Tag: Fantasy

Review: These Violent Delights (These Violent Delights #1) by Chloe Gong

~ Laurie ~ Leave a comment

Back in 2020, the debut novel by Chloe Gong, These Violent Delights got published. Also, this was the first book in a duology. Even before publication, the hype and buzz for this book on social media was huge and real. With my previous experiences when it comes to hypes, I wanted to avoid this one at all costs. However, my curiosity got the better of me as always and I bought myself a copy. Unfortunately, I had a tough time getting through this. I even put it aside to pick it back up later. I finished it, but had a feeling I missed something. I just didn’t know what. Now the Dutch translation got published and that was a good time for me to find out what I might have missed. Spoiler alert: A lot. I’ve increased my rating from 3 stars to….. Well, you’ll see.

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Review: Amari and The Great Game (Supernatural Investigations #2) by B.B. Alston

~ Laurie ~ 1 Comment

In 2021 Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston was published. This was the first instalment in a new series about a black American teenager who happens to be able to see the supernatural world and also happens to possess magic. After reading it, I’ve rated this book the well-deserved 5 stars. I couldn’t wait for the next book, but I had to be patient for a little while. In fall 2022, the waiting was over and Amari and the Great Game got published. However, it took me a while to pick it up because I had several other books with deadlines et cetera. My expectations were high, would this sequel meet them?

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Review: Tithe (Modern Faerie Tales #1) by Holly Black

~ Laurie ~ 2 Comments

Back in 2018, I introduced myself to Holly Black by reading The Cruel Prince, the first book in the “Folk of the Air” series. At the time, I disliked it. However, I decided to give it a second chance after a few months and the rest is history. I’ve loved all books in this series ever since, the one more than the other. The Dutch publisher decided to translate this series as well. However, I’ve read them all in English. It was fall 2021 when they published a much older series by this author in Dutch, “Modern Faerie Tales”. This series has originally been rleased in the early 2000s. So, a Dutch translation was 21 years late. However, I wanted to support the Dutch publisher and therefore got myself the Dutch version of Tithe. I have to admit that I really was hesitant to pick it up, it turnt out that was not without reason.

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Review: Gleam (The Plated Prisoner #3) by Raven Kennedy

~ Laurie ~ 1 Comment

A few years ago, I started reading Gild, the first book in “The Plated Prisoner series by Raven Kennedy. At first, I didn’t manage and DNF’ed the book. I picked it back up later and now I’m slowly making my way through the entire series. This month it was time for Gleam, the third book.

This series contains graphic content such as abuse, drug use and violence. Therefore it’s not suitable for readers under 18.

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Review: Huntress (Ash #0.5) by Malinda Lo

~ Laurie ~ 1 Comment

A few years ago, I introduced myself to Malinda Lo’s work. I’ve read Last Night at the Telegraph Club, a LGBTQIA+ historical fiction set in San Francisco during the Red Scare in the 1950s. I really enjoyed this read, so when the Dutch translation of Huntress was announced, I was really excited. It’s a fantasy based on Chinese folklore and mythology, with LGBTQIA+ characters as well. Did it meet my high expectations?

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Review: Cursed by Marissa Meyer

~ Laurie ~ 1 Comment

Hello and welcome to my first book review of 2023! In fact, this review is long overdue since it’s of a book I finished back in December 2022. Anyway, it’s a review of one of my autobuy Authors Marissa Meyer, so better late than never is the motto. Just a little warning beforehand: since Cursed is the second and final book in the Gilded duology, there are Gilded spoilers in this post. Haven’t you read said book yet? Then scroll to the bottom where I highlight the important points of my review.

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Review: The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

~ Laurie ~ Leave a comment

A few years ago, The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes got published. This book immediately got lots and lots of hype and praise. Unfortunately, it wasn’r really my cup of tea. However, I was still curious of the further developments in the game, so I’ve read The Hawthorne Legacy. This series was supposed to contain two books, but a third one was announced. Although I disliked The Hawthorne Legacy even more than The Inheritance Games, I still couldn’t resist and read The Final Gambit. It’s FOMO I guess? Anyway, I was curious how this all would end.

*beware for spoilers of the first books off this series

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Review: Fairy Tale by Stephen King

~ Laurie ~ 2 Comments

In 2020, I’ve finally read my first Stephen King book. This was The Institute and I honetstly enjoyed it. My first impression of this famous author’s work was good. Fast forward one year and I read Later, which unfortunately disappointed me somewhat. Salem’s Lot however was one I enjoyed untill the epilogue which was way too long. Now, King’s new book got released, Fairy Tale, which intrigued me from the moment I laid eyes on it. Was this book what I expected it to be?

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Review: Babel by R.F. Kuang

~ Laurie ~ 3 Comments

If there’s one book so many people were looking forward too, it’s Babel, the latest work by author R.F. Kuang. Her previous series, The Poppy War, received much well-deserved praise. The expectations for Babel were therefore quite high. However, it got again lots of priase on platforms such as TikTok and Goodreads. Because of this, I slowly became excited for this book. I’m not the biggest fan of dark academia, but I loved the The Poppy War trilogy. That little fact made me decide to actually read Babel. Was it worth the hype and excitement?

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