Stolen Heir: 3/5
Holly Black’s series The Folk of the Air propelled her to the top of the charts. Everybody knows about The Cruel Prince. At least, everybody on BookTok. So when Stolen Heir came out, I had to give it a read (this book involves some side characters from The Fold of the Air series).
I went into this book with similar expectations – the world was going to be partially built, the characters were going to be fun and a little wild because of their fae nature, and there was going to be a twist. For the most part, the expectations were met – the world fell a bit short, the fae were fae-like, and a twist was present. Although, the twist couldn’t really be considered a twist because I, and I’m expecting many readers, saw it from a mile away. Overall, after reading, I got what I expected so I wasn’t too disappointed in the book. I just wish Holly Black worked more on her world building.
I won’t say this is my favorite book, but I will be reading the second in the series – mainly because I’m expecting a chapter or two involving Carden and Jude. If those two aren’t present, I will be sour.
Beautiful Little Fools: 4.5/5
“The Great Gatsby is great.” “The Great Gatsby is a classic.” “The Great Gatsby is marvelous.”
…But is it?
I read The Great Gatsby in high school and it wasn’t the book for me. I really didn’t enjoy it and I wanted so much more for Daisy. So when I read the premise for this book, I was hooked. Finally, I could have a satisfying ending to the well known tale.
Written with women in mind, the tale is told through multiple pov’s: Catherine McCoy, Jordan Baker, Daisy Buchanan, and an annoying private detective sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong. The story is reimagined. Instead of the original portrayal of women as weak side characters, Jillian Cantor gives these characters voices of their own. I highly, highly recommend reading if you were left jaded after reading The Great Gatsby.
The Color Purple: 3.5
The writing style of this book, written by Alice Walker, was a choice. It did give a better understanding of the education the character was able to receive. This further showcased the struggle the main character has dealt with, especially when contrasted with her sister’s letters. But, I will say, going from a well written chapter to one filled with grammatical imperfections was slightly difficult to transition to.
I did get through this book quickly because of the simplistic writing style. Although, at times I had to put it down when the main character’s life felt particularly hopeless. I am pleased to report that she does get a happy ending.
The Mothers: 4/5
The Mothers, written by Brit Bennett, stars three characters: Nadia, Luke, and Aubrey. I loved them at times and I hated them at times. Their lives intertwine and the string that holds them together may slacken but it never breaks.
I picked up the novel because Brit Bennett was the author and the premise was interesting enough. I do think that The Vanishing Half, also written by Brit Bennett, is a far better read. But that doesn’t mean this book wasn’t good.
The Wolf and the Wildflower: 2/5
This book just wasn’t it. Ella Fields often does a marvelous job getting the audience to connect with the characters. Whenever the characters fall in love, no matter how terribly written the meet cute is, I can see that love reflected in the character’s actions and thoughts. So even though most of her books lack proper world building or a strong plot, I still read them for the well written romantic feelings. But I just couldn’t connect with this book. All the characters were 1-dimensional. And the anti-love interest was just horrifically written. He was worse than soggy cardboard; the author was desperately trying to humanize him to the audience but it just flopped. After finishing this book, I strongly advise against reading it.