fantasy.betareader commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
Hiii! Recently i stumbled across a book advertised as "zutara retelling" (if you know you know) but it was a complete disaster to read. Do you have any books that made you feel "this is the perfect book for me!" after the cover of desc just to read it and find out it was just not it?
fantasy.betareader commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
Hey, Pagebound readers! I've noticed something about book covers that really bugs me: those featuring real people/photographs. Whether it's a face staring out or a posed figure, I get an instant aversion, and I suspect I'm not alone. I can’t quite explain why... maybe it’s too direct or breaks the imagination’s spell? If you also get this reaction, what’s behind it for you? Do you get through it and read the book anyway? The truth is that I've never ever read a book with a cover like that, even though I understand there are many great books behind those covers... I simply can't get past it. Can you help me unpack why these covers turn some people off? What about them clashes with the reading experience? 📚
Post from the Pagebound Club forum
Hey, Pagebound readers! I've noticed something about book covers that really bugs me: those featuring real people/photographs. Whether it's a face staring out or a posed figure, I get an instant aversion, and I suspect I'm not alone. I can’t quite explain why... maybe it’s too direct or breaks the imagination’s spell? If you also get this reaction, what’s behind it for you? Do you get through it and read the book anyway? The truth is that I've never ever read a book with a cover like that, even though I understand there are many great books behind those covers... I simply can't get past it. Can you help me unpack why these covers turn some people off? What about them clashes with the reading experience? 📚
fantasy.betareader commented on fantasy.betareader's update
fantasy.betareader wants to read...
A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1)
George R.R. Martin
fantasy.betareader commented on a post
fantasy.betareader commented on a post
fantasy.betareader wants to read...
A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1)
George R.R. Martin
fantasy.betareader wants to read...
Isles of the Emberdark
Brandon Sanderson
fantasy.betareader wants to read...
The Bands of Mourning (Mistborn, #6)
Brandon Sanderson
fantasy.betareader started reading...
Shadows of Self (Mistborn, #5)
Brandon Sanderson
fantasy.betareader finished a book
The Alloy of Law (Mistborn, #4)
Brandon Sanderson
fantasy.betareader finished reading and wrote a review...
I fell so deeply into Desulti: An Epic Fantasy’s world, where Tove’s scarred resilience lit up every page, that opening Oss'stera: An Epic Fantasy, the third thread in Ross Hightower and Deb Heim’s Spirit Song Saga, felt like slipping back into a tale told by a fire’s glow. This fantastic narrative carries us into the Alle’oss rebellion against the Volloch Empire’s unyielding grasp. Alar, a leader with a rogue’s charm and a dreamer’s fire, ventures into the bustle of Lachton with his artist companions, Scilla and Ukrit, to weave a clandestine scheme to fund their defiance. It’s a story of stolen hopes, whispered plans, and people clinging to their soul. The world feels alive, almost breathing. I could smell the cold stone of a mountain monastery, hear the clatter of tankards in a riverfront tavern, and feel the weight of eyes in Lachton’s streets. The pacing is a curious thing, swift and breathless in moments of cunning heists, yet pausing to linger, perhaps a touch too long, on the Alle’oss’ woven rituals. What caught my heart, I think, is the way the characters dance on the edge of right and wrong. Alar’s ideals tangle with his readiness to bend morality, and even the Imperial Captain Brennerman, a man I expected to loathe, shows flickers of doubt that made me pause. This moral tangle, so like the shadowed choices in Desulti, solidifies Oss’stera's part in fantasy works, where the best stories ask what it means to fight when the cost is your own light. Yet, I confess, the opening felt like retracing steps I’d walked before. For those of us who know Desulti’s tale, the recounting of past deeds can slow our stride, though newcomers might find it a necessary map. Not only that, but I wished for more of Scilla and Ukrit’s souls to shine through. Alar burns brightly, but his companions feel half-sketched, not quite matching Tove’s vivid arc from Desulti. Oss’stera is for those who love tales where worlds feel as real as stone, where rebels with scarred hearts fight for a flicker of freedom. It’s a story that unfolds like a whispered secret, full of courage and shadowed choices. If you’ve been drawn to the rich cultures of The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne or the intimate rebellions of The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin, this will call to your soul. My warm thanks to Ross Hightower and Deb Heim for the ARC. It’s a tale that lingers, soft as a sigh.
fantasy.betareader commented on a post
I know that we don't read crime thrillers for a taste of *accurate* realism, but there's a threshold to the level of suspension of disbelief that I feel like this book has just hurtled across with reckless abandon. As I progress through it, I feel like I'm trapped in that esurance commercial: that's not how this works! That's not how any of this works! From the machinations of all the many tentacles of this outlandish investigation process to Sarah actually physically striking the receptionist and just... getting away with it? The fact that Eleanor is such a parody of a human being seems almost the least offensive thing about it.
fantasy.betareader commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
I just read a review of a book I'm so excited about and the person actually DNFd it bc its in 3rd person... There's this one line review that said "third person dnf" 😬 And I've seen a lot of reels and threads about how 3rd pov is difficult to understand for some readers. Which is totally valid bc if it's difficult then it ok to avoid or dnf it but saying one is superior than the other is not ok though!!! And then there's someone on threads who has posted this stats about how 86% of all the books that's sold last month are all in 1st person!!!! 😵 Please tell me about your preferences and recommend some of your favourite fantasy/romance books in 3rd person POV
fantasy.betareader commented on a post
Finally, a list I feel I can complete, ahah Maybe the GoT will ruin it for me, but we'll see 😏
fantasy.betareader wants to read...
Gifted & Talented
Olivie Blake
Post from the Fantasy Starter Pack Vol I forum
Finally, a list I feel I can complete, ahah Maybe the GoT will ruin it for me, but we'll see 😏
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Fantasy Starter Pack Vol I 🐉🧚♂️🏰
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An introduction to the Fantasy genre, these books are part of the cultural zeitgeist or the 'canon' that many would recognize. Look for more niche titles in later Starter Pack volumes.
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Fantasy Starter Pack Vol I
Champion: Finished 5 Side Quest books.
fantasy.betareader commented on fedelegge's update