luckylulureads's reviews
387 reviews

The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson

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challenging dark reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Oh. My. God.

Two Twisted Crowns manages to be even better than book one, which is no small feat. It’s the PERFECT end to the duology. Rachel Gillig, I love your mind.

This book is darker, steamier, and answers all the questions you could possibly want about the lore and magic of Blunder.

Info dumping? I don’t know her. This book is so satisfying in the way it unwinds, piece by carefully constructed piece. This is one of those books that had me kicking my feet, screeching, and gasping in equal measure. A few times I had to put the book down and try explaining all the lore to my husband just to be able to tell him why I had such a visceral reaction.

This is absolutely one of my favorite series. If you’re a fan of books/series like A River Enchanted, Vespertine, and The Foxglove King… what are you waiting for???

And if you’re a Hozier girly… this book’s two central storylines can be summed up as Francesca and Unknown/Nth. Do with that information what you will.

To those who felt the romance in book one left something to be desired… have no fear. A new romance is in the building, and IT DELIVERS. Seriously, it was so perfect and good. It will be a long time until I’m over ~that scene~. I’m so excited for more people to read it so that I can talk about it!!!

SO. GOOD.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Content Warnings

Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology by Shane Hawk, Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.

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challenging dark reflective medium-paced

Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones

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adventurous challenging emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Content Warnings

Devil of the Deep by Falencia Jean-Francois

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adventurous fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

A Crown of Ivy and Glass by Claire Legrand

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

So this book is definitely not perfect, but I LOVED it nonetheless. I may be in the minority here, but I thought Furyborn was just okay, while this had me HOOKED.

I’d say the romance was more Insta-lust than Insta-love, and honestly I don’t see anything wrong with that. There’s definitely still some tension or push/pull in the relationship between Gemma and Talan that it seems realistic. Sure, he can kinda lay it on thick, but with reason. ..

Gemma herself is an unlikeable character, and yet I loved her. She deals with chronic pain and crippling anxiety, and as someone who can relate, it can be difficult to find the energy for kindness or generosity when you’re running on fumes like that. She can be moody, irrational, and selfish, but she is also aware of how her actions affect others in the aftermath. She’s a traumatized person who is working on healing and coking to terms with her pain. And I think she has incredible growth over the course of the book. As the author intended, Gemma is absolutely Amy March and Emma Woodhouse coded.

The plot of the book itself is super interesting, and I found myself unable to put the book down once the mysteries really got rolling. I had to know what all of these seemingly disparate threads meant. While the book takes a really wild turn in the second half, it quickly gets back on course, and there are some intense revelations. It puts a lot of the first half into perspective.

I absolutely cannot WAIT for book two, which I have on good authority is definitely Farrin’s book. Which hopefully means more Ryder!

Content Warnings