hann_cant_read's reviews
426 reviews

I think it's important to note that this isn't a retelling, it's much more of a story inspired by some of the lines / events / plot points in MacBeth.

Ava Reid is such an atmospheric writer and some potentially universe-jarring things I personally can overlook because of her writing style.

This book is marketed as a feminist retelling. It certainly is a book with a woman. I enjoyed it, and maybe if her coming into her own as a woman

and a witch

had been paced more evenly than I would be more inclined to agree with it. 

One thing that I initially liked, but quickly became frustrated with was the way Roscille rolled over at every turn. It started out very realistic - she was a scared 17 year old in a foreign land without a single friend. I liked that her ideas backfired a little in the beginning. But she never really owned up to that or grew from it, or had any semblance of agency in the outcomes until almost the very end. Her "plans" never consisted of more than one step, and when that one step didn't drastically improve her life she would have another panic - which is even more frustrating because we're told right from the begining that Roscille is really smart and observant. None of these things actually come through in any meaningful way in the text.

I don't really understand the reasons why MacBeth elevated her status over his right hand. She didn't do anything particularly earth-shattering, in fact she failed to

kill Lysander

after which MacBeth immediately put her in charge of

the whole fort AND getting information from Lysander?

It just didn't make sense.

Speaking of

Lysander. I detest insta-love, and that's what this was. The characters felt so flat and the connection between them was barely developed. We learn eventually that he's can't be compelled by her, which would have been an interesting dynamic to explore further as Roscille learns what it is to trust a man she can't control, but we never get that far.

The story in general was paced very awkwardly. I didn't feel any real growth in Lady MacBeth until

suddenly at the end she has a sudden drastic personality change and embraces her power to defeat MacBeth. It comes out of nowhere.

I did enjoy a lot of this story though! As always the vibes are immaculate. And I really love this version's interpretation of "no man of woman born shall kill MacBeth"

My first impression was that I loved it, 5 stars, no notes. After I sat with it for a little while I did have a few critiques that brought it down to a 4 stars for me, but ultimately I still absolutely enjoyed it.

This book was beautifully written, and honestly the pacing was great. The author was able to jump back and forth in time in a way that felt natural and didn't detract from the present-day story.

The attempted suicide happened much earlier in the book than I was anticipating,

and while it was a tense moment, because it happened so early I knew that she was ultimately going to survive (whether through it failing, her changing her mind, someone saving her, etc. I didn't know exactly) but I did know she would make it through

That being said, the flashbacks to Phoebe and Matt's marriage slowly falling apart was so much more emotional for me.

All of the different feelings she has with the failed ivf / miscarriage, the way her husband distanced himself from her because of her depression, and how that spiraled into him having an affair with her friend.

It was balanced with humor but it made my stomach churn.

A lot of the complaints I read said that they didn't like the callous way the author joked about suicide and depression, and I actually disagree - it felt so realistic to me, the sarcastic and flippant way that Phoebe treated everything once she made her decision. She had stopped caring about being alive, and I think that really came through in her humor.

I loved all of the Wedding people because they were so unlovable. Each one had such human characteristics of so much love to give, but also so selfish in their own ways. The contrast of so many different ages interacting with Phoebe also created an interesting dynamic for us to really see different sides of her.

I also saw people critiquing Phoebe for her relationship with Gary. I see what conclusion people are drawing, but I think they're over embellishing what actually happened. Which is nothing. We're in Phoebe's emotionally over-stimulated brain thinking about a man she has a crush on. Multiple times she had opportunities to cross the line and she didn't. She just thought about what would happen if she did. 

Most of my critiques from both a character and story standpoint come toward the end.

Phoebe is a better woman than I am, because fuck Matt dude. She forgave him so easily. I would have made him sleep in his car. The fact that he was essentially abandoning a baby that he had helped raise for two years was completely ignored in favor of Phoebe's closure which I also thought was odd.
Speaking of closure.
Everything tied up just like way too neat for me. It felt like we're being given a vague "...and no one knows what the future may hold..." type of ending, but we're also being spoon fed some very specific puzzle pieces that fit together a specific way.

I read the book previously in physical form. On the audio re-listen I wasn't a huge fan of the voice actor that read. She didn't do a bad job by any means, but her tone didn't really capture Misery's sarcasm and humor the way I read it.

I think I'm in the minority, but I actually loved the first book from Wren's POV.

This one felt a little short to me in terms of rebuilding the trust lost in Stolen Heir, but (of course, just like everyone else has mentioned) the heavy dose of Jude and Cardan made up for a lot of the shortcomings in the book.

I think the politics and betrayals were fascinating and well thought out. The plot itself was really intriguing, but the pacing and (as mentioned before) the relationship development wasn't as strong as it was in the first book.

Wren just kind of eventually gives up being mad? Oak doesn't really do anything to deserve it her forgiveness. But on the flip side, he also just never stays mad at her even though what she did to him in retaliation was brutal? They both just kind of get over it? I don't know, it felt kind of loose.

Even after learning Wren's motivations for the big political upheaval, it still felt like there were decisions that she made that weren't explained. The chemistry and tension between Oak and Wren was definitely more palpable in the Stolen Heir.

The pacing was tough. It draaaaagged in the first half, and then the last quarter things were happening so fast it was almost confusing. It felt like the characters were making plot essential decisions before they knew what they were doing.  

10/10 Jude and Cardan teaser though.

This was my second Julie Soto book, and I might give her one more go because I can see the potential but I'm not overwhelmed with excitement.

I know the music aspect / switching between the violin and the cello / the orchestra hierarchy irritated a lot of people because it wasn't realistic, but as someone who has literally no background in music I was able to suspend my disbelief for that pretty easily. (I can see how that would be a deal breaker if you're familiar with the industry, but I'm not so it wasn't something that bothered me.)

This book relied on the miscommunication trope soooo heavily. To the point where the things the main characters WERE communicating didn't make any sense. Xander's criticisms of Gwen's playing were actually him admiring how amazing she was? Are we in kindergarten?

I'm also not a fan of insta-love, which it felt like this book was supposed to be rivals to lovers but there was no build up. They just suddenly were banging like rabbits and saying "I love you" with no relationship development at all.

Gwen as a character felt like a child. She's written as if she's so self aware but constantly makes stupid impulsive decisions. The villains of the story were spelled out right at the beginning of the book, but she just keeps ignoring everyone's stories and warnings and all of her gut feelings, and then is shocked and confused when the villains do something villainous to her.
I will say, even if most of the music politics didn't bother me,

the fact that she legitimately couldn't relax and just play, makes it feel like an absolutely insane choice to make her first chair. publicity gimmick or not. Potential doesn't mean she's ready for that?!?

Xander / Alex was I think supposed to be aloof and mysterious but he just came across as condescending. 

The 3rd act breakup was so random and frustrating.

It relied so heavily on the characters just accepting the villains behavior. Literally zero character growth throughout the entire story. And then the resolution was them just ...changing their minds and quitting their jobs? Luckily there was that lawyer Gwen's roommate just started dating who specializes in contracts.

Everyone coming together and resolving their decades long issues over a holiday meal, and just having an impromptu jam session felt so gimmicky. If all it took was a quick chat to solve everything then why did it take decades to happen?

My last complaint is less about the story and more just a personal gripe, but the fact that Ama (the FMC from her previous book, Forget Me Not) kept showing up got really annoying really quickly. The first time she was spotted was fine, a cute little Easter egg, but then she just. kept. appearing. She didn't add anything to the story, it was clearly supposed to be a little tongue in cheek, but it was just distracting from the main story.

I was so intrigued by the premise, but the execution fell flat for me.
I had such a hard time getting invested in the story. It almost felt like I was reading a detailed outline, or that I was being told <i>about</i> the story rather than being immersed in it.

There was so many extra details that did nothing to drive the plot or story - it felt like the author wanted us to know how much research was done for this story. So we got detailed descriptions of architecture or clothing or food, but surprisingly little about the actual magic system except when it was directly relevant - which in turn made the ending much more predictable. (Although I'd rather the ending be predictable and actually make sense than it be a twist with no lead up, so there's that.)

The timeline bouncing was also very weird, and made the pacing that much more strange. Bouncing back to her origins didn't build any suspense about how she was sent away / we didn't learn anything extra from it because she also thought about those events in the later timeline.
The random POV's from Lucia and Piero thrown in when it was convenient for the plot was also a little jarring since we had been exclusively with Ginevra up until those two random chapters.

This is probably a problem related to the inability to immerse myself in the story, but the relationships all felt extremely one dimensional. Taddea and Ginevra were friends I guess? I was told they were,

until they had their falling out. But then they made up, but then Taddea blamed her again I guess for some reason. I don't know why any of these things happened.

Lucia as an entire character felt more like a plot device than a person. Their friendship was just Ginevra explaining what she needed to do to her and by extension the audience.

Zenobia / that family storyline was such a roundabout way for her to accidentally discover the cure. The gravedigger coming out of nowhere to save them at the trial with his jokes...okay, sure?

I read and loved The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo, and this book did have a lot of similarities when it came to themes (religious persecution, the intertwining of magic and luck) I just wish it had been executed better.

DNF at 58%
I just couldn't keep going. It was dragging so much and the plot wasn't going anywhere. The back and forth between the different timelines just kept ruining any momentum I gained (albeit not much, because I was not invested in either timeline.)
The whole story just feels like fanfiction and a trope checkbox list. I had issues with the first in this series but I really believed it had potential if the author could get a better editor / plot out the full story, but I'm giving up hope.
The characters are so flat - the trauma is used to manufacture drama and it's just not believable nor am I particularly invested in it. The relationships are volatile for no reason - they have blow ups that come out of nowhere and make up so quickly with no real depth. 
I found myself hate reading / dreading going back to finish so I'm just calling it quits.

 Masters of Death by Olivie Blake is about a Vampire real estate agent trying to sell a haunted house. Except, not at all, really. It’s actually layers and layers of what it means to be mortal, what makes life worth living, and the human condition as seen through the eyes of humans and celestial beings alike. 

I loved this book. But I can see why it’s not for everyone. While there is an overarching plot, it is the characters ultimately that drive the story forward, which usually is not my cup of tea! But these characters? Their morals and motivations and interpersonal dynamics? I couldn’t get enough. 

The writing felt very Shakespearean, with lyrical banter and descriptions. It’s very theme focused, so at times it was a little tricky to follow along, and I found myself having to re-read a passage or two to try and decipher all the subtext. Like a lot of fantasy, there are certain elements that you just have to know will click at some point if you keep going - which in a weird inception / breaking the 4th wall kind of way ties back to her reoccurring theme of what it means to be mortal in an immortal world. 

This was my first Olivie Blake book, so I don’t know if that style is consistent across the board with her, but I’ll find out soon. 

I loved the Scarlet Alchemist, this one took me a little longer to get into. Once I hit about 50% though I breezed through the remaining half.

I really really loved the conclusion of the Empress' story, but the way the two story lines ended separately felt kind of disconnected. The Alchemy/Penglai Island conclusion felt like it was an extended epilogue more than an actual conclusion of the entire story.

Thank you to Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.