five chapters : fantasy review

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black | REVIEW

fantasy review November 19, 2019

5/5 Stars

Enchanting, Unexpected and Dangerous: Queen of nothing has quickly become my favourite read of the year. It was everything i wanted and so much more; a wonderful ending to my favourite series.

The Queen of Nothing is the third book in The Folk of The Air series by Holly Black. The series follows Jude, who's parents were murdered in front of her by one of the Fae. After this she was taken to Faerieland and was raised there by her parents' murderer. This whole series is a heart-stopping meld of political intrigue, complicated family dynamics and wickedly delightful romance.

This final book was perfect in every way imaginable and even surpassed my impossibly high expectations.

So what did i love so much? (spoilers ahead).

The Character Development

Whew. Did Jude and Cardan get some amazing character development in this one. Some of my favourite character moments were:

when Jude decided to kill snake!cardan instead of forcing him to obey her. It was SUCH a huge growth from the second book when she wanted nothing other than to control him. It was such a vulnerable moment from her and i teared up a bit when reading it.
When cARDAN TOLD JUDE HER LOVED HER!!!!! This scene was incredible and heart-warming and so important for his character development. (my heart broke a bit for Jude when she thought she'd never be able to tell him she loved him too).
When Jude sent Madoc to exile instead of executing him. That moment was SO GOOD. i loved how she got to keep her family together even though they'd all done terrible things. And i loved how Jude learnt "to have a more flexible view of love and duty" than Madoc did.

The Plot

Absolutely everything that happened in this book was SO UNEXPECTED for me. As soon as thought the book was going in one direction it completely switched and went in another. This made for a very exciting reading experience, i was completely hooked from the first page to the last.

Also i got ALL the Jude/Cardan moments that i wanted which i loved.

The Ending

"To family and Faerieland and pizza and stories and new beginnings and scheming great schemes. I could toast to that"

I think one of my favourite parts about this book was the way it ended. I don't think I ever expected a happy ending for this series so when i got one i was SO HAPPY! There were many tears.

It just rounded the story off so perfectly and i think Holly did a really amazing job of creating a beautiful ending that rounded off the characters arcs whilst still leaving some things to the readers imagination.

Overall, i think this book did a fantastic job at rounding off this wonderful series. It had the perfect blend of breathtaking action, character development and unexpected moments. This series holds a very special place in my heart and i can quite safely say that it got the ending it deserved.

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Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin

fantasy review September 28, 2019

5/5 Stars

Its pretty hard to describe how much i LOVED THIS BOOK. it has easily made its way into my top books of 2019 and i am already eagerly awaiting the sequel.

If this book sounds interesting to you YOU MUST READ IT because it won't disappoint!

Serpent & Dove follows Lou, a witch who has fled her coven and forsaken magic. She survives by hiding and stealing. In this world, witches are hunted and burned by the Chasseur's (witch-hunters). Enter Reid - one of the most devout Chasseur's. After a burglary goes wrong, Lou and Reid are forced into marriage.

So why did i like this book so much?

the plot

This book was so exciting! i flew through it because i just couldn't stop reading. At the end of every chapter something happened to make me want to read the next one. The plot was fast-paced which i loved and there was the perfect mix between action and romance.

The Characters

The characters in this book were so well developed. Lou and Reid were both complex and interesting characters with their own beliefs and motives and it was so interesting to read from their differing points of view.

It was also wonderful to read their interactions! At first it was really funny because they were always arguing and annoying each other and later on in the book i loved seeing their relationship grow. Their relationship felt natural and it was so exciting seeing them start to care for each other.

I also loved the side characters. They all felt real, fully developed and i am sooo invested in them all.

The Romance

THE ROMANCE IN THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING!!! (view spoiler) If you love the enemies to lovers trope you will LOVE this.

The Magic System

One thing that stood out to me in this book was the magic system. It was really interesting and the rules were clear throughout the book which i loved. I don't like it magic just *happens* in books with no explanation so i was glad this wasn't a problem here.

The Writing

Its really difficult to believe this is Shelby Mahurin's debut! I loved the writing so much! The world building, the dialogue, the descriptions; it was all fantastic.

I also enjoyed the fact that we got to read both Reid and Lou's point of view. Usually i like to just stick to one p.o.v when a book is in first person but in this book it really worked. Both characters had a distinct voice which made the p.o.v switching very natural.

Overall, there are so many amazing things about this book. I'd definitely recomend it to anyone who loves fantasy, witches and enemies to lovers

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The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

fantasy review July 09, 2019

5/5 stars

Having disliked some of Holly Black's other books and hearing a few negative reviews, i was reluctant to read The Cruel Prince. I kept telling myself i wouldn't enjoy it, therefore have been putting it off for soooo long.

Anyway, i am so glad i finally picked it up because this book was amazing. Like, sit down and read it in one sitting amazing.

So why did i like this book so much?

The world building was amazing

Even though this world and its large cast of characters was so complex i never felt confused or out of my depth. The way Holly Black describes the world feels completely natural. The world building is weaved slowly into the storytelling so easily that nothing feels like a "dump of information".

The pacing is perfect

The first half of this book is a little on the slow side but in my opinion this was completely necessary and i was still hooked from the very beginning. In the first half of the book, political intrigue is woven into the story slowly and then once the book hits the halfway mark... BAM.. constant action. It left for the perfect amount of setting up and world building so when the craziness of the second half started, i was invested in the world and the characters enough to really enjoy the story.

Complex and Interesting Characters

Each character had their own motivations and secrets about them but the character that really stood out to me was the heroine Jude. I loved her so much. First of all, i loved that she was a bit of an unreliable narrator throughout the book. For example: at the beginning she paints a very nice "rosy" picture of faerieland but then a few chapters later she informs the reader that she hasn't been entirely honest. I found that very interesting and made it even more exciting to read from her point of view.

Similarly, Jude is definitely an anti-hero. She wants to do the right thing but she isn't afraid to do bad things to get there. Again this made her a very interesting character to read. I can't wait to read more of her story in The Wicked King.

The Dynamic Between Jude and Cardan

I loved reading their interactions! Especially near the end of the book. Their relationship evolves and changes very naturally across the book and it was great to read about. There is definitely room for more growth in The Wicked King and i can't wait for it. (also i totally ship them but that is beside the point).

Mystery and Intrigue

The main focus of this book is definitely the politics of Faerieland. Theres a scramble for the crown thats complex and exciting. Especially throughout the first half of the book there is a lot of mystery that keeps you guessing and there were so many plot twists that i didn't see coming. This made for a very exciting read.

Overall, i loved this book so much. I rated it 5/5 stars and in my opinion it is worth all the hype it gets. So if you're debating whether to pick it up or not i'd say that you should at least give it a try!

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