and the vibes, I found myself detached from the story. However, I highly recommend reading Fable by Young if you haven’t already.

⁣October felt like a very long month. I read a wide variety of books, with my reviews across the board, and I’m looking forward to some great reads this month!

Review: Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer

October 11, 2021 Anna and AlexisLeave a comment

Alexis:

Defy the Night is a classic upper YA fantasy, complete with political intrigue/court politics, a sickness ravishing a world, and a brewing rebellion. And romance, of course.

I loved the dual POVs. The story follows Tessa, an apothecary who makes elixirs by night to give to the sick poor, and Corrick, the prince and the King’s Justice. I enjoyed reading from both of their perspectives, and I liked how their voices actually sounded distinguishable.

I loved how Kemmerer explores the brotherhood between Corrick and Harristan. And the romance is written well and doesn’t feel forced.

All that being said, the world itself feels pretty generic and doesn’t stand out from any other YA fantasy. There were some easy to guess plot twists. However, I still enjoyed the plot. The pacing is great and never too slow, the characters are engaging, and Kemmerer’s writing style feels immediate in a way that sucks you in.

I’m looking forward to the sequel to this one, too!

VERDICT: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Alexis’ September Wrap Up

October 1, 2021October 1, 2021 Anna and AlexisLeave a comment

An orange basket full of books sits on the forest floor.

Alexis: September wrap up time!

Once again, I had a great reading month. And I actually managed to read 3 5-star books!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten

Forestborn by Elayne Audrey Becker

Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer

I loved all of these! For the Wolf is a slow-moving, atmospheric new adult fantasy read with plenty of creepy woods, earthy magic, and romance.

Forestborn is about a shifter named Rora, who goes on a quest with her brother and her best friend, Finley’s, brother in order to cure Finley from a magical illness. Rora is a fantastic main character, and Becker’s writing is lovely. I loved the worldbuilding and the quest storyline.

Defy the Night has dual POVs: Tessa, an apothecary who is illegally distributing medicine to cure the poor from a ravaging sickness, and Corrick, the crowned prince and King’s Justice. It’s a classic fantasy with great pacing, well-rounded characters you want to root for, and a well-written romance.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Lakesedge by Lyndall Clipstone

ACOWAR (re-read) by Sarah J. Maas

As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, Lakesedge is a lyrical, atmospheric fantasy with dark magic, a run-down estate, and creepy, atmospheric vibes.

A Court of Wings and Ruin is the third book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. I already own the other two, and figured I was due for a re-read (plus it was nice to have 700 pages to read to distract me from the fact that I was in the hospital).

⭐⭐⭐.5

Small Favors by Erin A. Craig

Small Favors is a hodgepodge of YA fantasy, historical fantasy, and thriller. When monsters are rumored to have returned to the woods outside of Amity Falls, Ellerie struggles to help her family survive. This is a well-written, chaotic thriller, but ultimately the story is too drawn-out to be a 4-star read.

⭐⭐:

Much Ado About You by Samantha Young

What We Devour by Linsey Miller

Much Ado About You is a rom-com that follows Evie, a thirty-something who spontaneously decides to work in a bookshop in England. While I liked all of the Shakespeare references, the writing was just way too cheesy for me.

What We Devour is a unique book with a grim, bloody magic system in a corrupt world. While I loved the beginning, I had a hard time connecting with the characters, and I often had no clue what was going on with the repetitive plot. There is some great ace rep, as Lorena, the main character, is asexual. But unfortunately, I couldn’t connect with this book as much as I wanted to.

I’m looking forward to some great fall and Halloween themed reads in October!

Review: For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten

October 1, 2021October 1, 2021 Anna and AlexisLeave a comment

A library copy of For the Wolf sits on a deck flanked by a sunflower and a Sweater Weather candle, along with some fall leaves.

Alexis:

For the Wolf has a lot in common with Lakesedge:

✔️A self-sacrificing man who is seen as a monster to the outside world, but who is only trying to control the environment around him—the environment that is also a part of him

✔️ A run-down estate/castle surrounded by dark, creepy woods

✔️ A slow-paced story of a strong woman attempting to learn how to control her magic

Which of course means that I loved it! I’m always, always a sucker for an atmospheric read with lyrical writing and creepy woods. And this book has so many depictions of dark woods come alive with earthy magic.

Although For the Wolf is being marketed as YA fantasy for some reason, I would describe it as a new adult, romantic fantasy, as Red, the main character, and her twin sister, Neve, are twenty-years-old.

Red is the Second Daughter of the Queen of Valleydan, which means that she must be sacrificed to the Wolf of the Wilderwood. She’s been told all her life that the Wolf is a monster who is keeping the world’s captured gods from returning. But when she finally meets the Wolf, a man named Eammon, she realizes that what she’s been told is a lie. Meanwhile, stuck as the Princess, Neve, the First Daughter, is doing everything in her power to get Red back from the Wolf, even if it means upending her own world.

As much as I loved this book, I will admit some flaws I noticed while I was reading. While Lakesedge’s magic and worldbuilding is clear, For the Wolf’s worldbuilding is a little hazy. I enjoy slow-paced books, but a lot of answers about the magic system came a little late. We also get short chapters, called Interludes, from Neve’s perspective. And I’ll be honest: I wasn’t really interested in her chapters. However, based on the ending, I think her POV will work well in the sequel.

While the romance is very similar to that in Lakesedge, I do think it was more fleshed-out and better written in For the Wolf.

All in all, if you liked similar books, such as Uprooted and The Wolf and the Woodsman, then you might enjoy this one, too!

VERDICT: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

TW: Self harm for magic use (cutting), blood and mild gore, parental death, religious abuse

Review: Redemptor by Jordan Ifueko

September 9, 2021 Anna and AlexisLeave a comment

A copy of Redemptor lies on top of a book journal. Both are lying on an autumn colored scarf on a gray blanket.

Alexis:

As I’m sure you all already know, Raybearer was one of my favorite books of 2020. I found the worldbuilding, the prose, the characters, and the plot to be unique, beautifully written, profound, and impressive, especially for a debut novel.

So obviously, I’ve been looking forward to Redemptor; I even reread Raybearer in preparation.

I can’t imagine writing a sequel to such a celebrated first book, especially when under deadline. And I’ll go ahead and say I really did enjoy Redemptor, and it’s a solid four-star read from me. However, it just wasn’t what I expected, and the story didn’t rope me in as tightly as the first book.

Without spoiling anything, I was looking forward to getting to know the cast of characters better. For some background, Tarisai, the main character, is part of a group of twelve people anointed to Dayo, the prince. They’re bonded together forever as a found family of sorts through Dayo’s ray, which also allows them to speak telepathically to each other.

In Raybearer, we obviously don’t get to spend a lot of time with more than a handful of the anointed siblings. Even though I loved all of the characters we did get to know, I knew there was room to learn more about Tarisai’s relationships with the rest of them.

However, instead, we get a whole new cast of characters thrown at us. Even though I half-expected this from the way the plot was set up at the ending of the first book, it was a little disappointing to me. I loved the first cast of characters so much that it was hard for me to care about the new ones. I’m glad we got to know Kirah, one of Tar’s anointed sisters, more. But Sanjeet and Woo In, two of my favorite characters, didn’t appear nearly enough in this sequel, and I really felt their absence (especially since there was this weird sort-of love triangle but not really thing happening for part of the book?).

Despite that, the plot felt a little slow moving in the first half. Thankfully, the second half was awesome and had a great ending!

I love that we got to hear from Dayo more, and his asexual representation was great. I loved Tar’s journey to the Underworld, even if it felt short compared to the rest of the book. I loved, as usual, Ifueko’s worldbuilding.

I think what I’m saying is this: I enjoyed this book. Just don’t go into it with extra lofty expectations.

VERDICT: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Alexis’ August Wrap Up

September 3, 2021September 3, 2021 Anna and AlexisLeave a comment

A kindle sits on top of a paperback copy of Raybearer on a desk. A lit white pumpkin candle sits behind it, next to a cup of pens and office supplies and a pink water bottle.

Alexis:

Well, I read seven books in August! This has definitely been a good reading year for me; I actually surpassed my Goodreads goal of reading 50 books this year in August, too.

I re-read two books this month: A Court of Mist and Fury and Raybearer. Both were still 5-star reads, and I’m happy that I bought copies of both of them to add to my personal library.

I read one 4-star book: The Crown of Gilded Bones. While I haven’t given star ratings to the other books in the Blood and Ash series, I enjoyed the additional worldbuilding and Poppy’s character arc, and it definitely felt like a 4-star read.

I read two 3-star books: Realm Breaker, Tweet Cute, and Last Summer at the Golden Hotel.

Realm Breaker is a high fantasy read. I found the prologue to be confusing, and I had a hard time getting into the beginning of the story. While I loved some of the characters, there were a lot of POVs, the world and worldbuilding felt kind of generic, and I just wasn’t blown away when I finished reading it.

I actually read Tweet Cute on my Kindle while traveling. It’s a YA rom-com, which definitely isn’t my usual genre. This was a fun read, with a LOT of cheese puns. It bounces back and forth between the POVs of Pepper and Jack. I enjoyed reading about Pepper’s love of baking, and I enjoyed reading about an app that Jack created called Weazel. However, the main plotline of this book is a Twitter feud, and I found that it got a little annoying and boring for me. But if you like fluffy reads and drama, then I think you might enjoy it.

I also read Last Summer at the Golden Hotel while traveling. It mentioned Dirty Dancing, one of my favorite movies, so I had to pick it up! Turns out the only similarity is the setting. This book is wholly about family drama. Two different families own the Golden Hotel, and we get to see from a ton of different POVs (which usually isn’t my thing; it keeps me from connecting to the characters, and this was no different). While this book was definitely interesting, I think it dragged on a little too long, and had some melodramatic parts. It also focused a lot on the difference between generations, which I also wasn’t a huge fan of. (Maybe I need to stick to my favorite genre from now on!)

And finally, I read one 2-star book: Ariadne. I already wrote a review on it, so you can check that out here!

Anna’s August Wrap Up

August 31, 2021September 3, 2021 Anna and AlexisLeave a comment

I didn’t read as much as I normally do this month, but that’s okay! I was busy going to the beach and filling my weekends with other end of summer experiences.

I finally read Hamnet this month, and loved it as much as everyone else did! It’s a lyrical written story about grief and Shakespeare’s (fictionalized) family. This is exactly what I’m looking for in literary fiction- beautiful writing and expertly written characters. Maggie O’Farrell clearly did her research on the Shakespeare family, but she also tells an original story that stands on its own. Hamnet is also the first book that made me cry in years.

I liked the descriptions of food and NYC in Sweetbitter, but overall it was too slow & way overwritten. My favorite thing about this book is what I learned about working in the restaurant/food industry, specifically fine dining. If you can get through Tess’s overly naive and heady descriptions of her life after randomly moving to New York City, you’ll learn about the inner-workings and politics of running a famous restaurant. Seriously, this girl doesn’t know anything about New York City (or life) when she gets there. Yet somehow she’s likable, sexy, and a protegee at her job? What saved this book for me, as someone who lived there for a year and worked in two unforgiving industries (publishing & retail), is the love/hate descriptions of working your butt off living in New York City.

The Perfect Nanny was the most underwhelming thriller I’ve read all year. Translated from French, this book has a lot of half-baked ideas and proclamations about motherhood, race, and class. All these ideas and themes were underdeveloped.

But the biggest problem I had with The Perfect Nanny is that it’s a thriller, and yet there was no surprise or twist. At the very beginning of the book, we learn that a French couple’s nanny, Louise, has killed their two children. Spoiler alert, she did. And there’s no nuance to why she did it. I also didn’t find Louise’s character very believable. There’s not nearly enough to justify her mental breakdown at the end.

I love a good campus novel with a mystery and vapid teenage girls, and The Divines didn’t disappoint. This one has surprisingly low/poor reviews on Goodreads. Maybe people don’t like it because it’s slow-paced and the characters are extremely dislikable. Although that description also fits the much-loved The Secret History by Donna Tartt French, and I thought The Divines was better. What I really liked about this book was how the reader learns about Joe’s experiences and trauma at boarding school affected her adult life. This book also takes an interesting look at how memories can change over years and how people remember the same events differently.

I also read Moonflower Murders (not pictured), the second book in the Susan Ryeland series by Anthony Horowitz, which was just as good as the first! I don’t want to spoil anything from book one, Magpie Murders, but these books have some of the most masterful plotting I’ve ever read. They’re also both murder mysteries within a muder mystery. I really hope there will be a book three!

With August ending, I can’t wait to officially kick off my fall reading in September!