I had high expectations for this since the first book was one of my favorite reads of 2021. Since I don’t read nearly as much young adult anymore, that means it must be exceptional. I’m sure I’ll be in the minority when I say I didn’t like this one as much. I was excited to read about Neve’s side of the story after she is trapped in the Shadowlands. I loved the lore side of this story that expounded on many of the plot points of book one and two. The worldbuilding remained exceptional but the pace felt much slower to me. I had to keep coming back to finish it a few chapters at a time. I felt like Neve and Solmir don’t get time to form the same connection that Red and her Wolf created in book one. I loved Red in book one, but her actions while attempting to rescue Neve were frustrating. I didn’t enjoy Neve in book one, but I found a way to like her is this one, especially with her seemingly insurmountable task of defeating the Kings with Solmir‘s help. Raffe, the Wolf, and Solmir were the characters that remained the same for me in both. This wasn’t for me, but I am sure plenty of other people will love it. (3/5 rating)
Tag: Fairy Tales
Book Review – A Ruin of Roses (Deliciously Dark Fairytales #1) By K.F. Breene
This is the first in Breene’s latest book series. I wanted to wait until the entire series had been released until I dug back into this one. I was excited for this since it is a retelling of The Beauty and The Beast storyline. I loved every word and detail of this world and its characters. Breene, as usual, set the first book up to be a series of epic proportioned. I loved our strong heroine, Finley, and the fact that she refuses to back down from Nyfain, especially in the face of his obvious physical strength over her. Hadriel became a favorite side character since he made me laugh a lot. He was a perfect dose of hilarity amongst the heavier tones within this. The pace remained quick while the world building was off the charts. This is exactly why I horde my other Breene books, like a dragon myself. No one does it the way she does. This is not a typical fairy tale, but it is Breene’s fresh take on it, that makes it something else entirely. (5/5 rating)
Book Review – The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner
This was a retelling inspired by folklore that caught Rossner’s eye. I’m not gonna lie, I chose this one by the cover alone. This was my first written by this author. I enjoyed the magical atmosphere Rossner created. I liked the Jewish portion of the story as well as the shifter aspect. I’ve decided I want to be a swan shifter when I grew up. I struggled to rate this book since it felt a bit too YA for me but that is just my standard for reading nowadays. I also felt like the pace was slow for me and I struggled with aspects of the sister’s relationship. (3/5 rating)
Book Review – Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
This most recent release of Kingfisher’s is centered around our heroine and Princess and waiting, Marra. Her older sister is wed to an abusive Prince to secure the future of the Kingdom. When Marra discovers that her parents knew of his dangerous behavior and imply that she will take her place if her sister dies, she decides to save herself. Paired with a fairy godmother, and ex-warrior, a dog of bones, and a dust witch, they set out to save her sister and the Kingdom from a tyrant.
I am always surprised and how well Kingfisher can weave a story, even when it’s barely 250 pages. This stand alone is buried under a dark and succulent atmosphere that creates its own kind of fairy tale story. I loved watching Marra refuse to exist where everyone expected her to and choosing her own fate regardless of the cost. Few of us are brave enough to do that. I know I’m not the only one who would love to see a sequel for this in the future. (4/5 rating)
