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wondereads · 8 months

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Monthly Reading Wrap-Up

Reviews and thoughts under the cut

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor (8/10)

It's been a while since I read a male main character, and Lazlo is a really strong one to start with. The characters are really the strong part of this book. I loved both Lazlo and Sarai; they're easy to empathize with and genuinely good people. Their romance is also well-written and quite passionate, probably my favorite part. The plot isn't amazing, but it's still good; I like that there's this history of war and gods and monsters but the main conflict forgoes that in favor of the very human conflict of hate and prejudice. However, I did find a lot of a the middle of this book dragged quite a bit. It was good I enjoyed the romance as much as I did because it was most of what kept me going.

Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong (6/10)

I've read all of Chloe Gong's previous novels and loved them, but I don't think her foray into adult fantasy turned out all that well. This book is very info-dumpy, and as a result I am only loosely attached to the characters. A lot of this story is based on things that happened before it actually starts, and instead of getting flashbacks or characters confiding in each other, they just kind of say what happened in the narration. There were some good twists in here, enough to make me want to read the next book when it comes out, but especially compared to her other books this one is lacking.

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (10/10)

This book was so batshit insane and astonishingly wonderful. As is par for the course for The Locked Tomb, it was incredibly confusing but also stunningly executed. The work with POV in this book is great, using third, second, and first person in a way that hints at some situations revealed towards the end, and also making Harrow an unreliable narrator, making the reader doubt even the things that would usually be taken as fact. The mysteries of Lyctorhood are far from revealed, and the revelations in the latter third of this book completely blew me away. Looking back, a good majority of this new information is foreshadowed, and it's just so well-written. If I hadn't promised myself I'd be alternating between this and The Poppy War trilogy, I'd be picking up Nona the Ninth right now.

Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim (7/10)

This was certainly a fun read, and it helps that it's based on one of my favorite fairy tales. I think Shiori has good growth throughout the book, and I liked that the villain was not all she seemed. Although the reasoning was a little stretched, she was given a lot more depth than I initially thought she would. The romance was sweet but not nearly as developed as I would like (and I was kind of rooting for the other option). Unfortunately, this book feels very rushed; each scene felt a little too quick, and it didn't make the emotional beats hit as hard as they should. I'm undecided as to whether I'll read the sequel.

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (4/10)

I went into this book knowing it would be trash, but I was not prepared for just how horrendously written it would be. Not only is this book an almost identical copy of Twilight (just replace 'vampire' with 'fallen angel') it is also just aggravating to read. There was genuine potential in the creepier parts of this book, especially with Nora being dismissed by everyone and coming to doubt her own memory and sanity, but the incessant focus on the romance over all else just ruined the tone. Everyone in this book acts like a total creep and yet Nora just brushes it all aside, instead preferring to focus on the love interest's dark eyes and windswept hair than the very obvious red flags he is vigorously waving. The absolute worst part of this book was Vee, Nora's 'friend' who is inappropriate at best and a victim-blamer at worst after she waves off someone literally physically assaulting her best friend with excuses of...he wasn't feeling well? Anyway, this book wasn't even enjoyable as a lighter, trashy romance read.

Island of Fire by Lisa McMann (9/10)

I think these books get better and better as they go along. Entering the third book of this series, there is a noticeable complexity that doesn't really appear much in middle grade. Our main character, Alex, is dealing with quite a bit in this book, from grief to his newfound authority in Artime, and there's a lot of nuance. Not to mention some complicated feelings concerning the romantic plotlines, which are usually quite straightforward in middle grade. The worldbuilding is also getting more and more interesting, especially concerning the ending of this book. My one major issue is that although this series jumps from perspective to perspective quite often, Aaron's POV kind of dropped off the face of the earth about halfway through, and for such a major character (who's going through a rather intense breakdown), I wish we'd gotten to see him more.

Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater (9/10)

It is truly remarkable that despite the characters beings older and with a mostly new cast how similar the tone and writing is in this book to The Raven Cycle. It's really interesting to read a Ronan-focused story since even though he was a major character in TRC, this provides so much more insight into him. I really like Jordan, she's probably my favorite new character, my opinion of Declan has improved exponentially, and I'm hesitant about Hennessey. I'm not as enthralled as I was with TRC, but I'm definitely interested.

Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint Vol. 1 by Sing Shong (10/10)

This book took me almost a year to read, and it was worth it. It seems like a typical fantasy webnovel with a completely overpowered protagonist, but there is so much more to this story. Kim Dokja has to be one of the most unreliable narrators I've ever read. He goes to extreme lengths to hide his plans and feelings, not just from the other characters but also the reader. There are so many strong themes throughout this book, and the side characters are extremely well characterized. I find Dokja's relationship with his mother particularly interesting. Then, of course, there's him and Yoo Joonghyuk, who are supposedly platonic, but they're "companions in life and death" and ridiculously in tune with one another and guess who kills Dokja (don't worry, he dies on the regular) when he's supposed to be killed by the person he loves most. I'm kind of obsessed with them.

#books #wrap up #monthly wrap up #strange the dreamer #immortal longings #Chloe gong #harrow the ninth #tlt #six crimson cranes #hush hush #the unwanteds #call down the hawk #the dreamer trilogy #orv #fantasy #ya #romance #middle grade #science fiction

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vexedtonightmaare · 7 months

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✝ main ✝ bio ✝ face ✝ muse ✝ wishlist ✝

about:

This is a sideblog, and I follow back from my main @grimmusings. Please direct IMs there, since it's easier for me to keep all my messages on one blog. It's also easier to start interactions with me there, where I regularly post open starters and meme prompts. For a full list of rules and verses, see my main. Honesty hour questions will largely be answered IC and treated as anonymous unless signed by a muse.

There are major spoilers ahead for The Raven Cycle and some for the Dreamer trilogy. Ronan has the ability to take objects or beings (or sometimes entire forests) out of his dreams. There's no real limit to what he can take--if it works in the dream, it works in real life, beyond the bounds of reason or physics--but he must be on a ley line to use the power, and he'll die if he leaves the line for too long. He guards this secret ferociously, so there is no chance your muse would know about it unless they're a fellow canon in the know or it's been heavily plotted ahead of time. What they are welcome to notice is that he's often surrounded by improbable objects or that he constantly hums with dream energy if they're supernaturally sensitive to that sort of thing.

I typically pull my portrayal from some time after he's graduated from Aglionby, while Adam is away at college, and Ronan is fucking around dreaming things, taking care of the Barns, and generally being a menace. I take some elements from the Dreamer trilogy, including Ronan's friendship with Jordan and their investigation into sweetmetals (made objects or art that keep dreamed things awake even after their dreamers die, otherwise they fall into an unwakeable sleep). In addition to the intricate tattoo on his back, Ronan also has the chainmail tattoo on one arm that's made of sweetmetal ink to keep him awake off a ley line. However, I typically don't include Ronan's friendship with Bryde, their bout of ecoterrorism, or the plot with the Moderators.

wanted connections:

Per canon, he's a hostile jerk to most people, so please do not interact if you're not prepared for that. Likewise, your muses are welcome to respond in kind, since being an asshole has consequences. This is by no means a comprehensive list, and I can roll with most muses as far as basic interactions. I’m happy to ship Ronan with other TRC characters and OCs/fandom crossovers based on chemistry, but unless they’re on my OTP list, they need plotting and interaction first. There is never any pressure to ship with me, even if they’re on my list.

Please note that I write Ronan as homosexual, as supported by his canon, and I only ship him with male muses, with the exception of a polycule that includes Blue Sargent (because imo the canon also supports all of them being in love with each other). He doesn't consider this as much a secret as it used to be, and while he's come a long way in terms of acceptance, that Catholic guilt is hard to shake, and he still struggles to be open about it. There may be some internalized homophobia in his threads.

OTPs: Adam Parrish, Richard Campbell Gansey III, Noah Czerny, Blue Sargent, Joseph Kavinsky NOTPs: Anyone on the family list (it should go without saying, but you'd be surprised), Bryde Family: Matthew Lynch, Declan Lynch Other: Jordan Hennessy, Opal, any supernatural/powered people because he feels very alone in that secret

#welcome #mobile navigation #tw: religious themes #tw: internalized homophobia

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