abby_ace_of_books's reviews
608 reviews

Welcome back to why dating your grandfather's ex is probably a bad idea.

A Map of Days is the fourth book in the Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children series, and I'd consider it the start of a new era of the Peculiar world. Book three ended in a way that makes this new half of the series probably unnecessary to read, but I plan to actually read books five and six so I can finally decide on my official opinion for this series.
Even though Jacob and the other Peculiars have been lauded as heroes, the roles they play in the Peculiar world now are rather disappointing. After the discovery of an underground bunker that once belonged to Abe Portman, Jacob decides to set off on a journey across America to step into the shoes of his grandfather by rescuing Peculiars. The plot is fairly similar to the plot of the first three books; there's a lot of traveling from one place to another and meeting new Peculiars. I honestly don't think there's much that's unique about this book compared to other ones in the series besides the fact that the children are now beginning to despise authority and that the stakes are much lower (or, at least, they feel like they are). While I do think the ending of this book is one of the most compelling of the series so far, I personally found the book to be long and kind of unnecessary (although I'm glad the end to book three isn't the official end).
This book cuts down on the cast by only allowing five characters to depart for this American adventure. Jacob is back to being a bit whiny (especially because he and Emma start to realize that they might not be great for each other) and I'm tired of being in his head. Emma wasn't terrible, but her tension with Jacob - although it makes sense - feels like it was added just for the sake of drama, which I hate. Bronwyn, Millard, and Enoch also join Jacob and Emma, but they still don't have much page time or personality. You would think that four books into a series I would be able to say more about them, but I really can't.
If you didn't love the Peculiar series in the first place, I would not recommend continuing past A Map of Days.

3.5/5 

This book truly is a love letter to the early days of YA dystopian.

The best way I can describe Fable for the End of the World is if The Hunger Games and Uglies were written by Marie Lu. It's one of those traditional dystopian novels that plays off of the ones that came before, but I just enjoyed the vibes in general. I've seen other reviews saying the social commentary was a little shallow, but I honestly enjoyed it - especially how the internet, AI, and climate change were highlighted.
Inesa is a taxidermist living in the slums and barely scraping by. Melinoë is an Angel, a living weapon created solely for assassinations and entertainment. When Inesa's mother signs her up for the Gauntlet - a televised bloodbath where Angels hunt down Lambs - to pay off her death, Inesa and her brother Luka must team up to survive. The story itself was fast-paced, and while there weren't any crazy plot twists, I really enjoyed learning about Melinoë's backstory and seeing the worldbuilding expanded out. I do think there could have been a better build-up for the main relationship and the climax. And I know it's a standalone...but I think the ending is going to live rent-free in my mind, and not in a good way.
I'd like to start my character rant by mentioning Inesa and Luka's mother...I can't remember the last time I had this much beef with a character. She's so hateable, it's insane. I liked Inesa's character and enjoyed seeing her resourcefulness mixing with her background to create a strong protagonist. Melinoë intrigued me as well because the lab-made living weapon trope is one of my all-time favorites, although her character arc felt a bit rushed. The romance between Inesa and Melinoë was fine. I thought it could have spent more time developing, but I grew to appreciate it very quickly. I also enjoyed how Luka's character was addressed (the criticisms on masculinity and conventional attractiveness), but I wish he got a bit more closure.
Fable for the End of the World is a YA standalone dystopian story that features the vibes that brought the dystopian genre to life with a sapphic twist.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!

4/5 

As much as I think book 4 and the rest of the series are kind of gimmicky, I forgot how much I despise the ending to this book.

Library of Souls is the third book in the Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children series, and it sits at an odd point of the story where you could potentially stop reading here, or you could continue for another three books. Because I haven't officially finished the series yet, I don't know for sure if this is the "better" of the two possible ending places, but I'll know soon enough.
I think this book is probably my favorite from what I consider the "original trilogy" because it has a faster pace throughout. All of the Peculiars - except Jacob, Emma, and Addison - have been captured by Caul, who intends to steal their souls. Now Jacob, Emma, and Addison must navigate a new, disturbing loop known as Devil's Acre to save their friends and the whole world of Peculiardom. The stakes are higher, and while the middle of the book was a bit slow, the quick pacing of the beginning and the ending completely made up for that. There aren't many plot twists (most of the major ones took place in the first two books) and admittedly the worldbuilding at this point just feels like it's an excuse to show off the vintage photos. My biggest problem is the ending, but I can pretend it's not real because there's another book.
This book really focuses on Jacob and Emma, so the other characters aren't as important or rounded out. Honestly, the character development in this series feels way less defined than I remember it. Jacob's character arc finally takes a turn for the better, but I still hate parts of his character. Emma still doesn't have a super complex character, but I did appreciate how her relationship with Jacob progressed. The only other really relevant character is Sharon, and while he's kind of interesting, he isn't that enjoyable. Overall, the found family vibes seem to be much less relevant than I remember.
Library of Souls is my personal favorite from the Miss Peregrine's series so far, but if you haven't enjoyed the series so far, I would recommend stopping here.

4/5 

Apologies for the 65 annotations I shared on Goodreads (I had 82 total but I kept some of the meanest ones to myself...you're welcome), but apparently it's one of those books where something makes me mad on every other page.

I only picked up Powerless because I knew I probably wouldn't enjoy it. If you're looking for a review from someone who actually gave this book a chance, look elsewhere...I just wanted an excuse to read something that I knew would be predictable and probably make me mad because sometimes I enjoy that. If that makes me a bad person, sue me. In my defense, this book basically plagiarized The Hunger Games and Red Queen. I'll go into more detail below my official review (because I referenced a dozen different books in my annotations).
The plot? Paedyn Gray is a thief who doesn't have powers but saves the prince (so she can steal from him) and somehow gets voted into the local Hunger Games Trials. Now she and Kai, the prince she definitely doesn't have feelings for, end up in the Trials together. If you've ever read a romantasy book, you already know where this plot is going...all the typical tropes included. It's extremely predictable, but the pace was fast enough to keep me from getting too bored. My main issue was the lack of worldbuilding. Why did we start the Trials? What do you get for winning? Why do people vote each other in? Why the heck do we need a ball every other page? (If these questions were answered and I missed them, I apologize, but it really didn't feel like we mentioned much worldbuilding at all beyond "evil plague gives people colored hair and magic and supposedly it's deadly but no one really dies from it"). I don't know if I'll end up reading book two, but I don't expect it'll be much more unique than book one.
As with most romantasies I read, I wasn't a huge fan of the characters. Paedyn is just Mare Barrow and Katniss Everdeen's more lusty child who is so special for literally no reason. I also wasn't a fan of Kai because the brooding, dark-hair "I was trained to kill love interest" is present in literally every book ever now and he didn't have anything fun except his power. The side characters are so incredibly flat that I didn't care for any of them either: Blair is the token Mean Girl who just wants the Guy and hates Paedyn for it; Andy is the token queer cousin; Adena is the token POC friend; Jax is the token expendable younger brother...you see what I'm getting at. The only character I liked was Kitt because he reminded me of August Galipei from Immortal Longings...
If you're a fan of super trope-y books or stories that follow the set romantasy outline without much new to offer, you'd probably enjoy Powerless much more than I did.

3.25/5

Things I Referenced/Tropes/Other Books with Similar Plots (EXCLUDING SPOILERS):
- Sophie Foster from Keeper of the Lost Cities: pretending your favorite color isn't your favorite color because it's your love interest's eye color
- Vi from Arcane: no elaboration
- instalust (the excuse used for why is the dumbest thing I've ever heard)
- Red Queen: two princes that act as a love triangle; mean girl who wants the prince; pretending to have magic; silver hair; best friend/sister who loves sewing ... (there's probably more but I haven't read it in over 5 years)
- The Hunger Games: the Trials; the "what's your favorite color" conversation; someone who sews dresses just for the balls; interviewing contestants; healer parents; underground resistance; archer FMC
- "not like other girls"
- knife to throat every other page
- Skyhunter: backstory stuff between FMC and MMC
- The Kinder Poison: stepbrother princes, one is happy and one is depressed
- comfort after nightmares
- ...the list could go on and on but I'll refrain 

I'm beginning to think I somehow hallucinated a specific scene in this series because I haven't come across it yet on this reread, and I could've sworn it was in this book.

Hollow City is the second book in the Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children series, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. Like I said in my review of the first book, it's been a while since I've read this series and it's really not hitting the same (I'm pretending it's not because I'm getting older), but I also could be hitting a reading slump as well. I'm still enjoying this series, it just doesn't feel quite as exciting as I remember.
As is typical with sequels, this book expands greatly on the worldbuilding as the peculiar children set off on a journey to save Miss Peregrine. My main complaint is, again, with the pacing. I've seen other reviews criticizing the repetitive nature of the storyline and I can't exactly argue... Honestly, I would've rated this lower if it weren't for the ending. There is a plot twist at the end that I forgot, but I'm not counting it against me for my Traitor Count of the year because it's a reread (we love being saved by a technicality). Overall, I don't think the plot is that bad, it's just repetitive.
Similarly, the characters still feel rather flat. Jake has improved a lot (though I still don't love him as a protagonist), and while he's less whiny, he's still passive and I think that's the issue. As much as I love passive characters, the narrator/MC shouldn't be passive unless you can find other ways to progress the plot quickly. Emma is fine. I'm not particularly fond of her because her type of character is relatively common. Honestly, Hugh is my favorite at the moment, and I don't mind the rest of the children, but they don't have much going for them. I also didn't really love any of the new characters. In general, I like the cast of characters and the found family vibes, they're just not the most intriguing characters in the world.
Expanding the world of the peculiars and introducing dozens of new characters, Hollow City is a great sequel to Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

3.75/5 

I've committed a book crime...I've watched the movie so many times I kept thinking to myself as I was reading, "This didn't happen in the movie."

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is one of those books that relies a lot on vibes. I've lost count of how many books I've read that feature "peculiar" children who are all abandoned in some way but now live together, and it's even better when some gothic or horror element is involved as well. It's a formula I've come to love, and this was the book that introduced me to it nearly ten years ago, so it comes with a level of nostalgia that probably makes me remember this as better than it actually is.
After the traumatic death of his grandfather, Jake is left with only the memories of the stories he heard growing up...stories featuring a house full of "peculiar" children. The story itself is relatively predictable, especially if you've read other similar books. Honestly, I don't find the plot nearly as enticing as the vibes of a whole. I remembered the book to be more eventful than it actually is (which is probably the fault of the movie), and the images featured throughout the book feel very forced. It works well as a set-up for a series, but on its own, I can see why many people find it disappointing.
I also agree that there isn't much character development throughout the story. Jake is kind of whiny as a narrator, and I almost wonder if the book would have been improved if it had been told in the third person. Without his personality, he has an intriguing character, but he's a bit self-centered. Emma also comes across as a bit creepy due to the nature of her relationship with Jake and his grandfather. Most of the other characters are even more flat; the children can be labeled by their "powers" alone. I feel like I remember the other books being more exciting, so I'm hoping that's the case.
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is a YA fantasy/horror novel with a claim to fame from the vintage photos incorporated in the story, but if you're interested in the same vibes (but better), I'd highly recommend J.M. Miro's Ordinary Monsters.

3.75/5 

My jaw literally dropped. Multiple times.

Dance of Shadows is the sequel to Sons of Darkness, but it's a parallel story in that most of it takes place at the same time as the events of the first book, only we follow different characters. Before I go any further, I just want to acknowledge that a) I don't typically read adult epic fantasy, so any confusion on my part may be the result of that and b) I just started a semester at school, which may also play a role in my comprehension of certain parts of this book. I wanted to throw that out there so you can take this review with a grain of salt.
I think I preferred this book to the first, and the main reason is that it follows one of my favorite story structures: the characters are all split up at first but come together by the end. There are so many moving plotlines it can be hard to follow at times. Mati (yes, the same pirate princess) and her appointed knight, Dantavakra (yes, Shishupal's womanizing brother) are supposed to be traveling for diplomatic reasons. Karna finds Marzana, a dancer who may just save his life. Nala, Masha, and Parshuram embark on a journey to save the world. Vahura is simply a bookworm princess searching for a way to save her sister. I can't say much more without dropping spoilers, but the last 20% of the book was incredibly shocking in a variety of different ways and I don't know if I'll ever recover. My main issue was that the pacing dragged at some points, and yet at other times I was confused as to how characters had progressed from place to place so quickly.
I also enjoyed the characters from this book way more than the first. I also appreciated that they are all morally complex and there's not really any character who doesn't do things you'll disagree with at some point. I found Mati's chapters very enjoyable (they had a fair amount of action), but she's also just a fun narrator. I didn't like Dantavakra at first, but by the end, he was probably one of my top three characters (we love the noble knight types). I didn't care much for Karna and Marzana's sections, mostly because they were the most "romance" heavy. While Nala was my favorite in the first book, she kind of annoyed me in this one...mostly because her role of favorite was usurped by Taksha. Taksha was, hands down, my favorite character and I can't really explain why. I didn't care much for Masha again, especially with the dynamics between her, Nala, and Taksha that left me with mild secondhand embarrassment. I also didn't love Vahura, which was surprising because I usually love characters similar to her. I did love Vauri, though.
Fans of Sons of Darkness will not be disappointed by this stunning sequel, Dance of Shadows, and its epic scale, rich worldbuilding, and fascinating characters.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!

3.5/5 

 "'My name is Morgan,' I said. 'And there aren't enough words for all that I am.'"

I'm not super familiar with Arthurian legend (although I definitely want to learn more about it), so I went into Morgan Is My Name with my only prior knowledge being from BBC's Merlin. That being said, Morgan le Fay has always intrigued me. I don't know how closely this retelling follows the original, but I found it enjoyable and beautifully written. It reminded me a lot of Madeline Miller's Circe in prose and themes.
As a bildungsroman, this book follows Morgan from childhood to adulthood after Uther Pendragon tricks her mother into marriage. It's definitely a character-driven story, which I typically don't enjoy, but I actually really liked the progression of the story. Maybe it was the beautiful prose or maybe it was that I connected with Morgan as a character, but I felt completely engrossed in the story. It may not be action-packed or full of twists and turns, but it's tender and the perfect mix of heart-warming and heart-wrenching. I'm already looking forward to the sequel.
This is Morgan's story, but there were a handful of other important characters, too. I hadn't heard of most of them before, so I don't know who will be important later for sure. I liked Accolon at first, but I'm not sure how I feel now. I liked Alys and how close she and Morgan were, and I'm excited to see how their friendship grows in the next book. I hated Uther (as was the intention of the story), and I'm curious if there's any retelling where he's a good person? On the other hand, Arthur intrigues me because of how kind he is to Morgan, though I'm expecting that to change.
Morgan Is My Name is a feminist retelling of the story of Morgan le Fay, perfect for fans of Arthurian legend who want to learn more about her.

4/5 

I've learned my lesson with Tara Sim books: never say the first one isn't angsty enough.

The Midnight Kingdom is the second book in the Dark Gods trilogy, and I'm kind of glad I waited so long to pick it up because now I don't have to wait as long for book three...although 11 months still feels far too long. Overall, I think I enjoyed this book more than the first, and while I have a few issues with it, I genuinely didn't want to put this book down. If I'd had a chance, I probably would've read all 550+ pages in one sitting.
There are quite a few POVs to keep track of in this story, and most of the characters have been separated, which tends to work against the book because of its sheer complexity. In Vitae, Angelica searches for Deia's fulcrum by venturing to her stepmother's home country with Cosima at her side. Similarly, Dante and Brailee chase after their Aunt Camilla to find a way to open a portal into Noctus. Meanwhile in Noctus, Taesia, Julian, Nik, and Fin are trapped under Phos's thumb. These two groups split up relatively early on (leaving Taesia paired with Julian and Nik paired with Fin). Finally, stuck in Mortri, Risha must find her way home while also keeping Jas from dissipating completely. I found the first 100 pages or so to be probably my favorite from the book because the tension is so high. The middle was a bit slow, and I did find the ending admittedly so overwhelming that I honestly didn't love it too much...I also am not a huge fan of the ending of the book. There were a few plot twists, but none of them were too crazy. I was mostly here for the vibes and the tension/angst.
I'll do my best to include my opinions about all of the main characters here, so bear with me because there's a lot. Firstly, Angelica...she grew on me but I think she's still probably my least favorite of the main characters because I find her a bit bland. The end of the story leaves me excited for her arc in the last book, but I dreaded her chapters. I found Cosima to be the only real tolerable part of Angelica's chapters, but even she felt a bit boring compared to the other characters. I didn't mind Dante and Brailee's chapters, but they felt a bit out of place at times. Dante is still one of my favorite characters, though. I'm still not a huge fan of Taesia, which definitely influenced my opinion on certain events in the book. Like I said in my review of the first book, I've read enough "morally gray" characters now that I don't find her super interesting. I also didn't like Julian as much in this one. I think his appeal in the first book was the mystery surrounding him, but now he just feels a bit basic. I didn't like Lilia, Marcellus, or Kalen at first, but now I'm more invested in their lives than half the main characters. A bunch of other reviews I saw said Nik's POVs were their least favorite, and while I can see why, I personally found myself waiting for them. His internal struggles in this book were so tense and angsty...I do wish we got to hear from Fin, though, which probably would've made Nik's story a bit more bearable for other readers. And Risha? Best character. I love her so much and I don't care what they say about Angelica and Taesia, Risha is 100% the strongest character. Her relationship with Jas is probably one of my favorite fictional relationships ever. Risha and Jas live rent-free in my mind now. In terms of the villains (mostly the gods), I do like hearing from them in the minds of the main characters and I'm interested to see how their goals play out in book three.
Packed with intrigue, magic, and devastating relationships, The Midnight Kingdom doesn't suffer from second-book syndrome as it sets up for an epic finale to the Dark Gods trilogy.

4.25/5


Mild Spoilers
I also just want to leave this quote here because it's been haunting me since I finished the book...
"Just as worshippers went to the basilicas to leave offerings, so, too, did he kneel on the altar of her body and give quiet thanks and quieter prayers, bestowing whatever he had on her. And just like a ravenous god she took it for her own, let it curl and breathe inside her. The reverence of life, the devotion of death. The two of them dancing between."