Lirael

Book Title: Lirael

Author: Garth Nix

Series: The Old Kingdom #2

Date Started: October 13th 2020

Date Completed: October 27th 2020

Genres: Fantasy, Adventure

Quality Rating: Four Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Four Star

Final Rating: Four Stars

Review:

Lirael, like the first book in the Old Kingdom series, was another really fun read - again, I know I would've appreciated and enjoyed it more as a kid than I have as an adult.

I do have to say I felt a lot more immersed in this one. I had an idea of the world and its rules already, so I was really able to pay attention to the new things Nix was introducing and exploring. That's always the most fun in fantasy, and while Sabriel was packed full of it the action was also such a dominating force forward that it was hard to balance focus on both at the same time.

For me, Lirael's story did veer a little too much in Sam's direction for a book named Lirael in the middle, but once they met up she definitely got to come into her own and Nix's token balance of power dynamics in various relationships shone once again. (Speaking of, I also really liked the way Nix referenced the first book and its events a lot, but allowed Lirael to be its own story).

My one complaint is about the ending, and I don't think I can possibly be alone in that - let's be honest, it was a cop-out. We get to such a high point of tension, a dramatic reveal, and then we just end - quite similarly to Sabriel. At least this finale won't be quite as rushed as I always felt Sabriel had been, but it was a bit of a let down for the story to finish so suddenly without solving the big problem from the start of the book. It felt too constructed to bridge over to the next book to be satisfying.

These Violent Delights

Book Title: These Violent Delights

Author: Chloe Gong

Date Started: September 15th 2020

Date Completed: October 11th 2020

Genres: Historical, Fantasy, Romance

Quality Rating: Three Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Three Star

Final Rating: Three Stars

Review:

◆ Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for this eBook copy for review ◆

I have to admit, I did nearly put this book down at least three times before finally deciding it wasn't for me - so there was clearly something that made me want to keep trying. But, in the end, it just didn't do it for me and despite continuing on multiple times I only made it 35% through. It's not a bad book, but it's quite YA-ish and contrite, and it just wasn't keeping my attention enough.

A lot happens, even in the first third I read, but the story progresses at a snail's pace. We'd only really achieved two things at the time I stopped reading. I mean, really, it's so repetitive, it's basically the same three scenes over and over again. There's an edge of Libba Bray's The Diviners in the way it builds up the monster mystery, but the character's plotlines aren't holding the core strong enough for it to remain compelling. Gong also dumps a lot of information constantly - while the cultural and historical aspects are really interesting, I wish it had come across more in action and behaviour than explicit explanations.

I'm also not a massive fan of the leads, and I didn't feel their chemistry at all - and that's always a big factor for me personally. Most of their character is built up from what has happened in the past, but the problem is that it gets so concerned with the backstory (and with being mysterious about it) that it doesn't actually get to telling this story. It was also, for me, too dramatic. I didn't feel the tension because it felt like someone held up a *cue gasp* sign. This doesn't make it bad, it's just a stylistic element that I'm not a fan of.

The whole book just felt pulled in too many different directions: at times it was a melodramatic YA gangster love story, then it was a monster mystery, then it was a historical political drama. All are great and can be balanced together, but I just don't think Gong quite managed it for me this time.