JennReadsLots
I spend all of my time reading and writing.
706 points
JennReadsLots started reading...
3d
The Knight and the Moth
Rachel Gillig
From New York Times bestselling author Rachel Gillig comes a sensational romantasy, a gothic, mist-cloaked tale of a young prophetess forced on an impossible quest with the one knight whose future is beyond her sight. Sybil Delling has spent nine years dreaming of having no dreams at all. Like the other foundling girls who traded a decade of service for a home in the great cathedral, Sybil is a Diviner. In her dreams she receives visions from six unearthly figures known as Omens. From them, she can predict terrible things before they occur, and lords and common folk alike travel across the kingdom of Traum’s windswept moors to learn their futures by her dreams. Just as she and her sister Diviners near the end of their service, a mysterious knight arrives at the cathedral. Rude, heretical, and devilishly handsome, the knight Rodrick has no respect for Sybil’s visions. But when Sybil’s fellow Diviners begin to vanish one by one, she has no choice but to seek his help in finding them. For the world outside the cathedral’s cloister is wrought with peril. Only the gods have the answers she is seeking, and as much as she’d rather avoid Rodrick’s dark eyes and sharp tongue, only a heretic can defeat a god.
I am giving The Crash by Freida McFadden a 3 out of 5 stars.
I finished reading this book in two sittings. It was incredibly fast paced, and I was definitely surprised by the twists at the end.
There was one major thing that annoyed me, and that was the nickname that the FMC, Tegan, gave her unborn baby. I have never been pregnant, so I don't necessarily think this type of scenario is ridiculous by any means, I just personally found the nickname itself annoying. Other than that, I enjoyed this book for what it was.
This is the second McFadden book I've read, and when everything is said and done, this one also has that unbelievable air to it. No doubt all of the things within the story could happen, and do happen, but having everything fit together definitely feels far fetched. But, this is what I expect when I read McFadden works. They aren't masterpieces by any means, but they're fast and they're fun as long as you aren't expecting something that will really rattle your bones.
If you're looking for something a little unbelievable but still gives a little bit of the creeps with twists, I'd give McFadden's works a try. I've only read two of her books, The Crash and The Teacher, and I definitely liked The Teacher more, but this one still gives a good expectation to what to expect from Freida McFadden.
JennReadsLots finished a book
4d
The Crash
Freida McFadden
The nightmare she's running from is nothing compared to where she's headed. Tegan is eight months pregnant, alone, and desperately wants to put her crumbling life in the rearview mirror. So she hits the road, planning to stay with her brother until she can figure out her next move. But she doesn't realize she's heading straight into a blizzard. She never arrives at her destination. Stranded in rural Maine with a dead car and broken ankle, Tegan worries she's made a terrible mistake. Then a miracle occurs: she is rescued by a couple who offers her a room in their warm cabin until the snow clears. But something isn't right. Tegan believed she was waiting out the storm, but as time ticks by, she comes to realize she is in grave danger. This safe haven isn't what she thought it was, and staying here may have been her most deadly mistake yet. And now she must do whatever it takes to save herself―and her unborn child. A gut-wrenching story of motherhood, survival, and twisted expectations
JennReadsLots started reading...
5d
The Crash
Freida McFadden
The nightmare she's running from is nothing compared to where she's headed. Tegan is eight months pregnant, alone, and desperately wants to put her crumbling life in the rearview mirror. So she hits the road, planning to stay with her brother until she can figure out her next move. But she doesn't realize she's heading straight into a blizzard. She never arrives at her destination. Stranded in rural Maine with a dead car and broken ankle, Tegan worries she's made a terrible mistake. Then a miracle occurs: she is rescued by a couple who offers her a room in their warm cabin until the snow clears. But something isn't right. Tegan believed she was waiting out the storm, but as time ticks by, she comes to realize she is in grave danger. This safe haven isn't what she thought it was, and staying here may have been her most deadly mistake yet. And now she must do whatever it takes to save herself―and her unborn child. A gut-wrenching story of motherhood, survival, and twisted expectations
Two Twisted Crowns was yet another 6 star read for me.
There is just something so hauntingly beautiful about Rachel Gillig's writing, and it has honestly changed my brain chemistry.
I can't talk too in detail about what happens in Two Twisted Crowns, as it is the sequel to One Dark Window, but there are still things that stood out to me in this book that I can talk about.
I really like the change of perspective from One Dark Window to Two Twisted Crowns. In One Dark Window, we read from the first person perspective of Elspeth, but in Two Twisted Crowns, we were given Ravyn and Elm's perspectives in the third person, along with chapters from Elspeth's first person perspective mixed in. This was a surprising change, but definitely needed for we as the reader to get the entire story of everything that was happening.
I fell even more in love with the characters in this book than I did the first one. Especially Elm. His character growth was absolutely incredible, along with all the others. Gillig has a way of writing of characters that I can easily see pieces of myself in, and that is one of the main reasons, other than the beautiful story itself, rate both of these books six stars.
This duology is incredible, and very much worth the hype behind it. I absolutely devoured these, and I can't wait to read The Knight and the Moth and The Knave and the Moon, along with all of her other works she publishes because Rachel Gillig is an auto buy author for me now.
JennReadsLots finished a book
5d
Two Twisted Crowns
Rachel Gillig
In the luscious, dark sequel to One Dark Window, Elspeth must face the consequences of what she's wrought - perfect for readers of Hannah Whitten's For the Wolf and Alexis Henderson's The Year of the Witching. Elspeth and Ravyn have gathered most of the twelve Providence Cards, but the last, and most important one remains to be found: The Twin Alders. If they are going to find it before the Solstice and cure the kingdom of the dark magic infecting it, they will need to journey beyond the dangerous mist-cloaked forest that surrounds their kingdom. And the only one who can lead them there is the monster that shares Elspeth's head. The Nightmare. And he's not eager to share any longer.
JennReadsLots started reading...
1w
Two Twisted Crowns
Rachel Gillig
In the luscious, dark sequel to One Dark Window, Elspeth must face the consequences of what she's wrought - perfect for readers of Hannah Whitten's For the Wolf and Alexis Henderson's The Year of the Witching. Elspeth and Ravyn have gathered most of the twelve Providence Cards, but the last, and most important one remains to be found: The Twin Alders. If they are going to find it before the Solstice and cure the kingdom of the dark magic infecting it, they will need to journey beyond the dangerous mist-cloaked forest that surrounds their kingdom. And the only one who can lead them there is the monster that shares Elspeth's head. The Nightmare. And he's not eager to share any longer.
I am giving One Dark Window a 6 out of 5 stars.
This is one of those rare moments for me, someone who's ratings will likely sit around a 3 to a 4 star for most books, where I am willing to exceed the 5 stars and give a book 6.
The writing of this book was hauntingly beautiful to me. It was lyrical and felt like I was reading a fairytale. There were several times where a phrase or passage would either take my breath away, give me chills, or devastate me. Every time I would sit down to read, the writing would just pull me in and make me forget that I was reading a book.
The magic system was incredibly unique. I love the idea of an item, in this case, the Providence Cards, being wielded by an individual is what gives them the ability to use magic. There are those who acquire magic through a different means, a fever, but this type of magic is devastating to the individual and causes them to deteriorate over time. Those who have caught the fever are hunted. If their magic is not deemed useable by the king, they are killed.
I think I would be willing to lay my life on the line for any one of these characters. Elspeth, Ravyn, Elm, Ione, Jespyr. Then there are the characters you're meant to hate. Meant to want to see fall, and they are just as incredibly written as those who you are meant to be rooting for. The romance between our FMC and MMC felt real and raw in ways that I haven't had the opportunity to experience before.
There are so many things I could say about this book, but I think I will keep it where I have it. If you've been on the fence about picking up One Dark Window, I would highly, HIGHLY recommend at least giving it a try.
JennReadsLots finished a book
1w
One Dark Window
Rachel Gillig
Elspeth needs a monster. The monster might be her. Elspeth Spindle needs more than luck to stay safe in the eerie, mist-locked kingdom of Blunder—she needs a monster. She calls him the Nightmare, an ancient, mercurial spirit trapped in her head. He protects her. He keeps her secrets. But nothing comes for free, especially magic. When Elspeth meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, her life takes a drastic turn. Thrust into a world of shadow and deception, she joins a dangerous quest to cure Blunder from the dark magic infecting it. And the highwayman? He just so happens to be the King’s nephew, Captain of the most dangerous men in Blunder…and guilty of high treason. Together they must gather twelve Providence Cards—the keys to the cure. But as the stakes heighten and their undeniable attraction intensifies, Elspeth is forced to face her darkest secret yet: the Nightmare is slowly taking over her mind. And she might not be able to stop him.
