Lush details and descriptions brought this story to life but were jarringly excessive – especially in the first half of the story. On top of this, a third-person point of view was used, which made the writing style even less engaging. There were some cute moments of humour, though, and fewer information dumps in the second half of the story, making the pacing better.
Almost 4-stars
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SING ME TO SLEEP by Gabby Burton
Vivid descriptions and details smoothly bring this story and world to life. I also loved how the complex world-building was delivered in bite-sized pieces and merged with the unfolding story.
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THE REVELATION OF LIGHT AND DARK by Sawyer Bennett
From the start, a palpable atmosphere of foreboding and mystery kept the story engaging. Equally intriguing was the concealed paranormal world gradually established throughout the story. However, I struggled slightly with the overly descriptive writing style, especially since there is lots of filler information, and much is told, not shown.
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DARK WATER DAUGHTER by H.M. Long
The rich, fresh world takes readers to unruly waters, lush land and everything in between. Further enriching this is a gritty historical setting filled with mythical creatures and magic. Each aspect of this complex setting is gradually established in well-timed, bite-sized pieces with a smooth and vivid writing style.
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THIS WICKED FATE by Kalynn Bayron
The picturesque writing laced with witty humour made this an easy, engaging read. What’s more, the fascinating magic and Greek mythology aspects of the world are further developed in this sequel, enriching the story. My only issue was that the constant deluge of unnecessary details, like how noise-cancelling headphones work, gradually weakened the tension and slowed the story.
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THE ADVENTURES OF AMINA AL-SIRAFI by Shannon Chakraborty
Amina’s sassy narrative quickly grabbed my attention, and I loved the humour this brought to the story. I was also pulled in by the fascinating world, with its rich mythology, culture, history and religion. While this world-building is presented in information dumps, these were easy to follow and strengthened by vivid descriptions which brought the world to life.
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BLOOD DEBTS by Terry J. Benton-Walker
The fascinating world is packed with a rich magic system and history. This information is gradually given across the story making the world-building easy to follow and take in. I also enjoyed the multiple points of view (POVs) as they allow for a slightly broader scope, but some add little to the story.
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CHAIN OF THORNS by Cassandra Clare
Through multiple third-person points of view (POVs), the descriptive writing style provides a detailed depiction of the characters and world. While this broad scope allows the story to delve into the complicated relationships between the characters, it also gives a slow, sluggish pace. The highlight for me was the slight comic relief dispersed throughout the story, as this made me smile and reminded me of why I first liked this series.
