!!!Spoiler Warning!!! If you haven’t read any of these books yet, don’t read my villain ratings. I give away some key spoilers!
Nevernight by Jay Kristoff was my favourite book of the month!
April – 2019
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
Thoughts: What a fantastic book to start the month on. The worldbuilding is amazing, and the characters were to die for. I particularly loved Holland. A book about traveling to alternate London’s turned out to be right up my alley! My Review Page Count: 401
Villain Rating: I can’t choose between the twins, Athos and Astrid Dane, for my villain rating, so I’m going to have to pick them both. They’re cruel, ambitious, and powerful. Just what you need in a villain really. They also have some wonderful dialogue, and scenes. Perfect villains. 10/10
Best Quote in the Book: No one suffers as beautifully as you.
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
Thoughts: I really didn’t expect this book to be quite as dark as it turned out being. It’s a really powerful story of oppression and I loved reading every second. For me, it was the characters that really made this such a strong novel, particularly Inan, who I just adored. My Review Page Count: 531
Villain Rating: King Saran is cruel and ruthless in his desire to see magic eradicated. He’s abusive to his children, both physically and psychologically. There really is no redemption for him, but it’s interesting to read such a terrible villain with such a genuine backstory. He hates magic because it’s users killed his previous family. He’s cruel to his family because he doesn’t want them to be weak enough to suffer the same fate. 8/10
Best Quote in the Book: It’s not fair and it’s not right, but it’s happening.
Saga, Vol. 2 by Brian K. Vaughan
Thoughts: This was another spectacular volume of Saga. I knew it would be great, because the first one was, and I’m thrilled with the way the story is coming along. I’m already really invested and can’t wait to read more. This is an amazing sci-fi/fantasy graphic novel. My Review Page Count: 160
Villain Rating: It was difficult to pick a villain for this book because there’s so much backstory to all of the characters that it feels like they’re all good people. In the end, I went for The Will. He’s a cinnamon roll who has some amazing morals, but he’s still an assassin after the main guys, so yeah. He gets a 6 ‘cos I like him so much, but I had to dial it back ‘cos he’s such a good guy at heart. 6/10
Best Quote in the Book: Some dreams really do come true. That said, most dreams are weird as shit.
The Bedding of Boys by Edward Lorn
Thoughts: This was an incredibly twisted book about a female child predator. It’s got some horrifyingly graphic scenes, but it’s a real gore-fest. I spend most of my time reading hovering between horror and nausea. The supernatural element was very imaginative. My Review Page Count: 325
Villain Rating: Regina Corsi definitely is a monster. She’s vile and unnatural, but she makes for a villain that you just hate. It’s impossible to find any empathy for her because the things she does are just beyond the pale. She wins high marks for evilness, but scores lowly on empathy. 4/10
Best Quote in the Book: How does one explain that the world does not revolve around any single soul, when that soul could literally devour the world?
Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
Thoughts: I absolutely loved, loved, loved this book! The characters were amazing, the world-building phenomenal, and the story blew me away. It seriously caught me out a couple of times with it’s twists, too! Written in a lyrical sort of way, this may be my favourite book of the year, never mind the month! My Review Page Count: 448
Villain Rating: Spoiler Alert! I’m naming Ashlinn as the main villain of this book and I was super impressed because I had no idea until right at the very end! She’s the perfect baddie! She’s cold, calculating and brilliant. I loved everything about her. She honestly hoped Mia would be out of harms way, but didn’t let that affection stop her in the end. 10/10
Best Quote in the Book: Imagine the shame of having the piss smacked out of you by a blade called Fluffy.
Flame in the Mist by Renée Ahdieh
Thoughts: This was an enjoyable enough book, but I think I just expected far too much from it. I’ve seen a lot of really positive reviews, but I found it very predictable and a little too mundane for my tastes. The feminism angle was nice, but I don’t think it was particularly believable in the setting, either. My Review Page Count: 418
Villain Rating: I really had a hard time picking a villain, because I don’t think the main evil mastermind has been revealed properly in this book. Perhaps the sequel will hold more answers, but for this novel I went with Hattori Kenshin. He starts off a real samurai but loses his way to violence and temper as the story progresses. He’s not really evil, but he’s responsible for killing innocents on his quest to retrieve his sister. 3/10
Best Quote in the Book: All I strive for each day is to convince my shadow I’m someone worth following.
Page Count Total : 2283
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Let me know if you disagree/agree with any of my reviews, or just share with me what you’re reading! I check my mail every day so I’ll always respond quickly!
As always, Happy Reading!
Claire
Love the Villain 