A collage of tropes squished into one book is what A Broken Blade is. I listened to it via audio which made it less of a drag. I don't think I will coA collage of tropes squished into one book is what A Broken Blade is. I listened to it via audio which made it less of a drag. I don't think I will continue the series as the mc and mmc just didn't quite appeal to me. None of the characters were flushed out enough for me to care about them. Even their subplots didn't make me care about them. I felt like it was just "novel", but those aspects I felt like were missing would have made it a story imo! ...more
I've mentioned this in prior reviews about romantasy books, but sometimes it feels like I'm reading the same book but by different authors. I'm tryingI've mentioned this in prior reviews about romantasy books, but sometimes it feels like I'm reading the same book but by different authors. I'm trying to compartmentalize that and just "read the d@mn big". That said, this book has the stereotypical mc and mmc, a cringey antagonist, and a competition. If you're just looking for something fun to read, this was not slowly paced at all and its easy to breeze through. I didn't care about the main characters, but did like and worry for the side characters! That was very well done! Overall, if you don't mind the "standard romantasy starter pack", this is a great and fun read. ...more
This started off predictable in some areas, but overall the ending was great. Given the stakes, that felt like it made sense. I will be picking up theThis started off predictable in some areas, but overall the ending was great. Given the stakes, that felt like it made sense. I will be picking up the sequel, but I'm hoping to see some of the predictability diminish. I think some of the romatansty stories have started following the same plot in some areas and I'd love to see a book deviate from that a little bit. I think this could be that given how it ended. The characters were also not complete tools which is always a plus! ...more
As with most cozy stories - the stakes for the book may not be as exciting or high as some people may prefer!
This story is no different! The stakes aAs with most cozy stories - the stakes for the book may not be as exciting or high as some people may prefer!
This story is no different! The stakes are quite low throughout the book, but different mini sub plots are happening throughout this story. And by the end of the book, they are all wrapped up nicely. It may not be everyone's cup of tea - pun intended - but I do think that if you typically like cozy stories, this one offers a unique perspective on what it means to be any of the following: a person struggling with identity, an immigrant, a person relocating to a new area, or someone with a mixed heritage. All of these topics come up in some way in the story, but also give you some perspective about how people feel or what they experience....more
This is a wonderful rendition of ancient Chinese tea brewing and I liked that this book pays homage to it!
I do think that for a YA, it's great but I This is a wonderful rendition of ancient Chinese tea brewing and I liked that this book pays homage to it!
I do think that for a YA, it's great but I feel like a lot of YA authors play it safe, and it's rare to seem the writers take a chance to branch out from beyond predictable things. I think this would be a fantastic series to have seen branch off from being so "safe" but overall a great book! ...more
This is probably my favorite book from Craig thus far followed by Small Favors! I truly was not expecting the plot twists/turn that happens midway thrThis is probably my favorite book from Craig thus far followed by Small Favors! I truly was not expecting the plot twists/turn that happens midway through the story. The ending was chef's kiss. I love books that don't follow the standard norms you'd expect. Excellent! ...more
This book didn't grip me as quickly as Craig's other books have. This one seemed, incredibly slow to get to the "crescendo" whereas in her other booksThis book didn't grip me as quickly as Craig's other books have. This one seemed, incredibly slow to get to the "crescendo" whereas in her other books, the build-up and mystery happened in every chapter. In this book, there are breaks between the mystery and plot build-up, and instead, those chapters focus on character development. Normally, I don't mind that, but in this book, those chapters that focused more on character development made the story a little slower and harder for me to stay engaged.
Overall, this is not a book worth skipping. Craig writes some fantastic thrillers and I always enjoy the fantasy component she includes in her story! ...more
A great start to a fantasy "heist" like series. There is a lot of political intrigue and world-building. There is no map so that did make it a little A great start to a fantasy "heist" like series. There is a lot of political intrigue and world-building. There is no map so that did make it a little harder to track. Call me spoiled - but when world-building is very in-depth, a map will not be useful, even if it's just a light sketch. The author, however, did a great job describing it readers in depth throughout the story. The magic was interesting but it was hard to track at times. It almost felt like it didn't belong in the story - it felt out of place.
The last quarter of the book had quite a lot to offer so I will surely be reading sequels. I'm just hoping the remaining books will be a little bit quicker in pace...more
This book was fantastic. I will admit that I was lost in the first few chapters as part of the book relates to the science of the story. However, thinThis book was fantastic. I will admit that I was lost in the first few chapters as part of the book relates to the science of the story. However, things eventually are well-explained and all the pieces come together in a bittersweet ending. I think its best to read this book without knowing too much, but if you happen to come across this review, you'll love it if you're into the following: - down with the patriarchy vibes -dark academia -don't mind gore/violence -slow burn/angst but not a heavy focus on romance -philosophical thinking points
Chef's kiss and I'm ready to read the Sword of Kaigen this year! ...more
Well. It was what I thought it would be but here goes...
❤️ What I liked:
✨Inan's character development is still very believable to me. Not only does heWell. It was what I thought it would be but here goes...
❤️ What I liked:
✨Inan's character development is still very believable to me. Not only does he grow internally, but you can see clear displays of him attempting to grow externally with others - particularly Zelie and with his mother
� Baulder/Baldur (I forget how it's spelled) was a pretty interesting character. It's a love/hate relationship with him. For one, I do think, that to be introduced so late in the story, he had a solid arc. And there were some instances, where I felt like I knew him better as a reader than other characters wed been following across the span of 3 books.
✨The ending was incredibly rushed, but I'm not mad at how things turn out for Zelie and others.
Considering book 1 was a 5-star read for me, I had to simmer a few days before writing this review because I'm reeling at the fact that this sequel toConsidering book 1 was a 5-star read for me, I had to simmer a few days before writing this review because I'm reeling at the fact that this sequel took a complete 180 in almost every aspect of the book.
❤️ Here's what I can still appreciate....
� Zhu was already on her way to becoming a morally grey character in book 1 and she fully displays that within this book.
� The wit and banter between some characters both platonic and "romantic" (if we could call anything romantic at all) was still enjoyable to read.
� Sexuality is a prevalent theme in this story as is mental fortitude. Some books dance around that, but this one doesn't. However more on this aspect as a negative down below.
✨Despite not caring for the journey, I'm fairly pleased with the ending and what happens to the majority of the characters. Some I couldn't care enough about either way, but for other characters, that is simply the only way it could end for them in my mind.
❤️Here's what I don't appreciate....
� Firstly, I think SPC's commentary about this sequel (which can be found in the GoodReads review section) is misleading. And it made me feel obligated to remove another star because I was disappointed by her viewpoint. It felt deflective and a little like gaslighting. Here's what SPC says for those reading this review on a different platform from ŷ:
"though this list may look confronting, I should say: I don’t write grimdark (in the sense of fantasy with extreme, explicit violence, such as Game of Thrones). In terms of violence, I think of both She Who Became the Sun and He Who Drowned the World as roughly equivalent to the Asian historical dramas on Netflix: you'll see some splatter during fight scenes, but rarely full-on gore. Torture is mostly implied. However, Drowned is substantially darker in tone than She Who Became the Sun and contains one moderately detailed depiction of sexual violence. I have to stress that it is not a young adult book! I choose not to warn for the specific content of consensual sexual encounters between adults."
� I found several issues with her commentary about the sequel, and the first that sticks out is the fact that she starts by saying "though it may look confronting", as though she is fully aware there would be readers like myself who may disagree with the outlooks she goes on to mention about the book. I think that if you THINK you have to consider other people may find your book violent, then it is violent. Period. But that actually isn't my issue. It's the "gaslighting" people into thinking it isn't.
✨Having watched all seasons of Game of Thrones, Marco Polo, Sons of Anarchy, and other violent shows, when reading this sequel, that is EXACTLY where my mind compared violence levels. SPC also says "In terms of violence, I think of both She Who Became the Sun and He Who Drowned the World as roughly equivalent to the Asian historical dramas on Netflix: you'll see some splatter during fight scenes, but rarely full-on gore. Torture is mostly implied." Um no. Without getting too spoilery, SPC doesn't go into detail about every death. However, there is a moment where a character is holding viscera and there are some pretty crude depictions of dead bodies, war scenes, vulgar depictions of sex/body parts, and rape. It may be somewhat equivalent to Marco Polo or beyond in terms of violence. Personally, it read just as violent as a GOT episode - which far outdoes Marco Polo in several aspects. So yes - it read like Grimdark to me.
� Moving on to her next portion stating "However, Drowned is substantially darker in tone than She Who Became the Sun and contains one moderately detailed depiction of sexual violence. I have to stress that it is not a young adult book! I choose not to warn for the specific content of consensual sexual encounters between adults." Again, this feels a little bit like gaslighting. Maybe something changed in the formal publication. I received an arc. And in said arc, there were 2 (not 1) moderately detailed depictions of sexual violence. One encounter is very clearly rape, but the other encounter does not come off as consensual to me as a reader in any way. This particular character is subjected to molestation at several points in the story before finally being raped. There are also several points in the story where this character clearly says he essentially doesn't enjoy any of it, he's just having an inner monologue about how he's letting this person have their way because he wants to be in control mentally. If someone has control over their mind, but not their body, and doesn't use their voice in a literal sense, are any sexual encounters rape or consensual? To me, it's like people who are date raped that don't or may not have the power to voice it, but mentally & physically they're being hurt by someone taking advantage of them. That's what this book gave to that particular person and encounter, and it is disappointing to see SPC's response concerning it. However, later on in the book, is when it becomes there's some more evidence that this sex is consensual between the two characters.
� Overall, this additional goal of this sequel felt like it was in fact, to be as "other" and contrary as possible. Nobody in the story as a semblance of morality - just about every character is morally corrupt or morally grey. Even the seemingly sweet and innocent character "Ma" - is not all that innocent. She is a great example of this polarity from book one to book two which I spoke about early on in the review. Book one was not as violent and focused primarily on the literal journey of the characters. We also spent a lot of time learning SPCs characters. So I was taken aback by the divergence of character arc's like Ma's and others in this sequel. The only characters that behaved as expected were Ouyang and Zhu - and while there is some growth to them - we know who they are as characters at their core. The same couldn't be said as I saw familiar characters in this story like Ma.
✨As I just said, book one focused more on the literal journey of characters. This sequel started incredibly slow compared to book one and while it is supposed to be more war-focused - a vast majority of the book is spent on the mental battles and fortitude of a majority of characters. I think this relates to what I just talked about; the focus on the mental battles of characters was to also help convince us that we didn't know some of these characters at all as much as we thought we did. So it made the story drag and it made it confusing to have characters who behave(ed) abnormally from how they previously did. But because we got all these snippets of their inner monologue, I'm expected to believe/accept it as a reader. I also wasn't expecting it - I was expecting more focus on the war strategies and things like that. We do get some of that in this book, but just not as much as I thought we would, and more so towards the end of the book when all of the strategies began to unravel and be revealed to us as readers.
✨The small touches of paranormal activity from Zhu's perspective I think should have been left out. It didn't really contribute to the story here as much as it did in book 1.
✨Max and Tisaanah (caller her T for the remainder of review) are such a cute couple. Max is a great example of a grump character that❤️ What I liked:
✨Max and Tisaanah (caller her T for the remainder of review) are such a cute couple. Max is a great example of a grump character that is not so over the top it borders on bullying or hateful. Everything he does or says, demonstrates character growth as does T's actions and words.
� There's a lot that happens in the book and it could very easily be spoiled so I'll simply say that this book did not suffer from sequel syndrome. It was arguably better than the first. There are a lot of revelations revealed as the book progresses and I enjoyed seeing everything unravel. The last quarter of the book was unexpected.
I'm sad because I've read all of Lana's work and all of her books have been 4 or 5 stars except for 1 one other book - with a certain blonde fae/elf mI'm sad because I've read all of Lana's work and all of her books have been 4 or 5 stars except for 1 one other book - with a certain blonde fae/elf male from the guardian group. This is now the 2nd book of her's to come out as a 3-star read - a 2.5 if I'm being honest. I think considering how many books Lana has out, this isn't a bad thing because you can't win them all. However, because I enjoyed book 1 of this new Fae Devils series, I was expecting this one to deliver. Instead, it fell incredibly flat for me.
So here we go...
❤️ What I liked:
� Firstly, I do in fact like how she's tackling the reverse harem aspect of the story. There's no way to put it mildly so here it is straight; instead of Willow (our fmc) getting railed by six different dudes at one time, there is an emotional component that you can clearly see Lana is hoping to establish between the characters. While I would not consider it love just yet, Willow is learning to care for her 6 mates and vice versa. I also like that there is still a focus on each male of the group that she primarily focuses on.
✨Speaking of connections, I do like that this book goes into depth with some of the males in the mate group. The first book is focused mainly on Fox. This book is focused on almost all of them but Bodin takes precedence followed partially by Legion and Styx. And I do like how Legion and Bodin in particular are being developed as characters.
� Our little baby pet dragon is still and will always be a wonderful addition to the story at any part of it and it's cute seeing all the characters treat him in the same manner Willow does.
Fun but I think book one was more enjoyable for me!
Evie and Trystan are funny. I particularly love Trystan's pov more!
This book was chaotic and not Fun but I think book one was more enjoyable for me!
Evie and Trystan are funny. I particularly love Trystan's pov more!
This book was chaotic and not in the way it was in book one. There's just a lot happening at one time in this book and I personally found it to be overbearing. Often times, there is not a clear or good explanation for things happening. However, it was still a fun read and I'll read the sequel.
Hopefully we get some of the spice books 1 and 2 has been building up this whole time. ...more
This starts of strong - loses it's "mettle" for me in the middle - and the ends very nicely.
That describes the book in a nutshell. I don't want to giThis starts of strong - loses it's "mettle" for me in the middle - and the ends very nicely.
That describes the book in a nutshell. I don't want to give anything away, but it took around 500-600 pages for us to get "here". In book 2, it made sense. However, in Book 3, I don't know if some parts were needed. A majority of chapters focus heavily on the character development of one of the characters. The other two povs in the story are used for plot-driving. It just threw me off a little because when I got to that character's pov, I kept expecting something to "happen", but it didn't. It's mainly just this character going through his emotions and thoughts.
Overall, I like the ending everyone gets despite the path it took for one of them to get there! ...more
Like Dark Heir, there is a slow build up to an otherwise rushed or entertaining end. ALOT happens after you hit the midway point and very quickly! LOLLike Dark Heir, there is a slow build up to an otherwise rushed or entertaining end. ALOT happens after you hit the midway point and very quickly! LOL
Will, James, and Violet are still at the fore front of this book, but there are many more POVs in this book which began to get on my nerves a little bit. The only ones I cared about were Will and Violet because it made sense for readers to know what was happening on opposite ends of the spectrum. trying so hard. I like the polarity of James and Will as characters.
The ending was a nice crescendo - you can see it coming but it was awesome as an audience to finally see the characters put things together. ...more
✨Who is likely to enjoy this book! - people who want to read a vampire book that centers on black and brown characters - people who like a "cat4.25/5
✨Who is likely to enjoy this book! - people who want to read a vampire book that centers on black and brown characters - people who like a "cat and mouse" game between characters. - people who like morally corrupt or dark characters - people who appreciate cultural representation present through the story *This was very well done in my opinion* - Angst between characters - heavy world-building - murder mysteries
✨Who is likely to NOT enjoy this book! -FIRST: HUGE TRIGGER WARNING FOR ANYONE WHO SUFFERS FROM DEPRESSION OR CANNOT READ BOOKS WHERE DEPRESSION IS A FOCAL POINT! SECOND: The author said that the book centers on a grump/antiheroine/morally grey fmc...so I expected her to be unlikable. That said, I found similarities between Lila Bard (Schwab's books) and Kidan Arcane (the fmc from this book). Neither of these two women is meant to be likable in my opinion as the authors present them as morally grey/bankrupt at times but they can be likable to some people. These types of characters do things based on their own goals and to further their agendas - like a female anti-hero would. That said, Kidan displayed some very unlikable qualities as a result of her traumas, but also with the hope of achieving her own goals. And at the same time, she does some things throughout the book that are very admirable - much like Lila Bard. So I think when it comes to writing dark characters, they're not going to be everyone's cup of tea and if you're used to favoring more sunshine or morally straight characters as opposed to ones whose moral compass is "corrupted", you will not like this book. Girma also has some pretty great prose. I don't enjoy books where the author doesn't trust the readers or makes it feel like she's writing to children. I think there was a healthy balance of prose and language to make it feel like this was the upper YA book its supposed to be. That said, if you're not a fan of flowery writing, reading between lines literally to make inferences - you won't like this book. THIRD: it is VERY world building heavy - I really like that, especially because of the different vampire factions, but if you get lost easily or don't like a world building heavy book - you will not like this! AND FOURTH: This book does have some spicy talk in it but no one is screwing each other...yet. It is marketed as YA, but I think there should be a NA section for books like this. However, if you've read the Shatter Me series or the TOG series, the spice talk in this book seems like it may lead to sex scenes of the equivalent. If you're looking for a book without that, this isn't for you, but when I think of vampires, sex, sultriness, and seduction is something I automatically associate with them so I'm not made at it.*
✨My thoughts on the Plot - Without giving too much away - Kidan is infiltrating a new university to find out more about her sister's disappearance and her family's killers. This is per the synopsis. The process and journey for Kidan to do this was very entertaining and I wasn't bored with it. The only thing, I'd note is that I saw one aspect of the ending coming. But the rest of the journey, I didn't see coming or anticipate - particularly in regards to the plot line containing other notable characters! And I quickly realized that nobody is safe! I liked that aspect of the book because it kept me on my toes, but also felt like it made sense. Sometimes character deaths happen out of convenience, but I truly felt like they all made sense in this book though I was sad about a few.
✨My thoughts on the Characters -Kidan is morally grey and morally corrupt. She is a depressed character - you can begin to see that she suffers from depression, in many of the comments and things she does throughout the book. It's sad, but I also appreciate the representation of viewing life through someone who has mental health issues. She actively tries throughout the book to push herself forward for the sake of her family and other characters she meets at the university. She feels responsible for them and that was admirable in a way.
-Susenyos is the love interest for Kidan in this book. He is a very interesting character to me because he's particularly fickle with Kidan for the majority of the book. I didn't mind that. I do however wish that he was aged up a little bit more. In this book, I think he's 17 or something of that nature. However, he embodies many of the qualities I associate with vampires: prideful, seductive, sneaky, arrogant etc...Some of the things he says and does give the impression that he has lived a long time, and I like that. But at the same time, he doesn't necessarily come across as a 17-year-old, so he is partly the reason for a tick off my rating- I expected him to be aged a little bit more in comparison to how he behaves.
-Side characters: most of them slayed. There are multiple antagonists in this book that divulge off into differing plot lines which made for a fun read. There is one other vampire antagonist who was not really needed in my opinion - he was really just used to show that Susenyos was/is starting to like Kidan more than he should. So this particular antagonist is a plot device - nothing more.
✨My thoughts on World building/Magic System - Chef's kiss. I love books that have heavy world building because I feel more immersed in the story. The world building in this book borders on that of an epic fantasy. It can and may be hard for people to keep up. I also no that some people don't like the inclusion of maps and all of these different places, but I found myself tracking throughout the story and I loved every second of it. I'm hoping we get introduced to more places in the next book. There is also an inclusion of "vampire factions" and I seriously love how this was done! It's very unique as far as my knowledge is concerned. I've never read or watched a vampire show where the vampires were limited on how they could fee! Usually, vampires can feed upon any and everything. But in this story, vampires do have restrictions, and that make the stakes a little higher. The magic system is connected to houses/homes literally throughout the campus. This is where the Ninth House comparison comes in and I could see why. I'm curious what some of the other houses hold in terms of magic but we do get introduced to a few homes and their magic within this story. My only nitpick here is that I don't want Girma to flush this out a bit more. She does so with Kidan's home and the magic her and Susenyos have access to in the story, but in terms of other character homes/homes, I'm still slightly curious about what magic their homes fully embody and how those particular characters can use or tap into it. Not everything has to be answered in book one, but I really hope to see her clarify the "house magic" for other characters and homes in book two. But it is the final reason for my little nick in my rating. Otherwise, I really found this to be a fantastic read and I'm overly excited for book 2....more
Not bad! I was very interested in Tisannah's background and Max grew on me. They are very well-developed characters, but I wouldn't classify this storNot bad! I was very interested in Tisannah's background and Max grew on me. They are very well-developed characters, but I wouldn't classify this story as happy. It's very bleak. Thus far, while Tisaanah's background is prevalent, the book doesn't feature a wide range of diverse characters across other demographics like ethnicity or sexual orientation. There is only one character who used to represent queer characters but is introduced for 4 to 5 chapters and absent the rest of the book. Given the world-building in this story, I hope to see that change and more diversity become apparent. In a vast open world like this, I refuse to believe there is only just "white" or "straight" throughout the whole place. ...more
Loading...
