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justmybookthots · 2 months

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#funny #reading

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justmybookthots · 2 months

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Official art of Oak and Wren from the tour makes me want to cry

(From @nayxreads on Instagram)

(From Holly Black's page)

#holly black #the stolen heir #the Prisoner's throne

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justmybookthots · 2 months

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@/hotkeybooks posted this on tik tok!!

it’s such a pretty book !! super excited to see what the illustration stamped cover looks like!!! and i’m also wondering if anyone is getting arcs for this!!

#the hard cover is so gorgeous #I weep #the prisoner's throne #the stolen heir

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justmybookthots · 2 months

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The Prisoner's Throne

This is THE book. The book that's been consuming my every waking thought since I read its prequel in May last year. The book which, if I didn't manage to read any in 2024, would be the only one I read this year at all. The Stolen Heir was among my favourite reads last year, possibly even more than The Cruel Prince because of Oak's characterisation.

The last few days before the book release was agonising. Sheer, skin-flaying agony. When Ann Liang's 2024 release let me down after I'd spent months hyping it up—as did I with Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands—I have to confess I was terrified the same thing would happen with The Prisoner's Throne. Ann Liang is one thing, but this is Holly Black. The Prisoner's Throne is on a much, much higher pedestal for me than any other book in existence thus far. If this hurt me like the others did, I might really go into the worst kind of depression. (Yes, I'm one for histrionics… only I'm being perfectly serious.)

After a night of poor sleep—I am still very grateful that I managed to sleep, albeit fitfully, most of the hours away—I started reading this book at 7AM. (I'd downloaded the book at 2 in the night.) And then I didn't stop until I was done at 10AM.

First thoughts: THANK THE FUCK IT WASN'T A MASSIVE LETDOWN OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. Was it as good as its prequel? No. But it didn't end up anywhere as bad as my jaded, paranoid self had secretly feared, and for that I am grateful. Overall, I enjoyed it!! I saw quite a handful of negative reviews on Goodreads but I don't feel the same way. Granted, the book definitely has a few issues, but being too slow or character-driven was not mine.

Let me talk about some things I liked and did not. Beware: Spoilers abound.

Things I did not love:

I'm going to start with my most major disappointment. Oak, who is the highlight of this duology to me, wasn't as alluring as I found him in the first book. I think that Oak's character is written best when his POV isn't the entire book. I definitely LOVED reading his POV and welcomed it, but I also felt that having the entire thing in his perspective dulled some of his mystique. This is my personal preference, because I don't generally love stories that have too much of the hero's POV. I think Six of Crows is a good example of finding balance with Kaz's perspective and the other characters'. Also, because the story is in Oak's head, we don't see much physical descriptions of him. I miss all those parts about his adorable marigold hair and his golden eyes 🥺

I also miss his cleverness. He was very manipulative in the first book, and it was easier to feel impressed back then because you weren't in his head and you didn't know what was coming. In this instalment, he thinks a lot about playing the fool, over and over. It gets wearisome because I'm constantly being told but not often shown. In the first book, I was actually shown without being told at all—which is why it hit so much harder. Moreover, I don't think he did anything specifically very clever in this book? I guess he did use the wedding ruse to prevent a war, and he did find out what Wren was hiding, but he found that out too late and that was less cleverness than the plot being in motion.

There's a running theme in this book about being accepted and loved for your truest, darkest self, but… I don't think it was conveyed very well. In the end, he says that Wren is the only one who can love him for who he is, but it isn't convincing to me because it's so clear to me how much—and how unconditionally—his family loves him. A lot of his inner turmoil felt very contrived and self-inflicted, whereas I thought Wren's own self-loathing was a thousand times more convincing and understandable.

I was also quite confused by how much he loved Wren when their feelings seemed to be only gradually building in the first book. But he's completely head over heels for her at the start of this book and I wonder about the transition. I'd been hoping for some clarity because he mentioned in Book 1 that he'd loved a lot of different girls, so what made Wren The One here? I suppose it's because he didn't play the fool with her and she "saw him as himself"? I wish the writing was more convincing in this regard.

Genuinely a little baffled by the plotline about the Ghost. I'd thought we'd already covered his part in Liriope's murder in the Cruel Prince series. (I may need to reread the OG series to be sure.) But it's being rehashed again like ripping open an old wound. And I never knew Oak cared that deeply about his biological parents. My point is: Leave the Ghost alone!

I wasn't invested in Tiernan and Hyacinth's story. I skimmed a lot of their screen time together, but their fans will probably receive quite the treat.

Lady Elaine, fuck off!!! (That said, I do understand her role in the story, especially the climax.)

OAK TRYING TO KILL WREN AT THE END, SIR, SIR, PLEASE. DO NOT.

We didn't need the sex scene being SO IMPLICIT –- GIVE ME DETAILS, DAMN IT!! Now I feel empty.

Things I liked:

One thing I predicted when I'd read the exclusive first few chapters of Prisoner's Throne months ago: Wren's power came as a cost to her health. I was right. And I loved it. I'm not the biggest fan of overpowered heroines and her limitations were a great story point to me. Holly always does such an exemplary job in making her heroines, including Jude, badass and yet so human (more a figurative phrase for Wren since Wren is fae) and grounded. Also, in general, I liked Wren a lot in this book. My heart broke for her over and over. I JUST WANT WREN TO BE HAPPY AND I AM GLAD SHE GOT A HAPPY ENDING.

I had COMPLETELY forgotten about her connection to her mortal family and I am so, so happy we managed to resolve that in this book. The fact that Wren would do anything to protect her sister Brex moved me immensely. Holly did well in tying that loose end up, and hurray that Wren finally got to spend time with her family at the end of the book. 🙂

JUDE AND CARDAN!!!! Especially Cardan. He was such a gem and so intriguing in this book. Once I'm done writing this review, I'm going to reread all his scenes. No one can complain that Jurdan wasn't in this book—they were very, very involved in the plot here.

Holly Black's prose is still one of the most beautiful things I've ever read. It's my favourite prose of any author, period. It's succinct and poetic at the same time. It scratches an itch in my brain that I never knew needed scratching.

The ending where Oak goes to find Wren and he proposes was so lovely. Ahhh. I will always have a special love and fondness for them. Bless their baby hearts.

Oak supporting Wren when she was ill will NEVER not move my stone cold heart. The way he held her weight to keep her from falling while they danced...

Before I sign off, I want to say one more thing: WHAT IS HOLLY PLANNING WITH NICASIA'S STORY? Is she going to write / create a male lead for Nicasia? What's going on?? Holly pretty much confirmed that she's going to write something else in this universe, and I must KNOW what she has in mind. Nicasia was so unlikeable in the original series that I wonder how it would be like to read her as a heroine of her own story.

Holly, I'm right here, waiting for whatever you might throw at us next.

#book review #the cruel prince #the prisoner's throne #the stolen heir #oak greenbriar #cardan greenbriar #jude duarte

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justmybookthots · 2 months

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February Wrap-up

#booktok #romance books #monthly wrap-up #february wrap-up #legendborn #ann liang #tracey deonn #riley sager

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justmybookthots · 2 months

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Legendborn

Um??????????

I put this book off for so long because a) I heard the next book in the series only comes out in 2025 and I didn't want to be left hanging, and b) I wasn't the biggest fan when I heard there was a (sigh) love triangle in there. And yet here I am, having finished it at long last.

Confession: I was/am in the middle of something like a reading slump. February has not been kind to me with my reads. When the Ann Liang book I was anticipating for months let me down horrifically, ALL the books that followed either fell flat too or were just… middling. I went through book after book feeling empty, and then I told myself: you know what. Legendborn has been on EVERYONE and their mother's radar, and their responses are the same—near unanimous acclaim. It's honestly quite insane.

So I took a gamble. I got the book and started reading it.

You can TELL. You can just TELL when a book hits right for you, unlike the ones I read before it. I was hooked. Engaged. Totally captivated. I'd read and DNFed another fantasy book just weeks ago, which also utilised King Arthur lore (titled Silver in the Bone), but somehow Legendborn succeeded where that story failed (for me). Maybe I'm just a basic bitch who's a sucker for the typical storyline of a normal girl finding herself entangled with a group of monster slayers and doing tournaments to become one of them. (Is this why… I was instantly enthralled with the Infernal Devices??? Or why I love Demon Slayer—the anime—so much????? I am finding out new things about myself.)

But sure… the beginning isn't anything too different from traditional YA structures. But as you get going, and you continue down the road, you start to see new grounds being tread, and it deviates from anything I've personally read as a teen.

As usual, even though I loved this book, I'm going to do what I almost always do and explore the dichotomy of what I liked and didn't.

Spoilers abound.

Didn't like:

It was predictable… up to a point (and then I was GOBSMACKED but we'll get to that later). Like, I knew pretty quickly which characters were going to make it to Squires and which weren't. You could just tell from how the author treated certain Pages (the folks trying to be Squires) in a more favourable light. The nice ones win, the not-nice ones don't. I'd have liked more nuance in their characterisation, TBH.

Speaking of which, however, Bree's characterisation at the start was rough. Like, she'd do stupid shit and get in trouble and continue being irresponsible. I wasn't surprised Alice was mad at her, and I don't think that the trouble she faced stemmed solely from her race but rather her irresponsible behaviour (going off-campus when she already knows that's grounds for expulsion and she STILL gets mad when the dean, who decides to let her off, is churlish with her. Seriously?). That said, I am NOT Black, and I can't speak for the quotidian prejudices they face, so take my perception of it with a grain of salt. In any case, Bree changed and this was no longer an issue for me later on.

Nick. And his whole romance with Bree. Like, I really did NOT care. And Nick was pretty much a white boy-damsel in distress the entire story. Every time screen time was devoted to their romance, my eyes would glaze over and I'd start skimming all the kissing and stuff.

There were a lot of characters. Like, a lot. Too many. My brain was scrambling trying to remember and place everyone in their different roles. And aside from a few (bless William), they didn't have very distinct voices. Greer had, like, ZERO distinctive voice other than being non-binary, which should not be the only thing to define a character. Whitty was… nice, is all? Everyone kinda just melded in my brain, which is probably why none of the character deaths really hit me.

I'm not a huge fan of Chosen One tropes. But this does play on the trope in a VERY interesting way.

WHAT I LIKED (!!!!!!!!!!!):

The whole concept of Root and Bloodcraft. I LOVED how the author used magic to convey the colonisation of white men. The idea that Legendborns forcefully TAKE their power, while non-Bloodcraft users only borrow their power, speaks volumes to me. It was such a good way to portray real life.

Also??? The ending twist about Bree????? All along, I was convinced she was secretly the Scion of Lancelot, but I wasn't sure HOW, because all the knights are obviously white. And then the author pulls a fast one on me and she's actually fucking Arthur. The reasoning is so good. I loved how the White Man's own cruelty and their disgusting ownership of Black people led them to this predicament. I think THIS was the part that truly sold me on how terrific and unique this book was.

Characters-wise… William. Like, I adore the fuck out of him. In another world, in an even less conventional book, William would have been the hero for me. He's exactly my type with how calm and confident he was without needing to be overbearing about it. In fact, he was so gentle. (Makes me think of Jem Carstairs, but obviously Jem is THE published blueprint for types like this.)

Sel. Yes, I know I just talked about how I didn't like overbearing characters, and I initially went into this book expecting to hate him, but… :) I thought he was quite justified in his hatred / distrust towards Bree at first, knowing what he knew about how the mesmer and Oaths didn't take. I'll see if my opinion of him changes in the sequel.

I really, really liked how for once, King Arthur wasn't depicted as just some hero. He actually seemed almost villainous in this book, especially in the moments when Bree was possessed by him. What happened to her supposedly getting wisdom when she Awakened, though? This man does not sound wise at all. I am intrigued.

I am so glad I read this book. SO GLAD. I was down in the dumps for a bit and finally reading a good fantasy made me feel a thousand times better. I'm a bit nervous reading the sequel because some things often don't live up to their predecessor, so I shall see.

- 28 Feb 2024

#book review #legendborn #booktok #bree matthews #tracey deonn #bloodmarked #selwyn kane

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justmybookthots · 3 months

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I love you "boring" female characters. I love you ingenues. I love you female characters who aren't "modern" enough. I love you female characters who aren't "badass" enough. iI love you female characters who aren't "empowering" enough. I love you quiet female characters. I love you unappreciated female characters. I love you polite female characters. I love you female characters who "can't appeal to modern audiences." I love you frightened female characters. I love you female characters labeled as not complex just for being nice. I love you female characters who get criticism just for not being their tomboy or femme fatale counterpart. I love you silk hiding steel trope.

#female characters

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justmybookthots · 3 months

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The Bear and the Nightingale

One good thing (among others) this book had going for it? The MMC doesn't really show himself in great detail until the last third of the book. If he'd shown himself so much earlier, I'd have lost interest fast. He was pretty underwhelming as a winter king/demon, and I'd have felt demotivated to continue. But because he showed up late, the main plot of the story got to shine, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

I was really sceptical about this book at first. Everyone on Goodreads said it was slow-moving and very dense and sometimes it felt like nothing was happening at all in the first half, and even though that was partly true, I kept turning the pages. The slow, subtle plot beats had some kind of grip on me, and even now I can't tell you exactly why they did.

This book plays on tropes I'm not the biggest fan of: the heroine embracing more traditionally masculine traits and being lauded as better than the other women in the story because of that. But it's a tricky situation because if she was submissive like the other women, I'd have felt unsatisfied too. I don't know what the right move is.

Nonetheless, I liked Vasya a lot. She was pretty likeable for the most part, especially as a child. Sometimes I just wanted to give her the biggest, tightest hug for the stuff she was going through. I hated Anna, her stepmother, who I'd sympathised with at first but grew to loathe. It was unsatisfactory how Anna just died in the end without realising how wrong she'd been about Vasya. I wanted her to wallow in her awful decisions but that never happened. She just died after getting attacked by the Bear and there was no reflection on her part.

(Also, I saw a reviewer feeling sorry for the priest and I'm like, ARE YOU SERIOUS. Guy was the second worst person after Anna. Or maybe the first. I don't know. They take turns to vie for the foulest existence in the book.)

Overall, a pretty solid read, even if not the most memorable. There's some stuff that gets glossed over (marital rape, blatant misogyny) but I guess it's an evocation of its time period and makes sense. I don't think I'll be picking up the next book because it concludes quite nicely and the winter king was meh, but we'll see.

- 5 February 2024

I Hope This Doesn't Find You

I'm really, really sad.

This book was one of my most anticipated books this year because This Time It's Real was my five-star favourite last year, but this just… did not make me feel the same way.

I'm torn about my feelings in two parts. One part believes that if I had read this some time last year, I'd have enjoyed it more. I'd been desperately craving some story with an academic-rivals/hate-to-love relationship. I'd felt Divine Rivals lacked the anger and heat I was looking for but now? This had all the anger and tension I had craved but I just found it tiresome after a while.

The other part of me just didn't get the swoon factor I was looking for in Julius that I got from Henry and Caz. I guess in romances I've always liked proactive heroes who were sweet on the heroine later into the story (not right away, but preferably through a slow burn)—and I don't mean by just doing things for them. Yeah, Julius did some things like running the race for Sadie and cleaning up some of the mess in her house… but for some reason, those actions didn't really move me.

Maybe it's because Julius just isn't proactive about his feelings the way Sadie is. He does those nice things for Sadie—but you know he's still holding back, that he hasn't come to term with how he feels. In the end, all his kind acts do is make Sadie more emotionally beholden to him, and I don't like that.

Sadie is the one who realises she likes him, who decides she's going to have the maturity to try to confess to him, but he fucks it up anyway. He assumes she's nice to him because she pities him, and he makes it about himself, and plays a victim in this situation. All this, when Sadie was the one who stood up for him in front of his brother, who took the courage to take the first step outside their decade-long feud by being nice to him and trying to confess, and he makes it about himself. And he says horrible things about her in retaliation.

There's one part that really got to me: when Sadie says she's been thinking the best of him, and he's been thinking the worst of her. That line hit me REALLY hard, and made me disgusted.

And how does it get resolved? By him overhearing her confession of her feelings towards him. Only when he has concrete proof that she likes him back that he allows himself to be proactive. He doesn't take a risk, doesn't let himself take the first step into the unknown like Sadie did. Never once does he let himself believe the best in her. He only believes that when he gets proof.

This book left a horrible taste in my mouth, and I'm gonna admit I'm quite upset. I don't know how This Time It's Real was 5 stars and this book is like… 2. I was also disappointed by Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands and I wonder if I'm just gonna be met with disappointment after disappointment with all the releases I'm anticipating this year.

The last one that I was really looking forward to is The Prisoner's Throne, so I shall see. I'm no longer feeling as pleasant as I did about it before this book.

- 6 February 2024

#book review #ann liang #i hope this doesnt find you #romance #the bear and the Nightingale #katherine arden #this time it's real

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justmybookthots · 3 months

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January Wrap-up

#book review #riley sager #queen of nothing #holly black #the cruel prince #emily wilde's map of the otherlands #emily wilde's encyclopaedia of faeries #Monthly wrap-up #January wrap-up

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justmybookthots · 3 months

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There are two kinds of male fae love interests:

300+ years older than the girl, powerful, dark-haired, cold

Cardan

#the cruel prince #cardan greenbriar

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justmybookthots · 3 months

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The House Across the Lake

This book was… wow. At the beginning I wasn't very impressed because it felt like it was going down a familiar road so often travelled with thrillers, and then two-thirds in the twist hits me like a wallop and I'm left REELING.

So, let me back-track for a minute. I'd known of this book a year back (or maybe more), but I originally hadn't wanted to pick it up because I heard it had a paranormal twist, which I'm not a fan of in thrillers. But my reading goal for 2024 is to branch out like I did with fantasies last year, so I decided to step out of my comfy zone again and try this book this year. And I have to say! I did not mind the paranormal twist at all!

Prior to the twist reveal, it was the same old thing: wife goes missing, husband is suspicious, bla bla. I had this little pet theory that the wife was only pretending to be abused and go missing and was in cahoots with the husband to do something, but I was wrong. DEAD WRONG.

And boy am I glad I was wrong.

So after the twist was introduced, I was doubting it for a long second and feeling like it had to be a charade and that the paranormal aspect was fake?? But it wasn't, and I'm… Damn. The author really went there. Very fascinating, even though I was kind of also hoping for another twist to follow up with this because we were only two thirds into the story, but nope, that was the only memorable twist. But this is all just a minor complaint because Riley really got me. TALK ABOUT DUPED.

I can't give this a perfect rating because the first half was really kind of dull (same pattern of heroine constantly trying to get people to believe her, people not believing her, then rinse and repeat) and I've seen this marital plotline over and over, but the twist is truly what made this book. However, if you're new to thrillers, the first half would be fine for you? I think? I definitely enjoyed the journey of Home Before Dark more, but liked the plot twist of this one better.

Also, not me checking the reviews of the book, and one of the first ones I see had a complaint like this:

Why are you reading thrillers/mysteries if you feel that way??? T_T

However, I definitely understand complaints about the paranormal part of the twist. It's why I didn't want to read this for so long, after all. Now I'm kind of a Sager bender and I hope the rest of his books are anywhere as decent.

(Also what is with his weird persistent kink involving a hot handyman with the heroine??? For a male author, that's so... bizarre.)

- 29 January 2024

#riley sager #book review #the house across the lake #thriller books #horror

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justmybookthots · 3 months

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Home Before Dark

I find it extremely funny that my last read before this was a general fiction / kinda rom-com (Hello Stranger by Katherine Center) and now I've switched straight to a horror and thriller book. Duality, am I right? And yet I enjoyed it just as much as the previous book, if not a bit more? It's slightly ironic because Hello Stranger gripped me in its first half and languished later on, while Home Before Dark had a slow beginning before ensnaring me completely the further the story went.

But! I am ecstatic that I met my reading goal of reading at least one thriller in January. I was so sure I wasn't going to make it, but I did. I can't say this was as good as the first book I'd ever read of Riley's—The Only One Left—but I still enjoyed this marvellously. I need to say that horror in books rarely scares me (but I don't read much of it, admittedly), especially when there is an onslaught of gore in written form, but this book was… scary. Creepy. I had to get up and make sure the front door was open—my gate still remained closed, of course—so I didn't feel too claustrophobic reading this in my own home. I don't get this feeling very often with thrillers, so this did a great job.

Of course, I hardly read horror fiction, even though they're thrillers adjacent. This year, after I had branched out to fantasy last year, I decided I wanted to branch out somewhere again in 2024. Little steps, really, considering how closely intertwined horror is to thriller. But it's still a step. I never genuinely wanted to give horror much of a try before because I'm not a fan of supernatural elements outside of the fantasy genre, but I decided to just shoot my shot, not think too much, and go for it.

I am so glad I did!

Some spoilers ahead:

It turns out there is no supernatural element in the ending. Or rather, whatever supernatural element there is is merely hinted at, but most of the threads are tied up using facts/reality. I won't say I liked or disliked that, because I was already keeping an open mind about any supernatural element of it.

I have to say, it got me emotional in some parts. Like, I genuinely loved the heroine's relationship with her dad, you know? Turned out he was truly a great dad and he did so many things to protect her because he loved her so much. Even the mom was great at the end, and I just really liked both her parents. I was also kind of sad about how her relationship with Dane turned out, when all of this could have been avoided because he was genuinely a nice guy.

Some mild gripes: So… we know who Miss Pennyface and Mr Shadow are, but who's the girl who was stuck there? That never got resolved, I think? Also, while I was satisfied with the revelation of Miss Pennyface, Mr Shadow turning out to be a woman was a hard sell for me.

Overall, I'm not giving it a five stars like I gave The Only One Left because it didn't render some visceral punch like the latter did, but I had a great time reading this and I'm so happy I did. I missed reading thrillers and it's been some time since I read one.

On to the next! (Hopefully.)

- 29 Jan 2024

#book review #riley sager #home before dark #thriller books #horror

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justmybookthots · 3 months

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FAIRYLOOT, DO YOU THINK IT IS FUNNY TO THREATEN ME WITH BANKRUPTCY

#the prisoner's throne #the stolen heir

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justmybookthots · 3 months

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Hello Stranger

I didn't mean to finish this novel in one sitting, but that I did. I have to say that the first half of this book was possibly the most enjoyable thing I've read all year (yes. It has been less than a month since the new year started, so… this is not a big statement). I was enraptured and eating it up like a madman. The second half was less intense, and the denouement a little underwhelming, but overall I really liked this book.

It is so hard for me to find a hero that I don't find annoying or cringe-y in contemporary romances. Or maybe I've just been looking in the wrong places. I don't know. I had gotten this book from the library and I was VERY wary about borrowing it because I felt it was going to be a disappointment.

But it wasn't—and I must say that while it isn't going to leave an indelible mark on me like Love Theoretically did, I still enjoyed it (especially the first part of it) very much.

Things I liked:

Joe/Oliver. I mean, is this supposed to be a spoiler? Caricanread was saying the twist about him was very obvious and I'm gonna level with you… I do not know if I would have seen the truth coming right away. I'm sure I would have guessed it at some point but man, if I had not known the twist beforehand, I might have been quite confused and put out by Joe/Oliver. Anyway—my point here is that THIS book is the reason I love the miscommunication trope sometimes, haha. I ADORED the premise of the misunderstanding about Joe. And Joe was such a fucking sweetheart that I was practically going 'aw' at how kind/giving he was. Like honest to God, I want to give him a hug sometimes, because he's so precious. (Also!! When he turned off the breaker to put a halt to the party because Sadie was overwhelmed… like, SIR.)

The comedy that arose from the misunderstanding was KILLING me. At some point, Sadie hears him talking about a "one-night stand" and he was going on and on about how obese she was and I was DYING because I knew he meant an animal but Sadie thinks he means a human woman he'd slept with and I just… I can't. I CAN'T.

Also like, I just really have a thing for men who are doctors, and I guess veterinarians count in that category too? I wish more of his vet-ness (yes, am making up this word) had come into play later on, but alas.

Also the ending conflict that arose from the misunderstanding between both leads was really delicious and neither of them was in the wrong / I could understand where they were each coming from. But I cannot say I genuinely loved how it was handled (but more on that later).

This book was sooooooooo insightful to me about the condition of face blindness. I kinda felt like crying at some parts because I was really emotional about what Sadie was going through. And I didn't really understand how you could look at someone's features and not compute a face until they mentioned it was like looking at a face upside-down and I was like, OH. OH. I finally GET IT.

I loved that breakthrough moment Sadie had with her dad, and the revelation about her mom. I was also surprised Lucinda wasn't that much of a bitch, but what I found out at the end about her always believing Parker over Sadie was very enlightening.

Loved the whole concept that Sadie didn't really pay attention to anyone UNTIL she got face blindness. That was a wonderful irony, and it really stressed on the concept of empathy being something in our control all along.

Things I didn't love:

Okay, how they handled the misunderstanding (Sadie breaking up with Oliver for Joe, Joe ghosting her afterwards) was not to my liking. If Sadie could take the time to call and text Joe after he left her, he could have taken the time to try to stay and figure out who she'd supposedly left him for. I adore a consent king, and he was definitely that, but I also want some more perseverance from him before he just… gave up. Also, Sadie dealing with the nastiness at the art show made me feel so bad for her, and she had to deal with that alone because he'd left. I mean, I GET why he left, and why it might seem so ludicrous for him to stay, but I suppose I'd wished he put in more effort beyond nursing his own hurt feelings.

It's a pity because the premise was delicious but some of the execution fell a bit flat for me towards the end, at least regarding the romance. There were definitely some things I would have done a bit differently for the swoon factor, but this all boils down to personal preference.

Kind of weird Joe's ex-wife just popped out of nowhere just so that Sadie and Joe could fake a kiss. Like, literally: she appeared, saw them kiss, and then dipped from the story forever. LMAO. Typical romance hijinks. Also, I find it unrealistic that a woman would cheat on a man because he was too HELPFUL. What?????????????

Okay, so I found too many things too good to be true for my liking. Mr. Kim, letting Sadie stay at his place for free without rent?? Sir. Mr. Kim, buying Sadie's painting with an ungodly sum of money? Sir. The whole thing seemed incredibly unrealistic. And the last part when Sadie's ex-friend came to stick up for her came off cartoonish, especially when she ended the speech with a grand "Between Sadie and Parker (the evil stepsister), you should always pick Sadie". I know it's supposed to be moving and emotional but I was cringing. I can't explain why except it felt very juvenile and the way this plot thread was wrapped up was too convenient.

This is both a Thing I Liked and Disliked. I appreciate the fallacy of confirmation bias that's being emphasised here, but in fiction it's kind of delicious because it helps fuel misunderstandings, and I… like a misunderstanding trope that's done in the way I enjoy. IMO, confirmation bias is a fun tool in fiction to orchestrate shenanigans between characters. So this messaging got a bit lost in translation for me. However, I do know that this is probably how general fiction works, and this could be why I don't read that genre (is that a genre?) much.

Overall, I'm happy with this read despite its flaws (or maybe not flaws. Just things I took issue with), and I am so, so relieved that the library book I borrowed actually didn't let me down. The weirdest part is that I always knew this book existed because booktubers mentioned it sometimes but I kept dismissing it for some reason. Maybe I saw a bad GR review? Maybe I just didn't trust those booktubers because they liked books I didn't like? I don't know. Can't remember.

Sometimes, I really just need to give things a shot.

- 24 Jan 2024

#hello stranger #katherine center #romance books #book review #romance #booktok

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justmybookthots · 3 months

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Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands

I finally finished this book, after what felt like years. Technically, it's been six days, but given my excitement about it, I'm surprised I didn't finish it the day I got it (which was on the 16th).

Make no mistake, this was a good and solid entry in the series. I like it almost as much as the first. There are definitely some things that this book does better than the first, and some books the first does better than the second. The problem with this second book is that it didn't grab me right away like the first one did, and even as I read to the end, I wasn't as captivated as I was with the first. That said, the first book was REALLY captivating until the last act, which made me tired.

I also need to mention that my brain is currently in a slumpy mode, which could be why it took me a bit longer to finish this book, and it may be why I wasn't as hooked. Anyway! Without further ado, let me get on to the review.

Please beware of spoilers.

Things I loved:

POE, POE, POE. I knew he was coming back but I wish he had more screen time than he got. Regardless, he was EVEN MORE ADORABLE IN THIS BOOK THAN HE WAS IN THE FIRST, AND THAT'S SAYING SOMETHING. He was so happy with the tree Wendell got him and that people would come see his tree and he would say the sweetest, most endearing things, e.g. "Isn’t it wonderful? I have many friends now. My mother would be so pleased. ‘You are too shy, little one,’ she always said. ‘You must try your best to make friends, for those who are small cannot easily stand alone.’" How his speech tugged on my heartstrings!!! And I loved how he finds so much comfort standing in the shadow of Emily's knee, haha. It was so SWEET that he didn't even bat an eyelid when Emily showed up unceremoniously and he was like: Hello! Have you come for more bread?

I love Poe. I love him so much. I hope we continue to see him. I think we may, given his new connection with Emily and Wendell.

I also adored the HECK out of Snowbell. Yes, I know we weren't supposed to like him (I think?) but I don't care. I loved how braggy and arrogant he was. I have a hard time visualising how he looks, but in my mind I just picture a tiny fox with a big mouth. And when he fell asleep on Emily's lap, I was SCREAMING AT HOW ADORABLE HE WAS. And yes, I know he took a big chunk out of Rose's ear but sometimes I like to conveniently forget these things. As Emily herself says (this part seriously had me laughing out loud):

I am too pragmatic to be above flattering the common fae, even if they have recently dined on my friends.

Snowbell shrugged this off, but he stood a little taller, his ruff bristling. “I found you a path to the winterlands,” he said in a bragging voice. “It was easy! I simply looked about and found the way. But then I am not a bumbling mortal oaf.”

Good grief. “Indeed,” I said. “I was terribly impressed.”

“Ha!” he crowed. “It was easy!”

Speaking of Rose: wow. I started off not really liking him but then he tagged along and I developed an enormous soft spot for this man. I think he was such a valuable addition to the team and I'm happy he didn't end up just playing the role of an unlikeable antagonist/nuisance. There was a lot of nuance to his character that I enjoyed, but I also think that they weren't adequately resolved (e.g. How did he come to accept Wendell in the end? Or did he… ever?).

Our next side-character: Ariadne! At first, I was a bit unsure about her introduction to the story and wondered if I'd like her. I can't say I ever grew to be in love with her or anything, but the development of her relationship with Emily was wonderful, specifically in the last part when they entered you-know-who's kingdom. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with Rose and Ariadne's addition to the cast, and I think I know why they were added. It's because unlike the first book where the villagers made up the supporting cast, Rose and Ariadne took those spots this time.

There are more little things I enjoyed, such as Wendell's cat and her role in his illness. How the stepmother was taken down was also very interesting.

I also found Wendell almost as much of a riot as the first, and I'm happy to say his personality hasn't changed much.

This book was fucking hilarious at parts. I'd literally laugh out loud at random sections. Wendell's statement here, for example: Assassins are a monstrous breed. Either they attack when you are at your worst, or they are having a go at you on your birthday. I have never known a more dishonourable profession. HE WOULD NOT LET GO ABOUT BEING POISONED ON HIS BIRTHDAY, I CANNOT.

Now, onto things that I didn't love…

IMO, this book didn't need to be so long. The first half was so long with a lot of random things that happened that I didn't think needed to be there. Like the cast would end up in scary situations and then they would get out of it and then rinse and repeat. I suppose there might have been small clues being amassed from every ordeal but I think it could have been done in a more succinct way. After a while, it got pretty old and tiring.

I wasn't the biggest fan of Wendell being poisoned. I suppose the author needed to nerf his tremendous powers or the conflict would be too easily resolved, but I just… it was worrisome. And also I'm so used to Wendell being this indefatigable light that seeing it being subdued was saddening. I do get this is mostly stemming from my personal preference and it definitely adds more 'flavour' to the plot to introduce the poison.

I felt it was too easy getting de Grey and Eichorn back. And after they both came back, it felt a little… anticlimactic? I wasn't sure why we needed de Grey AND Eichorn; I felt like just having de Grey alone as a missing character was better. Two missing characters just felt superfluous, and once they were both back after the first half of the book was spent hyping up their disappearance, I was like… "Okay. Now what?"

Also, we spoke so much about the faun since Emily had their foot (and the others had various parts of their body), but—we never really saw them! There was one little cameo in the epilogue but it's astonishing to me that a faun was the reason we got de Grey back at all, yet we never saw one. This isn't a major complaint, just a thought I had.

I don't think this should count as a complaint, since the author has countered this issue with introducing a supporting cast (made of Rose and Ariadne), but I will note that almost none of the villagers in this new setting were of major importance unlike the ones from the first book. I have mixed feelings about this, but again, not really a complaint.

Okay, again, this is 100% my personal preference and should NOT reflect on the quality of the book. However, I am not a fan of closed-door sex scenes. To me, you either write a sex scene in detail or you don't include sex in your story at all. I feel like I'm missing out on a major factor in a couple's relationship (as in, re: fiction) when I don't know how their sex scene went down. What they are like in bed determines a lot for me. If the author didn't want to share details, then I would rather much prefer that they never had sex. It's a personal pet peeve of mine that occurred in this book, and I have to say it took some of the enjoyment from me. And yes, yes, I'm well aware that Emily would not bother to write any details about lovemaking in her journal (lmao), but if so, I'd rather they not have had sex at all.

I wasn't a huge fan of Wendell not being that worried about Emily when she ventured to his kingdom and pulled off what she did. He said something like, "If I had been surprised at your feat, that meant I would not have thought you capable in the first place" and while I think that's great and sweet and feminist and all that, some worry and shock would have been nice. Again, just my personal gripe and it has no bearing on the quality of the book.

There's one part I wasn't the biggest fan of, and again, it's from personal preference: The Folk may scheme, but few bother with manipulation; it isn’t something that suits them, capricious as they are, particularly when they can simply enchant others into giving them what they want. I think this is where I realised Heather Fawcett's fae isn't quite like Holly Black's as I had assumed. The problem here is that I LOVE manipulativeness in fae, and they are often this way in the Cruel Prince series because they cannot lie. As such, they often use sophistry or some manipulation to get their way. Once more, this is just my personal predilection and there is nothing wrong with how Heather writes her fae; it just isn't entirely my cuppa as I had once hoped.

All in all (wow, that's a lot of points under the dislike section, oops), I DID like this book. I really enjoyed it. Whenever the next book comes, I will be here, waiting for it. It will be very interesting to see how the author will take the story next. While I can't say it will be among my top favourites of all time, I'm glad it existed and for the fun, laughs and giggles it gave me.

- 22 Jan 2024

#fantasy books #book review #emily wilde’s encyclopaedia of faeries #emily wilde's map of the otherlands #heather fawcett

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justmybookthots · 4 months

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#reading

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justmybookthots · 4 months

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Lady Midnight

Alas! I cannot say I enjoyed this one.

I think the biggest issue is that I do not connect to the main couple. I do not connect to Julian. His persona is very vague, even bland. By all rights I should like him: he's very domestic, he takes good care of his siblings, he likes to paint, he can cook… But I just struggled to find him interesting. At about two thirds into the book I was hit by the realisation that I just didn't care about him, nor his romance with Emma.

If the guy isn't Jem, I guess I just don't really care? I also think I am suffering from severe Cassandra Clare fatigue. Her characters are all very similar: all martyrs, all very dramatic (I could not take the whole whipping scene very seriously, lmao), all deeply in love with someone but trying to do the right thing and constantly self-deprecating, especially the male ones. It's such a pity because her prose is beautiful, and I enjoy the plot most of the time.

I think I am going to take a Cassandra Clare break after this book. The nonstop drama can feel really exhausting. I loved Jem, I realised, partly because he was much less dramatic than Will in most of the Clockwork trilogy. I simply like more emotionally mature men. (And also his softness is my personal type in men.) I wished he had more cameos in this book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Him taking care of Emma in his own way was so sweet, and I adored his connection with the cat Church. I love him so, so, so much.

(Mark Blackthorn was also very funny most of the time, lol. But I can't say I care very deeply about this whole love triangle with Kieran and Cristina.)

Also, I have finished Heavenly Fire and Lost Souls as well and all I can say is that I'm BEAT. I did not enjoy either, but it's mostly because I don't like the main cast. I don't think anything can surpass the Infernal Devices trilogy in Clare's bibliography. While I love a good pining, I do need something less dramatic sometimes, and it would be nice if her heroes could be more straightforward and honest with his feelings.

I also need to say that plot-wise, Lady Midnight wasn't anything to write home about either. The mystery dragged for me, and the book had no business being THIS LONG. A lot of it could have been shorn. I also got spoiled on the villain's betrayal prior to reading this book, which may be the reason why I was underwhelmed by their reveal. Yes, I know this isn't Clare's fault, but it is what it is.

I don't have much more energy to give this review because I'm still tired from reading this ridiculously long book, not to mention I didn't enjoy it much, so all I'll say is: I'm glad I explored most of Clare's offerings and discovered the Infernal Devices. She gave me Jem Carstairs, and for that I am eternally grateful. (Just stop talking about him aging, omg!!!!!! It's giving me anxiety.)

- 6 Jan 2024

#book review #cassandra clare #the dark artifices #the infernal devices #clockwork prince #the shadowhunter chronicles

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