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dragoninwinterfell's reviews
98 reviews
The Passionate Tudor: A Novel of Queen Mary I by Alison Weir
emotional
informative
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you to the author, the publisher Ballantine Books, and Netgalley for the digital ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.
The Passionate Tudor is the third novel in The Tudor Rose series, following The Last White Rose, A Novel of Elizabeth of York and The King’s Pleasure, A Novel of Henry VIII. Centering on the novelized life of Mary I Tudor, readers follow her story as she goes from a cherished princess and heiress to a disgraced bastard to one of England’s most infamous monarchs.
As always, Weir utilizes her extensive knowledge of English history to craft a very grounded narrative while giving life and spirit to what could be dry history. This is what I love about The Tudor Rose series as well as Weir’s connected series, Six Tudor Queens. Whether one agrees with Weir’s interpretations of the known facts or not, she has a gift for writing historical figures and making their choices feel both authentic to the time period as well as understandable to a modern reader.
https://youtu.be/NSWQd5aALus
The Passionate Tudor is the third novel in The Tudor Rose series, following The Last White Rose, A Novel of Elizabeth of York and The King’s Pleasure, A Novel of Henry VIII. Centering on the novelized life of Mary I Tudor, readers follow her story as she goes from a cherished princess and heiress to a disgraced bastard to one of England’s most infamous monarchs.
As always, Weir utilizes her extensive knowledge of English history to craft a very grounded narrative while giving life and spirit to what could be dry history. This is what I love about The Tudor Rose series as well as Weir’s connected series, Six Tudor Queens. Whether one agrees with Weir’s interpretations of the known facts or not, she has a gift for writing historical figures and making their choices feel both authentic to the time period as well as understandable to a modern reader.
https://youtu.be/NSWQd5aALus
Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I'm really surprised that I didn't care for this book. Daughter of the Moon Goddess sounds just like something I would love since it has a good blend of magic and politics, beautifully written prose, and in depth world building. The only things it was missing were well-written characters and well-paced storyprogression. The protagonist has no personality and the supporting characters are lifeless as well. Since the characters were little more than names, it was difficult to care about what they were doing.
Dune by Frank Herbert
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
It's easy to see why Frank Herbert's Dune has been so influential in the fantasy genre. This novel clearly inspired Star Wars, The Drahon Prince trilogy, the Cosmere, and A Song of Ice and Fire. Dune is truly fantasy done right with a perfect blend of mystical magic and cut throat politics in a fantastical universe with intricate world building. My only complaint is that the book isn't longer. There is a time jump that skips over so much pivotal character growth.
Misery by Stephen King
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is my first Stephen King novel. I have to say that this is a classic for a reason and King's popularity is well deserved. Thos was gripping and tense from beginning to end, even in the slower sections. I had wondered if watching the film adaptation would take away the suspense. It didn't. The pacing and expert character work kept me completely in the moment with each progression of the story.
Mr. Malcolm's LIst by Suzanne Allain
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
1.0
This is one of those rare novels that is greatly surpassed in quality by the adaptation. The 2022 movie was far better than this.
Despite being very short, the pacing made it feel like the story dragged on and on. The ending in particular felt like is slowed to a crawl. Despite the interesting premise, the execution of the plot felt lifeless and formulaic. This comes down to the poor character work.
None of the characters had any personality and the dynamics didn't feel earned. Each character simply filled the role dictated by the plot without appearing to have strong motivation of their own. The last fourth was particularly tedious because there were so many twists that weren't character motivated and seemed to just be there to lengthen the plot.
I definitely recommend the film adaptation on this one.
Despite being very short, the pacing made it feel like the story dragged on and on. The ending in particular felt like is slowed to a crawl. Despite the interesting premise, the execution of the plot felt lifeless and formulaic. This comes down to the poor character work.
None of the characters had any personality and the dynamics didn't feel earned. Each character simply filled the role dictated by the plot without appearing to have strong motivation of their own. The last fourth was particularly tedious because there were so many twists that weren't character motivated and seemed to just be there to lengthen the plot.
I definitely recommend the film adaptation on this one.
The Poisons We Drink by Bethany Baptiste
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The Poisons We Drink by Bethany Baptiste is an urban fantasy centered on politics, civil rights, and complicated family dynamics.
Venus - a brewer of love potions with a malevolent magical entity restrained inside of her - leads this story with wit, ruthlessness, vulnerability, and strength. As far as protagonists go, she was very compelling and enjoyable to follow. The supporting characters were also rich and well-fleshed out with interesting motivations of their own.
The strength of this novel is the world building. The magic system is intricate creating not just moments of wonder but dark moments of heavy consequences. I loved that each chapter began with an epigraph "quoted" from an in-universe book, speech, police report, etc. that helped to not only tell the story, but broadened the world around the characters.
It did take me a couple attempts to fully get into the book, but once I did, I loved the ride.
Thank you Netgalley for providing an advanced audio copy in exchange for honest review.
Venus - a brewer of love potions with a malevolent magical entity restrained inside of her - leads this story with wit, ruthlessness, vulnerability, and strength. As far as protagonists go, she was very compelling and enjoyable to follow. The supporting characters were also rich and well-fleshed out with interesting motivations of their own.
The strength of this novel is the world building. The magic system is intricate creating not just moments of wonder but dark moments of heavy consequences. I loved that each chapter began with an epigraph "quoted" from an in-universe book, speech, police report, etc. that helped to not only tell the story, but broadened the world around the characters.
It did take me a couple attempts to fully get into the book, but once I did, I loved the ride.
Thank you Netgalley for providing an advanced audio copy in exchange for honest review.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Girl on the Train is a solidly structured yet character drive mystery told through the POVs of three very flawed female characters.
Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This perfectly structured novel was both hard-hitting and an easy read at the same time.
Tender Beasts by Liselle Sambury
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Tender Beasts is one of those rare novels that had me so completely immersed and hooked that when it ended, I immediately restarted it. The mystery of this supernatural thriller was so solid that it feels like I've read two separate novels, one where I was discovering everything alongside the heroine and one where I was able to pick up additional clues and context. The plot was solidly structured, yet still felt character driven. And those characters driving this story were amazing.
Sunny Behre, the protagonist of the novel, is realistically flawed and unique as far as heroines go. A teenager from a wealthy Black family, Sunny lives a life of great privilege alongside the constant threat of racial bias against her and her loved ones. She navigates the world hiding behind the persona of a happy, peppy, "sunny" girl with a constantly positive perspective and a spotless reputation. On the inside, she is very different as her inner monologue depicts her as more pessimistic, manipulative, and strategic. She was honestly a joy to read as she navigated the struggle of grieving her mother and trying to protect her family as a series of murders threatened to destroy them.
Alongside the modern-day mystery are a series of diary entries written by Sunny's mother in the 1990s where backstory is given on the mysterious Milk Man who is still terrorizing the family. I love the dual timeline these entries provide. The way Sunny's mother annotated the diary entries also added a unique touch as she provided additional wisdom of hindsight as well as advice.
While this story isn't a sequel to Sambury's previous novel, Delicious Monsters, it clearly takes place in the same universe. It's not necessary to read that book before Tender Beasts, but if you do, there's a well-placed Easter egg.
Overall, Tender Beasts is excellent. Absolutely a give star read.
Sunny Behre, the protagonist of the novel, is realistically flawed and unique as far as heroines go. A teenager from a wealthy Black family, Sunny lives a life of great privilege alongside the constant threat of racial bias against her and her loved ones. She navigates the world hiding behind the persona of a happy, peppy, "sunny" girl with a constantly positive perspective and a spotless reputation. On the inside, she is very different as her inner monologue depicts her as more pessimistic, manipulative, and strategic. She was honestly a joy to read as she navigated the struggle of grieving her mother and trying to protect her family as a series of murders threatened to destroy them.
Alongside the modern-day mystery are a series of diary entries written by Sunny's mother in the 1990s where backstory is given on the mysterious Milk Man who is still terrorizing the family. I love the dual timeline these entries provide. The way Sunny's mother annotated the diary entries also added a unique touch as she provided additional wisdom of hindsight as well as advice.
While this story isn't a sequel to Sambury's previous novel, Delicious Monsters, it clearly takes place in the same universe. It's not necessary to read that book before Tender Beasts, but if you do, there's a well-placed Easter egg.
Overall, Tender Beasts is excellent. Absolutely a give star read.