micaelamariem's reviews
722 reviews

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter

funny lighthearted mysterious tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.0

t’s not often I like mysteries but if it’s mixed with romance then yes! I adored Ethan and Maggie (though Maggie was kind of mean to him at first, in my opinion, for not really any good reason). The mystery parts were good, too. Mostly because I like things involving poison and secret passageways. The whole assembly of family in this locked room mystery were full of quirky eccentric characters which made it fun. And, having read Ally Carter before, I knew I liked the relatable writing style.
My one drawback was the whole “Christmas” aspect was a little forced, even though it was a fun idea.

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A Fire in the Sky by Sophie Jordan

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adventurous tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

First of all, thank you so much to Sophie Jordan and HarperCollins for this ARC. The book itself is gorgeous with illustrations and sprayed edges.
But my review here is honest and 100% my own.
I really enjoyed this book. It was the type of romantasy I fall for. Yes, the characters were full of tropes and the plot was a bit cliche and easy to guess the twists, but a plot full of arranged political marriages, folkloric creatures, a war against magic, and a mysterious past is something I will eat up every time. I deeply loved the two main characters, while also deeply hating Gale—oh sorry, I mean, Stig. I wish there was more of the sisters, too.
The writing itself was beautiful but not over flowery to make it difficult to read. The descriptions and worldbuilding was just immersive enough.
One thing I wish was that the ending wasn’t so rushed. I think the author could have make the book a little longer—which wouldn’t be unprecedented for fantasy—and taken time to flesh out the plot twists and characters’ reactions to them.
Still, I am excited to read the sequel when it comes out.
If you like dragons and enemies to lovers type of stuff, this is for you.
3.5 stars rounded up

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Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves: The Druid's Call by E.K. Johnston

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adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I really wanted to love this because I love D&D and my friend for this for me as a gift last year, but it felt like fanfiction.
As a middle grade novel, it’s fine. It’s not necessarily spectacular but it has some heartwarming lessons on self-acceptance.
Otherwise I didn’t feel or see anything new. Maybe that’s also the problem with movie tie-ins, I don’t know.

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Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas

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adventurous reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

It really bothers me that I don't know how to do accents on my keyboard so I can't spell the author's name right. Anyway...

Another Book of the Month pick I put off for a year because I was trying to read it during the right season, then read it in December anyway.

Vampires of Norteby Isabel Canas, published by Berkley, is what I'd call a Gothic Western. Set in 1840s Mexico with the backdrop of the Mexican-American war, Nena struggles to prove her worth as a healer. In her home rancho, mysterious cases of susto have been popping up but Nena agrees to accompany her father to war as a healer so that she's not married off. Meanwhile, her childhood friend, Nestor, returns to the rancho to help the war cause after abandoning it years ago, believing he witnessed Nena's death by a mysterious night creature. When he finds her alive--and angry for his running away--he needs to prove himself. But when the two find more creatures among the rancho and battlefield, they need to have more courage than pride.

The author, Isabel Canas, is a Mexican-American writer who has been everywhere: Mexico, New York, Egypt, Scotland, etc. She has a doctorate in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations and writes fiction about her heritage.

I'm going to be honest. I didn't hate this book, but I also didn't love it. A lot of this review will be me trying to figure out how I feel about it--using the CAWPILE method created by G of Book Roast on YouTube (thank you so much for correcting me on this!)

C stands for characters. And, if I'm being honest, I found the characters a bit insufferable. Mostly because they seemed so one-minded. I suppose it is good they had goals, every character needs a motivation. But for Nena and Nestor to be so focused on each other and how they couldn't have each other and kind of glazing over the bigger factors of the plot seemed so frustrating to me. And I realize the whole theme of the book was for them to gain courage to stand up for themselves but it took them so long I wanted to scream. Characters: 2/10

A stands for Atmosphere/Setting. This is something the book did really well. I wanted gothic and spooky and I got gothic and spooky--with a mix of western as we had desert and cowboys. But the descriptions, while being so vivid, also left that eerie creepy feeling that someone's watching you. It was perfect for the plot. Atmosphere: 10/10

W stands for Writing Style. Canas can definitely write well. As mentioned above, the scenes were vivid. Though the writing fell a bit more on the sentimental side, which I tend to love, this time I was bored. Writing: 7/10

P stands for Plot: In general, the plot worked well. Vampires invading on a historical war and a deep look onto who the real monsters are. A forbidden romance for which the war serves as a backdrop. The logic of how this was carried out is what bothered me the most, but we'll get there. Plot: 9/10

I stands for Intrigue: I wouldn't say there were any major twists in this book, but a few mild surprises. It's not a mystery so it didn't need to have a huge plot twist but on the whole I wasn't on my heels waiting to see what happened. Intrigue: 5/10

L stands for Logic/Relationships: Here's where a lot of issues come into play. In the prologue, Nena is bit, Nestor believes she is dead and runs. Why didn't he check? Why isn't she dead or turned? How does one become a vampire? To write about vampires, I think there needs to be more lore around their origins. Also, I find it very hard to believe that a family would let their daughter into battle but not alone with a man to protect her--I get that it was a different time and men and women couldn't be alone together, obviously. But for them to be mostly chill with going with the army didn't sit right with me. Logic: 3/10

E stands for Enjoyment: As someone that reads mainly for enjoyment and escapism, this is probably the most important yet most subjective part. I was bored a lot of the time with this. I haven't encountered many westerns so maybe I just don't like cowboys. But I thought I'd love anything about vampires! I found the chapters that focused more on the paranormal the best parts, and there were parts I did enjoy, but overall it was just in the middle for me. Enjoyment: 5/10

The average is 5.85/10. Converted to a 5 star rating system we get 2.92/5 or rounded up to 3 stars. It was an okay read. If you like westerns, you might enjoy this. Otherwise, I'm not sure it's for you!

Content Warnings

Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold by Stephen Fry

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funny informative reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

It’s hard to review this since it’s basically a straight retelling of Greek myths.
But the narration was easy to follow and mixed in with relatable humor. It was the perfect audiobook, and I wish there were more myths included in this because it helped me understand easier the beliefs of Ancient Greece.
And I LOVE Greek mythology.

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All of Us Villains by C.L. Herman, Amanda Foody

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I adored this. It’s basically the Hunger Games with magic.
The characters were all multifaceted and had tragic consciences, perfect for kids raised to be villains.
The relationships with each other were believable and messy, with attraction and betrayal and doubt and loose alliances.
The writing style and world building were amazing, providing a deep history of the magical tournament while giving a spooky gothic atmosphere to contend with.
There were plot twists that I could see coming, but maybe that’s because I read about. And I’ll admit the book had a slow start but over time it really hooked me in!
Highly recommend, especially if you liked the hunger games and you like magic.

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Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Today I come at you with another fantasy review. This is a book I chose as my Book of the Month in May, and since then, have seen all over Instagram. This book is HYPED. But is it worth it? Here are my thoughts.

In case you haven't heard of it, Five Broken Bladesis a Korean-inspired fantasy that follows multiple perspectives of six Yusan citizens, summoned together for one task: to kill the king. While agreeing to work together, they all have their own secrets and motivations for this coup. A royal, a spy, a thief, a poison maid, a strongman, and a noble. Will they succeed or will they all betray each other?

Before I jump into my review, a quick note about the author. Mai Corland is a Korean-American attorney and writer. She has also published under the pen name Meredith Ireland. Currently, Mai lives in New York with her family.

I recently discovered an amazing rating system from Hatters Bookish Blog (found on Pinterest) called CAWPILE, where you rate each tenet to create an overall rating: Characters, Atmosphere/Setting, Writing Style, Plot, Intrigue, Logic/Relationships, and Enjoyment. I'm going to try this out.

Characters: There are a few things I'm a sucker for. One of those is a third person multiple perspective story, where we can see where everyone is coming from before coming together. In this way, I learned to love these characters, or at the very least, understand their nuanced motivations. And I have a soft spot for Aeri. I couldn't relate to her more. She had her own secrets, but she was awkward and loved pretty things, and I loved that about her. Overall, I'd give the characters and their development an 8/10.

Atmosphere: The worldbuilding in this novel was fantastic. Of course it was; it came with a map! I love how Corland developed a whole kingdom with the complicated politics of having different sectors that counts would rule over and where different rules and beasts roamed each specific location. The way the characters had to travel to the capitol gave us a perfect excuse to glimpse the cultural differences between each place. This tenet gets a 10/10.

Writing Style: There were things I liked and disliked about the style. At first, I loved it. I loved some of the vivid descriptions. I love how each character had their own distinct voice. But around the halfway mark, the writing style lagged a bit as the characters tried to relate to each other, and some of it fell flat. (For example, the constant repeating of "but I can't love her or him, love is a weakness, etc." drove me crazy). Writing gets a 7/10.

Plot: The plot, after all, is what first drew me to the book. I love reading about spies, assassins, heists, etc. Plus plots like these provide ample opportunity for my favorite trope: found family. This plot did not disappoint and there were plenty of obstacles and secondary plot points that the characters needed to overcome. Plot gets a 10/10.

Intrigue: I was satisfied that there were secrets, betrayals, and paranoia between all of the characters that amped up the stakes. However, I am afraid a lot of the betrayal that DID occur was too obvious. The plot twists were ones I could see coming, except for the set up for the second book--which yes, I'll still be pre-ordering. So, I guess, I'll give intrigue a 6/10.

Logic/Relationships: This was the most disappointing aspect of the book. As aforementioned, found family is my favorite trope. But the character's relationships too each other grew too fast too soon that it felt unrealistic. Some of the character's decisions in regards to each other didn't make sense with their own arc and personalities. Even if some of that could be slowed down, I think it would make much more sense. This tenet will get a 4/10.

Enjoyment: Despite some of the hang-ups, I still really enjoyed this book and always wanted to keep reading instead of putting the book down. The pace was fast, plot interesting, characters relatable, and I was immersed into the world. I love fantasy and I did love this. 9/10 on enjoyment.

According to Hatters Bookish Blog, the next step is to add up the scores and divide by 7, which ended with 7.7/10, or on a five star scale, a 3.85.

But for purposes of rating on places like Goodreads, I will be rounding up to four stars. And I do recommend this book to high fantasy lovers and those who similarly like morally grey characters, found family, and political intrigue.

The next book, Four Ruined Realms, comes out in January.

Content Warnings

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

This was a hard book to rate because I did enjoy reading it (though perhaps “enjoy” isn’t the right word as there are major depictions of child abuse, so trigger warnings, folks); it kept me in suspense, wanting to know more.
Except as it turns out the “more” was exactly as I predicted. The plot twist, sans epilogue, was pretty much everything I thought it would be. So I’m proud of myself but also disappointed. I felt like there could have been so much more.
What I did appreciate was the way trauma was presented and how it can be carried through life in different ways. That was realistic and hopefully eye opening to the audience.

Content Warnings

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

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adventurous 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? It's complicated

5.0

It was time for my annual dive into the Throne of Glass universe.

Seriously, I'm averaging a book a year in this series, oops.

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas, published by Bloomsbury, is the third book in the Throne of Glass series. As such, I won't be able to talk about this with some spoilers for the first two books so be warned!

In Heir of Fire, Celaena goes to Wendlywn but ends up in the land of faerie, facing her aunt and her magic, Dorian begins to understand his powers, and Chaol struggled to pick a side.

I had a really good time reading this, much better than the first two books! I don't know if it's because I didn't much like my last two reads so this was better by comparison, or that the writing style got a lot better. Perhaps it was a bit of both.

What I think made Heir of Fire a good read was that the story could finally progress because we are now acquainted with the world and characters. The first two books were really just a set up. Now, we're getting into the beginning of an epic war. The multiple points of view added a lot of depth to the story, too, and was done in a fantastic way that kept the plotline still straightforward. We also learn a lot about Celaena's past, that connects us to her powers, her birthright, and her trauma, and makes her past actions make sense.

I was also stoked to meet a couple of characters I heard about in social media but hadn't yet seen in the books. First and foremost, Rowan. I started out hating him, but over the course of the story, loved him. A slow burn for the reader. A lovely sarcastic asshole. And the other character was Manon, terrifying yet also might be the catalyst for change the witch covens need to see. I'm excited to see how her storyline will cross with Celaena (who after this review, I think I can start calling Aelin, if only because the spelling is easier).

I really enjoyed Celaena's pov chapters--it's mainly her story, after all. I also adored Dorian's. I didn't like him until he got magic, but now I like how his arc is progressing. He really doesn't deserve the tragedies that happen. Chaol, while once being my favorite, had the most boring POV's, but maybe that was because it was very military-like, which befitted his character.

Despite the slight boredom with him, I still really loved this book. I daydreamed about it driving and missed my turn. Any book that can have me do that has to be five stars right?

Guess I'll be back next year for Assassin's Blade, because I really need to read that prequel before continuing with the series, much as I want to!

Content Warnings

The Maid by Nita Prose

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mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

I enjoyed the first 50 pages and, after that, everything went downhill. I understand the author was trying to present a neurodivergent main character but that doesn’t mean the character had to be flat out dumb. I felt like the representation was almost demeaning to those who are neurodivergent. And her character and the plot was just wholly unbelievable. Except for the “whodunit.” Disappointingly, that was obvious. There wasn’t really a major twist or hook. I was disappointed, given all the hype with this book.
But it should be noted; I don’t usually read mysteries so perhaps that bias has soured my enjoyment as well.

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micaelamariem's reviews 722 reviews

micaelamariem's reviews
722 reviews