Book Review: The Excalibur Curse by Kiersten White

I was pretty confused by this. I originally thought it was my fault because it had been over a year since I read book two. After finishing, I read some reviews. Now, I think it was the book’s fault. It was mainly that characters were doing things I wasn’t expecting.

Generally, I still enjoyed this. I thought there were very good and impactful moments. Fina was also an addition. I wouldn’t complain if I got to read more about her. 

The overall plot was a bit convoluted and the packing was off sometimes. Then, there’s the relationships which make no sense. I felt some friendships were pushed aside. And I have no idea what’s going on with the romance. Like WTF was going on?

Also what was the purpose of this? Not that every story has to have a message, but this felt like it was trying to.Part of me thinks this is about sacrifice, but there’s a bit lacking. I don’t want to go into spoilers, but I think certain characters delivered on that. 

And what was that ending? Pick a side!

I do think this would’ve been better as an adult book instead of YA. I just think she could’ve gone a little farther if it was adult. 

Sorry for the random collection of thoughts.

Thanks for reading!
Holly 

Book Review: To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

I have some thoughts to work through so here we go.

First, let’s talk about the characters. There’s two main characters-Lira and Elian. Lira is a siren. She’s very harsh and cold. Her mother is also the Sea Queen who also turns her into a human. Because of her cruelty, it can be hard to connect with her, at least for me. Elian is a prince and a siren killer. He has a lot of wanderlust and doesn’t want to be a king. He came across slightly less developed than Lira. There were some interesting side characters, but they were pretty surface level.

There is a romance between Lira and Elian. I can’t decide if it’s a huge part of the story or not. They interact a lot, but it's a very antagonistic relationship. I’m unsure of the actual chemistry between them.. I don’t hate the romance, but I’m a little ambivalent. It is a pretty true enemies-to-lovers romance if you want that.

The whole book has a specific tone that I struggle to define. It’s definitely darker, but didn’t go as far as it could/should. I’m sure part of that is that it’s being a YA book. Maybe I would describe the tone as murky. Part of that is lack of development. I felt there was magic and politics that weren’t fully developed. They don’t have to be, but the murkiness did make me a little confused.

The ending was a bit rushed. I don’t want to go into spoilers, but I wanted more. Part of that is because the tone of the ending was very different. 

If I still did half stars, this would probably be a 3.5, but now I just round up. I don’t think this will be for everyone, but I think it will be a new favorite for some. I definitely don’t think it’s a Little Mermaid retelling though.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: The Hollow Heart by Marie Rutkowski

This book destroyed me. It had no right being this good. Marie Rutkowski has a skill that truly impresses.

I enjoyed The Midnight Lie, but nothing like this. I also probably should’ve re-read the first book. I do remember connecting more with Nirrim than Sid last time, but here I was obsessed with Sid. I loved every single time we had a chapter with her. The God chapters really got to me as well.

There is still a romance here, but Nirrim and Sid are mainly apart. Normally, this bothers me, but it worked here. The romance wasn’t the main part of the story, but it’s very prominent. Heavy on the angst-especially Sid.

Sid’s story was beautiful. I was crying a lot during her chapters. Not sobbing, but gentle tears of the empathy I felt for her. Reading about her relationship with her parents and the desire to be loved and feel wanted just hit hard. I don’t want to go into it too much because of spoilers. But it felt so very real and raw.

Nirrim also goes on a journey. This one was harder to read, but I think on purpose. She’s losing her humanity, throughout this and that’s heartbreaking. 

You could probably read a lot into this when it comes to feminist and queer theory. But you can also read it as a book. I can appreciate a novel with layers.

I’ve been so impressed by Marie Rutkowski. I think I’m going to read it even though it’s a genre I don’t read. Now, I need to stop myself from re-reading the Winner’s trilogy and the duology.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim

I am obsessed. Obviously I thought I would like this but I didn’t expect to fall in love. There are some glossed-over things and I can see why people might have an issue, but this sucked me and didn’t let go.

This is pitched as Mulan meets Project Runway and it delivers on the premise. Maia pretends to be her brother to compete in a competition to be a Master Tailor for the emperor. That competition is definitely like Project Runway. There’s odd tools and materials and dramatic tasks. It’s an interesting plot point, but it does end about ⅓ of the way through. I think some readers wanted it to last longer.

Considering how much visual clothing design is, Lim executes this concept well. She thoroughly describes the clothes made by Maia. I also liked how she described the process and how Maia felt working on her craft. 

The romance is very prominent. As a romance reader this doesn’t bother me at all, but I can see people wanting less romance. It did occasionally feel like it was rushed. Maia does make some extreme choices for “love”. That half bothered me but also half felt like something an 18 year old would do. I do care about this romance and am on the edge of my seat about where it’ll go. 

Something that surprised me was Maia’s family. I did not expect to care about them so quickly. Lim obviously has some magic. 

Speaking of the magic-what is it? This may be the weakest part of the story. I don’t understand the magic at all. There appears to be rules, but we don’t get to know any of them. I can’t tell if it’s supposed to be a soft magic system or if Lim;’s just poorly explaining things. Maybe I’ll decide after teh second book.

While I’m invested in teh romance, the other plot is compelling, too. I’m not sure who we’re supposed to like or trust. That adds to the tension. It also means I have no idea what’s going to happen in the next book. Honestly, I don’t know what our endgame is.

They don’t have a lot in common, but this made me feel a lot like I felt when I read Poison Study. After I finish the second book it may be time for a Poison Study re-read. I’m definitely glad I gave Elizabeth Lim a chance.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Buried Heart by Kate Elliott

The last 50 pages were so good. I almost changed my rating because of it, but then my rational brain reminded me that doesn’t make up for 400 pages of mediocrity.

Some series take time to develop, but not this one. Jess didn’t seem to ever develop and she is constantly making bad decisions. Often these horrible and selfish decisions magically work out for her. It’s really frustrating.

I still feel like other characters-Jess’ sisters, Talon, etc. are more compelling. I don’t often say this, but this would probably be better with more POVs.

The resolution was OK. It wasn’t the most unrealistic, but I would’ve preferred more of the social and political implications. I’m actually still really confused-especially about Efean culture.

Overall, this story had a ton of potential, but the execution was lacking. It wasn’t bad-just not as good as it could’ve been. And I am open to reading another Kate Elliott book at some point.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Book Review: Crown of Coral and Pearl by Mara Rutherford

Honestly, I didn’t have the highest of hopes for this-maybe that’s why I enjoyed it so much.

I love the sisterly relationship between Nor and Zadie. And I’m very happy Ms. Rutherford really took the page time to build their relationship. It helped me get really invested.

A world/culture living on water was really interesting. And it was a nice contrast to the Ilareans. Your physical environment does influence you and i liked what she did with that. There were difference in food, dress, health, etc.

There isn’t a magic-system-at least not yet. But there are almost supernatural elements. I am very eager to find out about more with that.

The romance. Honestly, it felt a little off to me. I think it would be better a little slower. Talin is a compelling character and a nice love interest. Actually, Talin’s conflicting feelings with his brother was so real. It added a great layer to the conflict. Speaking of his brother-Ceren was fascinating. He was super creepy and made my skin crawl. Then, he would have these moments of humanity-or what seemed like humanity. I’m pretty sure he’s a sociopath, but Ms. Rutherford wrote him so well.

I think this story would’ve been made better by additional POVs-at least one more (perhaps Zadie’s). It would help flush out the story and world. Plus, it would help raise the stakes. With only one POV I basically know Nor won’t die. But that’s just my opinion.

There was a thing at the end which I called-or at least half called. I am definitely excited to see where the story goes. I do really hope this is just a duology, because I’m not sure there’s enough there for more. Plus, the world could use more fantasy stand alones and duologies.

Thanks for reading!
Holly

Spring Wrap-Up (2019)

Since I post my seasonal TBR, I thought I would do a little wrap-up post. I completed four of the five books and DNF’d one. According to my ratings, The Night Circus was the best. And I did enjoy reading the other three. None are new faves and I don’t need to re-read them. I did get to read 3 new authors which was nice. Here are the five books I read and my ratings.