Book Review: Shards of Glass: A Cinderella Romance

Shards of Glass

Emily Deady

4/5

This story tells the usual tale of Cinderella, a girl whose father passed and was left to the whims of her evil stepmother. It's a little different though because the stepmother isn't as typically evil as she was in the original, she manipulates Ashlin's desire for family and uses it against her. The psychology of the first 75 percent was super interesting because of the gaslighting and the behaviorisms that an outsider may not relate to abuse. 

I loved that, I loved how it was much more on Ashlin to choose and design her own fate than it was for her Prince Charming to swoop in and save her. I think that the way that she made her own decisions was very aligned with the nature of emotional abuse versus obvious physical abuse. I appreciated it and I think it gave new value to the traditional story line. 

My only issue was with how rushed the ending felt. She made her choice, other stuff happened and accusations were thrown and then everything was dropped. I know that it was in favor of a new story line that will have its own book, but Ashlin and Onric feel like they were abandoned. Other than that though, it was a very interesting and original version of Cinderella. There was only a hint of magic, and I wish we had learned more of its limitations and origins and why Ashlin was so capable with it, but it was satisfying enough. Looking forward to seeing more from this author!

Book Review: Big Little Lies

Big Little Lies

Liane Moriarty

4/5

There were a lot of things happening in this book. It follows the perspective of three mothers through the events leading up to a murder- though it isn't revealed who is murdered till the end. It also features interviews and testimonies with the other mothers and fathers in the town. It creates a complicated image of a small town with people who have complicated and tangled relationships with each other. 

I never thought about how difficult the age dynamics of a Kindergarten classroom must be. Age dynamics as in the ages of the parents, I assume it must be a lot easier in bigger cities but Jane was really the only person in her demographic at all. Her relationship with Madeleine was weird because of that and it kept you on the edge of your seat the entire time. 

The one thing I didn't like about it all was how neat the ending was. I feel like books like this should be messier. They're intriguing because you find out about what people are capable of and you see them pushed their limits. Despite all of the intrigue, the antagonist was most clearly a villain and remained so throughout the novel until the received their punishment at the end. This didn't ruin anything, it obviously had a very strong message on the lines of the need for women to support other women, which they did till the very end. But I wish there had been another twist thrown in there. 

Overall though I would recommend. It was suspenseful, I think I really read it all in one sitting because I wanted to know who was murdered so badly. I'm looking forward to watching the TV show now.

Book Review: Murder in Morningside Heights (Gaslight Mystery #19)

 

Murder in Morningside Heights

Victoria Thompson

4/5

I liked this one a lot better than book 18, mostly because I'm really just living for Malloy and Sarah's interactions as I have been for the entirety of this series. Malloy is in the process of getting his private detective agency started up and he's trying to get more of the cases he really wants to look into- the unsolved murders that the police avoid. He gets one in Abigail Northrup's murder and it's one of the classic Gaslight Mystery set-ups. 

The mystery was ok, it was not direct but at the same time had an obvious ending. I wasn't shocked, but I also wasn't really expecting it in exactly that way. What I really love is that Malloy is getting to do what he loves and help people, even though that wasn't always his goal in life. He's had such amazing character growth, he's literally unrecognizable from the man who we were introduced to in the first book. Like, he loves Sarah and is married to her and rich but also recognizes and encourages her independence. She's like I can't be a midwife too complicated and difficult, he's like you can still do more though I know you want to. It take a lot to recognize something that someone doesn't even recognize in themselves. 

I know we're trying to develop Gino and Maeve's arcs a little more, and although I respect that, I still want them to back off. Sarah and Malloy's story has a lot left to it and I would appreciate if they weren't cast off to the side. Other than that though I'm still completely recommending this series and looking forward to reading the next.

Book Review: Beguilement (The Sharing Knife #1)

Beguilement

Lois Bujold

1/5

Big no from me, this entire book felt like a huge warning sign. I don't know why I even finished it, mostly I think because the biggest reveal on age didn't come till 80 percent into the book. That was done totally deliberately too because that age difference is too far to be quirky, it's just alarming. 

I was already skeptical at the beginning when Fawn was in such a vulnerable position. Alone, hurt, and had been recently betrayed by someone who she thought she could trust. Dag is older, I originally assumed like ten or fifteen years which isn't ok but also could be justifiable in the context of different species that she was setting up. But the gap kept stretching and the differences between their two groups kept getting smaller. I'm not even sure what makes them so different, other than the ability to use groundsense which Fawn's aunt could also kind of use? It doesn't seem as though the differences were enough to rationalize that kind of difference. 

<spoiler> Lots of fantasy books have sketchy age differences because of the differences in lifetimes. At least those have a romance that transcends the differences. Fawn and Dag had such a sketchy vibe to them, and it felt like their marriage was only motivated by Dag wanting to own Fawn/give Fawn power among her family. Fawn's entire complex with her family didn't really feel justified either, they seemed to care about her well-enough. They were a little rude but she is also eighteen, not really old enough to be as wise as she and Dag thought she was. Also, HE'S 55 AND OLDER THAN HER FATHER. </spoiler>

But yeah, I don't know why I finished it but I wouldn't really recommend it for anyone. They never even resolved the central conflict in anyway, just deferred it in favor of the creepy romance. Disappointed in the author and in myself for wasting my time.

Book Review: Crown of Feathers (Crown of Feathers #1)

 

Crown of Feathers

Nicki Pau Preto

5/5

This book was so good I didn't expect it at all. I picked it up when it first came out and I wasn't super interested and so I put it off and I regret that because it got so interesting. I should've known- the whole Mulan style trope where girls are pretending to be boys so that they can fight hardly ever misses. Veronyka has to pretend to be a boy because she wants to be a Phoenix Rider and though that used to be a career open to men and women, war has made the riders much pickier. She's also really going through it too cause of other stuff. 

I think that what really struck me was the complexity of the relationship between Val and Veronyka, the history that led there and the realities of the present situation. It's easy to write a character that everyone hates, it's easy to write a character that everyone feels bad for, it's difficult to strike that balance between love and hate. I think that there's going to be a lot more in the war of sisters, done for a second time over. 

I'm really hoping for some great romance in the next book because I can see it set up really nicely for a couple of pairs. Preto is obviously making some real strides towards inclusion and representation and that kind of consideration is what really sets young adult apart. I can't wait to get into the sequel and I totally recommend this book to anyone whose been thinking about it. 

Book Review: From Blood and Ash (Blood and Ash #1)

 

From Blood and Ash

Jennifer L. Armentrout

2/5

I've heard a lot of good things about this book so maybe I just built myself up to be disappointed. I think it was pretty obvious from the beginning what was going to happen, it felt like a weak imitation of so many other books in this genre- especially ACoMaF. It also felt very similar in characterization to her other books, Poppy is indistinguishable from Trinity in Storm and Fury. I didn't DNF because I did want to know where things were going, it's just unfortunate that it wasn't original. 

I think that since ACoMaF succeeded so well, authors realized they could write New Adult type books with sex scenes and gain a whole demographic. I guess it worked for this book since it seems to be so popular, didn't really work for me. Sex just felt like a cheap move, there was the potential to use it the opposite way because of how important it was but instead there was an overload of assertive "alpha male" scenes. I was like skipping through the scenes because they felt so obligatory and pointless.

I don't know if I'll read the next book in the series. Despite it all, I'm a little bit invested in where it's going to go. I don't know if I can handle all the whiplash though, it has that same annoying trend as Rage and Ruin where the oscillation between murder and twisted love isn't cute it just convinces you of their instability.

Book Review: Ghosts of the Shadow Market

 

Ghosts of the Shadow Market

Cassandra Clare

5/5

I would like to inquire as to who gave Cassandra Clare and co. permission to write a book of short stories about a bunch of separate characters just so she could make me cry on multiple different timelines? It would cost ZERO dollars to just let these characters be dead without backstories but she really brought back people who I haven't thought about in eight years just to make me SAD. But I read the whole thing and I'd do it again.

Cassandra Clare's universe is insanely complex. Everyone is tied to everyone in some way even though it spans over a hundred years. It can get confusing, especially when, like I said, she likes to bring back oldies just to remind us that no one has lived without tragedy. I think that it's so amazing though that she's able to keep all these characters straight enough to co-write short stories about them just to destroy me further. 

I don't know how I could give this anything but five stars when the last story was about Jem and Tessa. Or when Jem pretty much narrated the whole thing and made me cry the whole time with his emotional turmoil. These stories are all so short and I was like short stories? I don't need them. But honestly, they're so integral to the story lines of all these characters, even ongoing ones in TLH and what is going to come up in TWP. I'm so excited to see it all come together. 

But yeah, would recommend one hundred percent even if you think you don't need them. Like, who allowed Cassandra Clare to contextualize a fictional immortal character in the tragedy of the contemporary world's World War II? Again, she was just trying to get me to cry which she totally achieved.

Book Review: Shades of Milk and Honey (Glamourist Histories #1)

Shades of Milk and Honey

Mary Robinette Kowal

3/5

Advertising this as Jane Austen but with a fantasy twist boosted my expectations way too high for this one. Jane is a talented glamourist, but she fails in comparison to her beautiful sister. She prides herself as being able to see through constructions and to the true character of both people and glamours. 

There wasn't a lot of interaction between the love interests. To be honest I was having a difficult time even gauging where this was going regarding the romance just because the male protagonist was so weak. To compare him to Darcy or compare their misunderstandings to Pride and Prejudice doesn't really do this book justice. They're set on a completely different stage and have a completely different vibe to them. 

That being said, it's a very interesting magical universe. I was a little confused as to the extent of the glamour powers but it's a cool concept. I think if I read further into the series I might understand it all a little better. It was kind of strange though that there wasn't really an epilogue but there were definitive statements at the end that echoed the lives of the characters. I wish there had been a bit more separation there. 

I would recommend it if you like historical fiction with a fantasy twist, but I really think it's too different from Pride and Prejudice to be advertised that way. It generally echoes Jane Austen but not to the extent that I would call that the book's redeeming quality. 

Book Review: Vengeful (Vicious #2)

 

Vengeful

V.E. Schwab

4/5

This book lives up to its name because no matter who was introduced and what was going on, it was ultimately all about Eli and Victor getting their revenge. It's another glimpse into the world of EOs, a time jump with the same jumps back in time that happened in the first book. I think that the best part of it all is that you don't know whose side to be on. 

They're both killers and they're both bad people. They've just been through so much at this point that I just feel bad for them. The more I saw of Eli's past, the more that I could justify what he was doing. Not that I can justify it at all, it just made me confused because like, he had a point. I think it's a mark of good characterization and an interesting plot that it's so difficult to take sides. There were times when I was bored and confused with the timeline of it all but it was the main characters that kept me coming back.

The ending confused me a lot. I understood it I just didn't like it because it left too many things open. It looks like there could be more books in the future but it felt so incredibly open-ended. Some things were resolved with a degree of finality but other characters left us hanging completely. I'm excited to see if Schwab continues this universe cause I really just want more at this point.  

Book Review: Murder of Crows (The Others #2)

 

Murder of Crows

Anne Bishop

3/5

Another re-read because it's just so easy. These slow burn series are so easy to hate for how slow everything moves and yet you can't help but keep reading. I think it's totally justified how slow things are moving given Meg's backstory, simultaneously though I really want something else to happen. I also don't like how much Meg feels dumbed down, I know that's part of who she is, but I just hate the language of it all. 

This book is more about helping to deal with Meg's past rather than anything that Meg is doing currently. She keeps making prophecies but it feels like more of a side thing rather than the main story line. There might be too many side arcs going on because I feel like it really didn't focus on Meg's transition to regular life or her relationships with these side characters enough. 

It's about the same as I remember it, a fun series but a little weird and kind of slow at points. I don't know if I'll continue the reread just because it can get so slow at times. If you like urban fantasy though I think this series is a must-read.

Book Review: Phoenix and Ashes (Elemental Masters #3)

 

Phoenix and Ashes

Mercedes Lackey

4/5

I once again started on the third book in a series without knowing that it was the third book. That's okay though, I think that these can easily be read as standalones. Kind of urban fantasy? I'm not entirely sure where to place this, like historical fantasy fiction? It's also a fairy tale retelling, so once again there is a lot going on here. 

Eleanor was set to be one of the first females to attend Oxford, though they aren't yet handing out degrees to women. Then her father married an evil woman and World War I happened. Suddenly, her father is dead and her stepmother cuts off her finger to bind her forever to servitude. It's a harsh and hopeless life, she isn't allowed to go against any of her stepmother's commands and works till she collapses of exhaustion for years without end. 

Reggie is an Air Master and flew planes against the Germans until another Air Master took him out of the sky and he was captured beneath the earth for days. I'm not really sure what the age difference is between him and Eleanor, I think he's a couple years older but he already attended Oxford for a couple years. He and Eleanor meet again after years without seeing each other and are able to speak clearer than they have with anyone else. It's all about dealing with her super powerful stepmother from there on out. 

I really liked it, especially the base story line. There's just something so interesting about fairy tales told with more modern context yet with the same amount of magic. I loved it and I loved the characters. I do wish they had had more face-to-face conversations before they decided they were in love. But I think that was validated with the ending, not too fast for that period or even compared to some of the books that come out today. It's not incredibly original because it keeps so many of the elements of Cinderella, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend for sure.

Book Review: Written in Red (The Others #1)

 

Written in Red

3/5

Anne Bishop

I'm bored so I'm doing re-reads. I don't feel like enough new material has been released this year so I'm really just out here spending hours trying to figure out what to read. Anyways, I read this one initially a couple of years ago and my rating kind of stands. I remember it getting better, but this one is just a little weird. I don't think that I could ever explain this to someone who hadn't read it because I don't think they would understand the intricacies of the universe and they would just find it super strange. 

Meg is a cassandra sangue, prophecies are in her blood and if she cuts her skin then those prophecies emerge. So that's a warning if any kind of cutting is your trigger, it does happen here pretty frequently as it is pretty integral to the plot. That being said, I think that it's well-established that it's an addiction and that she's trying to control it. I think it's an original idea, I've never seen anything like it before and it kind of stuck with me as something specific to this series even years after reading it. 

I think that the names for things could be a little more original. This is an adult book and yet we're calling people Bigwig and there's a place called Sparkletown. It's like she decided to use the same names for everything but decided to change them slightly by dumbing them down. It's kind of reflective of the main character, one of her traits as a cassandra sangue is her "innocence" that exists to protect her from the intensity of prophecy. I wish that could be explained a little more because it feels like a cop out. 

All in all, it's a pretty interesting read. Re-reading it is fun but just makes me remember how angry I was when Bishop decided to continue the series away from Meg and Simon. I think that they're great characters that really reflect the shortcomings of one another and that they kind of got abandoned. Their build-up in this one is good though.