#walnut picks

[siereads]

Lord of Eternal Night Review

Rating: 4/5 Stars

This book was chosen for me by Walnut as part of our monthly book exchange so I had high hopes for it. And then I read the reviews and expected it to be a lot cheesier than it actually was.

The characters are well written and the growth from Jak especially was wonderfully handled. I do wish we would have gotten a little more on some of the side characters, mostly Victorya and Katherine, but I tend to feel that way about most books I read.

The deeper into the story I got, the more I hated Jak's mother and everything she stood for. Jak's own feelings towards his mother only further made me feel justified in my want to set her on fire myself.

The more I hated her, however, the more my heart broke for Marius. To know that he had been punished simply for his own heart was devastating. I spent most of the book after that wanting to just wrap him in blankets and give him nice things. Marius is baby, fight me.

My only real complaint about the book is the glaring lack of contractions. I know that's a common theme in a lot of fantasy-style books, but, as a person who regularly uses "y'all'd've", I cheered over the word "hasn't" being used.

[siereads]

Verity Review

Rating: 5/5

I don't know what I was expecting with this book but that ending was definitely not it. It's hard for me to read the way I used to when I was in my teens but something about this book captured every last shred of focus my unmedicated, ADHD-addled brain could muster, forcing me to read the entire thing in a single day. I was utterly captivated, anxious in the best way possible as I devoured everything this book had to offer.

Just when I thought I had figured out the twist, figured out how it would end, the actual end took me by complete and utter surprise, leaving me staring at the book in absolute horror and disbelief before texting my sister in all caps, demanding to know what the fuck she had made me read (after all, she was the one that pushed so hard for me to read this, singing its praises). I will admit, she was right about it being a good book, but that is hardly the point here.

If you have not read this yet, I do recommend it so completely. But don't say you weren't warned about just how intense this book is in parts because I am warning you now; the intensity in some scenes of this book will likely make your stomach hurt and you will probably contemplate throwing the book across the room and not finishing it.

Finish it. The end is worth reading.