#storygraph will ask 'is this book plot or character-driven' which is one of their several rather inane questions if you're trying to answer

[llycaons]

oh help my other book just became available...I've been waiting on it nigh on two months so I've decided to read it first. the first book in the realm of the elderlings by robin hobb - assassin's apprentice. I know I said most historical action books are kind of bad but based on neighborly reputation this one seemed quite good

and I'm less than half an hour in, but it all appearances, it IS. it's very absorbing, the language rich and atmospheric. beginning the story with a retelling of the (rather unique) nation's history and culture that breaks off into a personal meditation is very impactful - this man wants to do this favor for a friend of his, but the memories of his own past are too painful and he turns to them instead. it's an effective opener - I care about him and I want to know what's happened to him as a child

rather than the commonplace fantasy YA (geared towards boys, that is) that relies on action or tension to grab the reader, this one is more reflective and emotional, deep-set in its sensations rather than entirely relying on external pressures. an immediately internally compelling narrative is more difficult to achieve (and rarer for this genre), but it usually sustains interest far more successfully and with longer-term emotional investment. a book with almost the same name I tried to read about ten years ago - ranger's apprentice - had a similar setup but did everything the opposite way. all heart-stoppingly exciting pressures were external, so I didn't care about the character at all and dropped the book very soon because he seemed so flat and once the pressures stopped, there seemed to be nothing there

[thebookpandemonium]

Book Review - The Never King - Nikki St. Crowe

Rating: ✭✭

I have seen this book dozens of times, on bookstagram, on booktok, on goodreads, on storygraph. It was everywhere. And now I know why.

Spoilers incoming, be aware!

The Never King is the first book in a dark Peter Pan retelling, which now consists of four books. It was written by Nikki St. Crowe and it follows Winnie Darling, Peter Pan and some Lost Boys.

Synopsis:

Winnie Darling is set to be kidnapped by Peter Pan on her 18th birthday. Or so, she is told by her mother, who according to legend has been kidnapped by Peter Pan as well, same as all the Darling-women that came before her, dating back to the Original Darling: Wendy! However, Winnie is a bit sceptical about the whole affair, as her mother always has been a bit unstable and, dare I say, insane.

But, Peter Pan does come for her, and everything she believed to be madness, suddenly become true. Peter and his Lost Boys hold many secrets, and they believe Winnie somehow can help Peter Pan and Neverland from the fading magic. A tumultuous time is unleashed on Winnie, together with several good-looking young men. A recipe for disaster if you ask me.

Review:

This book had so much potential. So much! I mean, dark retelling, Peter Pan, good looking Lost Boys, sign me up! However, this book was somewhat underwhelming... From the first moment I started reading the book, I disliked Winnie. She felt one dimensional, shallow and obsessed with s*x. However, I was willing to accept that because I was here for Peter Pan and the Lost Boys. Sadly, they turned out to be nothing better than Winnie Darling.

I mean, there was a plot somewhere. However, it was completely covered in smut, which is truly a missed opportunity, if you ask me. However, Nikki St. Crowe did pull my interest and is more or less forcing me to read the sequel to this literary fantasy p*rn book, which I must admit is very clever of her, haha.

See, there is this Lost Boy, Vane, and he is very mysterious, dark and twisty, violent and all things wrong. He is the only one without a POV, and though there is some discussion about who and what he is, still there is a lot left that will keep you guessing. So, I want to know more about this creeper. Winnie, Peter Pan, Bash and Kas are all mweh, smut-obsessed and semi-boring. But Vane, the man without a POV is the hidden force of this book, I'm sure.

So, to summarize:

✅ The Peter Pan world full of magic and all we ever wanted from Neverland: Mermaids, Pirates, Faeries, you name it, they have it!

✅ It's definitely a lot darker than OG Peter Pan

✅ Mysterious, but highly interesting character, Vane

✅ A plot which has a lot of potential, which can still lead to a nice sequel with an epic fantasy plot

💢 Too much smut

💢 One-dimensional smut-obsessed main characters

💢 Smut without sufficient reason behind it, which showers over the plot that could have been nice

💢 There is fast pace, and there is Formula 1 pace. This is Formula 1 pace. Take the time to get to know the characters, man...

And I know, I complain about the smut. I despise the smut. And I know that the so-called 'spice' is the main reason people read these books, but it so sad to sell it as a 'Peter Pan retelling', while you could have used some random names for a random fantasy-driven plot and still you would have ended up with the same thing. I read Peter Pan retellings, because I loved Peter Pan as a child, and now I want to enjoy it as an adult. And I really don't mind spice, I like it in most books, as long as it makes sense.

In the current setting of the book, the characters have turned in to s*x-obsessed beasts, which is a waste of the characters as well. All of them, especially Winnie, could have been amazing characters, if she would not have said 'I don't care, I love having s*x', at least a dozen times. And if not every POV of her would be her thirsting over not one, but four men. Get a grip, woman!

Anyway, I am set to read the sequel. I was told it would get better, less smut-driven and all that, so who knows! To be continued.

-S.

[tomdutch]

Hey s! May I ask you what are the differences between goodreads and storygraph? Which one do you prefer?

Happy holidays! ❤️

hi darling <3 storygraph is by far better than goodreads for tracking your reading and getting recommendations. as far as i’m aware, goodreads only tracks how many books you’ve read, whereas storygraph offers so much more. here are my stats for 2021 just to show you bc there’s so much it would take ages to write

also! storygraph is a black-owned business with wonderful staff. i’ve spoken with several members of them while trying to figure out the app and they were so kind and very very quick to respond. compared to goodreads which is owned by amazon, it’s a lot better to support storygraph.

another great thing is that it gives you a list of trigger warnings provided by readers and often checked by the author, as well as a bunch of different info on the book such as pacing, moods, character or plot-driven etc here’s an example from the book i just finished lmao

overall, storygraph has a much better and easier to use interface that has actually been updated this century whereas goodreads still has all the bugs, kinks and out of date shit since its conception. oh also i forgot to mention storygraph’s recommendations are fantastic and i’ve heard they’re even more tailored to your preferences in the plus version. unfortunately i’m broke asl so i can’t verify that personally but i have no doubt it’s true