clemslibrary's reviews
290 reviews

this was a cute witchy story about identity but i felt like we never got enough depth about anything and the story was very surface level. i did love the queer normative world and how many characters within the book are queer!

emily wilson’s translation was a much more enjoyable read and i found myself much more engaged than the other translation i read

i truly am a sucker for political high fantasy with angsty relationships and drama and this book absolutely confirmed that

scheming and political fantasy will never get old

this was captivating and such a fun time, the beginning of the series having so much potential and so many ideas planted means i cannot wait to see where the series goes and how all the characters interconnect 

very very excited to see how ren moves forward, especially following the twist of the end!

ren, tess and sedge have my heart and if anything happens to them i think i might loose my mind 

this felt too long and too short at the same time, it’s definitely a slower start and introduction into the world but it’s set up some super cool plot points that i am invested in. i also love the magic system in this, and the way cards are such an integral part of ren’s identity 

this was a dark and monstrous tale on childbirth, otherness and differing versions of london

truly something different and compelling, full of the nature of a woman’s life and identity when pregnant, filled with magic and an understanding of women’s power within society as midwife’s 

add a sub-plot of queer romance and a powerful woman, this gritty and gruesome tale is something i highly recommend!

for a book named the fall of icarus why were there only 2 pages on the fall of icarus????

the end of an era and i don’t know how to feel

all my baies together and ALIVE!!! i don’t think i could have dealt with any of them dying

such a bittersweet ending but a perfect end to a world and cast of characters that have claimed my heart

this was a beautiful sweeping story filled with polish folklore and a semi-sentient house, what isn’t there to love?!

liska makes a bargain to work for the leszy for a year, and in return she gets to finally get rid of her magic as she has dreamed of. the characters were complex and compelling, each having their own struggles and desires, leaving for a world filled with secrets 

the polish folklore is prevalent throughout the the entirety of the book, which I really loved as it was a different type of story with names and characters that held new meanings. The world is so cool to read about, it’s set largely within a sentient wood and house, which are things that I love in fantasy. The found family cost of characters are all so sweet and I loved seeing them grow and develop as they lived with each other and understood each other more.

I really liked the romance. I thought it was sweet and tender but it’s still had a good lead up, and when they get together, it was worth the payoff and all of the slow build up. The love interest is the Demon who controls and of warden of the woods, and because of this it means we get a slow understanding of who he is and what he wants. It does have the trope of really old loving interest with a young girl, which I’m not a fan of, but the romance itself was something that I really enjoyed. 

This talks about identity and the impact of Christianity on folklore and more pagan religions, which I really liked as it meant we saw the main character grow and understand her magic whilst still struggling with her past and what she has been told.

This was a really compelling and fun story set within a sentence word and the found was one of my favourite aspects

not vibing with the book or the writing style