Hey all. It's been awhile since my last Crossing Over post. If you're not familiar with Crossing Over it's a feature that stemmed from my desire to recommend an adult book with crossover appeal based on a YA or sometimes Middle Grade book that are similar. I hate that we pigeonhole books into a specific age range and so I try to combat that. Plus it's basically an if you liked, then try but for crossover books. It runs once a month (usually) here and I pick the books based on the theme of what I'm reading. So this month I don't have a theme so I can basically do whatever I want. But I kind of have no idea here. So I'm just going to do one that I've been floating around for awhile.
Read My Review / Add to Goodreads
So I feel like this book is fresh in my mind lately because there is a sequel coming out pretty soon. And I have to admit that I didn't love this book as much as I thought I would. It seemed like something that was totally up my alley and I just didn't love it. Don't get me wrong, I liked it, I just didn't love it.
The thing I did love about this book was the atmosphere. It is a susprisingly dark and dramatic. There was a lot more going on in this book than I expected and things unfolded in a way that kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat. But the world of this book was even cooler. It was just as dark and dramatic. I'm not typically a fan of stories with fae but I liked how dark and brutal this one was.
So my favorite thing about The Darkest Part of the Forest is probably the characters. The heart of this story is in the family relationships. It's so much about the connections between Hazel and Ben. The characters are complex and interesting. They could have easily become cliche with the tough and smart badass female protagonist and the potential fae love interest but they weren't at all. They are honestly such fun and complex characters.
But in general, this book could have been very cliche and it wasn't. It felt like a classic fairy tale and still made for a unique and interesting story. It's one of those books that I think of as a modern fairy tale because it has the vibe and atmosphere of an older story but feels like it's own thing. The thing that makes these books most similar.
It's a good read and I think fantasy fans should totally check it out. I didn't like it as much as I thought I would but I still really liked it.
Rot and Ruin by Kat Howard
Read My Review / Add to Goodreads
So I feel like this book is fresh in my mind lately because it's my book club book for June. I'm really excited for maybe some of the other members to read it because I really liked it. It seemed like something that was totally up my alley and I did love it.
The thing I did love about this book was the atmosphere. It is a susprisingly dark and dramatic. There was a lot more going on in this book than I expected and things unfolded in a way that kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat. But the world of this book was even cooler. It was just as dark and dramatic. I don't want to give too much away because part of the enjoyment for this book is that you don't really know what is going to happen.
One thing about Rot and Ruin that I liked is the characters. The heart of this story is in the family relationships. It's so much about the connections between the main characters, Imogen and Marin. I thought this was going to be a Snow White and Rose Red retelling and it had elements of that but it was much deeper. The characters are complex and interesting. They could have easily become cliche but they weren't at all. They are honestly such fun and complex characters.
But in general, this book could have been very cliche and it wasn't. It felt like a classic fairy tale and still made for a unique and interesting story. It's one of those books that I think of as a modern fairy tale because it has the vibe and atmosphere of an older story but feels like it's own thing. The thing that makes these books most similar.
It's a really fantastic book and I wish more people would read it. If you are at all a fan of fantasy, books about sisters, or you just want a unique read check this one out.
Have you read The Darkest Part of the Forest and/or Roses and Rot? What did you think? What steampunk novels with crossover appeal do you like? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!
No comments:
Post a Comment