epsyphus's reviews
320 reviews

Mysteries of Thorn Manor by Margaret Rogerson

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adventurous emotional lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes

3.0

This was such an adorable novella, basically an extended epilogue, and I loved it.

The Stolen Heir by Holly Black

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adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

This one took me longer to read than I expected. When I first heard about this book I was so eager to have more from the world of Elfhame seeing as it would be 4 years since The Queen of Nothing. I think the combination of being reluctant to have it end and have to wait at least another year for the next one and still internally getting over the fact that I wouldn't be seeing Jude or Cardan in this one is to blame. Regardless, it was an absolute joy to read, especially once I felt a got more of a handle on Wren's character. She's just as chaotic as Jude in her own way and man do I love the monstrous girls Holly Black writes. I love everything she writes.

Side note: I just want to say it makes me laugh so hard to hear people talking about how being reminded of Oak's legs or Cardan's tail gives them the ick. You're really going to let something like that distract you from such pretty faces?? We're not the same.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

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dark emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

3.0

The writing was beautiful and the perspective was cool. Death as the narrator really worked for the kind of grim story he told.

Content Warnings

A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland

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adventurous emotional funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Updated for reread:
When I first read this book at the beginning of the year, I liked it and I thought I was likely to read it again at some point (I gave it 4 stars), but I didn't really think it would be a favorite. Having reread it, it's definitely a favorite. Having reread it, I can't believe I gave it anything less than 5 stars. I still would love to know more about the world and would love to see what happens next, but everything else was just so perfect. Looking back at all my other favorites, there are things like that that I want more of and I think it's more of a by-product of me loving the book so much that I just want more. The characters' relationships are so compelling and beautiful to me. Really 10/10. I really need to read their other books.

I devoured this book in like a day and a half. I would have liked a bit more world building and a stronger plot, but I really enjoyed the romance part of it (and I figured from the outset that the romance would be the more central aspect anyway). The tension and yearning was amazing. I loved her handling of the power imbalance and the themes of loyalty and reciprocity.

Content Warnings

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

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adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

I loved this one! The grimoires and the involvement of demons in sorcery and the romance-- it was all just wonderful! I'm really excited for the novella coming out this January!

Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid

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dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated

2.5

I really wanted to like this book, espcially because everything I heard or read about it made it sound like something right up my alley (I love gothic horror with a good amount of gore in there) but I just didn't. The writing was good and atmospheric, the characters were pretty interesting, and I even went in with knowledge about the trigger warnings and somehow I still felt like nothing really happened. I felt bored. And certain things felt out of place like her bulimia. Like it felt like that was just thrown in there for more trauma and I didn't get it. It was never really addressed and didn't seem relevant. I don't think it was a bad book, it just wasn't what I was expecting and not the book for me.

Update: I’ve been seeing a lot of criticism of gothic horror and this book in particular and I just want to be very clear: the sanitization of horror is a problem and this book not being for me is not me saying that this sort of book shouldn’t exist. Nobody writing media with this sort of content is condoning the behavior but that doesn’t mean people can’t write about it. Grow up, you’re missing the point.

Content Warnings