A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas (ACOTAR #4)

Hey guys!
I *finally* read the latest ACOTAR book! I’m only two years late to the party!

Sorcery of Thorns on Goodreads

The Plot (according to Goodreads):

Nesta Archeron has always been prickly – proud, swift to anger and slow to forgive. And since the war – since being made High Fae against her will – she’s struggled to forget the horrors she endured and find a place for herself within the strange and deadly Night Court.

The person who ignites her temper more than any other is Cassian, the battle-scarred, winged warrior who is there at Nesta’s every turn. But her temper isn’t the only thing Cassian ignites. And when they are forced to train in battle together, sparks become flame.

As the threat of war casts its shadow over them once again, Nesta and Cassian must fight monsters from within and without if they are to stand a chance of halting the enemies of their court. But the ultimate risk will be searching for acceptance – and healing – in each other’s arms.

The Rating:

I binge-read the first three books, I devoured the novella. I was so excited about A Court of Silver Flames coming out and then it was here and I forgot about it. Oopsie. Well, I finally picked the novel up, and boy there are a lot of things to talk about.

First of all, I enjoyed that this book was such an intriguing study of mental health, of trauma, and of healing. Maas did a good job showing that the journey to get better isn’t linear, some days are better than others, some are worse. It also shows quite well that you have no way of knowing what goes on in another person, why they behave the way they do.

Getting better is a struggle, and I think she also captured well that is not just a struggle for the person going through it but also for those around her. There is someone you deeply care about and you want to help them, but you don’t know how to best go about it. They might resent your help, might not understand it. There is also a volatile balance between trying to help someone and taking away their own agency and ability to make decisions. Nesta was hurting, herself and others. Her coping mechanisms weren’t healthy, and she was running herself into the ground. Standing by and watching someone you care about to that has to be hell. Yet the only way to get her to stop was to impose strict rules and essentially upend her life.

The Golden Enclaces by Naomi Novik (The Scholomance #3)

Hey guys!
Today I’m back with my review on the third and final installment in Naomi Novik’s Scholomance trilogy. Let’s find out what she got up to with this novel and whether it’s any good!

The Golden Enclaves on
Goodreads

The Plot (as found on Goodreads):

The one thing you never talk about while you’re in the Scholomance is what you’ll do when you get out. Not even the richest enclaver would tempt fate that way. But it’s all we dream about, the hideously slim chance we’ll survive to make it out the gates and improbably find ourselves with a life ahead of us, a life outside the Scholomance halls.

And now the impossible dream has come true. I’m out, we’re all out–and I didn’t even have to turn into a monstrous dark witch to make it happen. So much for my great-grandmother’s prophecy of doom and destruction. I didn’t kill enclavers, I saved them. Me, and Orion, and our allies. Our graduation plan worked to perfection: we saved everyone and made the world safe for all wizards and brought peace and harmony to all the enclaves of the world.

Ha, only joking! Actually it’s gone all wrong. Someone else has picked up the project of destroying enclaves in my stead, and probably everyone we saved is about to get killed in the brewing enclave war on the horizon. And the first thing I’ve got to do now, having miraculously got out of the Scholomance, is turn straight around and find a way back in.

The Rating:

This was an amazing finish to a really cool trilogy.
As I mentioned in my past reviews, I tremendously enjoyed the first two Scholomance books (A Deadly Education and The Last Graduate), and I’m glad to say #3 is no exception.

First of all, I love that we finally learn something of the world this is set in outside of the very confined space of the school. While there had been talk about the enclaves before it isn’t until now that we really get to see them up close. The world-building within the Scholomance was great, so I simply hoped that wouldn’t crumple once things became more expansive. I’m not gonna lie, there are one or two things I have questions about. The logic isn’t 100% solid on every tiny aspect, but you know what? I can live with 90-95% percent. I don’t want to go into detail as that would constitute massive spoilers but none of the things I noticed were major aspects of the story or the world-building. Rather small details that might not pass up-close inspection, but it’s fine.

The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik (Scholomance #2)

Hey guys!
I’m on a bit of a mission to finally finish reading all the different book series I started at some point. There are many books that I only read part 1 of – mainly because at that time it was the only thing that had been released. However, I totally lost track of when the sequels would be coming out. So here I am, years after reading book #1, trying to remember what happened and jumping right into the other parts of the series. First off, we have The Last Graduate which is the second part of the Scholomance trilogy. We’ll talk about book three very soon as well…

The Last Graduate on Goodreads

The Plot (according to Goodreads):

A budding dark sorceress determined not to use her formidable powers uncovers yet more secrets about the workings of her world in the stunning sequel to A Deadly Education, the start of Naomi Novik’s groundbreaking crossover series.

At the Scholomance, El, Orion, and the other students are faced with their final year—and the looming specter of graduation, a deadly ritual that leaves few students alive in its wake. El is determined that her chosen group will survive, but it is a prospect that is looking harder by the day as the savagery of the school ramps up. Until El realizes that sometimes winning the game means throwing out all the rules…

The Rating:

It’s been a hot minute since I read the first book in this series. In fact, I read that pretty close to when it was released without realizing it would be the start of a trilogy and not just a standalone. The first book would have worked rather well as a standalone had it not been for the cliffhanger on the final page. Literally, the last paragraph is even called for there being another book! Obviously, I was intrigued but I decided to wait until the third book is out as well, so I could finish reading the series in one go.

Honestly, it was worth the wait. I had enjoyed the first novel in the series but this one was incredible as well. I love the entire idea behind the story. It’s so smart and so different from other magical school concepts I’ve come across before. I appreciate that the main character isn’t some happy-go-lucky type. While in some regards she has to follow the blueprint of your YA heroine that we all know, overall, none of this feels like much of a cliché. I get that the main character needs to be good at something or influence something otherwise there’d be no reason for them to be the main character. Furthermore, while El has a penchant for dark things and eradicating worlds, this is not super Mary Sue. Yeah, big evil spells come easier to her, but she still needs to put in a ton of work to learn, to practice, to survive. And while she is an integral part of saving the day, even being this powerful she couldn’t do it alone.

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Hello guys!
Today I bring you a novel that ended up on my tbr pile based solely on other people’s T5T lists. This book got mentioned more than once and I was intrigued!

Mexican Gothic on Goodreads

The Plot (as found on Goodreads):

After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.

Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemí’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.

Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.

And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.

The Rating:

I was in a bit of a reading slump when I picked up Mexican Gothic. Trying to get through all of Wheel of Time has really put a damper on my reading motivation. Turns out, this book was actually perfect to devour in between! It’s short enough to be a fairly quick read, and the story is rather intriguing.

First of all, the setting is so cool and unique. I mean, I have seen plenty of films (and read a book or two) in settings that aim for a similar vibe but it’s always the UK or the US. It’s so interesting to see somebody finally venturing elsewhere – even if we circle back to the whole British atmosphere. However, since you know what the goal is vibe-wise, you instantly get into the spooky mindset.

The Excalibur Curse by Kiersten White (Camelot Rising #3)

Hey guys!
I’m back with another book review. Today we’re going to talk about The Excalibur Curse which marks the third and final installment of Kiersten White’s Camelot Rising trilogy!

The Excalibur Curse on Goodreads

The Plot (according to Goodreads):

While journeying north toward the Dark Queen, Guinevere falls into the hands of her enemies. Behind her are Lancelot, trapped on the other side of the magical barrier they created to protect Camelot, and Arthur, who has been led away from his kingdom, chasing after false promises. But the greatest danger isn’t what lies ahead of Guinevere—it’s what’s been buried inside her.

Vowing to unravel the truth of her past with or without Merlin’s help, Guinevere joins forces with the sorceress Morgana and her son, Mordred—and faces the confusing, forbidden feelings she still harbors for him. When Guinevere makes an agonizing discovery about who she is and how she came to be, she finds herself with an impossible choice: fix a terrible crime, or help prevent war.

Guinevere is determined to set things right, whatever the cost. To defeat a rising evil. To remake a kingdom. To undo the mistakes of the past…even if it means destroying herself.

Guinevere has been a changeling, a witch, a queen—but what does it mean to be just a girl?

The Rating:

Man, I wanted to love this book, I really really wanted to. I was so smitten with this series, the idea, the whole premise is so much down my alley. By all means this finale should have thrilled me.

Unfortunately I somehow found it lacking. The worst thing is, I cannot even put my finger on what exactly it is that bothered me. Don’t misunderstand me, this is not a *bad* book. But for a finale it felt rather weak and in the bigger picture of the series it just can’t quite compare to the first two novels. This was so anticlimactic.

As intriguing as some of the ideas were, the characters didn’t live up to that. Guinevere feels less and less fleshed out with every page. I guess this is to some degree intended but it annoyed me. She is so indecisive, some of her decisions barely make sense and even in the bigger picture of the plot it only makes for a weak addition, so it’s not even justified. It gets even worse with some other characters like for example Arthur. That dude is just an idea on two legs. To me he has no depth, just no nothing at all. Lancelot is an intriguing character but it’s so similar to what is going on with Arthur. Both of them just remain so bland, they aren’t fleshed out enough.

Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

Hey, my darling readers!
I don’t even remember how many years it’s been since I last picked up an Agatha Christie book. There sure are a lot I need to catch up on, so why not begin with one that got a new adaptation last year?

Death on the Nile on Goodreads

The Plot (as found on Goodreads):

The tranquility of a lovely cruise along the Nile is shattered by the discovery that Linnet Ridgeway has been shot. She was young, stylish and beautiful, a girl who had everything – until she lost her life.

Who is also on board? Christie’s great detective Hercule Poirot is on holiday. He recalls an earlier outburst by a fellow passenger: ‘I’d like to put my dear little pistol against her head and just press the trigger.’ Despite the exotic setting, nothing is ever quite what it seems…

The Rating:

It has been a hot minute since I last read an Agatha Christie novel. However, when the new Death on the Nile movie came out, I just knew that I would have to read it so I could later complain about all the changes made for the movie. 😅

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Before we can even think about checking out the film, we’ll need to talk about the book first!

I enjoyed this a lot. It is a cleverly crafted detective story and is fascinating to read even almost a hundred years after it was written. I can’t help but compare it with Murder on the Orient Express, and there are two things I noticed. First of all, while there are still things in this book that are pertinent to the time it was written in, I didn’t feel as, let’s say, old-fashioned as Murder on the Orient Express. What I mean is that throughout that one I had many cringe moments where Christie wrote something that you cannot say today and for good reason. As I said, I understand that these books were written in a different time and different things were normal back then, but one can’t help but notice despite that. Anyway, with Death on the Nile, I had fewer such moments, which is good I guess?