Stephanie Garber’s Caraval is a feast for the senses—a world dripping in vibrant hues, tantalising scents, ✩┊ read on kobo ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ 3.5 stars
Stephanie Garber’s Caraval is a feast for the senses—a world dripping in vibrant hues, tantalising scents, and whispered secrets that beckon like the rustle of silk in the dark. The novel sweeps readers into a magical carnival, promising thrills and heartbreak, a labyrinth of games where the line between illusion and reality blurs like watercolor on a rain-soaked page. But while Caraval is intoxicating in its sensory splendor, it occasionally stumbles under the weight of its own mysteries, leaving some threads dangling in the shimmering chaos.
Scarlett Dragna is an engaging protagonist, her cautious heart contrasting against the unpredictability of the game. Her tentative romance with Julian is as sweet as spun sugar, a delicate balance of trust and intrigue. However, as the story unfolds, the stakes of their connection begin to unravel. (view spoiler)[Julian’s sacrifices, though presented as heartfelt, ultimately feel hollow when the true nature of the game is revealed. If death is merely a reset button, then what are we to make of his grand gestures? If he played a part in the trauma experienced by Scarlett, how can we ensure that he has her best interests at heart? He only ever calls her by her name at the end of the book, his nickname for her discarded. The emotional resonance falters, leaving behind a faint echo of disappointment. (hide spoiler)]
The allure of *Caraval* lies in Garber’s gift for description. The world she conjures is a kaleidoscope of wonder—velvet dresses that seem to breathe, moonlight that carries secrets, and a carnival that hums with life. Yet for all its beauty, this world remains frustratingly opaque. What lies beyond the painted facades of Caraval? What rules govern its magic? And how does it all fit into the broader tapestry of its universe? These questions, tantalizing at first, eventually become a source of frustration. Scarlett’s perspective, though immersive, offers no firm foothold in understanding the reality she inhabits. The ambiguity becomes less a seductive veil and more an impenetrable fog.
The narrative is a wild and winding ride, and while the disorientation serves the theme of the game’s illusory nature, it often feels like a double-edged sword. The confusion can be thrilling—moments of “is it real or not?” ignite curiosity—but it also alienates readers who yearn for a deeper grasp of the world. The pacing at the end feels rushed, resolving its central mysteries without fully satisfying the questions that linger. Still, the lack of a cliffhanger is refreshing, offering closure while leaving the door ajar for future stories.
Perhaps the most divisive element is Tella, Scarlett’s sister and a focal point of the next books in the series. While her actions and motivations are hinted at, her character is not fleshed out enough to transcend initial impressions of petulance and recklessness. Without that depth, the prospect of following her story in subsequent books feels less enticing to me and I am not going to continue with the next books anytime soon.
Ultimately, Caraval is an enchanting, if imperfect, journey. It sparkles with potential and dazzles with its imagery, even as it stumbles in its worldbuilding and character dynamics. For those who crave lush prose and the thrill of the unknown, this book will cast its spell. For others, the spell may falter, leaving behind a faintly bittersweet aftertaste....more
If Skyward was a symphony of character, its melody soaring on Spensa’s fiery defiance and unyielding courage, Starsight is a stage set for plot—intricIf Skyward was a symphony of character, its melody soaring on Spensa’s fiery defiance and unyielding courage, Starsight is a stage set for plot—intricate, ambitious, yet achingly impersonal. The sequel to Brandon Sanderson’s electrifying Skyward trades the intimate dance of character-driven storytelling for the sprawling mechanics of a space opera. While the machinery hums with Sanderson’s trademark creativity, the soul that animated its predecessor seems dimmed, flickering behind layers of exposition and unyielding plot devices.
Where Skyward unfolded with the thrill of discovery—both of Spensa’s potential and the enemy Krell—Starsight unveils its universe with a mechanic's precision. Sanderson broadens the canvas, revealing new species and intergalactic tensions, but in doing so, the heart of the narrative feels scattered. Spensa’s journey no longer pulses with the immediacy of her rise to defy societal disdain. Instead, she becomes a cog in a grander machine, her vibrant personality subdued to propel the plot forward.
The kaleidoscope of alien cultures introduced here is undoubtedly inventive, and Sanderson’s exploration of miscommunication across species feels keenly observant. The awkward humour of mismatched emotional cues and unspoken misunderstandings is a highlight, glinting like starlight amidst the cosmic sprawl. Yet, the aliens themselves fail to inspire the awe or fear they seem designed to evoke. The Krell, once shrouded in menacing mystery, emerge as benign oddities—less shadowy predators and more like curious, harmless crustaceans.
The Spensa we fell in love with—the impulsive, fantastical risk-taker—feels lost among the stars. Her characterisation, so vivid in Skyward, now feels diluted. What remains of her traits appears accidental rather than intentional, her growth obscured by the vastness of the new narrative. Spensa’s interactions with others once acted as a mirror, reflecting her evolving self-perception. Here, those reflections are few and faint, leaving her untethered and less compelling.
This lack of connection extends to the supporting cast. The rich ensemble from Skyward is left behind, their absence keenly felt as new characters flit through the pages like spectres. They offer glimpses of potential but rarely linger long enough to resonate. Without these grounding relationships, the emotional stakes falter, rendering Spensa’s journey a solitary, muted affair.
Starsight builds its conflicts with methodical care, only to resolve them with a swiftness that undermines their weight. Lengthy training sequences and layered tension culminate in resolutions that feel frustratingly convenient. Problems that should challenge the very core of the characters are swept aside by sudden epiphanies or deus ex machina solutions. The climax lacks the satisfying resonance of hard-fought triumph, leaving the narrative's spine feeling brittle and undercutting its emotional impact.
Sanderson does attempt to grapple with weighty themes, particularly the ethical and psychological ramifications of war. However, the exploration feels constrained by the YA framework, which favours accessibility over depth. There are glimpses of profound ideas, but they skim the surface, leaving the reader yearning for a deeper dive into the moral quandaries that war inevitably brings.
Starsight is a paradox—a novel that soars with imaginative ambition yet falters under the weight of its own scope. Its cosmic expanse dazzles, but its heart feels distant, its characters like fading echoes of their former selves. For readers who adored the fiery, intimate pulse of Skyward, this sequel may feel like a dimmer star in the vast night sky. It is a tale told with skill, but it lacks the soul-stirring resonance that made its predecessor shine.
In the end, Starsight is a bridge—a necessary step in Spensa’s journey, but one that leaves the reader yearning for the stars it promises without quite delivering their light....more
Dark Rise by C.S. Pacat is a journey into a world where magic, morally grey decisions, and intricate characters collide. Having devoured Pacat's previDark Rise by C.S. Pacat is a journey into a world where magic, morally grey decisions, and intricate characters collide. Having devoured Pacat's previous series, Captive Prince, in my teenage years, I started this book with high expectations and it did not disappoint.
♡ Despite stumbling upon some spoilers on Tik Tok, Pacat's masterful storytelling still managed to keep me captivated all the way to the end. Although I was expecting some of the twists, there were so many of them that I still found myself pleasantly (or unpleasantly, depending on how you look at it) surprised. None of it is out of the blue. All of it makes sense. Pacat just spends so much time making you think that you’re going into a YA Book™ that you forget to look out for the depth until it hits you in the face. It has the prophesied hero, the rag-tag group of support characters, the love interest and the brooding bad guy but it also has so much more. Pacat is not afraid of tragedy. As a spoilery reminder for future me, (view spoiler)[ the hero (Will) is actually the dark king, the love interest (Katherine) is actually not the love interest and dies at the end of the book, the brooding bad guy (James) is actually a victim of abuse and one of his perpetrators in the past was Will, the ‘hero’ is actually Katherine or her little sister and all of the Stewards die. (hide spoiler)]
♡ Pacat is brilliant at writing shifting loyalties, intricate backgrounds and characters who are never quite as they seem. She has a knack for writing main characters that you can’t help but love. Will and Violet are the main POV’s of the story, both similar yet different. The quality of writing is brilliant for both of them although I would say that Will comes across as the main character. Nonetheless, there are a couple of characters that I think are just there for convenience (Katherine) and the ‘bad guy’ (Simon) has little nuance apart from being pathetic and evil. There is also an intense concentration of the world in the characters' immediate surroundings which leaves the rest of the world up to interpretation. Is it our world in the past, or somewhere entirely different? This didn’t bother me while I was reading it but now that I’m thinking about it, I actually don’t know?
♡ Despite being advertised in some circles as a romantasy, this has an incredibly slow burn. I would probably compare it to The Cruel Prince. Like Holly Black’s novel, Dark Rise focuses on politics and scheming with just a hint at the end of the book that romance might happen. I am personally a fan of this setup but it may be a deal breaker for other readers. I haven’t read the second book yet but I am predicting a lot of angst....more
The first section of this review is full of purple prose. If you find that difficult (or annoying) to read, please scroll down to section two where I The first section of this review is full of purple prose. If you find that difficult (or annoying) to read, please scroll down to section two where I state everything more plainly.
✩┊ section one ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆
In Legends & Lattes, Travis Baldree brews a tale steeped in warmth, a fragrant concoction of ambition, friendship, and the gentle hum of possibility. This is no raucous adventure or pulse-pounding epic—it is a tapestry woven with threads of quiet joy, where the most dramatic battles are against self-doubt and the greatest treasures lie in the steam rising from a freshly poured cup of coffee.
At its heart is Viv, an orc with a dream so tender it feels almost sacred: to leave behind the sword and forge a life of peace as a café owner in a bustling town where no one has ever heard of coffee. Her journey is not one of glory or conquest but of creation—a vision brought to life with hammer and nail, bean and brew. The café becomes a haven, its walls imbued with a magic far more profound than spells: the magic of connection, of shared laughter, of strangers becoming something much closer.
The supporting cast—quirky, whimsical, and undeniably charming—is the lifeblood of this story. Thimble, a shy, mouse-like baker perpetually dusted in flour, is an embodiment of fantasy’s power to disarm our preconceptions. In another setting, his twitchy demeanor might evoke suspicion, but here he is a beacon of endearment, crafting confections that bring sweetness to the soul as much as the palate. The fantasy setting acts as a balm, inviting the reader to suspend judgment and embrace the oddities of this delightful world.
Some critics might argue that the story’s essence could exist outside fantasy, but to strip away its magical trappings would be to dilute its charm. The fantasy lens elevates the ordinary to the extraordinary, allowing the characters and their choices to shimmer with a kind of otherworldly glow. In this world, helping an orc realise her coffee-infused dreams isn’t just plausible—it’s irresistible.
Where the novel falters, perhaps, is in its handling of romance. The tender thread of connection between Viv and her love interest feels more like the camaraderie of kindred spirits than the spark of lovers. Their bond, while beautiful in its own right, lacks the depth to justify its romantic turn. This is a story that thrives in the realm of the platonic, where relationships are built on mutual respect, shared laughter, and the simple joys of companionship.
Yet, these minor quibbles cannot overshadow the novel’s essence: Legends & Lattes is cosy fantasy at its finest. It invites the reader to step away from the chaos of the world and settle into a story where the stakes are low, the characters are lovable, and the joy is palpable. Like the perfect cup of coffee, it warms you from the inside out, leaving behind the sweet aftertaste of hope and contentment.
✩┊ section two ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆
I originally rated this 4 stars but have since upped it to 5 because I've realised that I don't want the story to have ended. ...more
The first section of this review is full of purple prose. If you find that difficult (or annoying) to read, please scroll down to section two where I The first section of this review is full of purple prose. If you find that difficult (or annoying) to read, please scroll down to section two where I state everything more plainly.
✩┊ section one ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆
The Emperor’s Soul is a masterpiece that whispers to the soul itself, a story that intertwines art, identity, and the human condition into a single, luminous thread. Brandon Sanderson, with his characteristic elegance, weaves a tale that is both hauntingly profound and dazzlingly imaginative, one that lingers in the mind like the brushstrokes of an unfinished masterpiece.
The story unfurls around Shai, a master Forger tasked with an audacious act of creation—imprinting a new soul upon a broken emperor. This premise is not merely a narrative device; it is an exploration of the very essence of humanity. What does it mean to be real? As Shai meticulously crafts her soul-forgery, the questions ripple outward like the echo of a chisel on stone. The emperor may act as himself, feel as himself, and rule as himself, but if his soul is a fabrication, is he truly alive? In a decade, when time has weathered the edges of Shai’s art, will the soul she created have become as real as the one he was born with?
Sanderson presents these questions with a quiet subtlety, never forcing philosophy upon the reader but letting it bloom naturally within the confines of the tale. It is a thought experiment wrapped in fantasy, a story that gently prods at the boundaries of artifice and reality. In an era where artificial intelligence begins to echo human behavior with unsettling clarity, The Emperor’s Soul feels both timeless and eerily prescient.
As I listened to the graphic audio version, the experience was immersive yet perhaps imperfect. The full-cast narration, rich soundscapes, and cinematic presentation brought the story to life with vibrancy, yet something of the novel’s nuances seemed to have been smoothed over in the translation. Shai’s inner turmoil, her delicate artistry, and her razor-sharp mind felt muted, perhaps by the actor’s performance or the inherent limitations of the format. The magic system, typically one of Sanderson’s most captivating creations, was harder to grasp without the intricate exposition that is his hallmark.
Still, the narrative’s core themes resonate with clarity: the tension between creator and creation, the nature of authenticity, and the power of art to transcend time and truth. Sanderson doesn’t just ask whether the emperor’s soul is real; he asks whether anything created is any less real because of its origin. Is a painting any less beautiful because of its forged provenance? Is a person any less human because their soul was pieced together by another?
Yet, as thought-provoking as it is, the story resolves itself with a neatness that some may find too convenient. Sanderson’s hallmark of crafting tightly plotted, satisfying conclusions is both a strength and a limitation here; the story’s philosophical depths might have been better served by an ending that left more ambiguity, more room to wonder.
The Emperor’s Soul is a story of questions, not answers, and therein lies its brilliance. It is a tale that lingers, not as a memory, but as a presence, a specter of ideas waiting to be pondered long after the final word. If the graphic audio experience dulled some of its facets, it did not diminish its radiance. For in the end, this is a story that does what all great art should: it transforms, it challenges, and it endures.
✩┊ section two ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆
I listened to the graphic audio version.
♡ What does it mean to be human? The Emperor's Soul asks this question without being overtly philosophical. It tackles it in a practical way but leaves you thinking about it long after. For example, (view spoiler)[the emperor has been cured but his soul has been 'created' by our main character. Is he a real person? Perhaps in the beginning stages, it is easier to say no. But what about in ten years? Our main character will not have seen him for a decade, but he will have a decade's worth of real experiences informing his actions. Will he be real then? (hide spoiler)] If something is not 'real', but has very real effects on the world around them, how do we classify that? I don't know the answer. I'm not sure that it's something that has an answer but, with the emergence of AI, I do think that it is a question that is going to be asked a lot more in the coming years.
♡ I'm treating this as a thought experiment as opposed to a fictional narrative. As a story, everything gets wrapped up very conveniently. This may be because I read it via graphic audio (see below) and therefore did not receive the nuances of the main character's thoughts or it may be plot armour. I love Sanderson's work but sometimes things do just work out well in his stories. Regardless, it was a fun and thought-provoking story. It tackles a lot of questions like 'should we value art over the artist', 'is honesty its own form of manipulation', 'why do we value art the way that we do', but in a fantastical way. It's well crafted.
♡ This was the first graphic audio that I have ever listened to. I do think that listening to the graphic audio version has affected how I view the story. The main character's voice made it difficult for me to appreciate them. I can see themes in the narrative that I think are worth reading about, but I am not sure if the ideas are not fully fleshed out or if I have lost something due to listening to the formating (graphic audio may replace or omit words so that it works better with the 'movie in your mind' format). I definitely found the magic system a bit harder to understand than some of Sanderson's other works, but maybe it's just how my mind works....more
♡ Everything comes full circle. If Martha Wells had wanted to stop the story here, I wouldn’t have blamed her. Exit Strategy sees the conclusion of th♡ Everything comes full circle. If Martha Wells had wanted to stop the story here, I wouldn’t have blamed her. Exit Strategy sees the conclusion of the long-running arc that began in the first book. Murderbot saved the humans from the evil corporation, retrieved data from the evil corporation’s sketchy mining site, learned more about itself in the process and is now tackling the evil corporation head-on. Wells definitely leaves a sprinkle of threads that could be picked up, but there are no cliffhangers or ‘coming soon’ markers. I’m thinking that perhaps it wasn’t certain that the series would be able to go for longer than four books so this was a ‘just in case’ ending.
♡ It was nice to see some familiar faces. I didn’t have any particularly strong feelings about the human team in the first book, but I love it when returning characters serve to demonstrate how much the main character has grown. The human team knew murderbot from when it was still a sec bot lost in its serials, looking after humans because it had to and not because it wanted to. That’s why it really hit home when Murderbot started interacting with them again. I almost forgot how awkward and inexperienced Murderbot was in the first book. I forgot that they could barely stand to talk to humans, that they didn’t want anyone to look at them and seemingly only did things because it was their purpose. They didn’t have any friends and they had no opportunities to speak their mind. Oh, how Murderbot has grown.
Ps. I do think that the humans were perhaps a bit too familiar with it (they only spent a short amount of time with the ‘real’ Murderbot) but that’s not a huge narrative problem....more
♡ Honestly, I can’t really do this book justice! It’s fun, it’s action packed and it’s a new chapter in Murderbot’s life. This is my favourite book of♡ Honestly, I can’t really do this book justice! It’s fun, it’s action packed and it’s a new chapter in Murderbot’s life. This is my favourite book of the series so far (even though this is the second book, I have actually read three of them).
♡ It was great to see Murderbot interact with other bots, not use humans. It brings another dimension to their personality. When we read about them interacting with humans, there is the ‘fake’ facade that they put on to seem like a normal bot and their internal monologue. Their interactions with bots are a lot more humorous and impactful. Instead of pretending to be a mindless drone, Murderbot is allowed to get angry, make snarky comments and show appreciation. It adds a lot to their personality.
♡ It is a good change to the ‘conflict’ of the last book. Although Murderbot still has to deal with humans and their shenanigans, the element of tension is not ‘will the humans find out that I am a rogue bot’ (although there is some of that too). Instead, the fact that some of the supporting cast already knows what Murderbot is means that the plot can be focused on other things, like finding out what happened in the years before Murderbot got their memory wiped.
♡ ART gives Murderbot someone to bounce their personality off. They’re such a great duo! They snipe at each other but you can tell that they’re going to be brilliant friends. I would love to see ART come back for another adventure....more
This review will contain spoilers for the first book.
♡ The characters are not competent. I understand that at least two of them are only five years oThis review will contain spoilers for the first book.
♡ The characters are not competent. I understand that at least two of them are only five years old, but the way that the book is written makes me think that the author wants us to forget that. We’re supposed to see them as clever and competent and root for the decisions that they make. Unfortunately, I could not root for the majority of Lin’s, Sand’s or Jovis’ decisions. They kept making mistake after mistake after mistake. This mundane repetition was present in the first book too, but mistakes are a bit more forgivable in a first book. In the second book, it just emphasises how little the characters have grown from their experiences.
♡ Lin never sits down to think. If she had, she would realise that one of the main concerns that people have about her — that she will not be able to fight off (view spoiler)[the construct army (hide spoiler)]— is true. She won’t. This is never acknowledged by her. Lin never seems to realise that people’s arguments have their merits. For all intents and purposes, an unknown young woman, with no army, no experience and no loyal supporters, has just sat on the throne. Not only is she unknown to the world but the world is unknown to her. She has never been seen outside of the palace and she has never interacted with anyone other than the former emperor. In addition to all of this, she admits to people that she does not know anything!! She tells people pretty much all of her secrets (e.g. my father experimented on Thrana)!! But is still adamant that she is the only one who can ‘save’ them!! Make it make sense, please.
“Your army is small. If the Alanga are returning, how are we meant to fight them?”
“I will fight them,” I snapped back.
“Would you be able to stop them?”
“Would you?” Phalue asked.
“My father did not pass the secret down to me,” I admitted.
Why would you admit that and then claim that you are the only one who can save everyone??
“I suspect,” Chala said, his voice bouncing from the pillars, “that if I executed you, I would have enough support from the governors to forestall a civil war.”
I inclined my head as I approached.
“That might be true, but would you then be able to forestall both the construct army and the Shardless few?”
Girl, you can’t even do that. You literally have no plan other than gathering the support of the governors … support which he apparently already has.
♡ Lin begs people to like her. I know, I know, she’s young and inexperienced. It is still unnerving to hear her, the person in the seat of power that has previously murdered people just so that they can run a bit of administration, plead for the governors to like her.
“Give me a chance, I’m not my father.”
I know it doesn’t look that bad like that, but she’s having a tantrum about other characters proposing a council of representatives instead of just one person being in control of everything.
♡ Lin is selfish. Don’t worry, I’m not going to give any specific examples but I will give vague descriptions. She denies someone’s help because she’s personally angry at them, even though their help would probably save countless of her people’s lives. She does things that she knows will hurt the creatures and we never get to see her show remorse. She refuses to abdicate as emperor, even though she has not completed a single task successfully. I suppose that’s another conversation — she claims that she’s only emperor for the good of the people and not because she wants power, yet it seems like she was the worst contender for emperor.
♡ Jovis has no backbone. Alright, I do like his story and character. However, a romance between him and Lin seems to have been shoved into the pages which does nothing good for his morals. And I don’t mean that in a fun, anti-hero way. I mean he makes a statement about something that is *morally bad* and then never follows up. Lin is like ‘no’ and he’s like ‘oh well’. I think it is supposed to add some nuance to Lin’s decisions but it just makes him seem a bit wishy-washy. He literally spent seven years searching for Ehmahla and it takes him a couple of sentences to get over the fact that Lin (view spoiler)[was made out of Ehmahla’s body parts after Ehmahla was murdered and harvested for that express purpose. (hide spoiler)]
♡ Sand does not make sensible decisions. She fails again and again and again. When she reaches her lowest point, you think that she might realise that her path is the worst path to take. Then she just continues down that path. With nothing, not a singular sentence, of explanation or rationale.
♡ Phalue and Ranami were the best characters in the second book. Phalue’s character arc is actually pretty similar to Lin’s, in that they are both constantly being compared to their fathers. Ranami is the only cautious one in the book, despite multiple characters facing assassination attempts and sabotage, so she gets a point for that. Honestly, is it so hard to ask for some common sense? They also have a very sweet story about adoption and learning to be a family.
♡ The pacing is incredibly slow.If you were on Goodreads while I was reading this, you might have seen me considering giving the book up. I think I was going to label it a dnf around 30% but ended up going on a road trip and this was the only audiobook downloaded. I suppose that I am glad that I finished it, but most of the stars are for the last 10% of the book and part of that relief is because I felt guilty about dnf-ing it. I don’t think anything actually happens in the first part. And I don’t mean, ‘oh I’m just here for the action, when is that going to start’, I mean that nothing happens....more
☼ I did not like the main character. There are some personal and some stylistic reasons, I have tried not to let the personal reasons affect the revie☼ I did not like the main character. There are some personal and some stylistic reasons, I have tried not to let the personal reasons affect the review but it is not overly enjoyable to read about someone you do not like (unless it is to revel in their unlikeability).
♡ Opal’s motivations do not make any sense. The conflict resolutions are based on the fact that she is a selfless, caring person who cannot bear to see anyone hurt. This is explicitly mentioned in the book. However, Opal is a very selfish person. She is aggressive. She is violent. She steals. She threatens. She blackmails. She has no friends and she hates the entire town for it. In other words, it is often her that is harming the people of her town. Therefore, when she states that she is going to do something because she just cares so much about the town - it requires a good deal of suspension of belief.
♡ I understand that her growth as a character is supposed to happen throughout the book, but the book tells us that she has ‘always been good’. This is not true. Perhaps it might be one thing for her internal monologue to tell us that she is a wretched person, only to go out and offer to read to an old lady, but she never actually does anything nice.
♡ One of Opal’s biggest drives is her brother, Jasper. The only reason that she takes certain jobs is because she wants to support him (and there is a very big expense coming up). He’s the ‘only one on her list’ and the only person that she cares about. It’s a shame, then, that she does everything to sabotage every single job that she has. She steals, verbally abuses and derides every employer that she has aka actively creating barriers between her and the money that she claims she wants to give to Jasper. And no, her primary motivation for theft (in her second job) was not because she thought that it would be a fabulous addition to the money she was collecting, but because her employer annoyed her. Now, I am unsure if she is supposed to be written like that, and this is a commentary on how truly selfish she is, or whether this is an unfortunate clash between two different arcs that wanted to be told.
♡ In addition to that, she also does not seem to understand her little brother very well. Admittedly, this is a personal reason that I did not like reading about her and not a narrative one. There are people in real life who claim that they’re doing everything for one person, only to steamroll them with their own desires and goals. However, she persists in chasing a goal that he has no interest in despite the many hints that he drops whenever she sees him. To her credit, she is very accepting when he finally outright tells her what he wants and how he is going to live his life. However, there are many instances where he (*16*) ends up parenting her (*26*) which is unfortunate.
☼ I was not scared. This is a big thing for me because I am a *huge* scaredy-cat. I read this at night, in a big, old house. I had long, spindly branches knocking on my windows and my neighbour's cat wailing outside. There was an ominous buzzing (that I think came from a bee or fly). There is a lot more that could have been added to make it scarier. For example,(view spoiler)[ the house is supposed to be ‘sentient’. It would make sense for it to ‘come alive’ in the corner of your eye or move or twist or shriek. There are also beasts of mist running around at night. Wouldn’t it be creepy if there were half-evaporated animal body parts or the shadow of a great creature burned into the wood? I guess there are a lot of things that could have been done. (hide spoiler)] Nonetheless, the book did not include these things and did not scare me. Therefore, I would recommend ignoring the ‘horror’ description unless you are of a more sensitive demeanour than I am (very high barrier).
☼ The characters are described as ugly.This is not a good or bad thing, just something to be aware of if you primarily enjoy reading about pretty people. I mean, you can imagine characters in whichever way you like. I imagined them being pretty but strange and I don’t think it changed the story that much.
☼ The romance is pretty fast. It makes sense. Neither of the characters seem to have any friends or family (aside from Jasper) so it is understandable that they are quick to ‘fall in love’. It’s not incredibly in-depth though and can, at times, feel shallow. I am not a huge romance reader so that doesn’t overly bother me as it did not take away from the plot (whether through bad writing or too much focus on a relationship) but it is worth mentioning. However, one of the conflict resolutions at the end does hinge on the ‘strength’ of their relationship which is a little bit far-fetched. I can suspend my belief in this though....more
☼ This was very much an adventure fantasy. I didn’t go into this thinking that is what it would be. I thought there would be a bit more politics (I me☼ This was very much an adventure fantasy. I didn’t go into this thinking that is what it would be. I thought there would be a bit more politics (I mean, one of our main characters is literally the emperor’s daughter) but it is quite sparse. And by sparse, I mean that the main character thinks about the governors of other islands once or twice in passing. It’s really not very intricate. There are hints that it might become a bit more political in the next book but I can’t say for certain. Although this did not add to my enjoyment of the book, I haven’t taken any stars away from it because of this either. It’s just one of those books.
☼ Stewart almost has reveals down to a tee. She tricked me in the beginning when I thought I thought that it was going to go in a completely different direction - (view spoiler)[ I thought that Emahla was going to be ‘Coral’ who was on the island, I didn’t truly believe that she was already dead. I suppose that Jovis’ steadfast belief that she was still alive made me believe as well. I did guess that Lin wasn’t real/a construct, but I had no idea that she was actually her *mother (!!)* and not a rendition of the emperor’s dead daughter. (hide spoiler)]
♡ It was a nice sort of feeling, being tricked, but I don’t think that the twists have enough gravity for them to do true damage. For example, one character begins to believe the twist before it is revealed. (view spoiler)[I am referring to Jovis believing that Emahla is dead. (hide spoiler)] I think that kind of takes away from a twist because the readers start to half-believe it as well. Therefore, when it comes to light, it’s not as shocking as it could have been. I suppose it is more showing and not telling. The character doesn’t see the truth of it, they just believe it. We don’t see the truth either, we just get told.
☼ The character’s arcs all happen in misalignment. This is neither good nor bad. It can be a bit of whiplash, going from one person’s frantic perspective to another where nothing much is happening, but I suppose that it saves the action from all blurring together. It’s just one of those things that is hard to balance in a book with multiple perspectives, especially in such a short time. I don’t know how many words this book has but the audiobook was only about 12 hours. To give you some context, many other adult fantasy novels are 17 or more hours.
☼ I didn’t like all of the characters. I don’t mean that I disliked their morals, I mean that they were boring to read about. Phalue was one of them. Although I liked her arc of moral growth and awareness, I don’t think we got the best of her personality. She has two thoughts; what a good person she is and her girlfriend. She has very few interesting side characters. It doesn’t help that we suddenly get a couple of chapters from her girlfriend which takes away from her screen time in their shared arc. We also don’t spend enough time with a lot of the characters, I feel like we barely know Sand. Perhaps we are not meant to know her very well at this point, but I don’t think we get enough of her personality (or lack of it). When her arc reaches its conclusion, I don’t feel anything for her, just a realisation that it is going to have an impact on the story.
☼ I did like most of the characters, though. Jovis was my favourite. He, along with Lin, gets the most page time. The subject of his motivation is similar to Phalue’s (he’s trying to find his wife) but he is also more than that. He is a person with conflicting motivations, desires and needs. Lin is the same. Although she tells herself that one thing drives her, we can see other unconscious desires (and fears) trickle through as the narrative goes on. Honestly, I do think that Mephi the sea creature had a hand in me enjoying Jovis’ chapters so much (so adorable).
☼ It’s a bit cookie-cutter. I think in modern fantasy we’re used to having anti-heroes at the forefront, but not here. All of the characters seem to be on journeys to be good people. There is a little bit of nuance, but it’s a pretty light story. In action scenes, there are implications that someone has died, but it’s not overt and it’s not focused on. It’s a bit like a Marvel movie in that regard.
& Ultimately I would recommend this. The audiobook has good narrators (I dual read the audiobook and ebook at the same time) and the story is interesting. The writing isn’t excessively beautiful but it conveys what it needs to. 4/5 stars!...more
Tress of the Emerald Sea is like a walnut cake with slightly too much icing. It’s creamy and smooth, with a hint of vanilla and naivety. It is lovely Tress of the Emerald Sea is like a walnut cake with slightly too much icing. It’s creamy and smooth, with a hint of vanilla and naivety. It is lovely to eat but after a while, it becomes just a bit too much. It’s too sweet. What was once a delight feels a little bit like a chore. But then you get to the cake part of the cake. It’s a wonderful relief from the overwhelming sweetness. It’s spongy and absorbent, making you forget about the sugar coating your teeth. And then, when you least expect them, there are the walnuts. Slightly horrifying in nature, they add a bit of melancholy to the entire thing. They make the cake a walnut cake and remind you that the cake [has a point]. Unlike a walnut cake, however, I really liked this book.
First, a bit of background. Tress of the Emerald Sea is one of the four secret projects that Brandon Sanderson worked on during the COVID-19 years. It’s whimsical, it’s fantastical and it’s illustrated. It’s also a part of the Cosmere Universe but you don’t have to know anything about that to enjoy it. I say this as someone who has not read the Stormlight Archives but has read Elantris, Warbreaker and the Mistborn series.
☞ | A MODERN FAIRYTALE
Sanderson says, in his postscript, that he ‘didn’t want a fairytale, but [he] wanted something adjacent’. In that, he has succeeded. Tress of the Emerald Sea has a bit too much adventure in it to truly call it a fairytale but it is evocative of them nevertheless. It has talking animals, a wicked witch, an amiable narrator and a love story. It even has a couple of morals thrown in there (depending on how seriously you want to take the narrator).
At points, I would argue, it even goes a bit too far. The novel never fully transforms into a fairytale but it certainly dips into the realm of whimsy a little too fervently at times. In my earlier paragraph, I used the metaphor of a walnut cake. There is a little bit too much icing on this cake. It’s just a little bit too whimsical. Normally, I can handle a dose of whimsy in my fantasy — after all, where are you going to get whimsy if not in fantasy? The dilemma that I face with this book, however, is that it makes it a bit childish.
Now I feel bad saying that because Sanderson also says that he ‘didn’t want it to be too childlike’. Indeed, he’s not scared to sprinkle in a bit of horror, the walnuts, to counteract the whimsy. If you took the book as a whole, I’m sure that there would be enough walnuts to make it a fantasy book. The problem is that there are quite a number of slices that have no walnuts at all. It is in those chapters that the genre begins to shift between Young Adult and Adult. I might even say Middle Grade to Adult, because Young Adult seems to be becoming so mature nowadays.
It is not all-encompassing, a cake with a bit too much icing can still be a very nice cake, but it is there. Demonstratively, the book on Goodreads has been classified as two separate age ranges — Young Adult and Adult. This may be a deal breaker for some, especially if you are in the mood to read serious (*!!*) books with a serious (*!!*) tone. You can roll your eyes at that, I did.
In all seriousness though, there is a reason why a lot of us have stopped reading middle-grade books. It’s just not that satisfying. Middle-grade books can be good stories with a good message, but that’s not always what we want to read about. There are times in this book that I wondered if I had missed the statement that said that Sanderson's new projects were for different age ranges. It doesn’t help that the protagonist is a seventeen-year-old, a popular age for YA books. Luckily, this confusion was mostly contained in the beginning chapters. I guess what I am trying to say is that if you’re reading this, and feeling a bit confused, try to push through.
☞ | A MASTER AT BAKING
As always, everything comes together as it should. It feels like Sanderson drip-feeds us lines of foreshadowing every chapter but the new lore never truly feels like a literary device. The information is natural, it flows from the story and you never really second-guess it. Oh, *of course* he would mention that, it’s directly relevant to the trifling issue at hand - never mind that it becomes vital a mere ten chapters later.
This is not an uncommon feature of a Sanderson novel. I think, in a way, his manner of writing has spoiled me for all other books. I’ve grown to expect every sentence to have a point, every character to have an effect and every new world to be fully realised as a part of the narrative. I will never fail to be impressed by the speed at which he wrote this. I’m sure that it would take me years, if not decades, to write something this cohesive. Indeed, many published authors do not achieve this....more
☼ Raises a lot of interesting concepts (as evidenced by the quotes below)
☼ On the whole, all of the male characters were very well developed. Unfortun☼ Raises a lot of interesting concepts (as evidenced by the quotes below)
☼ On the whole, all of the male characters were very well developed. Unfortunately, the female characters were a bit lacking and only one woman had a substantial POV. (1) Ana had little character development and seemed to simply be there to ensure that Chet seemed like a hero / decent person, (2) Trish didn’t appear to have any personality apart from keeping her baby safe, (3) Mary was interesting but got little page time, (4) Lamia had some depth in that she seemed a little delusional, but that’s about it, (5) the only thing we learnt about his aunt seemed to be that she was super religious and (6) Chet doesn’t have any memories of his mother so we only really know that she (view spoiler)[ killed herself (hide spoiler)].
☼ The ending wasn’t my favourite. This book definitely felt like it was the first book in a series, lots of loose ends weren’t wrapped up and it felt like Chet was nowhere near the end of his journey.
A woman sat in the middle of the walking path, nails and spikes driven into every part of her body. She caught them staring and smiled. “I’m going to Heaven.”
Too many Heaven-borne souls find out too late that eternal bliss comes at a price. Their scriptures and verses never illuminate just how one can be in joyous rapture while their mothers, fathers, children burn for all eternity.
“By believing in Christ, they give their souls to Christ, to his rules, his dogma. If in the end he judges them unfit, then he can damn them, or just deny them Heaven’s kingdom, let them drift into purgatory. The irony is, if all those souls burning in Hellfire had never believed in Christ in the first place, then they’d never have ended up in Hell.”
They shouted his name, some even dropping to one knee before him, and Gavin wondered why men seemed to always need someone to bow down to. Wondered how long before the Colonel became a god in his own right.
I’ve always thought there were two types of fanatics: those who spend their lives building something and those who tear down what others have built. ...more
♡ Addressing Criticism:the book has some chapters from Achilles' point of view which ruins the book
I read reviews before I read a book. A consistent ♡ Addressing Criticism:the book has some chapters from Achilles' point of view which ruins the book
I read reviews before I read a book. A consistent complaint was that people didn't like how we got Achilles' point of view and that the book wasn't feminist because of it. After having read it, I would disagree.
Firstly, the reviews made it seem like the entire book just stopped and turned into a book from Achilles' point of view. This is not true. There are a couple of chapters here and there, but the book's main POV was Briseis for the majority of the book. I actually think that the chapters from Achilles' POV enhanced the point of the book.
Just because we can sympathise with Achilles does not mean that he is not doing terrible things. It does not prevent him from being complicit in slavery, rape and murder. In fact, the fact that we get drawn into his problems just emphasises the tragedy of Briseis' life. He barely remembers her! He cares so deeply for other issues yet not for someone who literally relies on him to survive! The dissonance is jarring and simply adds to Briseis' narrative.
Because the fact of the matter is that Achilles has historically been the hero of this story. Ensuring that these things happen in The Silence of the Girls almost makes this a more genuine retelling.
♡ Addressing Criticism:this is not a feminist book
In all honesty, I wouldn't call this a "feminist" book but it's not a misogynistic book either. Certainly, this could be read through a certain lens, but I don't think that this book necessarily does that.
The world is patriarchal and misogynistic. The main character is a woman. Neither of those things mean that the book has any underlying motive. It is simply a book.
♡ Addressing Criticism:the British slang ruins the immersion
I agree with this 100%. It's a small, silly thing that completely ruined my immersion in the story. As an example, I will point to a quote from page 22 of the book.
To paint you a picture; we're in the middle of an ancient war. The sun is beating down on us and the sound of battle is bringing in our ears. The women from the conquered city of Lyrnessus are being inspected like cattle. After examining Briseis, Achilles looks at the rest of his soldiers -- "Cheers lads," he said. "She'll do." -- Then they all bundled off to the pub.
That last part is obviously not true, but that is where my headspace went while I was reading that chapter. This kept happening.
It is not as though the entire speech of the Greeks was modernised either. They speak plainly for the majority of the book. At no point did I think that the laddification of Greek heroes was intended. That is why it is such a silly thing. It did not have to happen.
On reflection though, it’s a lot of pages for an alright amount of plot and character building. I’m not alI really enjoyed it while I was reading it!
On reflection though, it’s a lot of pages for an alright amount of plot and character building. I’m not all that motivated to read the next book but I’m not unmotivated to read it, you know?
Justification for my star rating: + ☆ certain lines of dialogue + ☆ worldbuilding + ☆ it wasn't a terrible book and I don't think it deserves two stars - Justification for my star rating: + ☆ certain lines of dialogue + ☆ worldbuilding + ☆ it wasn't a terrible book and I don't think it deserves two stars - ☆☆ instalove, mc's weird obsession with noticing how attractive Nathanial is while he's sick (feverish sick not tired from battle sick), mc succeeds at everything but has no skill to speak of and most of her achievements seem to be accidents, does stuff like recognise that they're walking through the equivalent of a torture chamber for her friend but doesn't display any sympathy, apparently part of her character arc is that she (view spoiler)[ no longer sees all demons as evil, yet when one is being tortured, she just says "it didn't choose to be a monster" then moves on (hide spoiler)], mc and love interest just kind of exist in the same space but then suddenly they are in love, idc if Nathaniel makes intense declarations of love - that is not the same as actually showing that you're in love, mc is a bit dumb which makes it somehow okay for her to be prejudiced?
In conclusion, this was a weird book for me. 75% of it was not enjoyable at all, but the other 15% has the makings of a 5-star book. In other words, I disliked practically everything to do with the main character. This should have been a book about literally everyone else.
Silas should have been the love interest. Just because he has "no interest in human bodies" doesn't preclude him from a romantic relationship.
♡ Gazing up at Silas from the floor, Nathaniel wore the expression of a man about to plunge into a battle he knew he could win, but only at a terrible cost.
♡ Nathaniel hugs Silas until he eventually falls unconscious. Nathaniel hugs Silas until he eventually falls unconscious! And Silas, unaccustomed to and uncomfortable hugging, carefully runs his hand through Nathanial's hair and lets him do it anyway.
♡It is acknowledged that Silas loves him (p.256).
♡ The snow had begun overnight, shortly after Nathaniel had woken screaming and delirious from a nightmare, and then subsided shivering in Silas's arms.
♡ Out of tasks to do, Silas transformed into a cat and slept curled up by Nathaniel's feet, his nose tucked beneath his tail.
♡ Nathaniel grinned irrepressibly at the sight of him, unearthly in the torchlight, but pristine and unruffled, no different than he looked on a regular evening at home.
♡ Whenever Nathaniel gets injured, the first word out of his mouth when he wakes up is "Silas".
♡ [Elisabeth listening to their muffled conversations]. Hours passed, but a fire continued to crackle, and the murmured tones of Nathaniel and Silas's conversation carried through the canvas walls ... Occasionally, Nathaniel would say something, and very softly, Silas would laugh.
♡ He [Silas] watched Nathaniel beneath his lashes, expression inscrutable, and she wondered what he was thinking.
♡ "The way you talk about Silas ... you really trust him, don't you?" For some reason, Nathaniel laughed. "With my life."
♡ Appearing out of nowhere, Silas shifted into a cat and sprang onto Nathaniel's shoulder. Nathaniel took a fortifying breath and straightened, suddenly looking much improved.
♡ (view spoiler)[ he dies for Nathaniel while Elisabeth just kind of watches, even though she has the means to affect the outcome (she's literally just standing around holding a sword) (hide spoiler)]
♡ (view spoiler)[ in the climax, Silas trusts Nathaniel whilst Elisabeth's first thought is that she should kill him (hide spoiler)]
♡ (view spoiler)[ When Silas has been freed and reverts to his pre-Nathaniel, demonic state. Nathaniel weakly attempted a smile. "If you kill me, it's all right". Silariathas froze. His fingers slackened. "You are a fool," he grated, through his lips that barely moved. Nathaniel didn't seem to have heard. He was losing consciousness too rapidly. "It's all right," he repeated. "I know it hurts. I know." And as he slipped away, he mumbled, "I forgive you". Then Silas saves Nathaniel despite the pain / hunger!! see next quote (hide spoiler)]
♡ (view spoiler)[ He bent over Nathaniel. Elisabeth swallowed. But he only brought Nathaniel's hand to his lips and kissed it, just as he had done after his summoning, even though agony wracked his fact to do so, the hunger struggling every second for control.(hide spoiler)]...more