Book Blog #355: Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

 

Title: Onyx Storm

Author: Rebecca Yarros

# of Pages: 527 (hardback)

Genre: Adult, Romance, Fantasy

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Synopsis: After nearly eighteen months at Basgiath War College, Violet Sorrengail knows there’s no more time for lessons. No more time for uncertainty. Because the battle has truly begun, and with enemies closing in from outside their walls and within their ranks, it’s impossible to know who to trust. Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre. The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves—her dragons, her family, her home, and him. Even if it means keeping a secret so big, it could destroy everything. They need an army. They need power. They need magic. And they need the one thing only Violet can find—the truth. But a storm is coming...and not everyone can survive its wrath.

Review: Tell me your publisher is forcing you to write a 5 book series without telling me your publisher is forcing you to write a 5 book series.

All jokes aside, historically Yarros works are in the form of stand alone books or a 3 book series, so I can't help but think that someone saw dollar signs with the success of The Fourth Wing and force the monstrosity of Onyx Storm into existence. 

I started this back in February, so it was an over 5 month struggle to get through 527 only for the plot to BARELY progress. Yarros's editor really dropped the ball - if this book had to exist for $$$, at least help CUT OUT the fluff so fans aren't wasting hours of their time reading this nonsense. Save readers time, save some trees (for those of us who read physical copies), and all the while still lining the publisher's and author's pockets! What's not to love?

Violet and Xaden's relationship used to be addicting - the tension, the forbidden love, the whirlwind romance. But now I just want them to get a room; I don't need to have a more sex scenes that plot-important moments (if I wanted to read erotica, I would go read an erotica!). Yarros has seemingly already pulled all the stops to try to spice up their relationship, so we get some repeats - Xaden gets jealous, Violet's ex is in the picture, etc. It gets old, and I was not into it. 

Usually it's really boring for me to reread the recap/character reintroductions that authors intertwine into the latter books of a series, but this book really needed more of them. There's a lot of characters and only more get introduced in this one, so sometimes there would be a big reveal where someone surprising shows up, and I have no idea how I'm supposed to know them. 

The final nail in the coffin? First person POV switching. Not consistently nor as a one off in The Fourth Wing. At least 3 times randomly near the end with not a very good reason to do so, and without these characters having a distinct narrative. It should have been written in thirst person because the switching REALLY slowed me down even with my already slower-than-normal pace.

I would not recommend this book. At the moment, I'm resolved to not continue the series, but maybe I'll forget all the pain this book caused me by the time the next book comes out. 

Book Blog #354: Swift River by Essie Chambers

 

Title: Swift River

Author: Essie Chambers

# of Pages: 387 (hardback

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction

Rating:★★☆☆☆

Synopsis: Summer, 1987. On the sweltering streets of the dying New England mill town of Swift River, sixteen-year-old Diamond Newbury is desperately lonely. It's been seven years since her father disappeared, and while her mother is determined to move on, Diamond can't distance herself from his memory. When Diamond receives a letter from a relative she has never met, she unearths long-buried secrets of her family's past and discovers a legacy she never knew she was missing. The more she learns, however, the harder it becomes to reconcile her old life with the one she wants to lead.

Review: Chambers has a lot of potential - some parts of the book were borderline 3 stars, but there were a few aspects that led me to settle on a two star rating:

1. There's 1st person POV switching and time skipping. The POV switching is across time periods: the reader mainly hears Diamond Newbury's point of view but the story of her family is also told through letters from her Aunt Lena and Aunt Clara (from a mix of the ~1915 and 1987, depending on when the letter was written). BUT ALSO there was time skipping from Diamond's POV as she recounts memories of her immediate family. These abrupt changes really disrupted my reading flow and made it easier to put down.

2. Telling a story through 3 narratives was unnecessary and read like three different books. I didn't need to know about three different women from the Newbury family because while their lives overlapped, their experiences were pretty distinct and did not add to the others' stories. Chambers should have picked one (likely Diamond) instead of rushing to get out a shallow telling of all three. 

3. The writing style for the letters was weaker than Diamond's primary narrative. Too much of telling the reader directly the story rather than letting us get immersed into the story and coming along for the ride. They also felt too much like someone grandpa/grandma telling me their life story unwarranted rather than a critical part in understanding how Diamond got to be the person she is today.

What I did like about Swift River is how Chambers wrote about Diamond's struggles - her complex relationship with her parents, her body insecurities, racism, discrimination, etc. It all felt very raw and created an authentic portal into what it was like to be living as the only black girl in town back in 1987.

But because of the failings mentioned above, it felt like Diamond's story was over before it began. I was left expecting more without ever wanting more. I walked away without knowing what I was supposed to takeaway from Diamond's journey and whether the part of her story that the book focused on was worth telling. I would not recommend this book.