The Last Voyage of Poe Blythe: A Book Review

Ally Condie's newest book did not disappoint. I'm a fan of her expressive, choppy writing style and I was so glad to sink into it again. This book felt familiar, almost as if I was picking up Matched again, but the storyline and characters were completely different than Matched. I appreciated the different, darker feel to this book.

One thing I adore about this book is the deepness of the characters. They were constantly changing, constantly surprising me, but they also had consistent personalities and habits. I trusted none of them, but at the same time I was intrigued by them. Having a main character bent on revenge was also new to me, and added some interesting dynamics in relationships, political loyalty, and personal perception.

I also loved the pacing. It was active, tense, and took place in a short amount of time (a couple days maybe?). I liked that, especially because most of the book plots I've been reading span over long periods of time. The change of pace in this book was fresh.

I do have some critiques. I missed the deep world building of Matched. Somehow, I didn't understand the political world of this book, especially within a futuristic setting. I wish there was more to help me settle into it, and to make the ending more well-rounded and complete.

All in all, I enjoyed it and couldn't easily put it down. For that reason, I'll give it a low four stars.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 4
Plot/Movement: 4
Character Development: 4
Overall: 4

Would I recommend? Sure! A must-read for Ally Condie fans.

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!

The Huntress: A Book Review

This book holds a whole new view of World War II, a view that I found fascinating and original. It follows the perspective of three people: Nina, a Soviet air pilot who bombs German forces; Ian, a British war correspondent who captures fugitives from the war; and Jordan, an American girl who loves her camera and is deeply observant. I loved learning about WWII and its aftermath through these three different characters. I've never read a Russian perspective of the war before, or a book that takes place soon after the war. I think this is why The Huntress captivated me initially.

Another thing that captivated me is the intrigue, mystery, and tension of the novel. Every chapter had tension, either with character development or surrounding the hunt for the huntress. That's what kept me reading, and I couldn't put this book down.

The Huntress is a solid book. The characters are deep and likable, the plot is twisty and tense, and the history is fascinating and well-mixed with the storyline. My one issue with it is it does start out slowly. But once I was a third of the way through, I found it deeply satisfying and entertaining, and not easy to put down.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 3.7
Plot/Movement: 4.5
Character Development: 4
Overall: 4

Would I recommend? Yes! A must-read for historical fiction lovers.

*Thank you HarperCollins for the free review copy!

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!

The Phantom Tree: A Book Review

I finally finished this! After a lot of false starts (which had nothing to do with the book and everything to do with library/book review deadlines), I finished this stunning historical fiction masterpiece. However, the book did start slow for me, and I didn't feel fully invested until about halfway through. But after that, I couldn't put it down.

I love the focus on the mysterious Mary Seymour. We don't know much about her life, but I love the possibility of her being a seer witch. I also love the added fictional character Alison. Their enemy/friend relationship was an interesting twist, though I viewed them more as friends than enemies.

I also thought the time travel was well done. I don't love books with time travel, especially when it involves characters in modern time looking for clues. But it was okay in this book. Perhaps because I felt the focus of the story was with Mary, not necessarily with Alison (which is strange, because the entire goal of the story is to find Alison's son). I loved reading Mary's side a lot more, and thought that the plot surrounding her was well done and interesting.

There are some reservations I have with this book. As I mentioned before, it does have a slow start. And I wish there was more relationship building between Alison and Adam. Even though they had a past relationship, I wanted to see more of their present one.

To end on a positive note, I did end up loving this book. I loved the characters, the time travel, and especially the ending. I think I would read this again.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 4
Plot/Movement: 4
Character Development: 3.5
Overall: 4

Would I recommend? Yes, especially to those who love historical fiction.

*Thank you Sarah for the giveaway copy! Forever ago....

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!

Wicked Saints: A Book Review

Well. This book unlike any other book I've ever read. I have to admit it was horrifying, gruesome, and thrilling, which is usually not my thing. In fact, I often avoid horrifying, scary, gruesome stories. But the book's description interested me and once I started it, I couldn't put it down. That is purely due to the magic of Emily A. Duncan's writing.

First, the characters. Wicked Saints has some DEEP characters. Ones that have secrets on top of secrets and unbelievable magical abilities. I think every character in this book had some shade of darkness, some degree of moral grayness. And I'm surprised how much I enjoyed that. Sure, it got a little annoying when I would trust a character, then get whiplashed, and then trust them again, then get whiplashed. But that just shows the depth of the characters behind the scenes. Truly masterful.

Overall, I liked it. I thought the plot and pacing was engaging, the writing style poetic and fast-paced, and the world building excellent. However, in order to get through this book, you have to put on your "blood dripping from the sky/people's eyes and mouths/self-inflicted wounds doesn't bother me" hat. It's a rather hard hat for me to put on. For that reason, I would be careful about who I recommend this to. It's a masterpiece, but could be damaging if in the wrong hands.  Be warned.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 4
Plot/Movement: 4
Character Development: 4
Overall: 4

Would I recommend? Carefully, yes.

*Thank you St. Martins / Wednesday Books for the free review copy!

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!