the_ya_assassin's reviews
377 reviews

Review to come

Amazing, perfectly paced read. Some of the scenes didn't quite make sense (the conversations were disconnected) but it was exactly what I was looking for. A quick romantic contemporary read.

Thank you Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Teen, and Netgalley for sending me an eARC of Forestborn to review and share across my platforms.

"All of it is rotten, the world a hunter that rivals the best of them - a ruinous beauty that ensnares my heart and sets me aflame before reminding me, over and again, that none of it is meant for someone like me."

This book was surprising for me! I expected it to be much more boring and obvious that this was the author's debut. However, I am SO thankful to say it was a great read! At first, I was super worried because the idea was the same as a DNF I had last month in August, The Endless Skies - a shapeshifter who goes on a quest to save the people of her kingdom from a mysterious illness. However, thank goodness that Rora, the main character, and the story were nothing like The Endless Skies. Not only is Rora a shapeshifter, but she is also a spy for the king. Using her shapeshifting powers, she travels under different shifts to gather intel and report signs of trouble. When a worrisome, magical illness begins popping up in people across the kingdom, slowly or quickly killing them, Rora finds out a devastating truth: her best friend, Prince Finley has the Fallow Throes (the disease). The only hope for him and the ill people of the kingdom is stardust. Only the giants who live in the terrifying wilderness that Rora and her brother, Helos, struggled to survive in after their hometown was massacred and destroyed.
But for Fin, Rora will get over her fear and brave the dark wild with Helos and the middle child of the king - Prince Weslyn (Wes, eventually). In addition to the dangerous and deadly plants and animals in the wild, they face an ever-changing landscape and human enemies along their route. And with war on the horizon along with the sickness, Finley's life isn't the only one hanging in the balance.

I enjoyed this book! I liked the characters and Wes and Rora's relationship was believable (it took time for them to hook up). Sometimes I thought the characters' actions/reactions were strange though, and several times, Rora's thoughts didn't enhance the scene. One of the twists was predictable, while the other one wasn't obvious (I was surprised by it). Becker's writing style was nice too - not overly flowery. I think there was a lot of description in some parts, but overall it was well-written. The ending was a total kick to the gut - I can't believe I have to wait a year for the sequel! I need it NOW.

In summary, Forestborn is a nice story that I would recommend.

Thank you Gallery Books, Saga Press, Netgalley, and M.J. Kuhn for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review of this amazing book.

"Long after gold had lost its charm and men no longer had a taste for bread and wine, words would still hold their value."

*4.5 stars*

Content Warnings:
- LOTS of cursing
- Gorey
- Brutality
- Imprisonment
- Fighting

This book was such a fun, wild ride. It definitely lived up to my expectations of being compared to Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo - it was almost, if not as good, as it. There was so much action, the characters were hilarious, and the worldbuilding was good. However, the two reasons I could not give this book 5 stars were:
1. The setting was described only when it was opportune for the characters - only when it was interacted with. Every other time, the scenes were not described clearly at all.
2. The twists that were supposed to be huge were really obvious, to me at least.

In Among Thieves, we follow five characters - Ivan, Tristan, Ryia, Nash, and Evelyn. Evelyn is an ex-guard, but thanks to Ryia, aka the Butcher of Carrowick, she lost her high-ranking officer position. Ryia works for the infamous Callum Clem, the leader of the Saints (kind of like Kaz Brekker and the Crows). Their rival gang is offered the job of a lifetime, but when the Crowns decide not to take it, the Saints steal it for themselves. And it could honestly be a lifetime with the level of stakes - 400,000 of their money but they are stealing from the Guildmaster, the most powerful man in the whole world. From here, the worldbuilding went downhill - the world was very 2-D - the scenes didn't pop out at me for their setting, although I knew there were five countries. Ryia escaped from the Guildmaster's clutches once before and she has not been able to take a breath since. She has been tracked and followed. But thank goodness she has the sharpest tongue and quickest wit in the Lottery, for she may be the only one to steal the item from the Guildmaster's Island. With the help of her fellow Saints, of course.

The two twists in the story - who Tristan and Ryia really are - weren't really twists in my opinion. I thought they were quite obvious and I put them together pretty quickly. Needless to say, it was a predictable plot.

The action and how much I enjoyed the grittiness made this read an exciting one for me. With that cliffhanger, I anxiously await M.J. Kuhn's sequel. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves some thievery, assassins, political tensions, betrayment, and magic.

Review to come

Thank you ABRAMS Kids and Amulet Books Publishing, TBR and Beyond Book Tours, Netgalley, and Cyla Panin for sending me an eARC to read and give an honest review.

"'I only want to help.'
'That's true of very few people in this world.'"

Content Warnings:
- Kidnapping TW
- Anxiety TW
- Light romance
- Child abuse TW
- Slight violence and gore
- Sick/dying child
- Death
- Alcoholism
- Mental health struggles

Stalking Shadows was an interesting tale - it was similar to a retelling of Beauty and the Beast in a way. It was also very spooky and a great read to start off the fall season for me. As promised by the synopsis, it is gothic. In it, our main character and "protagonist" 17-year-old Marie makes and sells perfume to sell at her small French town's market. She wants to sell enough to make a dowry enough to wed off her sister, Ama, which would allow Marie to live in freedom. helping her sister manage her curse. Ama turns into a beast once every month and Marie helps mark her sister's kills using the perfume. Marie marks them to help control the damage of the killings - in a small town like theirs, anyone missing is noticeable.
However, when a young boy is found dead one morning, Marie acknowledges the fact that she might not be able to control the beast side of Ama forever. And if she can't control her, she must find a cure to make sure she doesn't kill anyone by accident. Marie knows the only place possibly with answers is the place where Ama was originally cursed, the home of Lord Sebastien LeClaire. But once she gets to the mansion, she discovers hidden secrets about the curse, Sebastien, and herself.

First things first, the worldbuilding was very unfinished. I had no concept of the realm and didn't even know it was set in France till they used French words. The setting wasn't well described and the only reason I could picture the setting was from how my imagination pictured it.

Secondly, the characters were plain. I hated Marie - I thought she was selfish, inconsiderate, and couldn't face hard truths. There was no development in any of the characters and I felt no connection to any of them. That's probably why it took me so long to finish - I couldn't bring myself to pick the book up and just read when I DID have the time. I also thought the love interest with Sebastien was obvious from the start to me.

Thirdly, the plot was predictable for the most part. I knew who was the child killer and the truth behind the Woods Witch. I didn't see Sebastien's mother's true death coming and who cursed Ama. The climax also felt super rushed and I wish it had taken longer than a couple of pages.

However, here is what Cyla Panin did well:
- The description of the scratches/claw marks on the bodies
- The woods were super spooky
- Unique retelling and writing style

I think this book was more of a "me" problem - I totally see why other readers enjoyed it, but it just didn't work for me. I wanted to enjoy this book so much more because the author is so kind and offered me an eARC. But I need to tell the truth.

Even though I disliked many parts of this book, it was a good read to kick off fall.

Thank you Penguin Teen, Netgalley, and Ziran Jay Zhao for sending me an eARC of Iron Widow to read and give an honest review.

"Be their nightmare."

Content Warnings:
- Violence and Abuse
- Torture
- Suicide Ideation
- Discussion & references to sexual assault (though no on-page depictions)
- Alcohol addiction

The girls of Huaxia dream of being a One True Match to a Chrysalis (giant transforming robots powered by qi that battle Hunduns, mecha aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall) pilot so they can be elevated in life and serve their country. Most often though, these females are just concubines and can't handle the mental strain; they die.
When 18-year-old, headstrong Zetian offers herself up as one of these concubines, it's to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister's death. But she kills him through the psychic link between pilots and their concubines, which no one expected, and emerges from the cockpit unscathed. She is then called the "Iron Widow," a feared and silenced kind of pilot simply for being female - she has more strength than the male and therefore kills THEM instead of herself.
To tame her unnerving yet high mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, a murderer, but also the strongest pilot out on the field in Huaxia. But now that Zetian knows what real power feels like, controlling a Chrysalis on her own, she will not give it up so easily. She misses no opportunities to leverage their valuableness and infamy to survive. At least, until she figures out exactly why there is unfairness towards females in their society AND can stop more girls from being sacrificed.

First of all, the characters were well-written. I loved Zetian's fire, though sometimes I thought it was a bit much and that her emotions clouded her judgment. I didn't see much character development in her - even in the beginning, she was headstrong and fiery. I didn't really feel that the other characters had much personality besides going through some trauma or being kind like Shimin and Yizhi.
Secondly, the plot was fantastic. There was a lot of action and the pacing was on point. I think the polygamous relationship was an interesting touch as I've only read one book with that once before (Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare).
Thirdly, the worldbuilding was okay. I think there was just a LOT of it in Iron Widow. In the beginning, I almost stopped reading immediately because the words didn't make any sense to me (it was a bit of an info dump with "Chrysalis", "Hunduns", etc.). The world felt very dystopian to me, but I don't think it's on Earth, so I'm not sure if it would be dystopian then. There is a lot of extra technology, so if you like sci-fi books, this is a great new release for you.
The second half was my favorite part with all of the action and the subplots. I also enjoyed the ending - it was definitely mind-blowing, although I didn't like that Zetian became "Queen". She seemed a bit crazy at the end and more totalitarian than before. I look forward to reading the sequel!

"Surround yourself with those who love you always, through your mistakes and your faults. Make a family that will find you more beautiful every day, even when your hair is white with age. Be the light that makes someone's lantern shine."

Wow! This book surprised me in all the best ways possible! This was only my second Elizabeth Lim book (Reflection was my first) and was astounded.

First of all, I need to talk about why I didn't give this book 5, or even 4.5, stars. It was very hard for me to get into. I didn't like Shiori's character because she seemed ignorant and a little entitled. Maybe this was because of her upbringing, but I just couldn't connect with her at first. I didn't like the writing style of the book at the beginning either. The plot was slow and dull from the start till around the 45% mark.
However, as the story progressed, I could see the change in Shiori more and more. The story and plot itself became much more developed and enjoyable - it kept my attention throughout the whole 50 to 100%.
My favorite thing about this book was the worldbuilding through cultural ties. The food, the mythology, the stories that made up this world made me feel as though I could walk into the pages and into it. In addition, the one of the main twists I didn't see coming at all (though most of them seemed obvious to me lol) - Lim really faked the readers out on who the true villain was.

Overall, this story is magical and spell-binding. I highly recommend it if you enjoy mythology and learning about a culture. I cannot wait for the sequel and I am surely going to pick up The Blood of Stars duology soon!

Thank you to Mara Rutherford and Inkyard Press for sending me an ARC to read and give an honest review.

"I was lost, even before the tapestry. I was afraid of myself, of what I might become. And you found me. You were my light in the darkness."

This book was an enjoyable, fast read! If you enjoyed Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo, this is a book for you! It had many parallels to the S&B trilogy, including the childhood friends to lovers romance, a Mal (Evran in Luminous), a Darkling (Darius), an Alina (Liora), a Shadow Fold (the Shadow Tapestry), Margana is like the Darkling's mother, and the Lusiri were like the animal Amplifiers Alina and Mal were hunting.
Pretty much this is what goes on: Liora, our main character, has been told to hide her magic her whole life because if she doesn't, Darius, the king's warlock, will take her magic to grow his own power. Instead of taking her magic, he takes her little sister, Mina. And the only person who knows about her human glowstick magic is Evran, her childhood friend, who falls into the Shadow Tapestry. She has to save him to stop Darius from allowing the shadow world in the Tapestry devour their whole world. Liora must embrace her suppressed magic to help save the world.

The plot was pretty predictable. There were a few moments I was questioning who was really the antagonist and some of the twists were surprising. The world-building and characters were kind of bland The worldbuilding would've been better if Rutherford had better developed the setting versus only describing what Liora interacted with. I also thought the inclusion of mythology was just thrown in since it was only mentioned once throughout the entire book. I wish Rutherford had elaborated on the magic system - there was so much potential to make this a truly complex magic system. Alas . . .
There was also a lot more telling than showing which is one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to books. It would've been more impactful to the story if Rutherford had described how Liora felt by showing her emotions versus saying she felt "guilty" or "sad". This would've better developed her as a character and made the story-telling stronger.

Overall, though, the story itself was enjoyable which is why I give it 3.5 stars.

Definitely not the worst required reading I've ever read. Fahrenheit 451 had some really deep thoughts and very detailed consequences of censorship. A dystopian classic.