foxanddragonbooks

[foxanddragonbooks]

Witchshadow Review and Rating

★★☆☆☆

I have thought about this rating for a long time. This was my most anticipated book of the year and my favorite series. It hurts my soul to rate it low, but anything else would be a lie. There were just so many things I did not like. Of course, there were things I liked, the writing was beautiful as always, Stix’s arc, but unfortunately the positive couldn't outweigh the negative. And I had a lot of negative feelings while reading this book.

The first thing that didn't work for me was the nonlinear timeline. The prolog takes place a few days after the last book ended. That was nice. Then the next chapter takes place one month after that event. That is already too big of a time jump for my liking. Characters were in certain places already, and you don't find out why, how, or when until later on. Usually in a flashback scene. It was so confusing. I want to know why someone is at this place now and how they get there when it happens, not through a flashback. This type of storytelling might work for movies and tv shows, but it's really difficult in books. The flashbacks also felt ill-placed. We already knew this plan went wrong because if it didn’t the character wouldn't be in the position they are in now. It could have just been described in a few sentences, instead of flashbacks that took up several pages.

Second of all, one of the MAIN characters was completely absent. This just doesn't make sense storytelling-wise. At all. He still has so much left to do and there is only one more book left. One 500 page book that is distributed into 6 povs. I really can't see how that's supposed to work. I can see how that character had to be gone for some time, given the events of the previous book, but that could have been solved with the usual 2 week time jump between books. Keeping the main character away for a whole book/movie/series just never works. Remember when Game of Thrones left out Bran for an entire season even though GRRM said that he is one of the key five? This is what this book felt like.

Another main character was barely in the book either. He was there, but he was not himself. He was literally possessed for 95% of the book, so in a way, two main characters were not part of the book.

That brings me right to my next point. Way too much focus on side characters I couldn't care less about. This was supposed to be Iseult's book but it felt more like a Hell Bard book. Again, I don't understand why. They are side characters but they felt so present in the book while other characters that are much more important to the story were absent. I wanted this to be a Nomatsi book. A book about the history of the Nomatsi. Why are they hated? How did they live before they came to the Witchlands? I was so sure that all those questions would be answered in this book but all we got were a few folktales and a history in hell bards. This was supposed to be Iseutls book, not theirs. They are not even that important to the plot and a big chunk of their plot could have been given to maybe the two missing main characters. That would have been pretty epic. The hell bard loom was never mentioned before, Midne, the first hell bard was never mentioned before, but they take up such a big plot in ISEULT’S book? Why? It felt so random. Esme’s loom was important to the story in the previous book, but it was barely mentioned in this one.

And Esme, oh God. This was supposed to be this super powerful, badass villain, and then she is turned into a weasel just like that. It felt so off and weird.

Furthermore, at this point, Safi has more development with the hell bards, SIDE CHARACTERS, than she has with any of the main characters. She had 1 book with Merik, her love interest, 1 with Iseult, her best friend, and 0 with Aeduan, Vivia, and Stix. This is the second to last book. I really don’t understand how she didn’t get to interact with all these important characters more or at all so far.

Things also didn't add up. It's implied that Safi is 18 in this book when she has been 19 for the last two books. Leopold suddenly becomes younger too. In the first book, Safi says he is the same age as Merik, who is 20, now he is 18. Or it is implied that he is. It’s confusing. It doesn't make sense.

There is a very weird scene that borders on romance and made me dread reading further. It's said in the beginning of the book that these characters are thread FAMILY. Thread SIBLINGS. Yet one thinks about the other as very handsome and they are only inches apart and holding hands in a scene. IT'S WEIRD. If they are supposed to be family then why was this scene written? If you consider someone your sister or brother from another mother you don't do this kind of stuff. The Vivia/Vaness romance came out of nowhere.

The Vivia/Stix being thread siblings came out of nowhere and made 0 sense. They were supposed to be the mutual pining childhood friends to lovers ship, now they are family. Vivia was jealous in Windwitch when she thought Stix had slept with someone. This is not sibling behavior! The set up for Vivia/Stix was right THERE and so present! Whereas Vivia/Vaness came out of nowhere. I don’t understand what’s going on anymore. Please don’t foreshadow things that you don’t mean to go through with. I hate this.

To quote Iseult: “Nothing felt real. Nothing made sense.” That sums up the entire book for me. The characters felt so off to me.

Safi comes up with this ridiculous plan to noose the Emperor while kissing him, and OF COURSE, it goes wrong. It was such a stupid plan, and Safi at this part of the story would have never done this. It felt like a step back for her and made zero sense. She is supposed to be smarter than that now.

Iseult felt so off at the beginning of the book, I didn’t even realize it was her at first. She was all ‘I kill people and regret nothing, I am the badass puppeteer, don’t fuck with me’ and then she went back to her old self in like a blink and never returned to her ‘dark self’.

There is a scene where Safi walks into the Emperor’s room while he has sex with his mistress, IT WAS SO WEIRD and uncomfortable. Literally, why was this scene necessary. Like she wanted to steal something from his rooms but she could have done this at night while he was sleeping. While everyone was sleeping.

Safi’s original plan was also to noose Henrick during their wedding night. That was so weird and made me so uncomfortable. He is 3 times Safi’s age, please. Like I get that she honestly believed she would be forced to consummate the marriage, so she thought hmm might as well get my revenge on this bitch then. But when Henrick said he had no intention of taking Safi to his bed, she was not relieved at all? She was like no, no, no, you have to take me to your bed. It felt so unrealistic. Safi is literally a teenager. Any teenage girl would be glad to not have to sleep with a man old enough to be her father. She should have been relieved that she wasn’t forced to sleep with an old man, and glad that that would mean she had more time to come up with a more fleshed-out plan to kill him. And Iseult would have never let Safi go through with her original plan. Never.

This book felt so, so different from the other books of the series that I love so much, and not in a good way. I don’t think I have been so disappointed and upset since the last season of Game of Thrones aired.

I want to go back in time when the main characters of this series were still main characters. At this point, I have so little hope for the last book. Maybe I am wrong, I would be glad to be wrong, but this book feels like a bullet hole in my chest and I am not sure it can be fixed.

#the witchlands #witchshadow #witchshadow spoilers #review #book review #books read in 2021

[foxanddragonbooks]

Book Recommendations by Asian Authors

I wanted to rec some great books by Asian authors that I`ve read.

The Gilded Wolves and The Silvered Serpents by Roshani Chokshi

The 3rd and final book comes out in September so you won´t have to wait that long for the conclusion

It´s a great YA fantasy series set in 1889 Paris with a loveable, diverse set of characters, found family, and heist plot.

It deals with identity and characters struggling to find their place in the world while dealing with prejudices against them. Especially the biracial characters dealt with that the most. The author herself is also biracial so it´s own voices in that aspect as well. There is also an autistic coded character in the books. I am not autistic so it´s not my place to say whether or not the representation is done well or not, but I can say that that particular character is one of my favorites.

Miracle Creek by Angie Kim

Boy, I don´t even know where to start with this book.

It´s ultimately a mystery novel that follows the events of an explosion that kills one woman and one boy. Time forward to one year after the explosion, we meet a set of characters at a courtroom. A woman has been accused of orchestrating the fatal explosion that killed two people and throughout the book, you try to figure out if it was really her, or someone else. There is so much going on. The book thematizes topics like mother- and parenthood, immigration, autism and so much more. I had so many mixed feelings about all of the characters and the things they tried to keep secret. Because you follow different characters' perspectives you are going to read about their different opinions and the way they approach things. The author leaves it quite open how she feels about any of the topics discussed and leaves therefore room for the reader to make up their own mind. Which character is ´bad´ which is ´good´ or are they all just morally grey?

The Last Story of Mina Lee by Nancy Jooyoun Kim

This mystery novel follows the complicated relationship between a mother and a daughter, and immigration. When Margot returns to visit her mother in Koreatown of LA, she finds her mother dead. Margot, who never fully understood her mother, wants to what happened. Was it an accident? Or murder? On her way to answers, Margot not only figures out more about her mother but about herself as well. The author painted a beautiful picture of what it means to be an immigrant and how it affects different generations.

The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi

Damn this book really came for my heart.

It´s ultimately a slice of life book set in 1950´s India. It was a very educational book for me and you really get to see traditional Indian culture mixed with western influences. There were many feminist topics in there and what it meant to be a woman during this time. It´s a beautifully atmospheric book about womanhood, sisterhood, and self-worth. I don´t want to give too much away because I thought not knowing too much about this book had me surprised on several occasions. Trigger Warning for abortion.

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

I know that everyone and their mom have heard of this book but I wanted to add it nonetheless. If you haven´t watched the TV show yet I recommend reading the book first because there are quite a few differences. It´s a very character-driven, slice-of-life type of story that focuses on 2 families. But! We also get to see a few minor characters that influence the characters and the story A LOT. A major conflict revolves around one of these minor characters. The book literally starts with a house burning down and then we go back in time to events leading up to this tragedy. The book deals with quite a few heavy topics like trauma, microaggressions, immigration, privilege, complicated mother-daughter relationships, and so much more!

Flame in the Mist by Renée Ahdieh

This YA story is being advertised as a Mulan-inspired fantasy, and I can definitely see why. Mariko is the daughter of an important family and on her way to visit her betrothed, the prince, her caravan is attacked, killing everyone but her. Mariko managed to escape and disguises herself as a boy because it´s her who was the main target of the coup. As she is trying to figure out who wants her dead and why she joins the same group that ultimately tried to kill her.

#book reccs #book recommendations #book recs 2021 #asian literature #books by asian authors

[foxanddragonbooks]

October Wrap-UP

October hasn’t been the best reading month for me. I had such a huge TBR for the spooky month but only managed to get to about half of those books. In total, I have managed to finish 5 books, which doesn’t sound so bad, but looking back at how many books I read in previous months, it is a bit of a lot down. I was in the mood for mystery/horror/suspense books, and overall it was a decent reading month. 

Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco: 

Rating: 3/5 stars

This was a bit of a letdown. I really enjoyed the first book in this series, but this felt a bit slow. Some scenes really dragged in my opinion and could have been cut, and I also wasn’t really a fan of the big reveal at the end. I did appreciate that Audrey Rose dealt with the aftermath of the trauma of book 1, and that is wasn’t simply pushed aside. She is actually suffering from PTSD, and her process of healing is slow and believable.  

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson: 

Rating: 5/5 stars

Damn, this was good. I was hooked right from page one. A girl is trying to solve a murder, a cold case, and gets deeper in than she ever thought she would. It deals with very real social issues and stereotypes, the people who benefit from it, the ones who don’t and the fact that there is always so much more to a person and that you shouldn’t judge too quickly. 

Vengeful by V.E. Schwab: 

Rating: 5/5 stars

I loved this. I loved the first book and the sequel did not disappoint. It takes place 5 years after the end of Vicious, and in the meantime, a lot has happened. I just really want to say how much I loved Marcella. Yes, she is a villain, but you got to admit that she has a POINT. She is such a well written and complex villain, I loved reading from her perspective. But don’t worry if you are a fan of Victor, Eli, and Sydney. The original squad is not lacking page screen, and they are all dealing with the aftermath of the ending of book 1. 

IT by Stephen King: 

Rating: 3/5 stars

Boy, this was long. Wayyyyy too long. I listened to this as an audiobook, and it was separated into 7 parts. Each part was approximately 7 hours long. Tha’s just too much. I knew it was a big book when I went into it, but I still think several things could have been cut. I found the switching between two timelines quite confusing as well. From the characters being kids in one chapter, to be being adults in the next. Sometimes I was so confused about which timeline we were in. The characters were very well written, and the book definitely kept me up at night - I mean there is a reason this is such a classic horror story after all - but some things, especially that one scene towards the end, just rubbed me the wrong way. 

The Dark Beneath the Ice by Amelinda Bérubé:

Rating: 2/5 stars

It was a quick, disappointing read. I wanted so much more from this book, and it was completely different from what I thought it would be. The writing felt very sloppy, I didn’t really connect to the characters, and the overall story felt so rushed. If you are a normal person, who doesn’t believe in anything supernatural, and there has never been anything proven to be supernatural in your world, you won’t immediately think ‘yeah, of course, it’s a ghost’ when you suffer memory loss. You’d think you hit your head too hard. But no, the MC figured everything out so quickly. It simply didn’t feel realistic. The dialogues were so cringy, and the book lost its creepy factor pretty much when the ghost started talking because it was so cringe-worthy. The ending felt so rushed to me. I was 90% in when there was still no explanation or big end battle insight. It all happened so quickly and I can’t even tell you exactly what happened because it was so confusing, and the HOW was never explained either. It was a wlw horror story, so it gets points for that, but otherwise, it was a huge disappointment for me. 

[foxanddragonbooks]

Underrated Books

Tumblr is filled with huge and amazing book fandoms, but sadly that also means smaller authors and their works get lost in the huge sea of big series we all know. Because books with fewer ratings can turn out to be a true gem.

I want to showcase some underrated, not so well known books I read in the past, and maybe some will soon become your next read? ;)

Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody - YA fantasy, circus setting, ace rep, standalone 

These Rebel Waves by Sara Raasch - YA fantasy, pirates, plant magic, duology, complete

Onyx and Ivory by Mindee Arnett - YA fantasy, elemental magic, and alchemy based magic, great friendship, HORSES, duology, complete

Echo North by Joanna Ruth Meyer - YA fantasy, fairy tale retelling, standalone

The Waking Forest by Alyssa Wees - YA, fantasy, a magical forest, a witch with an army of pet foxes, standalone

Warrior of the Wild by Tricia Levenseller - YA fantasy, loosely Viking inspired, standalone

From Unseen Fire by Cass Morris - adult, historical fantasy, basically ancient Rome with magic, great sister bonds, the first book in a trilogy, only the first book is out so far

The Antidote by Shelley Sackier - YA, fantasy, alchemy based magic, witches, standalone

Even the Darkest Stars by Heather Fawcett - YA, fantasy, magic, witches, literally a fantasy version of the Himalayas with a culture based on that of Nepalese people, a grumpy pet fox, a wolf demon, duology, complete

Fire & Heist by Sarah Beth Durst - YA, fantasy but in a modern setting, people who can turn into dragons!!, they make a sport out of breaking into each other's houses and stealing the other’s gold. DRAGONS, standalone

Bring Me Their Hearts by Sara Wolf - YA, fantasy, enemies to lovers ;), will fuck you up, magic, duology, the second book comes out in November

House of Furies by Madeleine Roux - YA, fantasy, paranormal, historical, YA horror story about a house where evil people were drawn to die, trilogy, complete

Ever the Hunted by Erin Summerill - YA, fantasy, elemental magic, duology, complete

Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart - YA, fantasy, sisters, feminist, duology, complete

Outrun the Wind by Elizabeth Tammi - YA, fantasy, mythology, Greek Gods and Demigods, wlw main romance, hate to love, standalone

State of Sorrow by Melinda Salisbury - YA, fantasy, political intrigue, election, duology, complete

Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay - YA, fantasy, fairy tale retelling, standalone

Wicked Like a Wildfire by Lana Popović - YA, magical realism, a book about the relationships between mothers and daughters, and sisters, duology, complete

Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund - YA, fantasy, dystopia, sci-fi, spies, enemies to lovers, fake relationship, it’s a duology and this is technically the second book, but I didn’t read the first one and i can say you can read them separated. Both books have different settings and characters. 

tagging some people: @isabellamcullen, @jediknightrey, @lilabard, @pvrrish, @montesere, @spookyalina, @shirewalker, @bilbbo, @pumkinjosten, @deanerys, @thegreenprism, @ninazenix, @hannenina @housebaylor

#bookrec #book recommendations #bookrecs #booklr #book tumblr

[foxanddragonbooks]

Flip The Page Challenge!

~stolen from booktumbe, as always~

I asked on discord for 3 coordinates, 1 for the number of my shelvesi have to pick from, the other for the book from said shelf, and the 3rd being the page number.

1.You’re getting a new identity! Let the coordinates guide you to a book, flip to the page you were given, and the first name you see is now your new name!

4,6,122

Stalking Jack the Ripper: page 122 is empty so i went with 123,…..and my new name is Thomas. hmmmm okay. Could be worse but I don’t think it suits me.

2. It’s time to get up and move the heck out of your town! The location of the book your coordinates lead you to will be where you’re moving.

3,19,200

An Ember in the Ashes: Blackcliff Academy. I think the fuck not. I would die.

3. You’re all settled into your new home, but you’ve gotta get a job to get that cash money flow goin. Create a job using the first object you find with the coordinates and page number.

4,13,113

Obsidio: Gold coin. So like a jeweler? Nice.

4. You’ve started your job and you’ve started developing feelings for a coworker. Find the book using your coordinates, flip the page to the page number you were given, and the first character you come across will be the character you’re falling for.

11,8,6

A Long Way Down To A Small Angry Planet: Corbin. Please no. nopenopenopenope

5. Using the coordinates & the page number, the first piece of dialogue you come across will be the first thing you say to your potential lover.

9,11,328

The Diviners: “Are you French?” okkkkkkkkkkk

6. That line really got to them, next thing you know you’re in love! You’re going to propose, but buying a wedding ring is too expensive. Using the coordinates & flipping the page to the page number you were given, the first object you come across will be what you propose with.

7,12,217

The King Slayer (sequel to the witch hunter) i didn’t read this yet fuck.Please don’t spoil me.

The moon. the FUCKING MOON. NICE. I would collapse on the spot if someone proposed to me with the fucking moon.

7. We’ve arrived at your wedding! Find the book using your coordinates, flip the page to the page number you were given, and the first piece of dialogue you find will be the first line in your vows.

7,19,275

Throne of Glass: “Oh great. I’d hoped you would still be awake.” umnnnnnnnnnnn

8. It’s honey moon time! Wherever the book’s location that your coordinates lead you to will be the destination for your lovers retreat!

8,18,188

A Storm o Swords: Riverrun. Ummmmmmmmm, okaaaayyyyy. I think the fuck not.

9. Things got a little cray on the honeymoon and now you’re expecting a baby! With the next coordinates find your next book and flip the page to the page number you were given. The first name you find will be the name of your first born child!

5,12,317

Ever The Brave: Lirra. Nice, I take it.

10. We’re time jumping 5 years & your child is desperately begging for a pet! Find the book using your coordinates, flip the page to the page number you were given, & the first creature you come across will be your pet! If you don’t find a creature, then the first object you find will have to be used as a pet replacement.

6,11,193

Wild Beauty: Lungs.  wtf. Wow does that even work. Do I go into a hosptal and ask if they can spare a lung for me??????

11. Your child is going to school! Find the book using your coordinates, flip the page to the page number you were given, using words on that page create the name of their school.

2,19,323

Even the Darkest Stars: Pink and Gold. NICE Pink and Gold School sounds fab.

12. You decide you’re going to start a YT channel for a side hobby! Find the book using your coordinates, flip the page to the page number you were given, & find something on that page that will be the core topic of your channel.

6,15,288

Fire and Heist: Dragons. jkandjaksnsjknajndjkas omg sign me up. I swear I did not cheat on this. I DID NOT.

13. Find the book using your coordinates, flip the page to the page number you were given, & using words from that page create a YT channel name.

8,13,341

Nemesis: Tantrum. ajdhhnkadnamkalmdl. Bitchy dragons throwing tantrums. I mean yeah. Sign me up.

14. Find the book using your coordinates, flip the page to the page number you were given, & the first piece of dialogue you see is how you’ll greet your viewers each time you start a video.

5,12,175

Ever the Hunted: “Cohen Mackay reported the involvement of Lord Conklin.”

??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? okayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

15. You’ve decided to write a book! Find the book using your coordinates, flip the page to the page number you were given, & using words from that page create a book title.

2,17,230

Mockingjay: The Mining Tragedy. cries

16. Find the book using your coordinates, flip the page to the page number you were given, & the first line you see will be the opening line for your book.

1,20,237

Sky in the Deep: I pushed harder, flying past the burned-out, crumbling structures.

dead.

17. PLOT TWIST! The reason you even created a new identity for yourself is because a killer was after you! Now that you’re a mega famous author & youtuber, they’ve tracked you down again & they’re coming for you! Find the book using your coordinates, flip the page to the page number you were given, & the first character you see will be your killer!

7,11,171

Queen of Shadows

Aelin. Wtf girl why. I never did you wrong.

18. One day you’re setting up to film a YT video when you’re suddenly struck by the killer! Find the book using your coordinates, flip the page to the page number you were given, & the first object you come across is what they used to kill you.

3,17,95

Crystal Storm: Magic. welllllllllllllllll

19. Find the book using your coordinates, flip the page to the page number you were given, & the first line you see will go on your tombstone.

5,3,172

The Winner’s Kiss: “That deadly little inventiona.” njsabhdjaksdnkasm

#booklr #booktag #book tumblr #reading #books