obscurepages's reviews
374 reviews

(You can also find this book review on my blog!)

My heart is bursting with both sadness and joy because of this book. It was so well-written, so heartbreaking, and yet so heartwarming at the same time. So many people have recommended this to me, so many people have said a lot of good things about it, and they were absolutely right. I can say that Darius the Great is Not Okay is now one of my top 2019 reads.

The writing
Loved the writing style of this book! At first, I thought it was a bit odd because I felt like the tone was of a middle grade book. But as I read on, I realized it fit just right, especially for a character like Darius. 

It was light yet poetic and poignant. There were times that the writing style felt so simple yet the words of the author held so much meaning and depth. I really loved that. As a reader, it got me so hooked with the story and the characters and everything they're going through. It was brilliant. 

I would also like to point out that there are numerous descriptions and explanations of the Farsi language through out the book, and as someone who enjoyed our Descriptive Linguistics class I absolutely loved it! Not only did it get me invested with Darius's strange relationship with the Farsi language, it also got me excited to learn more about the language itself. That was really nice, and it definitely made me enjoy the book more. 

The characters
I adore Darius so much! He is this sweet, nerdy, and quirky, cinnamon roll that is insecure and uncertain about a lot of things. His characterization was written so well—from the estranged relationship with his dad, to his insecurities about his identity, to his struggle with his moods and his overall mental health, everything. It was just so real, so innocent, and so heartbreaking. As I read through his perspective, I feel like I really connected well with his character. 

I liked Sohrab. He was what Darius needed, a true friend, and it was just so beautiful seeing their friendship bloom. I liked Stephen Kellner as well. I knew there was more to him and his character and I felt so satisfied at the end. I also liked other minor characters like Mamou, Laleh, and everyone from Darius's family in Iran. They really helped complete him and his personality, and watching (or should I say reading hahah!) Darius achieve that character development, it was truly amazing. 

The plot
The plot was not all too complicated, it was actually very easy to follow. And yet, the author managed to discuss different topics and themes, and he did it in such a heartbreaking and heartwarming way (I don't know if that made sense, but guys, I swear, it was awesome! *cries*).  There were subplots about family, about friendship, about self-identity, about weight, and most importantly about depression and mental health. 

I really love how the author talked about depression through the plot (and of course the characters as well). Depression was shown subtly throughout the book and then discussed so freely towards the end, I really really love that.

I also love the family issues involved in this book. In a way, I could relate to it, and seeing Darius overcome it was truly awesome. 

5 stars for this wonderful book! So so good. Have you guys read this already? If not, I implore you to do so! You will not regret it! 

Both really educational and entertaining! I enjoyed reading this one! I know horror fans will surely love reading this book.

I love how the authors really took the time to analyze every movie and every creature or character featured in it. Sometimes I feel like they did not explain the movie enough, and just went straight ahead explaining the science behind them. But other than that, everything was good. I definitely learned a lot of things in this book—about science, about movies, about horror.

This was an enjoyable read, though, nothing much has happened yet (which is understandable as this only contains the first four chapters). I love the world, but I wanted to know more details about it. I got to know the characters, but I feel like there is much more to uncover and I haven't quite grasped them yet. I guess I'll get the answers I want when I read the next parts of this!

I also adored the illustrations, they're fun and I love how the artist brings life to the pages with them. Overall, this was a good read for me!

(This review was first published on my blog.)

This is a good read, and although I wasn't totally hooked in the early parts of the book, the climax and the ending did it for me!

The writing
The writing was okay for me, although, it did feel like a hit or miss. Sometimes, it was great and gripping, but sometimes I am indifferent about it.

I have to say though, I love how the author told the story in an alternating past and present perspectives. I love how in every past memory, there are secrets to be discovered, and every little detail in these memories just added up into the climax.

The characters
The characters were okay as well, however, I wasn't too invested in them. I liked Evie enough and I was suspicious of Annemette ever since the beginning. Nik is great as well, and I love his and Evie's friendship and chemistry! Iker, on the other hand, is quite interesting in a way that he has the usual playboy characteristics yet he is incredibly protective and loyal.

The plot
The plot was okay. I wasn't hooked with the earlier parts of the story though. It just seemed a little silly, specifically the parts where they're to make the prince fall in love (but maybe that's just because I'm not too fond of romance-centered plots like this haha!).

The climax and the ending is what I enjoyed the most. By the time I was reading the climax, I was gripping the book so close to my face with no care in the world. I wanted to know the truth, I wanted to know more about the antagonist's plans, the main characters' reactions, everything. I'm also oddly satisfied with the ending. It's definitely not the usual happy ending, but I quite liked it.

Overall, I enjoyed this retelling and I'm definitely open for more in the future!

This was a good read, a fast and fun one. And although the plot seemed too easy and predictable at times, it was still pretty enjoyable. I definitely recommend this to those who are looking for a short and sweet contemporary read!

The writing
The writing was okay, it was light and it was easy to follow.

There are four perspectives, though, so that can be a little confusing, not because of timelines or the different thoughts of the characters, but because you’ll be wondering “oh, why does this character have a perspective? What does he/she have to the with the plot? Do they have a bigger purpose or part? What’s going to happen in their arc now?”. Stuff like those.

The characters
The characters were fine and it was easy for me to connect with the main characters, especially with Gideon and Kyle.

I love how they’re all facing their own problems. As I’ve mentioned, there are four perspectives, and these four characters all have their problems that they’re going through. I wish the author delved more into that though, because some conflicts in each perspective were only partly-solved. I was really waiting for the characters—especially Ezra and Ruby—to truly overcome and face their problems head on, I wanted to see more of their character development.

Another thing is that Gideon and Kyle’s feelings for each other seemed a bit rushed for me. I mean I get that they’re best friends, and I LOVE the best friends to lovers trope, but I didn’t see much of the “buried” feelings as they say, or the gradual realization that they have feelings for each other. I still like their pairing though, haha!

The plot
As I’ve mentioned above, the plot can seem too easy and predictable at times. Like it’s something that I’ve already seen in other YA contemporaries (the plot actually reminds me a bit of Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda). The good thing about this is that, readers will definitely get that happy ending they’re looking for. This is why I totally recommend this book as sort of a palate cleanser, in case you’ve been reading a lot of fantasy novels or books with heavy or emotional issues. Been Here All Along is a fun and light read, for sure.

There are a couple of subplots as well, that I feel like wasn’t answered or tackled completely. It left me a little bit unsatisfied because unsolved or partly-solved subplots are some of the banes of my existence. Apart from that, everything was good.

Overall this was a fun read and I give it three stars!

(This review can also be found on my blog.)

Will you believe me if I tell you that Reign of the Fallen is one of my most anticipated reads last year but I haven't been able to read it immediately? (I am very much guilty.)

Anyway, I finally read it this week! Reign of the Fallen, though the pacing of the story and the plot seemed rocky for me, was an enjoyable read and its sequel seems promising. 

The writing
The writing was okay for me but my interest was coming and going. It was fine, but I wasn't hooked with it, nor did it blew me away. 

Despite this, I really liked how the author wrote about the insecurities of the main character. I also commend her on writing and exploring grief and loneliness and just how it can affect a person. 

The characters
The characters are fine but I didn't get attached to them like I thought I would. I liked them enough, there's no doubt about that, but I'm not that crazy about them.

What I particularly liked though is seeing Odessa go through all of the events in the story and see her try to cope, fail to cope, and then fully recover and get back on track. I really loved that, because for me, it shows that she a flawed main character but she is evolving and growing. 

The plot
Loved the idea of the plot, but I feel like the execution of it could have been better. In the first half of the book, I kept feeling like the pace of the story and the plot was rocky. Scenes and situations go from high to low then high to low again and the main conflict took quite some time to develop and present itself to the readers. The last 30% of the book was the best part for me. 

The world-building
The world-building is truly unique! I have a fascination with necromancy (this is actually one of the reasons why I was drawn to this book in the first place), and reading all about the world in Reign of the Fallen was awesome! 

Necromancers raise the dead and bring them to life so that they can continue to serve as royals or live among their loved ones. Really love this concept. I also love the details about their culture, the different provinces, their different gods. I do hope there's a lot more of this in the sequel. 

I also loved how sexuality isn't much of a big deal in their society. Odessa, the main character, is bisexual. Some of the minor characters are also either bi or gay. 

Overall, I give Reign of the Fallen three stars! The sequel Song of the Dead seems promising and I definitely want to see where the story goes.

(This book review can also be found on my blog.)

Every reread I do is just hyping me up more and more for the movie. I can't wait already.

Sorcery of Thorns is one of my most anticipated reads this 2019 and WOW WOW WOW. Guys, it did not disappoint! This book is beautiful, both the cover and the story, and YA fantasy readers and bookworms will surely fall in love with it.

The writing
The writing is great. I was hooked from the first chapter immediately. There's something about the author's writing style that just seems seamless—from the perspective of the main character, to the individual scenes, and to the main story line. I also love that it captured my emotion as a reader and as a book lover (I mean let's face it, this book was written for all bookworms out there! So, thank you so much dear author!). 

The characters
First things first: I love Silas. Just want to make that clear. He's my favorite character in this book, and not just because he can turn into a cat (haha!), but because he is lovable, ferocious, scary yet full of warmth. (You'll know what I'm talking about when you read this epic book.)

I loved Elisabeth as well. Her character went through a lot but she adapted and she grew, She learned things about the world and she learned things about herself. She was innocent yet brave, and so hopeful about the world. Plus, her love for books also made me connect and relate to her more.

I loved Nathaniel as well. He was sarcastic and funny, powerful, and perhaps, a bit lonely, too. He is haunted by certain events in his past which also made him cold at times. I just feel like there's more to him than being the charming love interest, and I would have liked to know more about him. 

When it comes to the romance, it was nice, but I wasn't entirely convinced. I liked Elisabeth and Nathaniel's chemistry enough, but I guess I wasn't too invested with the romance brewing between them. 

The plot
Sorcery of Thorns' plot was great! It was a real page-turner! There were some scenes and elements in the story line that awfully reminded me of Harry Potter and Supernatural (which happen to be two of my favorite things), which was good, I liked it. But in a way they didn't have too much shock factor anymore because of it. 

The flow of story was just so good. You can see how the plot builds up, and you can piece together details and scenes for yourself and realize that certain situations and plot twists make sense. I loved that. 

The world-building
LOVED the world-building in this book! Sentient grimoires? Great libraries? Sorcerers and magic and demons? Wow wow wow. I'm a sucker for great world-building, and this book definitely quenched the thirst I had for a fantasy book with awesome world-building. 

4.5 stars for Sorcery of Thorns! I guess it’s now safe to say that this is my favorite read this August!

(This book review can also be found in my blog.)

Four Dead Queens is a fast-paced murder mystery-fantasy-scifi hybrid with an intricate plot, manipulative characters, great writing, and crazy plot twists! I absolutely loved it! I give it 4.5 stars!

The writing
The writing style was great. There were two different perspectives—a first person point of view by Keralie, and third person point of views about the queens. This mix of perspectives provided more mystery an anticipation for me, and allowed me to know more about the queens even just for a short amount of time.

Also, I have to say that the author was great at foreshadowing. There were hints about the characters, about the plot, about big reveals. It was great seeing all of these little details make sense at the end of the book.

The characters
The characters are alright. I have to be honest though, I didn't like Keralie for the first half of the book. I didn't fully connect with her as a reader or a person, and I just didn't like how she acted. Fortunately, I started to warm up to her in the second half. Her character development was great, and I loved seeing her evolve.

Varin was nice but I'm a bit upset about his character arc as I feel like it wasn't fully developed. He was too precious for this world.

I think, perhaps, my favorite character, or should I say characters, in Four Dead Queens are the queens themselves. They're all different, yet so alike in many ways. I can't help but feel attached to them with every chapter, and until their dying breaths.

Also, the antagonists (I'm not going to name them, since it may be a bit of a spoiler haha!) are such jerks. Like wow, they really irked me, and that just made me more invested to this book.

The plot
The plot is so intricate and well thought out, I am amazed. Just when I thought I'm finally grasping what was happening in the book, I am bombarded with a crazy plot twist or a shocking detail or secret. Yes, even a small detail about the characters or the world-building is enough to affect the the story and I loved that. I have to applaud the author for this because she really succeeded in keeping me on my toes.

Four Dead Queens is also fast-paced, which I really loved because I'm already hanging onto every word since the first chapter. It's captivating, it's frustrating, and I swear, this book will play with your emotions and thoughts.

The world-building
Loved the world-building in this book! Quadara, along with its quadrants, is a very interesting nation and I loved knowing more about it from the different perspectives. There is a perspective from our main character, Keralie. And there are also perspectives from the various queens, allowing us to peek into the various quadrants they represent.

There is also a great significance directed towards the Queenly Laws. I loved how these laws were tackled and incorporated in every chapter with the queens, and how these laws serve as the guide to ruling Quadara.

(This book review is also on my blog!)

uhm. okay, so... THIS BOOK IS AMAZING!

I JUST FINISHED READING IT AND I'M SO GIDDY, SO ELATED, AND I WANT MORE!

Where do I even start??

The point of view, the tone in which the book is being narrated (it could go from sassy and comedic, to serious, then to sad and heart breaking), and the emotions of the narrator (Tanner) which are so raw, so real, and so relatable, were so good! It makes the book feel alive in a way, because the book was able to communicate with me through my thoughts and emotions.

The characters were amazing, especially Tanner. I was able to feel and grasp his whole personality through his point of view.

I also love this book as it has the right amount of comedy, drama, and philosophy, and just life in general. Social issues were discussed, personal and emotional conflict of various characters (not just the two protagonists) were also seen, and wholesome relationships between friends and family was present.

The alternating third person point of view at the end (between Tanner and Sebastian) was so good! I needed that perspective from Sebastion's world, and to have it in the end where I could see him react or think about everything that has happened, it was more than satisfying!

The ending, though! It was lacking for me. I needed more moments between Seb and Tann after them being away from each other too long.

I wanted more, I needed more. But I guess that's okay, because now, it's up to us to imagine how their world will continue, how their love story will continue.

Over all, this book is perfect. FIVE STARS ALL THE WAY.