emilynied's reviews
302 reviews

He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.25

Parker-Chan stuns once again with the second half of The Radiant Emperor duology and man, like the first, this one packs a punch. First of all, the titles of these two books are genius. They fit perfectly and represent Zhu's character development so perfectly. "She Who Became The Sun" sort of ended on this really uneasy note because although Zhu is nearly there in achieving her goals of power, she ends up killing a child to do so. I was left with this icky feeling in my gut, torn between wanting the overpower the "bad people" in charge  and the terrible and deceptive actions one must take to acquire power. We started to see how Zhu changed throughout the first book, and this second installment was no different. 

The book felt like this long chess game as we checked in with different characters across the board with different goals and missions and resources. The new characters in this book were, I will say, a little difficult to adjust to, but they soon became familiar. 

Zhu also partners with her old enemy - the general Ouyang, which was such an interesting dynamic to read about. I felt like I was on the edge of my seat through every interaction they had because you really didn't ever feel clear about whether they were truly allies or about to turn on each other. The themes of gender and sex and power from the first book shine through in these interactions because both characters know what it's like to be underestimated due to their sex.

I really loved this duology and it felt really similar to The Poppy War series, which is obviously one of the greatest fantasy series' of all time. Great job and I will definitely be checking out more books from Parker-Chan. 

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

4.0

I feel quite conflicted about my rating for this book, despite it being weeks after finishing. I'm still thinking about it and trying to decipher how I feel. I use this metaphor a lot, but this book reminds me of an abstract painting. I don't always realllyyyy know what's going on and how it fits into the bigger picture BUT I do know that the bigger picture is beautiful. 

It has elements of fantasy and time travel but grounds itself in time period and historical references, which is quite unique. The storyline reminds me of movie The Age of Adaline from 2015 though this book takes you all the way back to the 16th century in a different country! I think that broadens the story and makes it a little more globally minded - like the references to all of these global, historical events including the French Revolution and then the Industrial Revolution in the United States were really cool to read about. 

I really loved Addie's relationship with Henry and the way that whole story unraveled was great - especially because it was spliced into flashbacks to Addie's past. Each part of the book was done fairly well, though the beginning of the book did have a fairly slow pace (it didn't bother me too much). Overall, this was a beautiful book and I really, really enjoyed it. 

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

adventurous inspiring medium-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

3.75

I thought this book was great - I'm really not an urban fantasy girly. I prefer other worldly and big dream worlds so I don't usually pick up books like "Legendborn." I think I can confidently say, however, that this might be my favorite urban fantasy I've ever read? Bree Matthews is a character you just want to root for, and with strong writing, the pacing and structure just worked. I love how central her own past was to the story without feeling forced or overbearing, and it's woven seamlessly into the action and character relationships (both new and old) that are central to the story. 

While Bree and her mother's relationship is one of the great unknowns of this story, I found her and her father's dynamic really beautiful to read about. Bree as the narrator is super solid and I loved listening to her inner thoughts and feelings on that situation. The romance was also nice, but not really a highlight for me.

The Friend by Sigrid Nunez

emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

This book felt like a spool of yarn that kept unraveling - when I reached the last page, it had reached the end. I read a review that said the reader paused many times to ponder words, phrases and even entire pages, and I totally agree. This wasn't a passive read, despite the long form poetry it kind of read like. 

Between the almost uncertain mourning that our main character experiences (no, we never get her name, which is very interesting) and the grief of the dog, which despite him being a dog and not being able to communicate with words, was so so powerful. This is a great book.

Flawless by Elsie Silver

funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.25

Like I'm actually really sad that this book didn't live up to my cowboy romance recommendations :( Don't get me wrong, this was a good book, but was it dare I say overhyped? It could be that it's the first book in the series so I'm not totally immersed in the world and with the characters yet but I didn't love it. 

I think some of the development fell flat for me as many of the conversations and interactions felt surface level and didn't jump off the page for me. I did like the brotherly/familial relationships between the family and I can see how the found family will develop over the course of the series - not sure when I'm going to finish but I'm sure I'll try out the next book.

The Blood Traitor by Lynette Noni

adventurous medium-paced

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

3.25

This book rounded out "The Prison Healer" series and while I think the plot got a little lost in favor of the YA romance, I can't really fault the author. This was an enjoyable series with lovable characters - not my favorite but quality books.

Beach Read by Emily Henry

dark emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

My first Emily Henry book! I was indecisive about which book to start with so I went with the OG (I think?) And I was not disappointed. I understand why she has so many fans and why her books are so widely enjoyed as both romances and (what I think of as) literary fiction. January's story really captivated me and I think her feelings and emotions were real and raw to me as a reader; while the romance with Gus was great and very well done, the highlight for me was her tumultuous relationship with her dead father. It wasn't necessarily a mystery but as things unraveled, I found myself waiting for the next ball to drop. The final couple scenes that rounded up that part of the book actually made me really emotional and I think the father/daughter relationship was done so so well. 

Like I said, the romance with Gus was great and I really enjoyed how they actually had character development and worked through their issues throughout the book. It was messy at times but it was refreshing to read about characters that were ultimately pretty mature - I think it made the romance that much better. 

The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent

adventurous medium-paced

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

3.0

Sooooo yeah. I wasn't really a fan. I feel like I was very much a passive reader throughout this reading experience and was not hooked at all. It's interesting, given the big plot twist at the end of the last book - I was super excited for this one. It starts off so slowly, however, and the slow pacing in the beginning of the story didn't hook me at all. It sacrifices so many pages that I think could have been very useful towards the end when.. **spoiler alert** they go to war??? The plot was put on the back burner here to instead focus on the characters' relationships but there wasn't too much going on on that front either until the big mid-book switcharoo we were all waiting for. Ultimately, I was disappointed given I really enjoyed the first book. Not sure if I'll continue the series. 

Six Scorched Roses by Carissa Broadbent

challenging dark emotional fast-paced

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

3.5

This book did what it needed to do, I can't complain. I was actually really questioning whether I wanted to read this.. it's not necessary for the series and it's just a novella but I thought I would be missing out on the **experience.** And I certainly don't regret it. This is a short and sweet romance set in the "The Serpent and the Wings of Night" universe that's a spoof off of "The Beauty and the Beast" except with vampires, wow! The characters unravel quickly in the ~100 pages but I didn't mind the quick character development for the sake of a fast paced story. It's got some good themes that rang true (honestly much stronger than the first book) and I'm really glad the characters were 30+ years old, it's not often that we get that mature POV in the NA fantasy romance genre. 

The Gilded Cage by Lynette Noni

adventurous medium-paced

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

3.5

This book, I fear, may have fallen to the "book two in a trilogy" slump. We get a total switch in setting compared to the last book - from death prison to plushy castle. While I did enjoy reading this book and was entertained, I find myself looking back (now mostly done with the third book) wondering what really happened plotwise to move the story along. I feel like there were some character arcs and relationships that weren't fully fleshed out or developed and the story (and series) is falling a bit flat for me.