alysbookclub's reviews
248 reviews

The Fire General by Melissa K. Roehrich

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emotional hopeful fast-paced

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Cyrus by Melissa K. Roehrich

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emotional hopeful fast-paced

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Lady of Embers by Melissa K. Roehrich

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adventurous emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Perfection. I absolutely love when series like this really give their supporting cast the attention they deserve, and I loved following Cyrus and Callans stories - even Talwyn was exciting to follow. Eliza's bonus chapter was so so good and I'm so excited to see more of her perspective.
Lady of Ashes by Melissa K. Roehrich

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adventurous dark emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Loved it - really liking the Callan storyline. Would love to kill Talwyn - girlllllllllllll your life wasn't that hard (in a fantasy context lol). I feel like the next two books will be insane. 
Lady of Shadows by Melissa K. Roehrich

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adventurous emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A great number 2 in the series - I love the cast of characters and the huge world building - I did find some of the history confusing, but I think it'll make more sense going forward (hopefully). I love Scarlett but omg stopppppp being an Aelin and doing things without talking to anyone! 

Love the multi POV, and the cliffhanger ending was pretty shocking - lots of questions to be answered!
Lady of Darkness by Melissa K. Roehrich

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dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

My favorite type of romantasy - huge world building, amazing supporting characters, slow burn romance with tons of obstacles, fated love, real villains! And I love the multi POV so so much. Chefs kiss! 
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What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

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mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Poe is the first horror author I ever read - so I knew I'd enjoy this retelling, and being able to experience this story through another's gaze. 

Kingfishers writing is very satisfying and I loved this novel!
The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

A solid mystery - I really enjoyed the mythology and cult-ish aspects. 

I think what made it a 3-star read for me was that
since the narrator was so dead set that Fosca was the killer, it was then obviously not him. Zoe's reveal was honestly more horrifying than satisfying since she was groomed and abused and it was so sad. I wish there were some aspects that would have (even super subtlety) hinted at Sebastian's true self, but there was really nothing, so it felt out of left field.


However, the writing was great and I still did enjoy the book! 
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An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson

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emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Got this in my Evernight sub - I knew it wasn't a traditional horror, more of a dark academia fantasy, but it did still have its share of unsettling moments. I found the reveals satisfying and I loved the ending. 
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The House at Watch Hill by Karen Marie Moning

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emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I'll start with saying - I did enjoy this book. It kept my attention, the writing was skilled, and I like the concept. The main characters are interesting and the town has potential.

However, I did feel like this book didn't know what genre it wanted to be, which left me feeling slightly dissatisfied - I wanted it to commit, and go all the way in any direction! Are you horror, romantasy, speculative fiction? Each genre was touched on but then the tone would shift and suddenly I would feel frustrated. Horror moments never went that last step to be truly unsettling, romance was built up and then skimmed over, etc.

I think I might feel differently when more questions are answered/ plotlines followed through in the following two books of the planned trilogy, and that's what I really really hope for because I have so so many unanswered questions!