cody_crumley's reviews
126 reviews

Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee

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adventurous emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid

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adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

“Vengeance is not a wooden cup that empties, it is a jeweled chalice which endlessly spills over”

One of the things with stories that I am a complete sucker for is a Shakespeare retelling. Taking these characters that have stood the test of time and adapting them into similar but different versions of themselves. “Lady Macbeth” by Ava Reid is the next in a long line of Shakespearean adaptions whose mission is to introduce these Old World stories to a new audience, with updated and modern themes. While not perfect, Reid’s step into this unique genre is an engaging crack with overtures to women’s struggles.

This reclamation project changes Macbeth from this man who does not have the nerve to do what is needed to be done to wear the crown, to a bullish brute who gets trapped by a prophecy of royal consequence, who then is betrothed to Lady Roscille (Lady Macbeth) and uses fear of what he might do to her to have her fall in line with his ultimate prophecy: being King thereafter.

While this does not make Lady Macbeth out to be a great person, it gives her more depth the the original character. It gives her the guile and influential insight that her character has always had, without the without the overture of evil that the original character had. This line that Reid balances on is a fine one, that she sometimes missteps but overall is able to stick the landing.

There are probably some things that if I had a deeper understanding of Macbeth as a whole, would have resonated more with me, but I don’t think it is a must to have expert level knowledge of the play to enjoy this reinvention. Something that really takes this to enjoyable levels is the gothic prose that Reid uses. This is one of the best “written” books that I have read this year, and will be pretty hard to top. Also there is a Spotify playlist that the author crafted to listen to while reading and it is such a vibe!

If you are looking for a short read to get you into a gothic, fall vibe, you can do a lot worse than this!
The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray

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lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

Black Tide Son by H.M. Long

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adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Jade War by Fonda Lee

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Inheritance by Christopher Paolini

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adventurous emotional slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

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fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

Dark Water Daughter by H.M. Long

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adventurous emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

“Because I admire you, I can think of none better to guide my ship. And I cannot bear the thought of not seeing you again, Mary.”

Dark Water Daughter does a lot of interesting world building, and the two POV characters feel fleshed out and there internal and familial trauma that both Rosser and Mary have mean so much to the trajectory of their relationship and how they grow. 

Unfortunately none of the other characters really get that much attention, most of the side characters get lost in the pages. The same can be said for main plot, especially the antagonist, who’s goal seemed kinda just whatever, with the last 100 pages or so kinda on fast-forward because it is like H.M Long realized they were running out of time to try and explain/solve the plot points that had been slowly developed.

Like I said everything that involved Rosser and Mary well done, with their slow burn romance being just top notch. Throw in Mary’s mother being the Stormsinger (which is such a cool name for someone what can control weather with their voice) for their enemy, and Rosser’s brother being a sexual predator who has the power of using magic to influence people’s decisions. There are layers to every interaction between them and I can’t wait to see more adventures with those two.

The magic systems are interesting, if maybe just a little bit underutilized. I think the idea of “The Other” being this world of spirits and creatures is cool but I need some more background given about how it was discovered and how these magical abilities were created/discovered. 

I do want to give props to the audiobook narrators for both Rosser and Mary. I bounced between audio and digital and was satisfied with both. 

Dark Water Daughter is definitely worth checking out, if only for interesting magic, slow burn romance, and a different kind of fantasy setting with pirates!
The Measure by Nikki Erlick

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hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

Talking at Night by Claire Daverley

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challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5