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ellenisntcool's reviews
521 reviews
The Antlered King by Marianne Gordon
adventurous
dark
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
Thank you to netgalley and HarperCollins for giving me a copy of the eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Wow.
After reading The Gilded Crown I knew I had to start the sequel sooner than later, so I was very ecstatic to be able to read this before the release.
Being able to dig into a book with beautiful writing and characters is honestly such a privilege, I felt engaged with the plot the whole time and I felt the pain the FMC, Hellevir, experienced throughout this whole book.
The only time I felt a bit iffy was during chapters 9 and 10 where things felt a little rushed, but the whole story takes a drastic and darker turn that works far too well and made me even more obsessed with this story.
Overall, amazing book everyone must read this duology as it is BEAUTIFUL! And it also made me sob, which is extremely rare.
Release Date: 27 Feb 2025
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Violence, Blood, and War
Moderate: Physical abuse, Vomit, Medical content, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse
Oathbringer Part One by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Every time I finish one of the stormlight books I get very excited to start the next part
Kakegurui - Compulsive Gambler -, Vol. 01 by Homura Kawamoto
adventurous
tense
medium-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
1.0
The more I think about the sexualisation of minors the more I hate it.
Chainsaw Man, Vol. 16 by Tatsuki Fujimoto
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This was genuinely so amazing, I don’t usually like a cheesy ending but this one is great. I love the character development and the twists and turns and everything about this book!!! I need to re-read this again because I fucking love Tress but now I need to go and finish Oathbringer.
Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
Did not finish book. Stopped at 38%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 38%.
A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I genuinely thought I was going to adore and obsess over this book, but I have finished it feeling pissed off and slightly betrayed by the reviews.
To start, these were not 25 year olds on a mission. They all felt like 17-18 year spoilt rich kids who fawn over their friend the coloniser king. I couldn’t keep track of who was who at the start as we were introduced to them all at once and found all of them to be pretty useless, especially Heike and Ludwig as if you removed those two the story would be no different! They’re only there as buffers for the ‘villains’.
One of my biggest issues is how weirdly pro-colonialism this story was. It was there to build ip the romance between Sylvia and Loreli but it felt extremely uncomfortable as it meant their people were going to suffer for the sake of them being together so they will be rivals to lovers (which was also done very poorly).
At the end we see those who were planning to rid the king to stop him from colonising even further be portrayed as the villains and punished for their heinous acts, like how DARE they not want their cultures to be erased! Let’s give the coloniser the power he wanted so he can bring us all together for his perfect unified world!!
A very big one star from me overall, would never read another book by Allison Saft.
One of my biggest issues is how weirdly pro-colonialism this story was. It was there to build ip the romance between Sylvia and Loreli but it felt extremely uncomfortable as it meant their people were going to suffer for the sake of them being together so they will be rivals to lovers (which was also done very poorly).
At the end we see those who were planning to rid the king to stop him from colonising even further be portrayed as the villains and punished for their heinous acts, like how DARE they not want their cultures to be erased! Let’s give the coloniser the power he wanted so he can bring us all together for his perfect unified world!!
A very big one star from me overall, would never read another book by Allison Saft.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism and Colonisation
Moderate: Bullying and Religious bigotry
The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Hah, wow. My first and only Freida McFadden because wow, this was bad! So bad. If I didn’t listen to it via audio I would have dnf’d it and missed out on how awful Sydney is as a character.
Oh I will share some actual critiques! I didn’t like the slight fatphobia present and found it strange how it was the men who were perceived to be ugly that were the awful perverts and are rightfully shamed, whilst the tall muscular gorgeous man was allowed to be a complete weirdo and red flag because he is handsome and tall! Weird.
Oh I will share some actual critiques! I didn’t like the slight fatphobia present and found it strange how it was the men who were perceived to be ugly that were the awful perverts and are rightfully shamed, whilst the tall muscular gorgeous man was allowed to be a complete weirdo and red flag because he is handsome and tall! Weird.