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★★★★★ This is an amazing book. Wow. Just wow. The Writing and Worldbuilding V.E. Schwab is the master of exposition that doesn't feel like exposition. She has somehow managed to introduce complex worlds and systems without talking at the reader. Her dialogue is just as seemingly effortless. The banter between Kell and Lila was so fantastic, and when she formally meets Rhy, all three of them are just so great together. The imagery was fantastic and vivid. The plot was consistently intriguing and exciting. I was never bored reading this. I even read some pages out loud to my brother in a fancy British narrator voice and it sounded so great! There weren't any awkward lines or anything. The magic system was so amazing and unique, coupled with the historical setting, this felt like a classic adventure story. The back blurb by io9 is so true: it truly does "[feel] like a priceless object, brought from another, better world of fantasy books." T...

★★★★★ I received this eARC uncorrected galley from Feiwel & Friends on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of this book in any way. A warning before I begin. This book focuses on very heavy topics that may be triggers for some readers. If you have suffered sexual assault or other abuse, I would be wary about reading this, as there are graphic scenes. The Writing From the very first page of this book, I was completely drawn in. From the first line, the first word, I knew I was reading something that mattered, something that was so important. The writing is almost lyrical in its beauty. It feels like something haunted and true and private and sacred. It feels like the poem of a soul. I couldn't put it down. I couldn't sleep. I was thinking only of this book and the precious, necessary story told within. The symbols in this book were consistent and poignant; they carved themselves in my heart. Houses, ghosts, zomb...

[WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS MINOR SPOILERS] ★★★☆☆ Do you ever read a book and think: the author had so many possibilities staring him right in the face, but he made it a stupid love story instead?? That's how I feel about Every Day The Writing and Worldbuilding This is a fast-paced story, meaning that events happen in rather quick succession and do not tend to slow down for too long. However, sometimes the book was less fast-paced and more rushed. The first "day", for example, had a great deal of rushed narrative exposition and insta-love (my most hated trope and cliche). Idk what I expected, but it wasn't that, that's for sure. I guess I thought Levithan would have at least one day before the love interest was introduced, to introduce the main character and the world before diving face first into the plot. At the quarter mark, I almost DNF'd it, but decided not to since it was a recommendation. The rushed nature doesn...

[WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS] ★★★☆☆ I received an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My opinion is in no way influenced by the author or publisher. So, I believe in rating absolutes (partly because Goodreads does as well, apparently) but man, I think I'm gonna have to give this a half-star kinda rating. 3.5, I think. Definitely not a 3, it was too good for that, but definitely not a 4 either. The Writing This is a fast-paced story, meaning that events happen in rather quick succession and do not tend to slow down for too long. However, sometimes the book was less fast-paced and more rushed . The first 7 chapters were very exposition heavy, which dragged down the overall feel of the story, as I felt talked at and explained to, rather than experiencing the story. Around chapter 8, things started picking up with the inciting incident and I found myself very drawn into the story. I felt like I was reading a book sometimes, ...

I think it’s too late now. Or it will be soon. The lights turn off at the end of the day as usual, but I’m too late. I’ll have to walk in the dark. I should’ve brought my light, but it’s too late. A man pushes past me from around the corner and mutters an apology. He’s too late, too. I shudder a little in the cold. The lifter is so far and I’m tired. Why’d I go to Middle today? I didn’t need to go. Why couldn’t I just have stayed home? Jupeter said I should have stayed home and he was right. I’m so dumb. I should have stayed. I pull my scarf closer to my chin and breathe deeply. Why does Middle get so cold at light-off? The lights switch off and darkness engulfs the buildings. The only light is coming from a lifter. I clutch the ends of my scarf in my hands and walk faster towards the light. I reach the lifter and a man stands inside, aggressively pressing the down button. He looks like a Low. “What a farmer bu...

This tag was created by Vivien Reis on her YouTube channel in anticipation of her upcoming novel, The Elysian Prophecy . 1. Secret society - A book you love but no one else talks about Definitely Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion. While it got some fame after it's film adaptation, no one even knows that there's a prequel and a sequel, with another on the way that are equally good, if not better! 2. ‎Voices - A scary novel that gives you the chills! I Am Legend by Richard Matheson is honestly so chilling. The imagery is so vivid and the themes so profound 3. ‎Blood crystals - A book with red on the cover A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab I'm currently reading this and loving it, and the US Tor cover is just so minimalist and stunning. Red, black, and white are my absolute favorite cover colors, so having all three just makes me so happy ❤❤❤❤ 4. ‎Kidnapped - A stand-alone novel you love Though at some point it might have a sequel, The Host by S...

★★★★☆ T his installment continued with the new, excellent story progression of Heir of Fire, without too much obvious plot twists or easily predictable revelations. While I still prefer Heir of Fire to Queen of Shadows, this was still an epic story and I greatly enjoyed it. The only part that really irked me was the sheer groan-worthy sexually driven scenes that, while sometimes expected and greatly anticipated, were written with cringey dialogue and innuendo. Buy the book here: Amazon Book Depository Barnes & Noble

★★★★☆ A pleasant, fun adventure with lots of laughs, smiles, and a few almost-tears. All-in-all, a nice series conclusion, though without the backbone of The Mortal Instruments, I definitely would not have liked it much, and do not like it nearly as much in comparison. There wasn't as much story to tell, unfortunately, though the characters grew on me.  The death of Jessamine was an actually pleasant surprise from a literary standpoint ( I'm not a sadist ) as Clare pulled the same trick, or a very similar one at least, in City of Heavenly Fire with Isabelle's almost death, but obviously didn't follow through, leading to a rather undefeatable, unnecessarily powerful main team. By comparison, the losses in this book were just satisfying enough to warrant my mention. Buy the book here: Amazon Book Depository Barnes & Noble

Avg. ★★★★☆ The Assassin and the Pirate Lord ★★ ★ ☆☆ It was good, and helped establish some of pre-Endovier Caelena but I didn't really like the somewhat forced relationship between her and Sam. Idk it just didn't feel natural, and it was probably just because of how short it was. And Sam's almost death didn't feel anxious enough (though, I'll forgive Sarah J Maas of that, since readers of the series all already know Sam's dead). Overall, it was good, but not great. The Assassin and the Healer ★★★☆ ☆ It was an interesting story with stronger character elements than action. The new addition of the southern continent with Torre Cesme was interesting, but I can't help but wonder why it hasn't been mentioned in the main series yet (unless it has and I just don't remember; I'm only up to Heir of Fire as of the time of this review.) The Assassin and the Desert ★★★ ★ ☆ The Assassin and the Underworld ★★★ ★ ☆ ...