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theenchantedlibrary's reviews
620 reviews
The Romanovs: 1613-1918 by Simon Sebag Montefiore
4.0
Definitely need a physical copy of this book. I'd love to see the documents and images that accompanied the text
A Treason of Thorns by Laura E. Weymouth
3.0
*This ARC was provided by HarperCollins Canada in exchange for an honest review*
This is Laura E. Weymouth’s second young adult novel and has a very unique take on historical fantasy. Weaving fiction and fantasy together with well-known locations adds a whole new layer to magical possibilities of the past. I must say, the idea of having a series of Great Houses that control much of their immediate area was an interesting premise and something I haven’t seen done in quite this way before.
The overall feeling that I had while reading A Treason of Thorns was curiosity. I wanted to know the history of the Houses, the politics of the kingdom, how the magic worked, what kind of capacity Violet possessed to fix Burleigh, and so much more. As an avid epic fantasy reader, I love all of the world building and deep character analysis and this book had the makings of a very big world. The only downside to all of my questions is that they weren’t all answered. I think that for the average young adult fantasy reader, who hasn’t delved into the larger epic stories, would be fairly pleased with how the world is explained as the pacing is well-done and there is enough explanation given to get you through.
I think it is safe to say that me wanting more is a good sign that I enjoyed this story.
As I said before, the pacing is done well for for the general demographic that it is tailored to but I did find the writing fairly surface-level but this again ties into me enjoying world building, plot and characters being flushed out more.
I do wish I understood more about how the magic in the world works because, as it is, I had to take everything I was being told at face value and just try not to think too hard on it or else it fell apart. Additionally, I still haven’t been able to decide if the choice of writing in first person took me out of the story or not. I find it personally difficult to get into a new book that is written in first person until I am nearly halfway through.
Something that I did appreciate though was that there was no major focus on Violet needing a love interest. Anything having to do with one was placed solidly on the back-burner and more focus was placed on an old friendship that was allowed to go wherever it needed to. I enjoyed the fact that Violet was pretty independent but a lot of the initial research to figure out how to help Burleigh was placed on two characters that she came to trust a little too quickly for me. Eventually she does a lot of the dirty work and that was when I liked her character the most.
A Treason of Thorns was an overall delightful read for me that I devoured within a day. It reminded me a bit of The Secret Garden, Menagerie, The Waking Land, Caraval, and something completely it’s own. I do have things that I would change but it was a fun read that kept me wanting to know more and to see how it ends.
This is Laura E. Weymouth’s second young adult novel and has a very unique take on historical fantasy. Weaving fiction and fantasy together with well-known locations adds a whole new layer to magical possibilities of the past. I must say, the idea of having a series of Great Houses that control much of their immediate area was an interesting premise and something I haven’t seen done in quite this way before.
The overall feeling that I had while reading A Treason of Thorns was curiosity. I wanted to know the history of the Houses, the politics of the kingdom, how the magic worked, what kind of capacity Violet possessed to fix Burleigh, and so much more. As an avid epic fantasy reader, I love all of the world building and deep character analysis and this book had the makings of a very big world. The only downside to all of my questions is that they weren’t all answered. I think that for the average young adult fantasy reader, who hasn’t delved into the larger epic stories, would be fairly pleased with how the world is explained as the pacing is well-done and there is enough explanation given to get you through.
I think it is safe to say that me wanting more is a good sign that I enjoyed this story.
As I said before, the pacing is done well for for the general demographic that it is tailored to but I did find the writing fairly surface-level but this again ties into me enjoying world building, plot and characters being flushed out more.
I do wish I understood more about how the magic in the world works because, as it is, I had to take everything I was being told at face value and just try not to think too hard on it or else it fell apart. Additionally, I still haven’t been able to decide if the choice of writing in first person took me out of the story or not. I find it personally difficult to get into a new book that is written in first person until I am nearly halfway through.
Something that I did appreciate though was that there was no major focus on Violet needing a love interest. Anything having to do with one was placed solidly on the back-burner and more focus was placed on an old friendship that was allowed to go wherever it needed to. I enjoyed the fact that Violet was pretty independent but a lot of the initial research to figure out how to help Burleigh was placed on two characters that she came to trust a little too quickly for me. Eventually she does a lot of the dirty work and that was when I liked her character the most.
A Treason of Thorns was an overall delightful read for me that I devoured within a day. It reminded me a bit of The Secret Garden, Menagerie, The Waking Land, Caraval, and something completely it’s own. I do have things that I would change but it was a fun read that kept me wanting to know more and to see how it ends.
Watcher in the Woods by Kelley Armstrong
4.0
I am a sucker for this series, I will say that right off of the bat. I have been a fan of Kelley Armstrong’s for over 15 years but this is easily one of my favourites that she has written. The ironic thing is that I am actually not the biggest fan of thrillers or mysteries for many reasons which includes the fact that the ‘whodunnit’ is never really surprising to me.
That is where this series stands out.
Being that this is book 4, I am fully invested in the town that is Rockton. I have come to know the locals, know that the council is shady as heck and know that Casey and Dalton are #goals. The writing draws you in immediately. As a reader, I get a perfect sense of the surroundings and the atmosphere that comes with a story being set in the Yukon wilderness. I feel the cold, I understand the dangers of the wildlife and everything else that hides within and beyond Rockton. For some reason I always fear that I won’t find certain scenarios believable - or as believable as one can expect of fiction - but interactions never come off as forced and anything that happens in the woods is completely reasonable… not to mention interesting.
Kelley Armstrong continues to ravel and unravel this web of a story as she calls back to small character moments from the past books and gives them more weight. Each time I come across one of these moments, it’s clear to me that either on paper or in her mind, she knows each of her characters inside and out and is completely conscious of every decision they make. You could say “Remember that one seemingly innocuous thing that *fill character name in here* did in book 2? Well it turns out their backstory totally informed on that moment.” And while she is slowly unraveling motivations (and more), she is also delving deeper into what is happening behind the scenes of this town that we’ve come to know. Not to mention the fact that she is planting seeds for things going on within the woods that will definitely come up in future books.
Watcher in the Woods masterfully takes you along for the ride of figuring out who the murderer is and leaves you just as confused and elated right along with Casey. There are twists and turns and all of what you should come to expect but, at one point or another, I could have seen any one of the suspects being the killer.
While all of the twists and turns do their job to plant seeds of doubt and blame, I did get a sense of confusion as I read it because I was not sure where we were at in terms of who the suspect was. This really is me nitpicking though because it could have been purposefully done to lead the reader astray or to give them that sense so that the final reveal was more of a surprise or more earned.
This book has been on my mind all year and now I cannot wait for the 5th book. If the publishing remains on trend, we should be looking for a February/March 2020 release and who knows what kind of chaos is going to come out of Casey having her sister around AND the fallout of one other newcomer in particular.
I, for one, will be eagerly awaiting the next installment… as always.
That is where this series stands out.
Being that this is book 4, I am fully invested in the town that is Rockton. I have come to know the locals, know that the council is shady as heck and know that Casey and Dalton are #goals. The writing draws you in immediately. As a reader, I get a perfect sense of the surroundings and the atmosphere that comes with a story being set in the Yukon wilderness. I feel the cold, I understand the dangers of the wildlife and everything else that hides within and beyond Rockton. For some reason I always fear that I won’t find certain scenarios believable - or as believable as one can expect of fiction - but interactions never come off as forced and anything that happens in the woods is completely reasonable… not to mention interesting.
Kelley Armstrong continues to ravel and unravel this web of a story as she calls back to small character moments from the past books and gives them more weight. Each time I come across one of these moments, it’s clear to me that either on paper or in her mind, she knows each of her characters inside and out and is completely conscious of every decision they make. You could say “Remember that one seemingly innocuous thing that *fill character name in here* did in book 2? Well it turns out their backstory totally informed on that moment.” And while she is slowly unraveling motivations (and more), she is also delving deeper into what is happening behind the scenes of this town that we’ve come to know. Not to mention the fact that she is planting seeds for things going on within the woods that will definitely come up in future books.
Watcher in the Woods masterfully takes you along for the ride of figuring out who the murderer is and leaves you just as confused and elated right along with Casey. There are twists and turns and all of what you should come to expect but, at one point or another, I could have seen any one of the suspects being the killer.
While all of the twists and turns do their job to plant seeds of doubt and blame, I did get a sense of confusion as I read it because I was not sure where we were at in terms of who the suspect was. This really is me nitpicking though because it could have been purposefully done to lead the reader astray or to give them that sense so that the final reveal was more of a surprise or more earned.
This book has been on my mind all year and now I cannot wait for the 5th book. If the publishing remains on trend, we should be looking for a February/March 2020 release and who knows what kind of chaos is going to come out of Casey having her sister around AND the fallout of one other newcomer in particular.
I, for one, will be eagerly awaiting the next installment… as always.