elliepassmore - Tumblr blog

elliepassmore · 14 hours

Text

The Scarlet Alchemist review

5/5 stars Recommended if you like: fantasy, alchemy magic, conspiracies, monsters

This was not a book that was on my radar but it came as part of a book box subscription and I'm so glad it did! The idea of jewels being altered alchemically to be something the rich can eat to live forever is so interesting and has such layered connotations to it.

The story opens with Zilan talking with a client about doing a resurrection. We get quite a bit of info on conducting resurrections since Zilan and her cousin's have made this their side business in order to help their family stay afloat. I liked the way the resurrections were described and thought the details of the magic were interesting. I also think seeing a resurrection first-thing helps set the stage for how magic works in this world.

Since magic is based in alchemy, it's drawn from stones and gems, each of which has a different power depending on its properties and elemental alignments. Zilan, being both a resurrectionist and someone who wants to sit for the civil exams, has to know a lot about the different stones. Once Zilan is in the imperial city, we get to see more alchemists and different uses of stones, and I really liked seeing the innovative things people came up with. I thought it was particularly clever the way Zilan would fashion rings out of gems, metals, and stones in order to have a quick source for magic. The imperial alchemists in particular are the cream of the crop and thus are both extremely talented and extremely creative in how they use their magic. I liked the camaraderie amongst the imperial alchemists and thought they brought a touch of light to an otherwise dangerous court.

Zilan is someone who wants to climb the social ladder in order to help her family. She's immensely loyal to her cousins, aunt, and uncle, who took her in after her father left and her mother died. Zilan is a talented alchemist and has figured out the secret to raising the dead after only ever being self-taught. Thanks to her success and renown she's able to enter the world of the court alchemists and have a chance to provide for her family the way they've provided for her. Yet at the same time she feels a sense of unworthiness, of being the child they had to take in due to familial duty, and that leaves her feeling as though she needs to work extra hard to prove she's worth it (of course her family doesn't actually think of her as a burden, but it's hard for her to overcome). Her insecurities about having been taken in, and having a foreign-born father do cause some internal problems for her, which at times translate to spats with her cousins. Regardless, it's clear she loves them deeply and would do anything to help them and ensure their safety.

Yufei is Zilan's cousin/adoptive sister and I absolutely loved her character. She's described as being a classically beautiful girl and their culture's 'perfect wife' material but should anyone say that to her face she'll square up and make them regret the 'compliment.' Yufei is definitely the fighter of their trio and is fiercely protective of Zilan and her brother. I also appreciated her mischievous side and seeing how she could be playful as well as the serious scholar and the fierce fighter.

Wenshu is Zilan's other cousin/adoptive brother and is the cautious one of their trio. He's soft spoken and worries over things like cleanliness and getting into trouble. That being said, I think he and Zilan have similar insecurities, though coming from opposite directions. Zilan worries she isn't loved enough because she's a burden and half-Chinese, Wenshu worries Zilan doesn't love them because she's capable of rising so high and 'leaving them behind.' This does cause some friction between the two of them, but Wenshu loves her and his sister and it's clear his worries simply get the best of him sometimes (that being said, I think he does get upset with Zilan about some things out of her control). At times he acts as a mitigating influence at times to Zilan's desires and Yufei's impulsivity, and he provides some humorous moments as well.

Li Hong is the crown prince who hears of Zilan's renown and asks her to resurrect him after his death. He's a sort of bumbly fellow who does his best but definitely grew up rich and secluded in the imperial palace. While he's faced hardships and loss, he also doesn't totally understand how other people live and the kinds of things that might offend them. But Li Hong is open to Zilan's admonishments and does his best to do better in the future. He's definitely a big softy, and I liked seeing that juxtaposed with Zilan's more hard pragmatism.

The plot was enjoyable, especially since I came into this with no spoilers and so truly got to guess where things were going to go. There were definitely some surprises and twists, and I liked seeing Zilan and her allies/friends work together to overcome the threats looming in the imperial palace. There were also some really interesting things going on plot-wise with immortality, resurrection, and the monsters.

Overall I enjoyed this book and am greatly looking forward to the sequel. All the main characters were likeable and still distinct from one another, and I look forward to reading more about them in book 2!

#book review #book #books #book recommendations #fantasy #bookstagram #bookblr #booklr #bookaholic #bookish #book addict #ya books #ya fantasy books #ya fantasy #fantasy novel #alchemy #asian authors #historical fantasy #the scarlet alchemist

0 notes

elliepassmore · 3 days

Text

Letter to the Luminous Deep release!

A beautiful discovery outside the window of her underwater home prompts the reclusive E. to begin a correspondence with renowned scholar Henerey Clel. The letters they share are filled with passion, at first for their mutual interests, and then, inevitably, for each other.

Together, they uncover a mystery from the unknown depths, destined to transform the underwater world they both equally fear and love. But by no mere coincidence, a seaquake destroys E.’s home, and she and Henerey vanish.

A year later, E.’s sister Sophy, and Henerey’s brother Vyerin, are left to solve the mystery of their siblings’ disappearances with the letters, sketches and field notes left behind. As they uncover the wondrous love their siblings shared, Sophy and Vyerin learn the key to their disappearance – and what it could mean for life as they know it.

Waterstones

Barnes & Noble

This is a perfect read for fans of Emily Wilde's! There are two storylines, both told through letters the characters send one another. The beginning of the story is definitely slow, but I loved getting to know the world and the characters, and I think the pace helped ramp up the tension a lot. It's clear that something goes wrong, but we don't know what, and I was at the edge of my seat waiting to find out.

I really liked the softness of the story and enjoyed the dark (?) academia nature of the book. The love the characters have for one another, romantic and platonic, comes through clearly in their writing. The book is definitely fantasy, but there are sci-fi elements present as well.

For more in-depth opinions, check out my review!

#book #books #book recommendations #fantasy #bookstagram #bookblr #booklr #bookaholic #bookish #book addict #a letter to the luminous deep #netgalley #netgalley read #advanced readers copy #dark academia #epistolary narrative

1 note · View note

elliepassmore · 8 days

Text

The Sins on Their Bones review

4/5 stars Recommended if you like: fantasy, historical fantasy, LGBTQ+ characters, political intrigue, Russian Revolution

Big thanks to Netgalley, Random House, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

TW rape/SA, spousal abuse

This definitely seems to be a book that you absolutely love or that you struggle with. I obviously thought this book deserved 4 stars, but I did struggle immensely with getting through the book. The pacing is very slow and it takes a while for the plot and the characters to really warm up. I do feel like a good portion of the first 50% could be cut without damaging the story.

Without a doubt this is a story about suffering and about healing. Dimitri, one of the MCs and narrators, is in terrible amounts of pain after what occurred with his husband and the revolution. He's the one we see suffering the most, but the book does follow his journey as he begins to heal and discover who he is on the other side of those things. Vasily, another one of the narrators, has pain in his past that is alluded to over the course of the novel. He's at a different stage of the healing process than Dimitri, but that pain and healing is still there.

I think part of the problem with the book's pacing is that Samotin strives to show a realistic journey of pain, depression, and healing, and that path is not a quick one. Dimitri does not recover over night or in the span of a chapter. He first needs to recognize that he can heal and then he continually needs to make that choice. I do think it's a realistic depiction, and I applaud Samotin for showing that. However, I think time jumps could have, and probably should have, been used.

Setting aside the pacing, I was fascinated by the setting of this book. It takes place in a fantasy, Jewish-majority version of Russia circa the Russian Revolution. The setting is rich with architecture and clothing and traditions. I liked the interplay of the different sects of religion in the novel and how that was used to create tension between characters who followed Ludyazist mysticism vs. those who followed the (not-so) Holy Science. I also thought it was interesting to read a book where a fantasy version of Judaism is the predominant religion instead of having it be a fantasy version of Christianity.

Dimitri is the main character, imo, even though there are three narrators. As mentioned above, this is very much a healing story, and Dimitri has a lot to heal from. He was the Tzar of Novo-Svitsevo prior to the revolution and he desperately loves his country. He also desperately loves his husband, who overthrew him and is just generally a not great (read: abusive) dude. Dimitri is grappling with the consequences of war and the feeling he let his country down, as well as the guilt associated with helping place his husband, Alexey, in a place to do that in the first place. But he's also recovering from the abuse Alexey put him through and coming to terms with the fact that it wasn't his fault. Beyond all of these things, Dimitri is extremely loyal and it's clear he loves his friends dearly.

Vasily might be my favorite narrating character. He's Dimitri's spymaster and fled with him into hiding after the end of the war. He blends humor and seriousness well and is able to stabilize situations fairly well. I liked seeing him work, I always think it's fascinating to see a character become someone else as a spying/manipulation tactic. He has his own past trauma that gets revealed a bit throughout the book, though he's further along on his healing journey than Dimitri is.

Alexey is the last narrating character and he was Dimitri's husband. Through experimentation with the Holy Science, Alexey has become immortal and is impossible to kill. He was already tempestuous and abusive, but post-immortality and post-war, he's only become more volatile. He strives to create and control an army of demons in order to make Novo-Svitsevo the strongest country in the world. But despite his delusions of grandeur, most of his court is terrified of him and he has little patience for what it means to run a country. Alexey is not portrayed as the good guy in any way, but his POV is one of an abuser, so keep that in mind.

I enjoyed the side characters on Dimitri's side of things. Other than Vasily, there are three other members of his court who fled with him and they are Annika, his general; Ladushka, his strategist; and Mischa, his physician. They each felt like well-rounded characters with their own pasts and idiosyncrasies. I would've liked to know a bit more about them but the pacing of the book makes that difficult.

Overall I think this book had a lot of potential. The pacing definitely got in the way of the plot and I think a good portion of the beginning of the book probably could've been cut. I liked the side characters more than the main characters as well, so that could've contributed as well. That being said, the characters have a lot of depth to them and the setting + magic system were interesting.

1 note · View note

elliepassmore · 9 days

Text

Merciless Saviors release!

That day at the First Church of Gracie changed everything for Gem Echols, and not just because Marian and Poppy betrayed them. Forced to use the Ouroboros knife on Zephyr, who had kidnapped their parents, Gem now has the power of the God of Air.

While for any other god things might work out okay, the Magician—whose role within the pantheon is to keep the balance—having the power of another god has thrown everything into chaos. The Goddess of Death can now reanimate corpses; the God of Art’s powers are now corrupted and twisted, giving life to his macabre creations; and, while the God of Land has always been able to communicate with creatures of the Earth, now everyone can hear their cries.

As Gem, Rory, and Enzo search for a way to restore the balance without sacrificing themselves, new horrors make them question how far they're willing to go. In the end, Gem may be forced to fully embrace their merciless nature and kill off their own humanity—if it ever really existed in the first place.

Bookshop.org

Barnes & Noble

Merciless Saviors picks up pretty much where Godly Heathens left off, and things immediately get chaotic for Gem and the crew. This book is much more action-packed than book 1 since everything is out in the open now and the big showdown between the gods didn't quite go as well as planned. We get to see a lot more of the gods' powers this time around, and I liked getting to see that side of them.

We also get a chance to leave Gracie, and it was interesting to see what the gods' original world looks like after a thousand years of absence. I liked the magic and wonder of that world, as well as the slightly apocalyptic feel certain parts of it had.

Looking for a more in-depth opinion? Check out my full review!

If you're new to Gem's world, I also have a review for Godly Heathens.

#book #books #fantasy #bookstagram #bookblr #booklr #bookaholic #bookish #he edgmon #indigenous authors #lgbtq characters #indigenous character #godly heathens #merciless saviors #advanced readers copy #book release #book birthday #netgalley #netgalley reads

2 notes · View notes

elliepassmore · 9 days

Text

Deep is the Fen release!

Merry doesn’t need a happily-ever-after. Her life in the charming, idyllic town of Candlecott is fine just as it is. Simple, happy, and with absolutely no magic. Magic only ever leads to trouble.

But Merry’s best friend, Teddy, is joining the Toadmen—a secret society who specialize in backward thinking and suspiciously supernatural traditions—and Merry is determined to stop him. Even if it means teaming up with the person she hates most: her academic archnemesis, Caraway Boswell, an ice-cold snob who hides his true face under a glamour.

An ancient Toad ritual is being held in the sinister Deeping Fen, and if Merry doesn’t rescue Teddy before it’s finished, she’ll lose him forever. But the Toadmen have been keeping dangerous secrets, and so has Caraway. The farther Merry travels into Deeping Fen’s foul waters, the more she wonders if she’s truly come to save her friend . . . or if she’s walking straight into a trap.

There’s nothing the Toadmen love more than a damsel in distress.

Bookshop.org

Barnes & Noble

This book is filled with magic and conspiracy, and I really liked getting to peek behind the curtain of the mysterious Toad society. Merry is one of the few people who recognizes that something is very off about the Toads, and it was interesting to see everyone else's perceptions of them vs. the more sinister tinge of Merry's perception. For those who have read Hunger of Thorns, there are some Easter eggs as well!

I really wasn't certain Caraway was going to be a likeable character in this one, but I ended up really liking him! Almost from the get-go it seems clear that he doesn't dislike Merry as much as she thinks (and as much as she dislikes him). The romance was actually pretty sweet.

New to this world? Check out my review of the companion novel, Hunger of Thorns. I also have a more in-depth review of this book!

1 note · View note

elliepassmore · 10 days

Text

Sheine Lende release!

Shane works with her mother and their ghost dogs, tracking down missing persons even when their families can’t afford to pay. Their own family was displaced from their traditional home years ago following a devastating flood – and the loss of Shane’s father and her grandparents. They don’t think they’ll ever get their home back.

Then Shane’s mother and a local boy go missing, after a strange interaction with a fairy ring. Shane, her brother, her friends, and her lone, surviving grandparent – who isn’t to be trusted – set off on the road to find them. But they may not be anywhere in this world – or this place in time.

Nevertheless, Shane is going to find them.

Bookshop.org

Barnes & Noble

I really enjoyed Elatsoe, it's a great urban fantasy mystery, and so I was super excited to dive back into that world and follow Ellie's grandmother, Sheine Lende/Shane. I really liked following Shane on her adventures as she tries to find the missing kid(s) and her mother. Her investigative and ghost-raising skills are really put to use here and I liked reading as she and her companions pieced the puzzle together.

But this story isn't just a mystery, Shane is dealing with trauma from a past tragedy that resulted in most of her family dying and her community dispersing. It was definitely heartbreaking to read those parts and Shane's story and healing journey contend directly with the historic and modern colonialist practices that allowed, and one might even say encouraged, the tragedy to occur.

Looking for more in-depth opinions on the novel? Check out my full review!

If you're new to this book's world, you can also check out my review of Elatsoe here!

#book #books #book recommendations #fantasy #bookstagram #bookblr #booklr #bookaholic #bookish #book release #book birthday #ownvoice #indigenous authors #Indigenous storytelling #ya fantasy books #ya fantasy #ya urban fantasy #urban fantasy #mystery

1 note · View note

elliepassmore · 15 days

Text

Draw Down the Moon review

3.5/5 stars Recommended if you like: younger YA, magic schools, chosen one, childhood friends to lovers

Big thanks to Netgalley, the authors, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

So...this book reads very young. And like it was written by someone in middle school. I could go on and on about how young the characters read and how they interact with each other the way no human being interacts with other people, but I'll keep this brief. These characters are all supposed to be 18, yet almost every single one of them reads like they're 12. I had to put the book down several times because of how absolutely ridiculous some of the things they said were. They also 100% do not dress like high schoolers. No high schooler is going to be caught dead in the kind of 'funny' slogan t-shirts these kids wear on the regular.

Another thing that made me put the book down was the fact that there's a Japanese character who...randomly responds in Japanese to people who don't speak Japanese. That IS NOT HOW CODE SWITCHING WORKS!!! Also, Cast gets some of the Japanese wrong, particularly in regards to respect registers, though that's of course hard to fit in when the character 'speaking' Japanese only ever uses one word at a time.

Moving on, the premise of the book rests on the 'chosen one' trope, and Wren is extra special since her powers don't quite fit the traditional categories. For most of the book Wren reads like a middle schooler, which I think she should've been and then the whole book could've been MG instead of YA, but whatever. However, there are certain points in which she acts more mature and behaves like one would expect an 18-year-old to. I'm...not really sure what her character arc is. She's very loyal to her friends, and she wants to solve the mystery of what's going on, but that's about it. While there's not really any character development going on with her, she does have a lot going on and her I'm-actually-12-in-an-18-year-old-body behavior/attitude does make her POV interesting to read.

Lee actually has a more solid character foundation, imo. He wants to uphold his family's high expectations while also honoring his sister's memory. This, naturally, leads him to do things that he thinks his sister would've done, regardless of it's something he wants. These familial expectations have, apparently, turned him from a mischief-maker like Wren into a rule-follower. His blind obedience to the rules gets kind of annoying when it's obvious there's something wrong going on at the academy. Instead, he's just like la-di-da, we should tell an authority figure (even though they're acting suspiciously). At least that's in character for him though, so I can't fault it too much even if it's annoying. That being said, while I think Lee is a stronger character, he's rather boring, and he actually acts incel-y for a portion of the book. He thinks Wren is telling him to date someone else and since she doesn't return his (unspoken) feelings, he decides to ghost her. And then somehow everyone thinks this is her fault.

Sam is really the only other character who gets enough page time for us to know. Luke, Lily, and Ruby are just kind of...there. Sam is Wren's other BFF and also has that weird mix of immature and normal-18yo. Her entrance is literally her belting the opening song from Beauty and the Beast in front of a crowd of people she just met, solely in order to say 'hi' to Wren. Luckily, Sam has smarts to her and that mostly makes up for her entrance. She's able to help Wren with the mystery and is good at making leaps that help. She's also fiercely protective of Wren.

Probably my biggest issue with this novel aside from the immaturity of the characters, is the fact that the dialogue is exposition. It's literally the embodiment of that Tumblr post talking about bad exposition "morning sis, remember how our parents are dead," is basically how things work in this novel. There are moments when things are explained through showing, so I'm not sure why so much of it is told unnecessarily through dialogue.

The ending also did not wow me. The whole book is spent building up to this moment and then after some action, things just fizzle out. Wren I think gets a magical transformation into a 20-year-old (??) and also a hair dye job (??). Somehow Wren leaves the school and I'm just very confused about the whole thing. I think Cast could've easily made this a standalone and wrapped everything up in this book, particularly if the exposition was delivered a little more smoothly.

#book #book review #book recommendations #books #fantasy #booklr #bookstagram #bookblr #bookaholic #bookish #magic school #young YA #chosen one #draw down the moon #netgalley #netgalley review #netgalley read

3 notes · View notes

elliepassmore · 17 days

Text

Mirror of Beasts review

5/5 stars Recommended if you like: portal fantasy, Arthurian legends, quests, found family

Silver in the Bone review

Big thanks to Netgalley, Knopf Books, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book opens exactly where Silver left off. Our main group is reeling from everything that happened in Avalon, and then are forced to deal with their unexpected visitor. Tamsin naturally has mixed emotions about the visitor, especially once it's revealed that 1) they're carrying surprising information, and 2) are about to pull their same old shit. Things quickly pick up as Death and the Wild Hunt begin prowling the mortal world and Tamsin and the others have to race to stop them. Like the first book, this is a very quest-oriented story and the characters have a clear end goal. That being said, there are a lot of curves in the road and more than one unexpected discovery.

In book 1 Tamsin had to learn how to open her heart to other people, and this book focuses a good deal on her learning to not close herself back off when things get rocky. She loves Neve, Cait, and Olwen, but she's also used to people leaving her and doubts sometimes that their bond is enough to sustain them. She has to choose optimism in this one, despite the fact that that's contrary to her nature. But as usual, once someone has gotten past her defenses, Tamsin will defend them to the end, and that includes fighting against her own pessimistic and anxiety-inducing thoughts. Despite this growth, Tamsin is still the funny and generally pessimistic person we grew to love in Silver.

Caitriona is dealing with a lot as a result of the fall of Avalon. Everything she had dedicated her life to is gone and that obviously leaves a mark on someone, especially someone who has fought as hard as Cait. We see her start down a somewhat dark path as anger and grief begin to take over. That being said, she is still fiercely protective of the group, particularly Olwen, and is determined to see Lord Death's end.

Cait and Tamsin are still the most similar to each other, and I liked seeing the moments when they leaned on one another because they knew their more optimistic counterparts might not understand. It was nice to see them having moments when they could rely on one another to understand their thoughts without having to explain.

Despite everything that's happened, Neve is still as sunny and optimistic as ever. She still sees the good in people, and the good in the sorceresses, though at the same time is protective of her friends and is willing to threaten people to protect them, even if the 'threat' is saying she'll send Tamsin or Cait after them. I like that Neve is able to bring brightness to the story and the group, and I do think her optimism is tinged with a little more realism now than it was in Silver.

Her and Tamsin have a strong bond, and I think it's helpful for Tamsin to have someone so naturally sunny to lean on. While Neve may not understand Tamsin the same way Cait does, she understands her in a different way and is able to help Tamsin see things from a different perspective. And speaking of Cait, I enjoyed seeing her and Neve's relationship develop beyond the hints in book 1. Cait is still wary of the sorceresses while Neve is hopeful about them, and while they may bicker about that, the two of them are past the initial antagonism and well into the kind of flirting a socially-awkward Cait can manage.

Olwen actually has a lot of off-page time in this book, but like Neve has maintained her relatively optimistic disposition. She's definitely weighed down somewhat by the grief of what happened in Avalon, and it's clear those events will haunt her for a long time. But she's also fascinated by the mortal world and is eager to explore it and learn more about her new home.

Emrys does turn back up pretty early on, though he's back to being his obnoxious self. To be fair, there's more going on behind the scenes than is initially clear (though imo it is clear that something is going on with him). We do get to learn a bit more about Emrys' past and his family life, which obviously isn't pretty. It was definitely interesting to see his relationship with Tamsin in this book vs. Silver, and he has a lot of making up to do before he can even hope to be on her good side, let alone the good side of her friends (Neve is especially pissed with him).

The main quest in this one is, obviously, stopping Lord Death. Like with Avalon, I did figure out what was going on fairly early on, but Bracken includes enough misdirection that at times I second-guessed myself. There was also still a lot that I didn't see coming and the plot revolves less around this 'mystery' and more around finding a tool/weapon that can stop Lord Death. The group also runs into trouble from various allies and enemies and enemies-turned-allies and people who don't quite fall into either category. There was a lot of really interesting things going on in this book and I loved it!

Overall this was a very satisfying conclusion to the duology and I think action scenes and character growth are well balanced. I definitely think there's potential for some novellas or a sequel story focusing on Neve + Cait or Olwen, and I would definitely be interested in reading those (and Bracken has done side-character novellas before, so it's possible!).

2 notes · View notes

elliepassmore · 22 days

Text

The God and the Gumiho review

5/5 stars Recommended if you like: fantasy, mythology, Korean mythology, multiple POVs, enemies to lovers, mystery

Big thanks to Netgalley, Del Rey, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was definitely one of my favorite reads of February! It's got the perfect blend of magic, shenanigans, scheming, enemies-to-lovers, and humor. I was definitely on the edge of my seat as Hani and Seokga searched for the eoduksini, and while they got closer to one another with Hani still hiding her identity.

I definitely thought the worldbuilding was interesting. Most of the time is spent on a world where humans and immortals exist side-by-side, with the former completely unaware. So the characters have normal, everyday things like coffee, cars, and cellphones, but also have more magical items like swords and charms, and come across humans and magical creatures alike. I also liked the details about items the magical community could by from the store, particularly the non-human-liver alternatives the gumiho eat since Hani's Scarlet Fox spree resulted in the banning of eating human livers and souls. It's a small part of the book, but I thought it was a nice touch.

I absolutely love Hani. Her hidden past as the Scarlet Fox means she's notorious in immortal circles and not only is responsible for the ban on gumiho eating human livers and souls, but is also the gumiho with the highest kill count. Despite this, she's actually pretty normal and down to earth. She's also pretty funny, both intentionally and unintentionally, and I liked her blasé attitude about eating livers (and thus killing people). Hani clearly cares deeply and while she's dedicated to misguiding Seokga in regards to his Scarlet Fox investigation, she earnestly wants to help find and defeat the eoduksini. She also strives to help her friend Somi throughout the book and feels responsible over the younger gumiho.

Seokga, on the other hand, is a complete and utter asshole. But he grows on you. The trickster god is still bitter about being thrown out of the godly world and having his own realm of darkness locked up after his attempted coup. It's unclear how much of his personality is residual from that and how much is just him naturally, but Seokga really does not seem to care about anyone, nor very many things (other than coffee, man is particular about his coffee) prior to the events of the book. That being said, it becomes clear that Seokga does have deeper ties to his exiled life than it seems, and even he comes to the realization that there are some people that he cares about. It's easy to forget that Seokga was a trickster god because he's fairly serious and dedicated to his investigation(s), but it shows up in odd moments, such as when he cheats at rock, paper, scissors. Despite the fact that he's an asshole, Seokga does have a certain charm about him, even before he begins being a more...tolerable person.

The romance is, obviously, between Hani and Seokga. They balance each other out pretty well once they get past their barista-customer annoyance. Seokga is able to play 'bad cop' with ease while Hani is a much more soothing figure and the type who can calm crying witnesses enough to give a cohesive statement. I liked seeing the quirks they brought out in each other and am glad they get their chance at a happy ending.

The whole Scarlet Fox thing really is a mess. Hani was just enacting a kind of vigilante justice when she got the bright idea to take their livers as a treat for a friend. Unfortunately, the killings align too much with her 1888 spree and whaddya know suddenly there's a hunt on for the Scarlet Fox. Hani definitely does not want to get caught, and she definitely doesn't want another gumiho taking the fall in her place, she'd rather the whole thing just fizzle out and get written off as a fluke, and she's willing to attach herself to the investigation, and thus her least favorite customer Seokga, in order to achieve that. While there were some tense moments when I was worried about her getting caught, it was humorous to read about Hani doing her best to thwart Seogka's investigation and coming up with absurdities to get it done.

The eoduksini is the more serious of the two, particularly since the eoduksini has the potential to create a dark world in the realm shared by humans and immortals, something no one wants happening. There are a lot of twists and turns in this part of the investigation and I was definitely trying to work it out myself as the characters were. At times I felt confident I knew who it was, and then something new would happen and I would second-guess myself or Seokga and Hani. I was very invested in finding out who the eoduksini was and seeing how things would play out there.

Overall I greatly enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it to fantasy lovers. Seokga and Hani are pretty different but each bring humor to the novel and the two of them fit well together. I thought the worldbuilding was pretty interesting and I enjoyed getting to know the world and the magic within it.

6 notes · View notes

elliepassmore · 24 days

Text

Someone You Can Build a Nest In release!

Shesheshen has made a mistake fatal to all monsters: she's fallen in love.

Shesheshen is a shapeshifter, who happily resides as an amorphous lump at the bottom of a ruined manor. When her rest is interrupted by hunters intent on murdering her, she constructs a body from the remains of past meals: a metal chain for a backbone, borrowed bones for limbs, and a bear trap as an extra mouth.

However, the hunters chase Shesheshen out of her home and off a cliff. Badly hurt, she’s found and nursed back to health by Homily, a warm-hearted human, who has mistaken Shesheshen as a fellow human. Homily is kind and nurturing and would make an excellent co-parent: an ideal place to lay Shesheshen’s eggs so their young could devour Homily from the inside out. But as they grow close, she realizes humans don’t think about love that way.

Shesheshen hates keeping her identity secret from Homily, but just as she’s about to confess, Homily reveals why she’s in the area: she’s hunting a shapeshifting monster that supposedly cursed her family. Has Shesheshen seen it anywhere?

Eating her girlfriend isn’t an option. Shesheshen didn’t curse anyone, but to give herself and Homily a chance at happiness, she has to figure out why Homily’s twisted family thinks she did. As the hunt for the monster becomes increasingly deadly, Shesheshen must unearth the truth quickly, or soon both of their lives will be at risk.

And the bigger challenge remains: surviving her toxic in-laws long enough to learn to build a life with, rather than in, the love of her life.

Bookshop.org

Barnes & Noble

This is what I would classify as 'light horror.' Is there gore? Yes. Can it be gruesome? Yes. Is it funny and overall lighthearted? Also yes. I had a lot of fun reading this novel. Shesheshen is such a unique narrator and I really loved the casual 'eat people as a solution' mentality that she had. I also liked Homily, who was extremely protective and, despite the fact that she's hunting a monster, doesn't even entirely want to hurt it.

That being said, this novel also deals with some heavier themes, like abuse and power dynamics, so keep that in mind. I think Wiswell did a good job balancing the horror, humor, and heaviness so that all three mesh well together and none of them feel out of place or overdone.

Interested and want a more in-depth opinion? Check out my full review!

#book #books #book recommendations #fantasy #bookstagram #booklr #bookblr #bookaholic #bookish #horror books #horror #horror comedy #light horror #lgbtq characters #lgbtq books #monsters #someone you can build a nest in #advanced readers copy #netgalley

2 notes · View notes

elliepassmore · 29 days

Text

Cabbage review

3.5 stars Recommended if you like: weird stories, eco horror

Big thanks to Albatross Books, Netgalley, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is....not horror. I would dare say it isn't even creepy. It is weird, I'll give it that, but I spent the whole novella bracing for something that never came. The last chapter arrived and I was kind of left sitting there like "that's it?". While I'm sure the events of the story were unsettling for the characters, I didn't find any of it all that worrisome.

Rosemary isn't that likeable of a character, and I don't think she's supposed to be, but other than at the very beginning, there's little to endear her to readers the way she seems to have endeared herself to Thomas. Thomas is remarkably devoted to her, even when she's awful to him, and it's clear he loves her and doesn't know how to help her, but at the same time...there's a distance between all those feelings and how I felt toward her. Similarly, while Thomas is the main actor in the story, he's also just kind of there. His horror at the garden's 'curse' is hollow and even the high point of his terror at the very end felt meh.

I think the problem with this book is that the setup is so fantastic, and I've been treated to fantastic takes of similar stories, that distant characters and a distinct lack of true horror makes this story fall flat. T. Kingfisher has a number of eco-horror novellas that are short but manage to pack both emotion and horror into them. Likewise, I've read some eco-horror YA novels that manage to convey the simmering, low-level terror characters get when something natural is just a little bit Off. I wanted this book to be like those. I wanted to feel unnerved and wanted to see the terror the garden could unleash, and instead things just fell kind of flat.

#book #book review #books #bookstagram #booklr #bookblr #bookaholic #bookish #book addict #horror books #weird fiction #weird story #eco horror #netgalley reads #netgalley review #netgalley #advanced readers copy

3 notes · View notes

elliepassmore · 1 month

Text

The Dangerous Ones review

4.5/5 stars Recommended if you like: fantasy, vampires, dual POVs, historical fantasy

Big thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

TW slavery, whipping, mentions of SA

This book definitely has an interesting premise. The Civil War, but if vampires and Saints (i.e., supernaturally strong and fast vampire hunters) were a thing. I thought it was an interesting take and I liked seeing how the different fantasy elements got woven into the existing history. This world ended up being more expansive than just vampires, Saints, and humans, and it would've been interesting to explore the other groups as well but there's not really room for it (but note, I would be interested in exploring them...maybe with Gus and Jules).

As it is, we get a good amount of info about the vampires and Saints. Vamps seem to be a pretty Eastern European thing, though I think they do come from other European locations as well. They're sensitive to sunlight, holy water will burn them, and a wound from a silver weapon will never heal. Saints are pretty much the perfect enemies of vampires. They're stronger and faster than the average human and tire out less easily. When a Saint knows what they are and has proper training, they're a formidable foe against vampiric enemies. Even without training they can pose a threat, as Jerusalem shows in the opening chapter. Saints seem to pretty specifically hunt vampires and we actually see them working alongside other supernatural creatures in the book as allies.

Jerusalem has escaped slavery and is now fighting with other Saints in the Union army, with her sights set both on liberation and revenge. She's filled with rage about what happened to her and her family, and she uses that to focus her skills as she trains and fights. Understandably she doesn't trust a lot of people, but the people she does trust are people she is thoroughly loyal to. It's clear that she cares deeply and has a strong protective streak, and part of the way that shows up is through fighting the Confederacy and vampires.

Alexei is a vampire who signed on to help the Union army and in particular helps the Saints take down other vampires. He has his own demons to face from earlier in his life in Eastern Europe, demons tied directly to his vampirism. While he eagerly fights against slavery and clearly states his disgust for the practice on more than one occasion, he has more mixed emotions about newly turned vampires, as he's aware that not all of them have chosen that life, which at times puts him at odds with the Saints. We get to see his softer side on multiple occasions and it's clear he's warm-hearted at his core, even if he is, quite literally, ice cold.

While Jerusalem and Alexei are set up to seem to already be in love (though unknowingly on Jerusalem's part) when the book opens, I do feel like we get a bit of instalove going on. Alexei is clearly in love with Jerusalem but holds off because he doesn't want to lose her as a friend (also the fact that he's a vampire and she's not, lol), but it takes Jerusalem much longer. She even tries to kill the guy 24hrs before she admits she loves him! I have a hard time believing that someone like Jerusalem would so quickly have an about-face. While her attempts to kill him were in the heat of a very emotionally intense moment, it doesn't change the fact that up until nearly the end of the novel, Jerusalem worries Alexei will try to feed on her. That doesn't really scream love to me. I don't mind the romance, they do work well together, but I would've liked to see some of that resolved prior to their confessions (or at least prior to them fully getting together).

I have to say, I was cackling at the descriptions for white people. They were absolutely hilarious and I think it's a funny way to call out (and contrast with) the ways Black and brown characters' skin tones are often described in books. I also think it's interesting linguistically since it creates a Black-normative perspective in the novel.

This book is pretty fast paced and fairly action-packed. While there are moments when Jerusalem and/or Alexei have to stop for resting or planning, a lot of the book is filled with either strategy or fighting in some form. I definitely flew through this book and its fast pace makes it a nice, quick read. The ending is very satisfying as well.

Overall I enjoyed this book and found it to be a good, fast-paced vampiric read. I did find it a bit predictable at times, but I don't think it's trying to be a book with a ton of plot twists, so it doesn't impact the story.

2 notes · View notes

elliepassmore · 1 month

Text

The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love review

4/5 stars Recommended if you like: romantasy, romantic comedy, light academia, magic

Big thanks to Netgalley, Berkley Publishing, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

My rating for this book sits somewhere between 4 and 4.5 stars, though it's hard for me to pinpoint exactly where. My rating is somewhat biased. I didn't see the publisher until after I'd requested the book and so didn't realize how heavily romance-oriented it was going to be (I thought it would be more like Emily Wilde's), and that's not really a genre I tend to read. That being said, once the book got going I began enjoying it, hence the rating still being relatively high.

It took me a while to get used to the narrative style of the book. For one, it's set in the Victorian Era and with that comes a lot of thinking about societal politeness and propriety, which doesn't interest me too much. Then there's quite a bit of emphasis on insta-lust and the feelings associated with that, albeit with a Victorian slant, though as mentioned I should've been more mindful of the drama. However, once things start getting on with the Birder of the Year competition, the pacing speeds up and I stopped noticing/being bothered by those two things. I'd say around the 10-15% mark.

The plot itself was interesting and actually contained more humorous moments than I was expecting. The ornithologists take the competition seriously, and it's clear Beth and Devon do as well, but there's quite a bit of tomfoolery occurring as each ornithologist tries to one up the other, and I found some of the situations to be quite funny. I also think that these moments really go to show how far ornithologists are willing to go in this world, which helps provide some context. There are also some behind-the-scenes machinations going on in the competition, and I did have a hard time trying to figure out the true motivation of the competition. There are really two different things going on, one of them funny and one of them more troublesome, that helped add some tension to the plot.

I like the concept of magical birds and the very extra people who study and trade in them. We have the chance to meet a bunch of different birds over the course of the book, ranging from deadly to pretty. Beth takes her job as an ornithologist seriously and is dedicated to studying and protecting birds from more unscrupulous forces. While he may seem like a scoundrel at first, Devon too is intensely interested in keeping birds safe. Conversely, it's made clear that a large swathe of the ornithologist community are less scrupulous and more interested in the fame and glory than in the birds themselves. It's no wonder the competition ends up being what it is.

Beth herself is the very definition of a Proper Victorian Lady. Beth can be quite shy, though she does her best to get along with people, usually with success (the scenes with the French fishermen might be some of my favorite in the book). Part of her shyness comes from being mocked as a child for being a 'weird know-it-all' who was, and is, obsessed with birds, though another part of it comes from her struggling to find the unspoken social rules others seem to follow (as I was reading I suspected she was autistic, and the author's note confirms that Beth is definitely ND, though Holton doesn't provide specifications). As a result, she's a bit of a people pleaser to start the book, though over the course of the competition she begins to stand up for herself and others more, and by the end is truly a force to be reckoned with.

Devon is both similar to Beth and her opposite. For one, he's much more devil-may-care and rakish, willing to be loud and gregarious when the need arises. However, this also masks someone who spent their later adolescent and early adult years feeling apart from others and lonely. In his own way, Devon can also be fairly shy and at times feels inadequate. That being said, it's clear he feels deeply and has a deep respect from the get-go for Beth. I think Devon's rakishness and sensitivity work well together.

The romance works well between the two main characters. Both of them have a deep love for the same academic subject and few people with whom they can let themselves relax and fully be themselves, both personally and academically. As academic prodigies they've had similar experiences in life and thus understand where each other is coming from and where their needs might be in the relationship. While I'd say the romance is definitely insta-love and insta-lust, Devon and Beth both have a wellspring of admiration and respect for one another, which I think is integral.

Overall, this was a surprisingly funny romantasy and I enjoyed the plot and characters. It isn't really a genre I read a lot, so it did take me some time to get used to the narrative style and the focus on romance vs. action + fantasy elements, but I did have a good time reading it.

#book #book review #books #fantasy #book recommendations #bookstagram #booklr #bookblr #bookaholic #bookish #the ornithologist's field guide to love #romantasy #fantasy books #light academia #victorian era #victorian england

2 notes · View notes

elliepassmore · 1 month

Text

Ruin Their Crops on the Ground review

5/5 stars Recommended if you like: nonfiction, medical anthropology, social justice, food studies

Big thanks to Netgalley, Metropolitan Books, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Wow. I cannot sing the praises of this book enough. It goes in-depth into the way food and food policy has been, and continues to be, weaponized as a means of control. I got my BA in anthropology and got very into medical anthropology when doing that, so I knew a little about the stuff Freeman talked about, but she goes into detail and provides a lot of context for these topics and clearly elucidates the historical-to-contemporary connections. I learned a lot of new information from this book and found that it was presented in a very understandable manner. This is definitely one of those books that I think everyone should read.

The book is broken up into seven chapters and an introduction, the first three chapters each focus on an ethnic and cultural group in the US: Native American, Black, and Hispanic. In each of these chapters, Freeman looks at the traditional foods eaten by those groups and the benefits those foods provide nutritionally. She then examines how colonialization altered those foods and forced people in these groups to start eating according to how white people wanted them to, often switching from highly nutritious foods to foods of subpar quality and foods with empty calories (i.e., bison to canned meat, hand-made corn tortillas to white bread, etc.). From there she discusses the impacts, historically and modern-day, of those changes and the actions some people are taking to return to traditional foods.

I already knew some of the stuff covered in these chapters, but it was absolutely horrifying to learn more of the details and I found them to be very informative. It feels weird to say I liked these chapters because so much of the information contained in them is horrifying, but it's something I haven't seen touched on in too much depth in my studies and I want to learn about it. It's these chapters in particular that I feel people should read because they're so informative and provide a lot of historical and contemporary context, and I think it really showcases how things are connected through time.

The next two chapters of the book focus on specific aspects of American food and food policy. Chapter 4 looks at milk and the USDA's ties into the dairy industry. A majority of people in the world are lactose intolerant (including me, lol), though population to population the percentage changes, with Caucasians having some of the highest percentages of lactose persistence into adulthood. Not only did Freeman use this chapter to discuss the inadequacy and capitalistic-driven motivations of the USDA's milk requirements, but she also uses it to dive into the health issues associate with dairy products, as well as the racist rhetoric surrounding milk in the past and present. Chapter 5 looks at school lunches and again targets the USDA's Big Agriculture ties for why school lunches lack nutrition. Freeman also uses this chapter to touch on school lunch debt and the myriad of ways policies surrounding lunch debt serve to humiliate and starve children.

I found these two chapters to be interesting and informative in a different way than the preceding chapters. Like with the first three, I did already know a lot of what Chapter 4 covered before going into it. Milk, lactose intolerance/persistence, and the USDA were things we discussed in my medical anthro class, but the historical ties and legal efforts to change (or not change) things were new to me. I also didn't know a lot of the negative health side-effects Freeman discussed in the milk chapter and it was definitely eye-opening. Chapter 5 was interesting to me because I rarely ate school lunch as a kid, and then as a late-middle schooler and in high school I did school online so I wasn't exposed to a lot of the stuff Freeman discussed in the chapter. I definitely remember the school lunches though and how they often lacked veggies and seemed always to contain a milk carton. It was super interesting to read the politics behind what goes into school lunches and how laws to change them or keep them the same were often tied into monetary interests.

Chapter 6 talks about racist food marketing and turns somewhat away from food itself and focuses on how branding utilizes some of the things discussed in chapters 1-3 to brand food, advertise to certain groups, or both. It was definitely disgusting to hear about the racist marketing techniques and how long it took companies to actually start doing better. Chapter 7 looks into the laws surrounding food policy, and SNAP in particular, which is an area I don't know too much about. I found the discussion to be very interesting and am definitely interested in seeing how this area of law and policy develops over time, hopefully in a positive way.

Overall I found this book to be very impactful and informative. I've already recommended it to 3 or 4 people and definitely think this is an area of study more people should know about. I'll probably check out Skimmed by this author as well.

3 notes · View notes

elliepassmore · 1 month

Text

Sheine Lende review

5/5 stars Recommended if you like: urban fantasy, mystery, Indigenous storytelling, historical fantasy

Elatsoe review

Big thanks to Netgalley, Levine Querido, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed Elatsoe so I was super excited to see there was going to be a prequel about her grandmother! This book ends with the suggestion that there's more stories from this world to come, so I'm hoping we get something from four/six-great-grandmother (more from Sheine Lende or Elatsoe would also be good, I'm not picky)

Much like with Ellie, Shane's story centers around a mystery, though this one is a missing person's case and not a murder. Shane's mother, Lorenza, utilizes her dogs and ghost dog to find people who are missing. More recently Shane has begun helping her and the two make a good ghost-calling, person-finding duo. I liked reading about how they tracked people down and how their work got spread around by word-of-mouth.

I was a little confused on when this story occurred, so I found the author's note saying it was the 1970s to be helpful. In this world at this point in time, fairy rings are still being implemented and they're a relatively new technology still. It was interesting to see how people talked about them and the various opinions and worries people had, especially considering they're so present in Ellie's time. The missing person's case is tied up closely with fairy rings, though in a somewhat unusual way, so there was some light dealings with the Fair Folk and, more interestingly, with an ex-academic who specialized in them.

When her mother disappears, Shane takes over both the investigation for the missing kid(s) and the investigation for her mother's disappearance. She actually finds the older girl pretty quickly, and by complete accident, and they have a chance to spend some time together and bond before they make it back to everyone else. I liked that Shane and Donnie became fast friends and were eager to help one another out. I also appreciated that Donnie's grandparents were more than willing to travel with the girls and Shane's younger brother, Marco, to various places in order to find Donnie's younger brother (the missing boy) and Shane's mom.

Despite having a few family members remaining, Shane has a good support system, from her friend Amelia, to their elderly neighbor, to her newfound friendship with Donnie and the help of Donnie's grandparents. Ellie has that too in her book, but she starts that way, Shane starts by feeling alone and I feel for this type of YA adventure, having a large support system of mixed teenagers and adults really breaks the mold. I also liked that the adults, particularly the newer ones, were willing to defer ton Shane's expertise and research and didn't just insist they were right.

Shane is confident in herself, though not to the point of ego, and is able to draw on her knowledge, what her mother taught her, and her own investigative skills to connect dots and come up with next steps. She's overall friendly but knows when to put her foot down and is more than capable of being firm and even intimidating when necessary. She's still coming into her ghost-raising power, so I also liked seeing her knowledge and experimentation in that area.

Beyond the mystery element, this book also deals with trauma, family, and the effects of colonialism. Shane, Marcos, and Lorenza definitely had a hard time for a while, are technically still having a hard time, and it's a direct result of historical and modern colonialist greed. The family also suffered some major losses when Shane was younger, resulting in there being only a few family members and the dispersal of their home community. Shane and Marcos both still have a lot of emotions about that, albeit different ones since Marcos was in utero when this was going on and only knows the aftermath. Shane also struggles with not knowing or misremembering traditional Lipan stories and has several moments when she deeply wishes there were community members around she could engage with. It was definitely heartbreaking to read about those aspects, but I did enjoy seeing Shane begin to set them to rights. I also think the loss of their original support system and the growth of a different one help mirror each other and the path of healing in the story.

Overall I liked this story and think it stands well both on its own and as an addition to the world of Elatsoe. Shane definitely has an interesting story, and I would say this book serves as both a mystery and a healing journey. I'm looking forward to whatever Little Badger writes next!

2 notes · View notes

elliepassmore · 1 month

Text

Someone You Can Build a Nest In review

5/5 stars Recommended if you like: fantasy, light horror, monster main characters, LGBTQ+ characters

Big thanks to Netgalley, DAW, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

TW: gore, animal cruelty, abuse

I definitely thought this was a novella going into this and didn't realize it wasn't until I got past all the acknowledgements, ARC stuff, and table of contents and the book was still on 1%. Most of the horror I read is in novella format, so I was a little worried I was going to end up with more than I'd bargained for, but luckily that wasn't the case!

This book definitely has gore in it, at times quite a bit, but I wouldn't really classify this as a gorey novel and, in that same vein, while Shesheshen is a monster and devours people, I wouldn't classify this book as 'horror' necessarily. I suppose it is somewhat in the same vein as The Salt Grows Heavy, though Shesheshen and the mermaid are very different. I actually thought some of the scenes of Shesheshen eating were funny at times, she has an interesting outlook to things that can be humorous.

Shesheshen herself is the only one of her kind that she knows. Her mother was killed when she was young and she devoured her siblings before they could devour her and has lived in monster solitude ever since. It's clear that her early life has a great impact on her since she wants to find someone to build a nest in who will be a better parent than her father was (and whom she views as just a setting, albeit a nice nest), how she wants to be able to be there for her offspring, and how she questions some things about her own existence since she had no one to teach her otherwise. I found Shesheshen to be interesting, particularly in the way that she can absorb items around her and utilize them to build her body's structure.

Despite being a 'monster,' Shesheshen clearly has empathy and feelings. Her best friend is a blue bear named Blueberry and the two are obviously close and Shesheshen definitely loves her. Likewise, she's able to recognize the hypocrisy of humans calling her a monster while killing what- and whoever they feel and being mean to one another. Shesheshen is also drawn to Homily's kindness and it quickly becomes clear that she has a strong protective streak when it comes to the people and things she cares about.

Homily is depicted as kindhearted and even expresses similar sentiments about hunting animals and monsters that Shesheshen does. These two are two of the things that most strongly draw Shesheshen to her. But Homily has also been through some shit and has a hard time around people as well as the tendency to let people hurt her, either in a "go along to get along" kind of way or because she thinks she deserves it. Despite this, Homily also has a strong protective streak and protects Shesheshen and others on multiple occasions.

While not a main character, I have to give a shoutout to Laurent, whom I find hilarious. May he be happily terrorized for the rest of his days.

I enjoyed reading about Shesheshen's attempts to stay close to Homily, and confess that she's the 'monster' who Homily thinks cursed her family (but definitely didn't), and how major hijinks ensue as a result of this decision. Shesheshen definitely has gotten herself into a situation here and it was funny to read her desperately attempting to outmaneuver the humans trying to hunt her down. She shows some remarkable cunning, and it's clear she has a good mind for strategy. But I did find her attempts to get out of the situation without devouring the whole hunting party to be quite hilarious.

While this is ostensibly a humorous story about a queer monster falling in love with a human, this book also tackles themes like abuse and the cycle of abuse. Shesheshen has suffered at the hands of humans who have come to kill her, which is one kind of abuse, but Homily has suffered through having a truly demonic set of family members who seem to delight in harming her, both physically and emotionally. A large part of this story is about healing from that and not falling into the same cycles, wittingly or unwittingly.

Overall I enjoyed this book and found it to be fairly light-hearted, despite its contents. There is some gore, but it's not too bad, and Shesheshen's 'monster' shenanigans are done very matter-of-factly and with a great deal of attention paid toward whether Homily would think it too weird.

7 notes · View notes

elliepassmore · 2 months

Text

The Prisoner's Throne review

5/5 stars Recommended if you like: scheming, court intrigue, faeries, morally gray characters

Stolen Heir review

First, I want to say I called it regarding Oak being exactly the kind of person you would think he would be after being raised by Madoc, Oriana, Jude, Cardan, and Taryn (and the Court of Shadows). How any of his family members were surprised by that I have no idea. I'm also happy to say that Taryn actually does seem to have gotten herself together and is much more tolerable in this book than in TFOTA (of course, that was also 8 years ago and Oak's POV is not Jude's, but still).

I enjoyed Stolen Heir but I think I like this one better. I did miss Wren's POV, though like with Oak's in book 1 having her narrate would obviously give some things away. The first book was quest-based and so we got to see a lot of new people and places, and much of the plot centered around the details of the quest. This one, on the other hand, is more along the lines of what we saw in TFOTA, where it is court against court and scheming abounds among those who want power. Questing plots are fun, but I do think I prefer this kind of intrigue.

I was so excited to see Jude and Cardan! I found it interesting to see them through someone else's eyes, since in previous books we've only ever seen them through their own, but Oak is Jude's younger beloved younger brother and Cardan's nephew and BIL, so he has a very different view of them than they do of themselves. That being said, they are more or less exactly as we remember and I enjoyed getting to see their interactions and reading their sass.

Oak is a trickster and a liar. He is, as mentioned, exactly the kind of person you would expect considering his family and the people he grew up around. He's good at scheming and seeing what people want, but he's also incredibly loyal and would do anything for his family. Unlike his father and sister, Oak still doesn't have ambitions for the throne. But that doesn't mean he isn't still involved in court intrigue, and this book shows us just how involved he is and the manipulations he's willing to use to protect the throne. It was interesting to get inside Oak's head since he's a child in TFOTA and Wren is technically a newcomer. Oak does feel like he needs to live up to what his family needs and the sacrifices they've made for him (though let's be honest, Jude's queenly ambitions only started with Oak, she sustained them on her own), and that creates an interesting dynamic. Related to this and to his scheming, Oak has so many layers and masks to portray the things he wants people to see that he also feels like people don't really know him, and it was interesting to see how that plays out.

Oak and Wren spend a lot of time separated in this book, but it's clear Wren is trying to get a grasp on what's going on and what exactly she wants. There are enemies closing in on all sides, and she struggles to find a workaround for all the people demanding things from her, and who have the power to make those things happen. While I know it would probably spoil some of what she's planning, I would've liked to have Wren's POV in this book alongside Oak's. I feel like we are missing part of the story by not having it, and I'd like to know more of her thought processes and how she decided what was a strategic decision vs not. That being said, we do get to see how Wren behaves when she feels she's been betrayed, and we also get to see how far she'll go for those she's loyal to. She and Oak have that in common, and the two are seemingly willing to rend anything, including themselves, apart in order to save those they love.

I enjoyed following the schemes of this book and learning who the new enemies were. Bogdana is obviously a major player, but there are people in the background that get revealed as the book progresses. In TFOTA, the game is putting someone on the throne and keeping them there. In this book, it's about determining who is out for the throne and what (and who) they have on their side, all while trying to balance competing priorities.

I'm particularly interested in the setup at the end of the book that seems to promise at least one more book set in Elfhame/involving the Greenbriar-Duarte clan. Holly Black had an interview that basically said as much, so I'm super interested to see where that goes (here's hoping it's Jude and Cardan again!).

Overall I enjoyed this book and seeing how Wren and Oak's story ended. It was interesting being inside Oak's head, though I did miss Wren's POV as well. I'm looking forward to future books set in this world!

8 notes · View notes