Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Ratings/Reviews
Completed: Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
Completed: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
Completed: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Completed: The Tale of Elske by Cynthia Voigt
Mini-Review: The Third Eye by Lois Duncan
Rating: ★★★☆☆ – liked it
Another solid 3-star novel from Lois Duncan. As is often the case in Duncan’s novels, there are some parts that are done perfectly and others that feel a little rushed, but in the end it’s a quick, easy read of decent quality.
Content Warning: Animal Death & Child Death – There are some mentions of a dead girl (not vivid) and the protag has a nightmare about some missing infants being dead (not vivid). The cop shoots a dog that tries to attack him. You don’t see the dog die, but you see it’s body after and it is described in detail (~2 sentences).
Completed: The Third Eye by Lois Duncan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Read the Mini-Review!
Content Warning: Animal Death & Child Death – There are some mentions of a dead girl (not vivid) and the protag has a nightmare about some missing infants being dead (not vivid). The cop shoots a dog that tries to attack him. You don’t see the dog die, but you see it’s body after and it is described in detail (~2 sentences).
Completed: The Tale of Oriel by Cynthia Voigt
Review: Gallows Hill by Lois Duncan
What started as a harmless fortune-telling gimmick leads to new-in-town Sarah being labeled a witch by her religious, conservative schoolmates. And now she’s dreaming of the Salem Witch Trials. Something sinister is brewing in Pine Crest!
Rating: ★★★☆☆ – liked it
Genre: young adult fiction, ya horror, ya thriller, ya paranormal mystery
Pros: fairly realistic characters, interesting premise, easy read
Cons: slightly rushed in some parts
I think this book is best described as “thriller-lite”. It would be a decent starter book for people wanting to try out the Thriller or Paranormal Mystery genres with something that won’t be too scary or confusing.
Some of the paranormal explanations felt a bit rushed and info dump-y; aside from that it wasn’t a bad story. I wouldn’t say it’s Duncan’s best novel, but it’s a decent easy read.
As fantastical as some of this book was, the part that stood out to me was the realistic portrayal of the insular, religious small town full of conservative bigots. At first glance, these characters might seem over-the-top, but I could almost mistake some of them for actual people I knew from my childhood.
I didn’t enjoy the use of the g*psy slur or the negative stereotypes about Romani people that were voiced by one of the characters. It’s actually a part of characterization not some preachy narration, so it wasn’t too bad, but if that is a thing which upsets you, skip this one.
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