 5 stars
Absolutely brilliant, give me 10 of them right now. This was FRESH, new, and exciting in a way that I haven't felt about a fantasy read in quite some time. Concept: ★★★★★ World building: ★★★★★ Plot/Pacing: ★★★★ 1/2 I find the more fantasy I read, the less excited I get about new books—because odds are, they'll remind me of something else I've read. That's NOT a criticism of all books, just a fact about frequency and how there's only so many ways to do certain types of stories. So it's always a huge, huge joy when I find a book like this. The Tainted Cup is a gorgeous, hybrid kind of thing. Part high fantasy—with an atmosphere of low fantasy—and part murder mystery, this novel lives in the middle of the venn diagram for a lot of subniche interests. We follow the story of Dinios "Din" Kol, the assistant to investigator Ana Dolabra, as he works to solve a murder mystery in the far reaches of the Empire, a fantasy coastal world with an emphasis on organic plant life, wet seasons, and... leviathans from the sea. Yes. Follow me. With the core murder mystery at hand, Din and Ana dive into their complex world of contagions, altered bodies, walled rings of caste systems, political corruptions, and survivalist populations in a world that feels like a very unique blend of Pacific Rim-level kaiju beings (yes, big monsters, named Leviathans in this story) and a Sherlock Holmes-style gentry mystery. I know, that's a LOT to process. But, in a truly spectacular blend of brilliant storytelling and good writing, the author masterfully sucks us into this complex world in bite-sized pieces while keeping the easily digestible murder mystery plot at the forefront. Hence my comment earlier that this novel is both high- and low-brow fantasy feeling in equal measure. However, let the record state that this novel is not like other genre hybrids of its type in the low fantasy area—there is a refreshing seriousness to the writing that I appreciated, as most novels that get this "wacky" get very campy as a result. The Tainted Cup is NOT that kind of novel, to assure other readers like me who are not usually a fan of that kind of storytelling. I couldn't put this book down, folks. The Tainted Cup was gripping as hell and a fun time to boot, and I am SO glad to hear it is a series so that we can more of this world and these characters. Come for the Sherlock Holmes pitch, stay for really interesting worldbuilding and well-written characters.
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 2 stars
What the actual heck was this. I liked it enough to finish reading it—hence the 2 stars and not a 1 star rating—but it was lowkey a mess. The Courting of Bristol Yeats is a hotly anticipated romantic fantasy release that received a TON of hype this year. It has it all right there in the pitch: a beloved YA author writes an adult romantic portal fantasy involving hot fae, intriguing portal door magic, and an approachable female main character. That flytrap of a pitch caught me, and caught me GOOD. I eat those kinds of stories UP. It's been several weeks since I've read this novel, so let's ignore the stereotypical "here's what this book is about" portion of the review because listen, the blurb is right there in the book's description and the details are already fuzzing for me so we're better off getting right to the point. I have no gentle way of saying this, so pardon my bluntness but... Was this novel edited or peer reviewed? Was it written on such a tight deadline that it didn't receive a logic pass? I know, super harsh. But I'm sorry... this book honestly made such little sense that I questioned whether I was even reading the novel properly or not, or if it was a me problem. (Let's be honest, call me out if it's a me problem.) It started out very strong. I liked Bristol, I enjoyed the story setup, and the logic flow from chapter to chapter made sense and felt like the dozens of novels in its type that I've read and loved before. But then, we got into the main plot arc. Without going into explicit spoilers, I can't really footnote these opinions properly, but in summary here's what kind of issues I had with this novel: 1. The "action" of this story happened almost exclusively off-page. As in, there WAS exciting, action-driven content happening in this world. But it seemed to happen in-between our chapters? And was almost always recapped via description and dialogue after the fact. 2. Because the majority of the action was off-page, this meant that 80% of this novel felt like filler / montage content that seemed to go nowhere and exist purely for the vibes. Bristol feeling things, Tyghan (the fae king love interest) feeling things, people talking about things, etc. It was a frustrating edging experience where I WANTED us to DO things and instead we lived in the micro-scenes of minutiae in between content. 3. The timeline of this novel... was not fact-checked. I'm not a detailed reader, this kind of thing usually doesn't even make my radar. But Bristol enters the faerie world and is essentially given a 3-month timeline, and that timeline is VERY important to the plot. But then we get recap moments that explain "days are passing" over and over and over again and the math... doesn't math. There aren't that many weeks inside of 3 months, no matter how you slice it (and there's no time-y stuff happening, this is a linear timeline). Some of the chapters illuminate that WEEKS are passing off page, and on the page it's many days passing... so much time flowing by without us actually experiencing much more than dialogue and internal musings, and again, it's all supposedly within a 3-month window? I'm calling B.S., it was so distracting that I found myself irritatedly tallying timelines while reading. 4. The love story had some logic-based issues. Mainly, that it was trying for a slow burn... and it was succeeding... but then a moment happens and WHAM BAM!!! All the sudden our well-done romantasy slow burn novel turned into the epitome of instalove and it honestly ruined the characterizations of both main characters in different ways. I truly, truly can't express how dramatic that shift was—and how QUICK it happened—on the page. Follow that shift with a kind of squicky/Oedipal flashback sequence right after it and it truly gave this novel a "Before the Incident" and "After the Incident" energy that I did not appreciate at all. 5. And then, beyond all of this, we also had more than 8 different POVs throughout this 500 page novel, but their inclusions to the story didn't enhance the narrative at all—it just muddied the already muddy waters. 80% of this novel was a relatively even split-POV between the two leads, Bristol and Tyghan. But then we continued to have these interjections of POVs that all felt like the same voice, but were dramatically different people, and all of them gave us more plot details that were told to us, not shown to us, in increasingly irritating ways that seemed like narrative cop-outs to action scenes that should have occurred with Bristol herself. 6. My last and final quibble, in this rant review to end all rant reviews, is the fact that ending of this fantasy novel is literally insane. The last 10% worked like many novels in this romantasy category. So many reveals! So many twists! Much drama! Angst! The need for an Intense Romantic Climax! And all that was fine, it was actually kind of interesting for me, which was a new feeling after 300 pages of confusing irritation. But then...the last 3 pages? Was actually unhinged and so out-of-pocket for both this novel's scenario AND for honestly any novel, ever. I can truly say that's not something I've ever considered to be "cliffhanger appropriate". I closed the novel and immediately said "wtf" over and over again, so take of that what you will. (Nothing against the WHAT of what happened, but the WHY and WHEN was insane.) Anyways, if you made it this far, we're besties now because this is essentially a transcript of the phone call rant I made to my friends after finishing this. My recommendation is: try other novels instead unless you're really, REALLY interested in this story/author and the above issues don't bother you.  5 stars
Obsessed with this. There is nothing I love more than a hybrid-genre, convoluted, and dramatic mess mixed with the occult and dark academia. Evocation is a dash of polyamory, a dash of messy rich people, a heavy dusting of the occult, a moderate dumping of modern-day Boston, and a clash of speculative mixed with academia mixed with paranormal fantasy vibes. Concept: ★★★ Pacing: ★★★★★ Characters: ★★★★★ Vibes: ★★★★★ As a teen, David Aristarkhov was a psychic prodigy, operating under the shadow of his oppressive occultist father. Now, years after his father’s death and rapidly approaching his thirtieth birthday, he is content as a Boston attorney, moonlighting as a powerful medium for his secret society. But with power comes a price, and the Devil has come to collect on an ancestral deal. David’s days are numbered. Reluctantly, he reaches out to the only person he’s ever trusted, his ex-boyfriend and secret Society rival Rhys, for help. However, the only way to get to Rhys is through his wife, Moira. Thrust into each other’s care, emotions once buried deep resurface, and the trio race to figure out their feelings for one another before the Devil steals David away for good… This book has oddly low ratings, considering it's a new favorite read for me. I think it's a mix of a few issues. The first and largest one being that this novel is not too much of any one thing. The dark academia folks coming from The Secret History aren't finding enough literary descent into madness. The occult baddies are not finding enough buzzwords and practical plot developments to make this feel like a dark tapestry of occult happenings. And the people who like strictly fantasy, or horror, or speculative, are confronted with this hybridized version of all three concepts wrapped up in a package that feels very... contemporary fiction vibes with its modern-day dramas and emotional politics between late 20-somethings in Boston. I like it all, folks, so this series opener was a smash hit for me. The exes drama? On point. The slow-build poly negotiations? Exquisite. The culture clash of old-world occult with talk of cell phones and Boston apartment costs? I love that duality. Evocation will be a slow-burn hit for those who like to read a little bit of everything. I hope it finds its audience, as I NEED the author to keep going and write us more about these characters and their world. I'm obsessed. Very much looking forward to where ST Gibson takes us with this series, especially as we move beyond the opening act of relationship-dynamic excavation and move on to the good stuff in the demonic plot and the (hopefully) good ending for all of our favs on the page.  5 stars
A new favorite book!! Like a continued conversation of C.S. Lewis' Narnia but with some much-needed modern updates and encapsulating the most important bit: the joy of portal fantasy. Concept: ★★★★ Pacing: ★★★★★ Characters: ★★★★ Plot: ★★★★ As boys, best friends Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell went missing in a vast West Virginia state forest, only to mysteriously reappear six months later with no explanation for where they’d gone or how they’d survived. Fifteen years after their miraculous homecoming, Rafe is a reclusive artist who still bears scars inside and out but has no memory of what happened during those months. Meanwhile, Jeremy has become a famed missing persons’ investigator. With his uncanny abilities, he is the one person who can help vet tech Emilie Wendell find her sister, who vanished in the very same forest as Rafe and Jeremy. Sometimes, there are stories that come out of nowhere and knock you back on your feet in pure joy. The Lost Story was one of those tales for me. I went into this novel with little to no expectations—it was my Book of the Month book club pick, and seemed like the best of the lot in a lackluster selection pool. So it was to my pleasant surprise that I found myself captivated by this fairytale of childhood escapades colliding with adult dreams. If you were a Narnia kid, you've got to give this novel a try. (And, if you weren't a Narnia person for the religious reasons, rest assured that this story is a safe space for you too as religion is not a factor in this remake.) The Lost Story is about two adult men coming together again after decades of separation and separate grief periods following a mysterious lost period of their childhood. It's also about an adult woman looking for her long-lost sister, who she never knew but has always mourned. And it's about "finding" in all of its forms. Finding your way, finding love, finding home, finding what was once lost. Like all the best fairytales, this story isn't that deep yet hits all of the deep notes. We're not excavating Christianity like C.S. Lewis, and we're not trying to take any moral stance on anything. But we are coming to the meaning of love, and acceptance, and overcoming childhood traumas to discover inner peace. I think it's best to go into this novel with little more than that as preparation—part of the magic is in the joy of experiencing this story for what it is. However, please note there are some trigger warnings: childhood abuse, parental abuse of father to child (not sexual), trauma from those experiences affecting the child as an adult, confronting your abuser, homophobia.  3.5 stars
When the Moon Hatched was equally interesting and unwieldy. It was a very cool world concept and an interesting premise, but the story fell apart under the author’s meandering scene structures and overwritten length. However, I did enjoy the raw hunk of narrative within the mess, so….? It’s one of those series that I think will improve with later installments. Concept: ★★★★★ Pacing: ★ 1/2 Action vs. filler scenes: ★★ 1/2 World building: ★★★★ This is a reaction review, please see the book's description for the blurb. When the Moon Hatched is one of those independently published novels that got picked up by a traditional publisher because of the grassroots marketing and hype. I'm not trying to knock it or call it out for this reason, but for those who are not plugged in to the publishing world updates and/or read this review after 2024 when the hype dies down, I think it is relevant information to have. I have mixed feelings about independently published books. On the one hand, I LOVE THEM. It's a way for authors to publish books without the red tape, and it often leads to more freedoms and control for marginalized authors who can't get through the maze of the uptight publishing machine. It also leads to some really, really great books. But on the other hand... traditionally published books are vetted like nobody's business. They're ruthlessly edited for length, consistency, pacing, and more. They're shaped into final products, and there is (usually) a quality control element that ensures that the book you pick up in the store is going to work out for you on a mechanical level, if not an enjoyment level due to optional factors like tastes, writer's voice, and actual plot contents. I unfortunately do not think that When the Moon Hatched is a final product like those traditionally published novels or some of my favorite independently published authors. It has such a cool world: There's dragons in it, but dragon's aren't the be-all, end-all of the world building (something that tends to be the easy hook for other dragon books). Everyone is fae, with all the usual tropes that entails PLUS a fun elemental magic element that is truly unique involving the elemental gods. The customs, phrasings, and set up of this world is SO intriguing and immersive that I found myself immediately wishing for more fanart and spin-offs to the concept—it's a rich enough world to sustain that. It also has a pretty decent hook: Raeve, our female protagonist, is an assassin-for-hire in the rebel underground who has deep secrets and a revenge vendetta that fuels her motivations—and she's about to find herself in the middle of a huge quest plot involving a hot dude. Yes, it's been done by many of the titans of romantasy and fantasy, but it's a solid hook and I like reading that kind of story. So where did When the Moon Hatched fall apart?? Easy answer: the meandering length. This whopper 700+ page tome did not have enough raw plot/action to cover that kind of page count, so what could have been an unputdownable 400-500 page experience became a slog involving multiple sessions of "sigh, let me try to get through more of this today" energy that felt unfulfilling due to the sheer amount of filler content and repetitive scene structures in the novel. Too many scenes with Raeve being the "mentally traumatized yet outwardly tough assassin who can't trust anyone" mixed with Kaan, the male love interest w/ harsh kindness and unbelievable magical strength who clearly knows more than Raeve and yet doesn't tell her the facts. (Such an annoying dichotomy that only carries you for the first few hundred pages before you lose all patience with the concept and just want the truth already so that the real plot can progress). I was tolerant of this trope for the first 400 pages because a) it's in a lot of these stories and I don't mind it when it's done well and b) there was so much going on / getting explored in the world and plot that it wasn't a plot crutch, it was just waiting for its turn. That patience dissolved with prejudice when, in the second half of the novel, we sat in this loop of nonsense—repeated types of actions, repeated interactions with characters, odd side quests, barely fleshed out introductions of new POVs after an already established 2-POV structure—where the delays to information served...no real purpose. The weight of the payoff collapsed, and I was left frustrated, angry, and bored. Never a good combo for a reader! HOWEVER, all that griping and negativity aside, I thought this tale had that extra "something" to it that makes for a good story. I think, with editing, this series could really turn into something epic. I am looking forward to the sequel and will definitely revisit this world again.  4 stars
The fae are fickle, wicked things—and the worst thing a human can do in their presence is be interesting... Pacing: ★★★★★ Characters: ★★★ 1/2 Sense of mystery: ★★★★ Romance: ★★★ 1/2 Tropes: why choose, male/female pairing, unreliable narrator, multiple love interests, faeries, deadly game/competition, primal(ish), morally grey, enemies-to-lovers, slowwww burn, unresolved mysteries in first book. As a Holly Black, Melissa Marr, and OG faerie reader, I like my fae the old way. I want them to be unable to lie but viciously able to talk circles around their truths. I want them to be inhumanly powerful and jaded by their long lives to the point where normal moralities have left them. I want them to have personalities and jawlines sharp enough to cut a knife. I want them to feel undomesticated and wild, like a predator that you know you shouldn't bring inside your home. (I don't think these things are too much to ask.) Wilde Fae delivers on THOSE kind of fae. And I was so here for it. There are no wings here, no shadow daddies, no "I'm big and tough but yet still somehow super empathetic". (There's nothing wrong with those traits, I hold them as my precious in their time and place.) The fae men of this novel are actually dangerous, they do not care if you make it to the end of the night, and the only thing that truly terrifies them is boredom. So for our main character, Lonnie, the true terror she deals with is this: she's interesting. Lonnie is interesting to the fae every day, due to some odd spark in her aura that she's terrified to acknowledge. Being interesting is already bad enough—but when one fateful night leads to a shocking outcome, Lonnie finds herself in a whole new realm of unwelcome fae attention. Specifically, the attention of the ruling fae family: the Everlast. And it's a toss up on whether she's going to survive to the end. The wicked brothers of the Everlast family all have different reasons to hate Lonnie. But due to the bindings of their house and the situation Lonnie finds herself in, they can't end her... yet. Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer... Clearly, I loved this novel and had a lot of fun reading. Here are some specific, non-spoiler reasons why: - The slowest of slow burns. It's rare to have a fae-based romantasy where the characters build their tension in a realistic time frame. I loved that this novel didn't speed things up to fit anything into this first book in the series. - The unresolved mysteries. The fae and Lonnie are all holding their own secrets, and again, in a unique turn of events this novel does not reveal any of them. I'm hooked on the unknown, and I'm thrilled that these questions are propelling us into the second book without a ton of hasty reveals. - Not bogging the reader down with dense descriptions. I'll repeat, I'm a fan of Holly Black. Which means I'm a fan of a story that is plot first, dialogue second, and descriptions third. I can set the scene myself with the colors of the room and the outfits and the set decor and etc.—give me the action elements, as that's what I want. This novel danced that line perfectly. - And again, for the people in the back, the depictions of the fae. I enjoyed the commitment to their fickle, vicious natures. Lonnie's never actually safe, which makes sense due to the setup. But there are enough crumbs there for a us romance girlies that keeps this story from being a dark/grim romance. This is NOT a non-con/dub-con scenario, it's just a morally grey setup with some dangerous players.  3 stars
This was…bizarre. More bizarre than I was expecting even given the screwball pitch. But it was fun? Concept: ★★★★★ Pacing: ★★ Actual plot: ★★ Humor/Shenanigans: ★★★★ Sometimes, you read a book for the vibes. Assistant to the Villain is that book. Evie Sage needs a job. Her father is ill, her sister is young, and they have no money. So when she encounters The Villain—the land's most notorious criminal and murderer!!—in the woods on the run from the king's guard, Evie finds herself in the bizarre position of accepting The Villain's offer of employment. Evie handled herself well in the crisis of escape, and The Villain wants her to handle his office. It turns out Evie is the perfect personal assistant to The Villain. From office drama to document filing disasters, Evie has The Villain's lair in tip-top shape. Her drama with the office manager, dastardly Becky, is a prick in her side, but Evie won't let that get to her. She is a professional. (Even when the severed heads of The Villain's enemies drip blood on her when she's trying to get to her desk.) The Villain has no idea how he came to have Evie in his employ. She's fearless, she's clumsier than any human ought to be and make it alive to adulthood, and she's determined to succeed in her profession. (The Villain refuses to acknowledge that he would do a great many things to keep Evie's mood happy and content. Her smile and twinkling personality do absolutely nothing to the odd flutter in his stomach when she's nearby.) But like all evil overlords, The Villain has those who wish him dead. And as a plot to end his reign of terror unfolds, Evie and The Villain find themselves trying to find a hidden culprit before its too late... My thoughts: From that pitch, you know this is an odd satirical tale. It's like The Office mixed with medieval villainy, and it's a screwball pitch on a good day. Mix in a dash of romantic drama, some very iconic yet limited side characters, and you've got quite a narrative setup. And I'll be honest... it was fun. Was it my favorite though? No. This concept was fantastic, and the author clearly has a talent for the odd mix of Monty Python energy mixed with grounded plot. But in full transparency, this book was a lot. It was both easy to put down and very exhausting to try to read in large chunks. With a lot of sameness in the humor and some interesting turns in the plot that lost me rather than gripped me, Assistant to the Villain was a book that I found myself enjoying but not loving. I also assumed this novel was a standalone, but it VERY clearly is not. So be warned for an unresolved ending that apparently has two more books... However, all that being said, I am intrigued enough to continue and see where the author takes us.  4.5 stars
It's a rare thing to find a high fantasy that takes a familiar playbook and shakes something fresh out of the dust. This one does it, and she does it WELL. Don't sleep on this indie fantasy series. World building: ★★★★ Plot/Pacing: ★★★★★ Characters: ★★★★★ Enjoyment: ★★★★★ When you start Daughter of No Worlds, you're likely going to think about its similarity to a few very popular fantasy and young adult fantasy popular works. That's okay, because this novel does start in a somewhat familiar setting: it's a girl in a world against her, with some unique traits that make her a target who starts at the bottom of the ladder in an oppressed way—and she's going to do something about it. That's a template that we know. Especially when it is paired with the older male, world-weary yet powerful, who finds himself drawn into the young woman's powerful, world-shaping energy. But once you move beyond that surface-level introduction, Daughter of No Worlds begins to shine from the deep and grow with intensity with each reveal and new element. This author is playing the long game, and the further you dive in, the prettier the pearls. A formerly enslaved woman with a need to succeed. A former warrior captain with scars and a weary acceptance of power corrupts. A world on the brink of war. A change in the air. Enter the world of Daughter of No Worlds. I promise you won't be disappointed, and I promise that the bland blurb that you read—which, yes, I agree is like many a blurb for many a romance fantasy--is hiding some really cool and very unique things. Tisaanah is a female protagonist that I understood on a deep level. She's not the best at everything, but she doesn't have to work for everything overly hard either. Her passion is deep but her capacity for brute force and single-minded focus allows her to make the difficult calls when others would balk. She's aware of her place in the world, and she's aware that everything between her and her goal is a fight that she needs to strategize to win. Max is a male love interest/mentor figure who REALLY surprised me. He is no Rowan Whitethorn with his past battles and trauma. (I am the biggest Rowan stan, so let's not slander my man here either, Rowan is great and has his place.) Max is a soft boy with hard edges, less than 10 years older than our protagonist, and he'd rather garden all afternoon than train Tisaanah in the art of magic and power plays—until, of course, push comes to shove and his claws come out. His arc was one of the freshest I've read for this kind of fantasy and I loved that. And there's a third intriguing character here that stands apart from our two mains and slightly off from our side characters... I won't spill the secret, but let's just say that element took me COMPLETELY by surprise and immediately catapulted this series into another unique level for me. This is where the series deviates dramatically from others you've read before and cracks open into something fresh. I can't wait to see how this all plays out in the trilogy. Time for book two!  4.5 stars
This was an addictive read--fun and flashy, yet still a normal "competition" fantasy romance...until it surprised me and ripped open into something devastating and shiny. Then it became a new favorite. Setting: ★★★ Plot/Pacing: ★★★★★ Characters: ★★★★ Enjoyment: ★★★★★ Before we begin, a rambled note on TikTok: In my opinon, TikTok is an odd zone for the book community. It's large, obviously, and a lot of people love it. I love that for them. But overall... I struggle. I almost never agree with the flashy/quick recommendation videos based on hype and aesthetics vs. actual similarities between books. I think they're formed on the fly in the hype culture of fast recs vs. quality recs, and I also think it's often the same books in the rec pot across the board. (This isn't a TikTok specific hate, I've always grumbled about Instagram and YouTube too when it comes to "if you like this, try this" content.) So usually, I avoid all TT recommendations like the plague until someone I trust and/or actually know takes a bite of the apple. In a totally unexpected and surprising turn of events, Amy read a TikTok-recommended fantasy romance. (Did you hear that? It was the reality paradigm, it cracked in half when I typed that sentence.) No, seriously, it's true. This ridiculous anti-platform gremlin/stick-in-the-mud reader picked up The Serpent and the Wings of Night because it refused to leave her alone, and there was something deep down that made her go... maybe they're right, maybe this is awesome. And it WAS. Imagine if you took everything you liked and stirred it into one pot. For me, it's a combination of the following ingredients (let's make a potion together): -A deadly game, competition, or high-stakes survival scenario -A female protagonist with *actual* hard edges/reasons to be a badass -A male love interest who has more character traits than 1) I Am Powerful/Deadly/The Black Sheep, and 2) Relentlessly Attracted to FMC" (it's amazing how many SFF men fail this test—even some of my favs.) -A unique world, bonus points for a clever twist of the usual tropes -A sense of actual doom/high stakes/death impending -Realistic fighting -Actually consequences/death -A well-done, slower-burn romantic pacing -Decent dialogue for the steamy scenes -Great writing all around -More than 1 side character with a backstory and personality And that's it. I'm a simple girl, with simple needs.... and a longgg laundry list of things that need to hit right for me to love the fantasy romances. I usually love books that include at least two thirds of my list—it's not like I sit there with my checklist, but anecdotally, I've noticed I tend to follow this list subconsciously in my book selections. The Serpent and the Wings of Night hit every. single. one. I read this book in ONE DAY and then read all of book two two days after that. Don't sleep on this one, fellow fantasy fans and those who like those things on my checklist. This book has it all.  5 stars
Yarros had the AUDACITY to put all of my favorite things in one book?? *fans self* Dragons, fights to the death, enemies to lovers, and a perfectly accessible writing style have made this an addictive series to watch. Plot/Pacing: ★★★★★ Characters: ★★★ Setting: ★★★★ Enjoyment: ★★★★★ This book really said, "Let's combine everything that worked in a bunch of fantasy books before and mash them into something awesome." And it worked. Fourth Wing has been all over the book community this spring. If you've somehow not heard of it yet, you will, and if you haven't broken under the hype train and tried this story out, then you are an insanely strong personality and I fear you. I had no desire to avoid this hype train—I've been eagerly awaiting it since this book popped up on my Amazon "you might be interested in..." window in late 2022. Dragon riders. A college segmented into quadrants. A quashed rebellion with lingering consequences. A longstanding war. Magic powers. A girl caught in the middle, tugged on by Fate. I know, I know. We've heard those things before, right? That's like Eragon + Divergent + Deadly Education + Red Queen + [insert blockbuster series here]. But Y'ALL. When I tell you that I couldn't put this book DOWN, I mean that I literally took it into the bathroom with me so that I could keep reading it. (Outing myself here, but you need to hear me right when I talk about this level of obsession.) I ignored texts for this book. I ignored meal times. Like I've already said, I took this book with me for calls of nature. Fourth Wing couldn't be stopped, and I was obsessed beyond reason. Addictive is the only word I can use to describe this reading experience and the subsequent fandom hype that happens after you finish. Unlike some popular reads out there—where let's be honest, once you gain some distance you realize flaws and your passion fades—I don't see this happening with Fourth Wing. I'm days out from my first read and I'm still wishing I could dive back into this world. This is so clearly a reaction review that I don't think I want to talk about anything specific in this story. The blurb pretty much covers it. My only caveat for Fourth Wing is related to its fanfiction-like status as a remix of the greatest trope hits: Listen, I know this book isn't a unique snowflake. But I literally don't care. There's something to be said for the talent required in taking an established set of ingredients and still baking something tasty that feels like a handmade treat tailored to you, you know? Ride the wave, y'all. It's so much fun. Thanks to the author for my copy in exchange for an honest review. |
Amy Imogene ReadsJust someone looking for her own door into Wonderland. Categories
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All reviews posted are my own and do not reflect the opinions of any other individual or entity. When applicable, reviewed titles sent to me by the publisher are noted at the bottom of each review.
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