spellbindingtomes's reviews
333 reviews

How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang

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emotional funny medium-paced

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

3.0

Content Warnings

A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang

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dark emotional sad fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

𝘐𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘴, 𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴, 𝘰𝘧 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘴, 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘢𝘳.

𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢 𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬:
Inspired by the legend of Xishi, one of ancient China's Four Beauties, this novel follows a young woman's journey as she becomes a spy to save her kingdom. Trained by military advisor Fanli, Xishi infiltrates the rival Wu palace to seduce & weaken their king. As she navigates court politics & her growing feelings for Fanli, Xishi must maintain her cover or risk the destruction of both kingdoms.
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Ann Liang's retelling of Xishi's legend is a breathtaking journey through ancient China's political landscape. Her writing paints such a vivid world, bringing to life the struggles of women in a male-dominated society.

The intricate dance of courtly politics & espionage was brilliantly executed, contrasted with the forbidden romance & pining between Xishi & Fanli added so much more to this already emotional story.

𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝘠𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦.

This isn't just historical fiction; it's a captivating experience that will resonate long after the final page. Prepare for a harrowing odyssey through love, duty, & self-discovery.

Fair warning: it's emotionally intense and gut-wrenching at times. I have not fully recovered as of posting this review ❤️‍🩹 but Ann has truly elevated her craft, cementing her status as a must-read author of mine.

If you loved I Hope This Doesn't Find You, prepare for something totally different but equally amazing ✨

Read if you love:
🏮 ancient Chinese legend retelling
🪷 strongly written FMCs
🏮 forbidden romance
🪷 star-crossed lovers
🏮 espionage

Content Warnings

Spells For Forgetting by Adrienne Young

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.5

Content Warnings

Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.0

Content Warnings

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone, Amal El-Mohtar

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adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘴. 𝘐𝘯 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘦𝘴. 𝘐𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵. 𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸. 𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘦𝘵𝘴, 𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘯𝘦'𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦'𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶.
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This Is How You Lose the Time War is a masterpiece that weaves together the seemingly impossible: a time-traveling epistolary romance that is both epic in scope and intimately personal. The story follows two agents, Red and Blue, who operate on opposing sides of a vast temporal war, manipulating different strands of time to shape the future according to their respective factions' desires.

I was hooked from the very first letter and, honestly, Emily Woo Zeller's captivating voice as she narrated Blue's character. The relationship between her and Red unfolds through letters hidden across time and space, evolving from rivalry to something far more profound. Their romance was brutally raw yet painstakingly beautiful – two broken individuals who, amid the cruelty of their endless war, discover an unbreakable bond that transcends time itself 🥹

I did have to slow down my audio speed and rewind a couple of times in the beginning because it took awhile to grasp the concept and get a handle on the writing, but once I got past that, this was absolutely breathtaking and poetic.

This is a story that proves love can flourish in the most unlikely places – even in the spaces between moments, in the gaps between what was and what could be. It's a testament to the power of connection in a universe that seems designed to keep them apart, and a reminder that sometimes the most beautiful things grow in the harshest environments.

What to expect:
🔺time travel
🔹science fiction
🔺epistolary novella
🔹sapphic romance

A Winter Wish by Emily Stone

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emotional medium-paced