chaptersofmads's reviews
828 reviews

 “Icarus approaching the sun. Touching it. How good it felt. The light. The warmth. How could she not want to bask in it forever?”

Been trying to figure out how to review this because my thoughts are terribly conflicted.

The first half of this book kind of felt like watching a very heavy DCOM, complete with enough deception and terrible decisions to kill a man. The second half read more like a romcom? with unnecessary conflict? This created a story that felt really disjointed. There were times things felt too slow and others too fast, times where the humor felt really insensitive or out of place, and a whole lot of conveniences that were hard to ignore.

Moving on from that, I did appreciate following Mika as a main character. She is complex, flawed, and makes the worst decisions I have ever had the misfortune of witnessing, but she is also impossible not to sympathize with - at least a bit.

A lot of this book revolves around identity, particularly all of the different aspects of identity and how it affects every decision Mika makes. From being the only child in a Japanese immigrant family to simply her identity as a woman, every single expectation put on her has created the decisions she's made and left her completely unmoored in her thirties. She's used to completely recreating herself for others and this has led to the fact deception is her initial response.

I appreciated these conversations and the nuanced look it took at her situations and the journey she was on. Honestly, I would have preferred if the book had focused solely on her finding herself and slowly shedding the expectations of others.

However, that wasn't the case. Don't get me wrong, we do get that - to a certain level - but it takes a sideline to every other topic this book wanted to deal with. Which might not have bothered me if I'd liked the other two characters, but Penny and Thomas were horrible and I was relieved to finish the book so I could be free of them.

Already... a romance between

the bio mom and the adoptive, widower father

is kind of an uncomfortable dynamic from the get-go, but Thomas made everything so much worse. He was so creepy and rude that by the time we saw the other side of him, it just felt like a manipulation to make the reader root for their romance.

And Penny... don't get me started on her.

So. There were a lot of things I think this book did really well and I really enjoyed/appreciated, but there was also a lot that could have been handled better.

I'm glad I read it, but it's not one I'd necessarily recommend.

“There are so many worse things than death. Not to be loved or not to be able to love: that is worse.”

No one touch me. No one speak to me. No one look at me.

I thought having this series spoiled for me would make me immune to the epilogue but apparently not. I have never been so wrong. I cried while reading the entire thing. What the actual hell, honestly?

It took me awhile to get into this book particularly, actually. Not because I wasn't enjoying it, but because the plot seemed to moving a bit slow compared to the previous books. Particularly with the amount of letters from the Consul and all of the side characters we began to follow. Once I got past the first 30%, it got much easier enjoy.

It's been a consistent thread throughout this trilogy to tread the line between devastating and hopeful, and no two words describe Clockwork Princess better. Even at the bleakest moment, there is an undeniable light across the story. A hope that filters through between everything.

I could also go on forever about the use of Dickens to explore Will's character arc and how much I loved that aspect of the story. On the themes of curses and self-hatred and love and family. There are so many fantastic things about this trilogy (even if it is not without flaws.)

Overall, if it wasn't clear, I don't know what to do with myself now. 

“Some adventures require nothing more than a willing heart and the ability to trip over the cracks in the world.”

I preferred this over the first one, but not by much.

Every Heart a Doorway is one of my least favorite books but people kept telling me to try the rest of the series, as the books follow different characters/plots. After having read this one, I see why they suggested that. This one was better, but I still think this series is just not for me.

A lot is personal preference, with these stories just not working for me. Some of it is technical. In both circumstances, I think it is better if I don't carry on with any further installments.

I see why everyone likes this one so much, however, I had too many problems with too many aspects to feel capable of enjoying it. 

“Angry mothers raise daughters fierce enough to fight wolves.”

I continue to be impressed by certain authors' abilities to create such beautiful, impactful stories in such a short amount of pages.

This was powerful and really well-formulated. The narration style could have been an injustice to the story, making the reader feel distant and removed but instead, I felt like I was genuinely being told the events by someone that had witnessed them. Something that I found extremely impressive.

It did take me a bit to connect to the story, though I'm always willing to admit that might be reader error lol. The world-building blended together for me at times, but once I figured it out, I really was invested in the story.

Overall, I can totally see why this as beloved as it is and I look forward to reading more from the author. 

"I am surrounded by many splendors, and yet I am alone."

A lovely concept, a beautiful setting, yet still a very boring book.

I usually love slow-paced books. If people complain that a book was too slow-paced, I will sometimes specifically pick it up because - most of the time - it means that the story is more drawn out, the characters are given more space to grow/connect, and the plot is more satisfying. However, that was not the case with this book.

I spent most of my time reading it incredibly bored, wishing for the end. It was not bad. It was just simply very meh. The characters were very much fulfillments of their roles and nothing more. The world-building was very interesting, but sometimes felt side-lined for the mystery. The romance (or whatever you want to call it) felt rushed somehow, despite how long everything seemed to be taking.

As I said, this is not a bad book. There is plenty to love about this book. It does read sort of like a fairytale, which may help others overlook the things that took some of my enjoyment.

Judy I. Lin is a very talented writer and I do think that this is works very well as a standalone, I just wish things had been executed slightly different. 

“We are all stardust and stories.”

No book has ever been recommended to me as much as this one, which made me excited and hesitant in equal measure. Considering the three star rating, I guess that was fair.

Like with The Night Circus, I completely see why everyone loves this one as much as they do. The writing was mystical and lovely, the book as a whole was a love-letter to the magic of stories and possibility. Time and Fate are central themes of this book and both are utilized in random and inexplicable ways, tugging the story along even when it doesn't make sense. Zachary is a lovely, relatable protagonist for most readers - kind, with a quiet sort of bravery.

However. It's also a bit of a mess.

I know - to some extent - this is purposeful. It's the point, the central heart of the story but I still wish things had been at least slightly coherent. It's a hard line to walk, creating a story with so many elements and wishing to leave it open-ended in such a magical way. I respect and understand that.
But by the end, I kind of felt like the entire book had been pointless. Instead of not getting all the answers, there are no answers.

There's also the thing with the dialogue and relationships feeling incredibly awkward and forced to me. The insane amount of Harry Potter references aside, I found almost all of the relationships in this book really uncomfortable? I haven't seen anyone else say that, so maybe it's just me, but the point still stands.

With all that, it bears saying that there were parts of this book that made me feel like it could be a five star read. There were also parts that were very much one star material. So as I critique it, I also want to say that there were parts of this book I found spectacular. The author was capable of capturing a kind of magic with her words that few authors can and I recognized how special that was.

Overall, I can see why so many people recommended this to me and they were right; I did enjoy it. Just not as much as I was hoping to. I wholeheartedly understand why this is as beloved as it is. I recognize that the praise is deserved, even if it isn't my favorite. 

"The Bees keel over, clutching each other's legs, asleep. They dream of pools of nectar, clouds of pollen, and evening dew heavy with flower scent. Why dream of anything else?"

Before I say anything about the book, I want to say that I listened to the audiobook and the narrators (Cherise Boothe and Larry Herron) were incredible. They gave this project their all and I was really impressed. If I was basing my enjoyment simply off of their narration, this would be rated much higher.

With that being said... I did not love this.

This book had so much going for it. It was so creative, with characters that go through so much (joy and heartbreak), genuine queer rep, and a heart that focused on climate change and our connection to nature. There's genuinely so much to love about this book and I wish I could rate it higher.

However, this was one of the most draining reading experiences I have had in awhile. Nearly every technical flaw was present (for me). From disjointed pacing, to a very tell-not-show writing style, I even felt like I was being held at arm's length from the characters. At first, I thought I just needed to focus a bit more and that the story would fall into place, but the longer I read, the less I connected with the story.

I had such high hopes for this book and I really wish I could have loved it more, but that unfortunately wasn't the case. I think there's a very specific audience for this book, but I can't properly articulate who I think that would be. This is such a unique book that I can't think of anything to compare it too lol.

Again, this had so much going for it, it just didn't work out for me. 

“To anyone who’s ever felt lost in a wood. There is a strange sort of finding in losing.”

A bit of a let-down after how much I enjoyed ODW, but still a solid sequel with a second half that makes up for the flaws of the first 50%.

I struggled so much to get into this one and I think - beyond any objective flaws - I missed Elspeth. I really enjoyed following her in book 1 and reasonably, she wasn't a large presence in this book, but I found that my enjoyment really suffered without her. Not that I didn't appreciate Elm and Ione, but I simply didn't care about them the way I was supposed to.

There's also the issue of the characters feeling slightly... childish in this book, compared to ODW but that's irrelevant.

Despite my qualms, the last half of this book was really good. As good as the first book, if not better. It took me a week to read the first half and less than fifty minutes to finish the last 40%, if that's any indication.

It was like we reached a certain point and something shifted. Though it was still lyrical and beautiful for the rest of the story, the writing style was suddenly addictive, the solutions actually felt well-crafted and satisfying, and by the time I reached the end of the book, I was actually super emotional about what was happening.

So, I'm conflicted and yet I still really enjoyed this duology. It was fantastic in some ways and less fantastic in others. It's still something I highly recommend, and a series I know I'll revisit in the future.

I said this in my review of book one, but I'm really curious to see what Rachel Gillig creates from here. I look forward to reading whatever it may be. 

“The greater the desire, the greater the suffering, and now she desired greatness itself.”

The praise for this book is so well deserved.

Brutal, powerful, and dark, yet also lyrically written and interwoven with elements of the fantastical, She Who Became the Sun was masterfully crafted. I went into the story with minimal prior knowledge of the history the story pulls from, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment and understanding of the story at all.
(I will admit to confusing a few characters and political allegiances at first, but I'm more than willing to say that's probably reader error and not on the author.)

Zhu was one of the best main characters I've ever read. From the very first scene to the last, it's impossible not to empathize with her. Even when decisions are made that seem irredeemable, they never seem unnecessary or overly cruel. As someone that appreciates flawed characters but is really tired of books where the author has the characters make brutal decisions simply for the sake of featuring flawed characters, this was such a breath of fresh air.

The discussion of gender and queer identity in front of the historical backdrop was also incredibly interesting and well-written. There were lines in here that took me back with how insightful and powerful they were.

Overall, there's nothing I can say for this book that hasn't been said. It's fantastic. Perhaps not for everyone, due to the slower pace and focus on politics, but fantastic nonetheless. 

"But as with all things that promise the moon and the stars and offer hope when hope has gone, the tale comes with a warning. Every wish demands a price."

Such a fun, original YA standalone! Perfect for anyone that's looking for a well-developed, but low-commitment story.

I was hesitant going into this because I have a bad track-record with seafaring fantasy novels. Anything ship/boat/pirate adjacent usually doesn't work for me (odd, with how much I love mermaids) but that concern turned out to be unfounded. This was a delightful story, with fantastic world-building and characters that were well fleshed out.

This does read on the younger side of YA, which I didn't mind at all, but might put off some readers. As it was, though, I loved how much this felt like a young adult book - rather than an adult book trying to reshape itself to fit the confines of a young adult audience. It was both magical and transportive, the way adventure movies can feel when you're younger.

Overall, I really enjoyed this! It also has sea-dragons so... I mean, it's worth the read for that aspect alone.