Bookish Goblin Wrapped: November Reading Recap and December TBR

What an amazing welcome back to Zodiac Academy Universe!

Thank you to Tor Publishing Group, Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for this review copy of Brigands & Breadknives ! All opinions are my own.

Don’t walk, run! There’s a literal chaos goblin in this one!!!

I didn’t expect to relate to a fantasy book so literally, but here I go. Brigands and Breadknives brings the metaphor of letting what we do define who we are to life with such clever storytelling. It shows that you can be stuck in inertia whether you’re forty or a thousand, while wrapping the story about the journey in a literal journey (I know, I also really like meta story telling). It’s so cozy and tugs at the big feelings in my heart while writing some really fun adventure books.

I loved the mirroring between Fern and Astryx, different ways they walked the similar journeys. but I would die for Zyll! I am obsessed with a literal chaos goblin, it was such clever, unique humor, I would read an entire series about her.

The writing and narration were cozy, immersive, and funny in all the right places. I loved the clever puns and absurd details scattered throughout.

The ending was brave and bittersweet, and I’ll remember how surprised but satisfied I felt when I finished.

I hope we don’t wait too long to go back to Thune, Murk or wherever the story takes us next.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for this review copy of Heavenly Bodies! All opinions are my own.

Overall I enjoyed Heavenly Bodies and am cautiously optimistic about Fallen Stars, the next installment of the series. I was obsessed with this book at the beginning, loving the Greek mythology inspired world and the lush prose that pulled me right in. I’m also a sucker for enemies to friends to lovers, and this book did that really well. The atmosphere and characters were a huge sell, but the pacing had some very obvious problems.

Elara is a good FMC, she’s strong, not annoying (refreshing for an FMC i know) AND SHE’S A SHADOW MOMMY!!! And Enzo, sigh, he’s so dreamy, I’m a sucker for warrior with an artist’s soul and well there’s a reason that works… So yeah1

The plot is where the book struggled the most. There were too many storylines, and at times I forgot things that happened earlier because so much was packed in. I think splitting it into two books or slowing the pacing could have helped. Despite that, the worldbuilding is amazing. I made me with I could’ve enjoyed this story for five well-paced books instead of feeling rushed through three.

I’m excited to read Fallen Stars next and see where the story goes.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for this advanced review copy of Fallen Stars! All opinions are my own.

I am fascinated and frustrated at the same time. I’m obsessed with the prose, the world and the Greek inspired storytelling. Anything Imani Errui writes in the future is going to be an insta read from me, because of her writing style, it’s enchanting and captivating.

However, this decadent world, the characters and the magic system is being held back by the plot choices. 500 pages or so and I feel like Enzo and Elara’s relationship didn’t move forward and the side characters, although very present and enjoyable are not getting the depth I’m looking for in the series.

It has great bones, good characters and a world that is loved and cared for but it needs to be edited a bit more for it to captivate me the way i know i can.

A full review will be up on the blog on release day, and thank you Penguin for the ARC!

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I was so excited about this book due to hearing great things about the author, the Moulin Rouge retelling and the absolutely gorgeous cover. But this just wasn’t for me.

The characters feel very flat, the dialogue is really “tell” heavy, the plot feels like it’s put together via literally devices. It didn’t not keep me engaged.

I think it could’ve been great if some of the more extra elements were better considered, like deepening the characters, how Cate’s powers work or what Callum’s motivations are, but this wasn’t enjoyable for me.

Some stuff does work, like the yearning and the connection between the main characters but it’s being dragged down by insta-lust.

A lot of mixed feelings on this one. I found this convoluted, boring and misleading. And kind of problematic if i’m being honest.

My girlfriends and I went feral for the Bonds That Tie Series when we first read it a few years ago, consuming all 6 books within like a 2 week period. I was so excited to read book 1 events from all the boys’ POV.

This was not what I expected?

The “Men’s Retelling” usually means we get to see the men yearn and pine for the FMC the entire time in which we don’t think they’re gonna be together at the time. While this book does some of that, some of the apologetic-ness of certain transgression in this book (you know what I’m talking about) continues to be unacceptable.

Okay so let’s start with the good, I loved the portrayal of relationships between the boys. I had always assumed that they were best friends well before Oli arrived, but clearly that wasn’t the case and Oli fortified them into a unit. That’s cool. I liked the character depth North and Gryphon received, and continued to be lukewarm towards Nox. I was shocked the amount of Atlas we got.

That’s all there is good about this though. Because the rest makes no sense. First of all, personal dislike, there was so much new events/plots. There’s barely any Oli. That’s not what I want out of this book. I want to see what was going through in their heads when they were so mean to Oli, not Gryphon going on missions or North running via the council.

The character inconsistencies are crazy. Knowing everything we know about North and Gryphon and learn more, it is impossible for things to go the way they did in Broken Bonds. Atlas makes more sense, I liked him a bit more after this novel. The way Nox was handled was an absolute nope from me, it gave his actions a very unacceptable excuse in the book, and just… nope. Gabe was very one dimensional and did not receive any new character depth which was disappointed.

And the events?! I wanted to see what happened in the 3 days Oli was alone while waiting to meet them, what happened when they came to get her from Atlas’s apartment. Sure some of the events are clarified but the focus on this was wholly distracted and on the wrong subject imo.

So this is a big disappointment for me and although I’ll enjoy and probably reread the series from time to time but i won’t be going back to Broken Ties.