Author: Stargrace

Just another gamer with too much time on her hands.

4/5 Stars: The Wicked King

This is my first full read of 2024 – there were a bunch of DNF books on my list, which I’ll write about a bit later, but this is the first one I just couldn’t put down.

This is the second book in the Folk of the Air series by Holly Black, and I was absolutely ready to continue the story of Jude, and her family. The book moved away from some of the teenage drama that we saw in the first (I was personally glad to see this) and into more politics – which I personally found refreshing.

This is one of those rare books where I couldn’t actually tell you what I thought the twists and turns of the plot would be or where they would end up – which is probably why I found it so fascinating, it has been a long time since a book enticed me in quite that way. Jude has done some growing up – she’s stronger, but she maintains her sense of loyalty at the same time.

Make sure you read the first book to the series before this one, they don’t work as stand alone books and brace your heart.

4/5 stars

2/5 Stars: The Inheritance Games

Another one of those books that I actually heard about on BookTok first, and decided to try out. I’m not sure why I thought the book would appeal to me but I decided to give it a go.

I enjoyed the writing style of this book. It was easy to read and beautiful – however. I absolutely did NOT enjoy the story, or the characters, at all.

“Traps upon traps… and riddles upon riddles”

There were no traps, no riddles. The book spent so much time focusing on drama between Avery and the other teenagers that sometimes I forgot what it was about. None of it made sense, and I didn’t enjoy the characters.

The dialogue didn’t hit any of the right notes with me, and the conclusion was underwhelming. I’m sure many others out there enjoy this read – but it was just not for me.

3/5 Star Review: Yours Truly

I’m not usually a huge fan of contemporary romance, but ‘Yours Truly’ by Abby Jimenez hit all the right notes, and was exactly the book I needed at the time that I read it. One of the main things that stood out is that the characters were relatable. There were situations that involved anxiety, and I could see myself in them. The characters were believable, and the story didn’t try to play down to a certain intelligence level.

There were some TW mentioned by the author, including cheating, medical issues, depression, and a mention of pregnancy loss & suicide. I appreciate that the author put this information forward, I wish more books would do that.

Over all, it was a good book to curl up with on a rainy day and just let my brain slow down – sometimes that’s exactly what I need.

3/5 stars

4.5/5 Stars: The Cruel Prince

This one caught me by surprise. I know it released back in 2018, but I had obviously been living under a rock and hadn’t heard about it. While browsing a book outlet store I stumbled into it, saw a few friends had read it (and they had positive reviews) so I decided to give it a whirl. It did take me a bit to get into, the setting felt a bit young for me personally (they’re a bunch of kids at school, there’s some bullying going on, everyone sort of rubbed me the wrong way – but I pushed through this).

The writing is fantastic. Holly Black easily pulled me into her world, and I enjoyed every second of it. I appreciated the darker / more sinister side of the fairy tale realm where it wasn’t all sunshine and roses. I did have a difficult time connecting with the protagonist at the start (Jude) but by the end of the book I felt like I understood her better, and could see her growth as a character enough that I purchased the rest of the trilogy.

A few TW for the book would have been appreciated, as it does deal with some heavy subjects such as murder, sexual abuse, suicide, physical abuse.

I’ve always been a fan of political intrigue in my fantasy books, and I feel like Holly Black did a great job with this one. Highly recommended.

4.5/5 stars

2/5 Stars: Fancy Meeting You Here

This book had far too many “ick” tropes, with sparsely scattered redeeming scenes.

Cliché after cliché.
“He was pricklier than my legs”
“Ben’s optimism was cautious, like a baby giraffe taking its first steps”

The one redeeming scene that pushed me to finish the rest of the book, was when the main character & love interest host a party, and disaster strikes. There’s a single line here, “Do you know why I have guests holding their mouths and their asses” – that I cackled in laughter about. Hilarious.

Drunk parties (ick) “He was so drunk. and cute.” – I’m just not the audience for this. There’s nothing cute about drunk men.
Chapter 20 included fat shaming. The main character is talking about snack tables and how long it took her to get ready due to her desire to eat / weight.
The ‘damsel in distress’ trope was over played (Ben rescued during wedding when she was being physically carried off, and then rescued again when she was being stopped by a journalist hounding her), and annoying. As was the main character’s disparage over herself. She’s so incredibly down on herself, and her life, it’s annoying and frustrating. She constantly self depreciates.

This line told me I’m simply not the audience for the book: “following you around the wedding like a simp” – I’m not the demographic. Not the books fault.

2/5

5/5 Star Review: Bookshops & Bonedust

I enjoyed reading Legends & Lattes, but I found the writing in this book had a much better flow, and it was easier for me to fall into the story. There’s a bit of romance, a little action, and of course who can forget Satchel. I’m obviously biased because the entire story takes place around books and a bookshop and everything about it just speaks to me on a personal level.

It’s such a pleasure to read these comfy cozy fantasy books. If I need a break from some heavier reads, Travis Baldree is an author I would absolutely lean towards. It may not be for everyone, you have to enjoy those light fluffy reads but I think if you go in not expecting too much, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

5/5 stars

5/5 Stars: Madly Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman

I do know there’s some controversy over whether or not Rickman would have wanted his diaries published, but I found them delightful to read, and I enjoyed how blunt some of the entries were. This bluntness made it easier for me to recognize Rickman as a human being, and I was able to piece together world events and political views. I didn’t need to agree with him or see eye to eye, I was simply interested in how this fascinating man thought, and these diaries gave me good insight into that.

They’re probably not for everyone, the writing is often in short form, almost note-like, and it can make it difficult to read and understand. Putting that aside, I still found it fascinating, from an actor I had watched for many years but who of course I’d never actually met in any way shape or form.

5/5 stars

5/5 Stars: Cassiel’s Servant, by Jacqueline Carey

As soon as I found out Jacqueline Carey would be returning to the world of Terre d’Ange, and this time from the perspective of Joscelin – I knew I was going to buy the book, and I was pretty confident that it would be a 5 star rating from me.

Even though many (many) years have gone by since I read Kushiel’s Dart, I was instantly brought right back, and I loved every second. I felt the story worked as a stand alone for those who were maybe not familiar with the story, but since it had been so long since I read the books, it also worked fantastic for me. If you are a newcomer to the series, I do suggest you pick up Kushiel’s Dart (if you enjoyed Cassiel’s Servant) so you can get acquainted with Phedre, as my rose coloured glasses consider that single book her best work.

I (as always) read it too quickly, even though I tried to savor it. Jacqueline Carey is a talented author who can write in numerous genres, but the ones that involve the Kushiel universe are some of her best (in my opinion).

5/5

2/5 Star Review: Master Your Emotions, By Thibaut Meurisse

I listened to this as an audiobook on YouTube, I’m pretty sure it was read by AI, which was pretty horrible, but I was determined to make my way through it. I also picked up a free copy on Amazon during a sale.

The author spends most of his time quoting others, and even says if you want to learn more you should go YouTube it. While I don’t think it was intentional, the tone was almost condescending, and there were plenty of groan-worthy moments. The ideas presented were simplistic in nature, so if you’re looking for a quick read (or listen) with basic ideas that you’ve probably already attempted on some scale, then look no further.

It also felt like there was a lot of repetition and confusion within the book. The author says ‘problems don’t exist’ and then also says ‘everybody has problems’. He talks over and over about how emotions are formed, how to be aware, how to let go, and how to deal with negative emotions – and is a bit all over the place with his ‘how to deal’ with aspects.

That being said, the book does have fairly high ratings over on Goodreads, sitting right now at 4.15 with 14,430 ratings. I’m not personally sure what those people saw in the book, but it really wasn’t for me.

2/5 stars