babbling_book's reviews
52 reviews

3.25 ⭐️

Pros:
✅️ Fast-paced and action-packed plot
✅️ Nice development between the two main characters
✅️ Cool setting and concept

Cons:
❌️ Lots of tell not show in the writing
❌️ Too much info dumping at the start, but lacked depth overall
❌️ Felt like some characters had a lot of plot armour

I didn't hate this book, but I sadly didn't love it either.

The concept of this story and world is really cool, with these alternate parallel realities which get more dangerous and chaotic, and an interesting dynamic between mortals and Echo beings from parallel worlds. I really liked that the setting if this book was party guests at an end-of-year ball, and the countdown element kept the plot moving at a really good pace.

However, my general feeling while reading this book was that despite the serious and dangerous happenings in the story, the stakes didn't feel high enough for the main characters. It was one of those stories where events just seemed to wrap themselves around the characters as plot armour to always give the desired outcome. 

I think the mechanics and features of the world could have been better described upfront so that you knew there was a rulebook characters' actions were confined within, rather than abilities and events feeling pretty random at any given moment.

That being said, I appreciated the fast pacing of the story and I did enjoy reading the relationship between the two main characters and seeing that develop over the course of the book.

Characters - 6/10
Atmosphere - 6/10
World - 6/10
Plot - 6/10
Emotional impact & Enjoyment - 5/10
Writing - 5/10

4.5 ⭐️

Characters - 9/10
Atmosphere - 7/10
World - 9/10
Plot - 8/10
Emotional Impact & Enjoyment - 8/10
Writing - 8/10

This is a great epic fantasy book. Even though I was intimidated by its >1000 page length, this was a thoroughly enjoyable reading experience from start to finish. I loved the three main character POVs in this story, and there were no moments where I felt disappointed to be leaving one character POV to switch to another - every storyline was interesting and kept me intrigued.

Because of its length you really do become very acquainted with the characters and you come to really strongly care about them. The character journeys in this book were all really rewarding in their own unique ways, and every chapter in the story allowed you to learn something about them, or the world, or to see some development between characters.

While I don’t have a major criticism of how the plot developed, I did feel by the end that I was expecting a little more from the final chapters than I got. There were some truly great moments and reveals at the end of this book (as well as throughout), but I felt like the classic Brandon ‘Sanderlanche’ could have been even more powerful and I didn’t expect some elements of the story to end where it did. Having finished it, I now realise that this whole book was just a massive prologue for the rest of the books in the series.

That being said, I had a great experience reading this book. And it’s safe to say that I’m very very keen to read book 2, Words of Radiance (albeit after a little break)!

 

3.5⭐️ 

 

Don’t let the star rating fool you, I really enjoyed this book! This is a great palette cleanser type standalone fantasy book to fit in between some denser reads / series’. It was the perfect amount of spookiness for someone who isn’t a fan of (can’t handle) the horror genre, and the pacing was good throughout. If you are looking for an intricate plot with twists and turns and complex, emotive characters this is not the one for you. BUT if you’re looking for a quick, slightly spooky standalone fantasy with a haunted house mystery then you will enjoy this one. 

 

Characters - 5/10 

Atmosphere - 7/10 

World - 6/10 

Plot - 6/10 

Enjoyment - 6/10 

Writing - 7/10 

3⭐️

Overall, this book gets quite a middle-of-the-road score. I would recommend this book for people who like:
✅ Unlikeable or morally grey characters
✅ Whimsical fantasy world / creatures
✅ Sapphic representation
✅ Dark academia murder mystery vibes

I would NOT recommend this book for people who are looking for:
❌ Gothic atmosphere
❌ Believable romance
❌ Strong character development
❌ Likeable narrator

Characters - 3/10
Atmosphere - 6/10
World - 7/10
Plot - 5/10
Emotional Impact & Enjoyment - 4/10
Writing - 5/10

This book had so much potential but was infuriating to read. I loved the murder mystery element to the story, and the fantastical elements to the world including (and especially) the magical creatures, as well as the politics. The cast of characters were also intriguing and had a lot of potential to develop,  the further into the story you went.

However, most elements fell short of their potential / my expectations by the time I got to the end, and I found myself struggling to believe what I was reading at points, and feeling desperate for the story to end at others.

As the story was told from the single POV of Lorelai, who was a distinctly unlikeable character, I found it interesting, challenging and frustrating to read, in equal measure. Unfortunately, I felt her character development was very limited, and while there was some degree of a journey there, there were also several points towards the end of the book where I was just incredulous that after everything, she still hadn’t learned anything or changed at all.

I found it incredibly difficult to believe the romance that developed later on in the story, mainly because the main character was just so awful to the love interest and the love interest was seemingly so in love with her. 

Likewise, I found it quite difficult to get behind some of the developments and outcomes of the story, as I struggled to follow some of the characters’ political motivations and felt like some things were just sprung on the reader at the end for convenience.

I’m sad because there was a lot to like about the premise and direction of this story, and the world itself - it just unfortunately didn’t deliver as I’d hoped. In terms of what I did like, I really loved the secondary protagonist, and I loved all of the creatures which popped up throughout the story. I think atmospherically it could’ve been better described but was still good, and I was able to visualise the environments and some of the darker or more whimsical elements pretty well.

RATING - 5 ⭐️
This book was an utter joy to read. The sequel to Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries delivered on everything it set out to achieve - more brilliantly fleshed out characters (both main and side characters) with fantastic interactions and development, a great, cohesive and dynamic plot, and a world that felt like pure whimsical magic and mystery. 

This book felt like a warm comforting hug, diving straight back into the world of Emily Wilde and Wendell Bambleby, uncovering more mysteries of the Faerie realms as well as their feelings towards one another. These books feel like such a breath of fresh air in the fantasy genre - offering a sense of familiarity in the fantastical fae elements but with a unique twist. 

The light academia theme I think adds a really great layer to the world building and storytelling, and I really enjoy the traditional folkloric nature of the Faerie elements. I cannot wait for book 3 (Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales) to come out next year!

CHARACTERS - 10/10
● Nuanced & lovable main and side characters with great interactions, development and motivations

ATMOSPHERE - 8/10
● Really good portrayal of circumstances which really helped me imagine each scene and the vibe.

WORLD BUILDING - 9/10
● More development of the Faerie realms & creatures, very unique magical elements and great descriptions of each environment

PLOT - 9/10
● Strong start, the plot held my interest and moved at a great pace for the story. There were some great story arcs and it felt like breadcrumbs scattered early on became relevant later and the way the story wrapped up felt credible without being too predictable.

ENJOYMENT / EMOTIONAL IMPACT - 10/10
● Reading this book made me feel pure joy! I was smiling & giggling while reading parts of this book and the interactions between some of the characters.

WRITING - 7/10
● The light academia, journal writing style adds a nice flavour to the storytelling, although I would’ve loved more of Wendell’s POV, as his contrasting personality from Emily and how he approaches and perceives things is really fun to read.

OVERALL RATING - 5 stars (out of 5)

This was such a mixed reading experience for me. Sarah A. Parker has developed such a rich, well-considered fantasy world and magic system which has a real uniqueness to it.

However, I felt the beginning third of the book extremely difficult to get into, and felt like as a reader I was being thrown around from situation to situation without really knowing what was going on or what the relevance was for where the story would develop. I think if I now went back and re-read the book, the beginning part would make a lot more sense, but I did feel as though the first part of the book gave an unfair representation for where the story ultimately went.

The plot and pacing was quite mixed, and while I enjoyed the second half a lot more than the first, I did find parts felt like a bit of a drag with not much plot development. I also didn't love the 'spice' scenes which felt a little OTT and threw me out of the story in places.

That being said, once I got to grips with the world and once the story started to settle, I really really enjoyed immersing myself in the environments and especially learning more about some of the characters' backstories. I came to really like the characters Kaan and Veya, and while Raeve could be quite stubborn and frustrating a lot of the time, I could clearly understand why she was the way she was and I enjoyed seeing her growth.

I would've liked a bit more of a 'resolution' at the end of this book, as I felt by the end that it was really just a scene setter story to lead into the next installment. I am however sufficiently invested in the story to want to continue with the series! I think it has so much potential to develop into something fantastic.

OVERALL RATING - 3.75 stars (out of 5)

CHARACTERS - 8/10
ATMOSPHERE - 6/10
WORLD - 9/10
PLOT - 6/10
EMOTIONAL IMPACT & ENJOYMENT - 6/10
WRITING - 6/10