The Weirn Books Vol. 1 by Svetlana Chmakova || Graphic Novel Review

23/04/202123/04/2021 Anna @starlightkosmos2 Comments

Disclaimer: I received this graphic novel from the publisher (through NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Title: The Weirn Books, Vol. 1: Be Wary of the Silent Woods

( The Weirn Books #1 )

Author: Svetlana Chmakova

Published: 16. June 2020

Edition: JY

ebook, 240 pages

Genre: Fantasy | Supernatural

Summary:

In the Night Realm, vampires, shifters, weirns, and other night things passing for human prowl the streets… but they still have to go to school! Ailis and Na’ya are pretty average students (NOT losers), but when a shadow starts looming and a classmate gets all weird, they are the first to notice. It gets personal, though, when Na’ya’s little brother D’esh disappears-It’s time to confront the secrets of the forbidden mansion in the Silent Woods!

Goodreads | Bookdepository | Amazon

◄ 3.5 OUT OF 5 STARS ►

This was such a cute and fun graphic novel! This was the first time that I have read anything by Svetlana Chmakova and I must say that I enjoyed myself. I definitely plan on checking out further volumes in this series. Anyway, onto more about Be Wary of the Silent Woods.

The first thing I would like to write about is the art style. As you can see by the cover it’s adorable, I also found it very fitting to the whole atmosphere of the story. By which I mean that it felt very whimsical. The characters were good, but I didn’t particularly fall in love with them. The dialogue between them felt a bit over the top, which is understandable since they are children. I think someone younger would enjoy this graphic novel a lot. I especially enjoyed seeing the familial relationships in this story, they were so sweet. The story was interesting, I enjoyed learning more about the school and the magic of the world. There were some things that I found predictable, but that was expected since this graphic novel is aimed towards a younger audience.

Overall I enjoyed The Weirn Books Vol. 1 quite a bit. The story and setting were fun, I enjoyed learning more about the characters and there were some very heartfelt moments. I would definitely recommend checking this graphic novel out.

Thank you very much for reading and I hope that you have a wonderful day!

-Anna♥

The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo || Book Review

31/01/202101/02/2021 Anna @starlightkosmos4 Comments

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher (through NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Title: The Empress of Salt and Fortune

( The Singing Hills Cycle #1 )

Author: Nghi Vo

Published: 24. March 2020

Edition: Tor.com

ebook, 112 pages

Genre: Fantasy | LGBT+

Summary:

A young royal from the far north is sent south for a political marriage. Alone and sometimes reviled, she has only her servants on her side. This evocative debut chronicles her rise to power through the eyes of her handmaiden, at once feminist high fantasy and a thrilling indictment of monarchy.

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◄ 4.5 OUT OF 5 STARS ►

Before I started reading The Empress of Salt and Fortune I had heard nothing but amazing things about it. This novella also sounded like something that I would love, which made me even more exited to read it. I’m happy to say that I ended up loving this book! I now want to read everything that Nghi Vo writes.

I’m not the most eloquent when it comes to describing writing styles, I just know what works for me and what doesn’t. The writing style in The Empress of Salt and Fortune was beautiful and captivating. It was intricately woven and I couldn’t stop reading it. Which is another reason that I need to read everything else by Nghi Vo. I also loved how each chapter was a story within a story, how the past and present connected in a way. The story in itself was fascinating and I wanted to find out more, in both the present and the past one.

The characters in this novella were wonderful. The main character Chih was an amazing protagonist. They were more of an observer than a participant in the story. By that I mean that they are listening to the story that is told to them by Rabbit, an old woman who was the handmaiden to the Empress. Still, I enjoyed learning more about them and getting to know them through the glimpses we got. My two favourite characters in this story were Rabbit and the Empress. I loved learning more about them. Their story was fascinating and I always looked forward to learning more about what was going on with them.

Overall, The Empress of Salt and Fortune was a fantastic novella. The writing style is beautiful, the story and characters compelling. I definitely recommend this book to everyone! I can’t wait to read more by Nghi Vo in the future.

Thank you very much for reading and I hope that you have a wonderful day!

-Anna♥

Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire || ARC Review

10/01/202111/01/2021 Anna @starlightkosmos2 Comments

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher (through NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Title: Across the Green Grass Fields

( Wayward Children #6 )

Author: Seanan McGuire

Published: 12. January 2021

Edition: Tordotcom

ebook, 176 pages

Genre: Fantasy | Portal Fantasy

Summary:

“Welcome to the Hooflands. We’re happy to have you, even if you being here means something’s coming.”

Regan loves, and is loved, though her school-friend situation has become complicated, of late.

When she suddenly finds herself thrust through a doorway that asks her to “Be Sure” before swallowing her whole, Regan must learn to live in a world filled with centaurs, kelpies, and other magical equines―a world that expects its human visitors to step up and be heroes.

But after embracing her time with the herd, Regan discovers that not all forms of heroism are equal, and not all quests are as they seem.

Goodreads | Bookdepository | Amazon

◄ 4.5 OUT OF 5 STARS ►

I have read the first three books in the Wayward Children series and I completely adored them! Obviously I was exited to get to Across the Green Grass Fields. Yes, I haven’t yet read the fourth or fifth book in this series but it didn’t matter as this story can stand on it’s own. ~~(Though I do need to get around to the other books soon.)~~

Seanan McGuire’s writing in the Wayward Children series is gorgeous. I always end up pulled into it from a few sentences. I’m not great when it comes to describing writing styles, all I can say that I love the way McGuire writes and I need to read more books by them. An interesting aspect of this series is the fact that the worlds change with each book, which makes exploring these stories all the more fun. The world in Across the Green Grass Fields was very interesting, I adored how everything was “horse themed”. I was intrigued by all the different beings in this world and I wanted to learn more about everything.

Another interesting aspect of this novella is the fact that we get to see Regan, the main character, from when she was ten to sixteen ~~(if I’m not mistaken with the numbers)~~. It was amazing getting to see Regan’s thoughts and personality throughout the years, especially since she spends all that time in a fantasy setting. Regan’s new adopted family was interesting as well, I enjoyed learning more about them and their relationships with each other and the world that they inhabit. There were two characters that were introduced towards the end of the story that I was curious about, but we didn’t get all that much from them. Which is to be expected from such a short book.

The story was an interesting one. In some ways it felt like a quiet one, since a lot of it is focused on Regan growing up and learning about the new world. Not saying that nothing exiting happens, far from it. This story just felt like it didn’t have the highest stakes, which isn’t a negative it’s actually something I really enjoyed about it. The ending did leave me a bit unsatisfied. I just wanted a little more from it, I wish that McGuire wrote one more chapter for this story. Other than that I really have no complains about this story.

Overall, Across the Green Grass Fields was a fantastic book. The world is fantastic, the characters interesting and the writing gorgeous. What more could I ask for? Obviously I recommend this book to everyone. I’m so glad that this was the first book that I read in 2021.