Book reviews
Nov. 4th, 2019 09:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rainwatersparkSteel Crow Saga by Paul Kreuger
Genre: Fantasy (Adult)
I have...mixed feelings about this book. In terms of rating, I'd probably give it 3 out of 5 stars.
It was written very well; I devoured the entire book in a weekend. The Asian-inspired fantasy worldbuilding was a breath of fresh air.
Ultimately, though, what spoiled the book for me was that I didn't know what the message was in the end.
If you make a mistake, many innocent people will die? (The rest under a cut for major spoilers.)
Don't try to resurrect your family? Or the Tomodanese were right after all and shadepacting = slavery? I mean, how else to interpret the antagonist directing Dimangan to murder a bunch of people?
So...yeah. Sadly, that confusion spoiled the book for me in the end.
Prince of Killers & King Slayer by Layla Reyne
Genre: MM romance, suspense
Oh, this was good.
It's been a while since I've read a MM romance book that I really, honestly enjoyed. To be honest, I enjoyed these books more for the suspense than for the romance—but the suspense was utterly brilliant. I was utterly hooked on the mystery of who was betraying Hawes Madigan. And the romance did add another layer of tension to the plot.
I can't wait for the third book to answer all of my questions.
Twice Shy by Sally Malcolm
Genre: MM romance, contemporary
I really liked the first book in the New Milton series, Perfect Day (though what can I say, I'm a sucker for Persuasion retellings), and I enjoyed the second book, Between the Lines, though a little bit less so.
Twice Shy reminded me a lot of Between the Lines in terms of the climax and resolution. I have to say it's not my favorite, but I am generally not a fan of stories about young, single parents, just because they depress me on some level.
Also, I found it kind of...weird...that the climax involved a bisexual character, whose whole arc was that he was afraid of being seen as promiscuous/all the bad bi stereotypes, accusing his gay lover of being...promiscuous.
Oh well.
Genre: Fantasy (Adult)
I have...mixed feelings about this book. In terms of rating, I'd probably give it 3 out of 5 stars.
It was written very well; I devoured the entire book in a weekend. The Asian-inspired fantasy worldbuilding was a breath of fresh air.
Ultimately, though, what spoiled the book for me was that I didn't know what the message was in the end.
If you make a mistake, many innocent people will die? (The rest under a cut for major spoilers.)
Don't try to resurrect your family? Or the Tomodanese were right after all and shadepacting = slavery? I mean, how else to interpret the antagonist directing Dimangan to murder a bunch of people?
So...yeah. Sadly, that confusion spoiled the book for me in the end.
Prince of Killers & King Slayer by Layla Reyne
Genre: MM romance, suspense
Oh, this was good.
It's been a while since I've read a MM romance book that I really, honestly enjoyed. To be honest, I enjoyed these books more for the suspense than for the romance—but the suspense was utterly brilliant. I was utterly hooked on the mystery of who was betraying Hawes Madigan. And the romance did add another layer of tension to the plot.
I can't wait for the third book to answer all of my questions.
Twice Shy by Sally Malcolm
Genre: MM romance, contemporary
I really liked the first book in the New Milton series, Perfect Day (though what can I say, I'm a sucker for Persuasion retellings), and I enjoyed the second book, Between the Lines, though a little bit less so.
Twice Shy reminded me a lot of Between the Lines in terms of the climax and resolution. I have to say it's not my favorite, but I am generally not a fan of stories about young, single parents, just because they depress me on some level.
Also, I found it kind of...weird...that the climax involved a bisexual character, whose whole arc was that he was afraid of being seen as promiscuous/all the bad bi stereotypes, accusing his gay lover of being...promiscuous.
Oh well.
