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clemslibrary's reviews
260 reviews
The Sky on Fire by Jenn Lyons
4.25
Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an e-arc in return for an honest review!
this is an action and dragon field fantasy book, I had a really fun time with this and loved the development of the heist plot.
We follow a ragtag group of people planning a heist, and it was really fun seeing the development of the group and their character dynamics as the plot developed. Dragons are so cool, there’s a new span on the dragon and dragon rider trope that I really enjoyed. The plot itself is gripping and entertaining, there’s movement throughout the world which helped add to the worldbuilding and our enjoyment of the plot. It’s set in a queer normative world, and there is a subplot of a polyamorous relationship.
The main character is in her 30s, which I think adds a really fresh perspective to the world since she has had to move to a different part of the world.
This is a fantasy book that has everything you want in relation to dragons, the world itself is really cool and there is a really interesting way of showing gender identity and queerness- rings are used to show what you’re interested in and who you’re interested in which I thought was a new fun way to explore this.
if you’re looking for a heist fantasy with dragons and a fun queernormative world, this is what you should read!
this is an action and dragon field fantasy book, I had a really fun time with this and loved the development of the heist plot.
We follow a ragtag group of people planning a heist, and it was really fun seeing the development of the group and their character dynamics as the plot developed. Dragons are so cool, there’s a new span on the dragon and dragon rider trope that I really enjoyed. The plot itself is gripping and entertaining, there’s movement throughout the world which helped add to the worldbuilding and our enjoyment of the plot. It’s set in a queer normative world, and there is a subplot of a polyamorous relationship.
The main character is in her 30s, which I think adds a really fresh perspective to the world since she has had to move to a different part of the world.
This is a fantasy book that has everything you want in relation to dragons, the world itself is really cool and there is a really interesting way of showing gender identity and queerness- rings are used to show what you’re interested in and who you’re interested in which I thought was a new fun way to explore this.
if you’re looking for a heist fantasy with dragons and a fun queernormative world, this is what you should read!
The Pale Dreamer by Samantha Shannon
4.0
cute to read and i loved seeing the beginning of paige and nicks friendship. i just love them so much
The Song Rising by Samantha Shannon
4.0
they could never make me hate you paige!!!
emotional trauma and a group of criminals, what more could i want
i did love seeing the world outside of london and i will be starting the next book as soon as possible
emotional trauma and a group of criminals, what more could i want
i did love seeing the world outside of london and i will be starting the next book as soon as possible
The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon
4.5
Samantha Shannon you truly are amazing
what an epic continuation of the series, so much character exploration and paige’s growth is one of my favourite things
worlds and people collide, and i cannot wait for the mess and angst that will follow
also that ending. gagged.
fuck u jaxon 🥰🥰
what an epic continuation of the series, so much character exploration and paige’s growth is one of my favourite things
worlds and people collide, and i cannot wait for the mess and angst that will follow
also that ending. gagged.
fuck u jaxon 🥰🥰
Pits & Poison: These Godly Lies by R. Raeta
4.0
Thank you to the author for sending me an e-arc in return for an honest review!
The events of this follow pretty directly after the first book, and this was a flowing story of love and identity
We follow Anna and Khiran as they are on the run for most of the book, we see them grow and develop within their relationship through the tension of the situation. I loved seeing them in all of the different places they went to and the experiences and joys that they found when on the run
Anna is such a compassionate and loving person, and reading about her being kind and supporting others was such a joy
We do see the world expand, with more on all of the other immortals within the world and we get to see them interact which i did really shoot
I do wish that there was more actual climax, there was a lot of lead up but the final scene felt very short and would have benefited from more time spent on it. I feel the same about the ending, whilst i did like it i feel as though it was rushed and there wasn’t enough time to explore and allow the characters to react to their situations
The events of this follow pretty directly after the first book, and this was a flowing story of love and identity
We follow Anna and Khiran as they are on the run for most of the book, we see them grow and develop within their relationship through the tension of the situation. I loved seeing them in all of the different places they went to and the experiences and joys that they found when on the run
Anna is such a compassionate and loving person, and reading about her being kind and supporting others was such a joy
We do see the world expand, with more on all of the other immortals within the world and we get to see them interact which i did really shoot
I do wish that there was more actual climax, there was a lot of lead up but the final scene felt very short and would have benefited from more time spent on it. I feel the same about the ending, whilst i did like it i feel as though it was rushed and there wasn’t enough time to explore and allow the characters to react to their situations
Black Tide Son by H.M. Long
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley for an e-arc of this in return for an honest review!
This continuation from Dark Water Daughter is gripping and adds a world of lore and depth that i truly appreciated!
All of the relationships between the characters (both platonic and romantic) are extended and have so much more to them which i loved, all of the characters are more fleshed out and fit the world so well. The world and magic continues to grow and the lore of this world is so cool, the monsters and creatures are more present in this which helped to add to the tension
The combination of narratives from past and present really helped add to my understanding of the characters and add complexity to them and how they act within the world.
This series is heading in such an interesting way, the relationship have been cemented and we are left with multiple routes for all the different characters which i’m so excited for!
The relationship between Sam and Mary makes my heart melt, they work so well together and understand and care for each other in such a beautiful way
I do wish we had spent more time on the battle that the book leads up to - there was lots of lead up and tension yet i feel like the battle was over so quickly and we didn’t have the time to appreciate the tension within it
I cannot wait to continue with this series as it comes and the potential of this will keep me on my toes for future books!
This continuation from Dark Water Daughter is gripping and adds a world of lore and depth that i truly appreciated!
All of the relationships between the characters (both platonic and romantic) are extended and have so much more to them which i loved, all of the characters are more fleshed out and fit the world so well. The world and magic continues to grow and the lore of this world is so cool, the monsters and creatures are more present in this which helped to add to the tension
The combination of narratives from past and present really helped add to my understanding of the characters and add complexity to them and how they act within the world.
This series is heading in such an interesting way, the relationship have been cemented and we are left with multiple routes for all the different characters which i’m so excited for!
The relationship between Sam and Mary makes my heart melt, they work so well together and understand and care for each other in such a beautiful way
I do wish we had spent more time on the battle that the book leads up to - there was lots of lead up and tension yet i feel like the battle was over so quickly and we didn’t have the time to appreciate the tension within it
I cannot wait to continue with this series as it comes and the potential of this will keep me on my toes for future books!
The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall
3.75
this was a fun time but i don’t feel like the characters got enough development and that the romance developed super quickly, it all felt quite surface level
but i did love the genderfluid mc and the queer normative world, i just wish they were explored more as most things were just told to us with little backstory
but i did love the genderfluid mc and the queer normative world, i just wish they were explored more as most things were just told to us with little backstory
The Fireborne Blade by Charlotte Bond
3.5
Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an e-arc in return for and honest review!
The Fireborne Blade is a gripping fantasy novella following a knight on her journey to reclaim her standing and honour
The way the story itself is told was super cool and engaging - we flit between multiple timelines and voices, we mostly focus on Maddileh on her journey to retrieve the fireborne blade, but we also see her 3 and 6 months before the commencement of her quest, and also have chapters from pieces of a book and past knights. I really enjoyed this and it meant that we could learn about the world without the narrator needing to info-dump all at once.
I did really enjoy learning about the world and the beginning of the quest, and liked the way the characters are set up and made to act around one another.
However i do feel as though this suffered from being too short, the book being a novella meant that the plot twist, reveal and subsequent revenge did not have enough time on the page and it felt like it was just being thrown at the reader with no further exploration or depth. By having no lead up to these events they came out of nowhere and didn’t seem to have past story to back up and make sense of these sudden changes.
The dragon lore within his was engaging and my favourite part of the book, and i wish we could have had more time with the actual dragons rather than the journey itself to the dragons.
The Fireborne Blade is a gripping fantasy novella following a knight on her journey to reclaim her standing and honour
The way the story itself is told was super cool and engaging - we flit between multiple timelines and voices, we mostly focus on Maddileh on her journey to retrieve the fireborne blade, but we also see her 3 and 6 months before the commencement of her quest, and also have chapters from pieces of a book and past knights. I really enjoyed this and it meant that we could learn about the world without the narrator needing to info-dump all at once.
I did really enjoy learning about the world and the beginning of the quest, and liked the way the characters are set up and made to act around one another.
However i do feel as though this suffered from being too short, the book being a novella meant that the plot twist, reveal and subsequent revenge did not have enough time on the page and it felt like it was just being thrown at the reader with no further exploration or depth. By having no lead up to these events they came out of nowhere and didn’t seem to have past story to back up and make sense of these sudden changes.
The dragon lore within his was engaging and my favourite part of the book, and i wish we could have had more time with the actual dragons rather than the journey itself to the dragons.
The Sins on Their Bones by Laura R. Samotin
4.25
This was a dark and gory fantasy set in a queer normative 19th-century Eastern Europe and inspired by Jewish folklore full of grief and trauma, but also the characters moving on from it and how family and love impact our lives
this is incredibly dark and gruesome, there are many hard to read moments of SA and body horror/violence, so check TW before reading. by having the narrative told through three pov’s, the world and past history of the characters is slowly learned and we see just how different they all are following a war that tore everyone apart. i really enjoyed having the different characters telling the story as it meant there were different interpretations of the past
jewish folklore and history are present all throughout, and i found myself really enjoying learning about it and how religion plays a part in their lives. the world itself is interesting and i liked the politics that we were introduced to
this is not about romance in the sense that the story is based around it, but rather focuses on the past abusive romance between Dimitri and Alexey, and the growing relationship between Dimitri and Vasily. the two vastly different relationships ships have a large role in who Dimitri is as a person, and the growing romance is one that brings joy and hope to both Dimitri ans the reader in such a bleak and horrifying world. this definitely is not a romantasy and the abusive relationship between the two holds deep scars and wounds over Dimitri, and a large part of the narrative is him learning and growing as a person following the breakdown of the relationship
the found family truly broke my heart, they all love each other so deeply and the bonds between them are so precious. family and identity are some of the main themes within the story, and their progression as a group to the end of the story is so beautiful seeing them finally have the opportunity to be free from their trauma and pain
this is incredibly dark and gruesome, there are many hard to read moments of SA and body horror/violence, so check TW before reading. by having the narrative told through three pov’s, the world and past history of the characters is slowly learned and we see just how different they all are following a war that tore everyone apart. i really enjoyed having the different characters telling the story as it meant there were different interpretations of the past
jewish folklore and history are present all throughout, and i found myself really enjoying learning about it and how religion plays a part in their lives. the world itself is interesting and i liked the politics that we were introduced to
this is not about romance in the sense that the story is based around it, but rather focuses on the past abusive romance between Dimitri and Alexey, and the growing relationship between Dimitri and Vasily. the two vastly different relationships ships have a large role in who Dimitri is as a person, and the growing romance is one that brings joy and hope to both Dimitri ans the reader in such a bleak and horrifying world. this definitely is not a romantasy and the abusive relationship between the two holds deep scars and wounds over Dimitri, and a large part of the narrative is him learning and growing as a person following the breakdown of the relationship
the found family truly broke my heart, they all love each other so deeply and the bonds between them are so precious. family and identity are some of the main themes within the story, and their progression as a group to the end of the story is so beautiful seeing them finally have the opportunity to be free from their trauma and pain