Bite-Sized Reviews | Faeries, Batman, & Videography (The Cruel Prince, Batman: Nightwalker, and Love, Hate, & Other Filters)

Yes, that’s right. I am publishing my first review post since August, probably?

I mean, I kind of missed writing reviews (shocker, I know). But I’m so glad to be back, and I’m hopefully going to be writing reviews more regularly, since I’m hoping to be reading more regularly, and, you know, not falling into awful reading slumps.

So, I thought, what better way to get back into reviewing than by doing reviews on some highly anticipated January releases?

Genre: Fantasy, YA

Series: The Folk Of Air #1

Rating: 4 🌟

Synopsis:

Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.

To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.

In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.

• I loved the politics. OKAY, so I am a total sucker for fantasy in politics. And it’s like this book fell from the sky and came to answer my prayers. I JUST LOVED HOW THE ENTIRE PLOT OF THIS BOOK IS BASED AROUND FAE POLITICS. Honestly, why did no one tell me this before I read the book?
• The world-building was done so well. I mean, literally every single High Court of faeries I’ve seen is terrible, BUT DO I CARE. Clearly not, because they’re all written so well. I love stabby dark fae who are here to ruin your soul. WHY ARE THESE CREATURES SO UNDERRATED.
• It was very Sarah J. Maas. To which I know that half of you will groan and half of you will cheer, but this was totally to my advantage. The main character was a total badass, it had a strong focus on politics, the love interest and the main character had a very Feysand-like bond and dynamic, and Cardan seems to be pulling a Rhysand, BUT WE SHALL SEE.
• It was addicting. Okay, PSA: this book is very slow. There is very little action throughout the entire thing, and it has a heavy focus on politics, so if your eyes glazed over while reading Red Rising, probably not the best bet to read this book. But, I personally read this in two days and found it super fun to read. Take with that what you will.

• The romance. I mean, I can’t say I hated it since I feel pretty indifferent towards it, but I was curious about how it would go, because, to be blunt, Cardan was an asshole, and I wasn’t in the mood for some weird Dramione thing where he bullies her, but deep down inside he loves her (barf), but I think it’s leaning more towards the Feysand route. We’ll see. But I did think it went way too fast between “ew I hate you” and then all of a sudden they kiss. And with that kiss she’s like, “What??? Maybe he’s not an asshole anymore???” I mean, I didn’t get it. AND IT HAPPENED OUT OF NOWHERE. Slow your roll, damn it.
• Cardan. Once again, he’ll probably go down the Rhysand/Rowan route, but I do wish he had more development since I’ve read about 24828024820 boys who are jerks to the female main character, but wait a minute, he’s abused by his family!!! Yeah, no. I didn’t fall for it for Draco, and I’m not falling for it now. I NEED MORE!

Genre: Superhero, YA

Series: DC Icons #2

Rating: 2 🌟

Synopsis:

The Nightwalkers are terrorizing Gotham City, and Bruce Wayne is next on their list.

One by one, the city’s elites are being executed as their mansions’ security systems turn against them, trapping them like prey. Meanwhile, Bruce is turning eighteen and about to inherit his family’s fortune, not to mention the keys to Wayne Enterprises and all the tech gadgetry his heart could ever desire. But after a run-in with the police, he’s forced to do community service at Arkham Asylum, the infamous prison that holds the city’s most brutal criminals.

Madeleine Wallace is a brilliant killer . . . and Bruce’s only hope.

In Arkham, Bruce meets Madeleine, a brilliant girl with ties to the Nightwalkers. What is she hiding? And why will she speak only to Bruce? Madeleine is the mystery Bruce must unravel. But is he getting her to divulge her secrets, or is he feeding her the information she needs to bring Gotham City to its knees? Bruce will walk the dark line between trust and betrayal as the Nightwalkers circle closer.

• I mean…Marie Lu wrote it?
• Oh, yeah! That plot twist at the end was pretty good!
• Yeah…that’s it.

• My crushing disappointment at not liking a Marie Lu book for the first time.
• Okay, for real, I wasn’t into the characters. Like, at all. And by characters, I mainly mean Madeleine. I mean, her character was one thing for the majority of the book, and in the last few chapters, she makes this complete 360 degree turn, and I got whiplash. I mean, consistency, much?
• The romance sucked. This book is basically a romance dressed up as a superhero story. This is basically the tragic romance of Bruce and Madeleine. And I really didn’t care. Not to mention that it felt absolutely forced as all hell. I saw zero chemistry between them, and thought, “Oh, maybe they won’t get together,” BUT NOPE. Then Bruce starts getting a crush on her, and then I’m apparently supposed to ship them because they…talked? And apparently Bruce sees something inside her that only he can see? Is that really it?
• The plot was boring. I mean…a Marie Lu book…bored me. WHAT KIND OF WITCHCRAFT IS THAT? It was a pretty short book that I finished in two days, but it was sort of ridiculous that I was just so apathetic to pretty much everything that happened in the book. Except that plot twist. Everything else was a dud.

Genre: Contemporary, YA

Series: NONE

Rating: 3 🌟

Synopsis:

American-born seventeen-year-old Maya Aziz is torn between worlds. There’s the proper one her parents expect for their good Indian daughter: attending a college close to their suburban Chicago home, and being paired off with an older Muslim boy her mom deems “suitable.” And then there is the world of her dreams: going to film school and living in New York City—and maybe (just maybe) pursuing a boy she’s known from afar since grade school, a boy who’s finally falling into her orbit at school.

There’s also the real world, beyond Maya’s control. In the aftermath of a horrific crime perpetrated hundreds of miles away, her life is turned upside down. The community she’s known since birth becomes unrecognizable; neighbors and classmates alike are consumed with fear, bigotry, and hatred. Ultimately, Maya must find the strength within to determine where she truly belongs.

• I adored the relationship between Maya and her parents. I feel like a majority of the time, when teenagers have relationships with their parents in YA books, it’s either “I love them and worship them at their feet” or “lol what relationship,” and none of those apply to me. I love my parents and also disagree and fight (loudly) with them on occasions. So, it was nice to see a relationship that showed the turbulence of that.
• I!!! Shipped!!! The romance!!! WHO IS THIS PERSON? But, for real, Phil was such a SWEETHEART, and I demand way more soft boys in YA literature because YES, I prefer this over alpha-male douchebags, please and thank you. And Maya and Phil didn’t fall victim to insta-love? And were adorable? And were actually extremely realistic? I CRY.
• Maya was a great protagonist. I mean, I felt for her on a personal level. Being inside her head was great and she made me feel all the feelings! Which is good, because I usually really don’t have strong feelings for characters one way or another.
• It also made my heart hurt. I mean, Brian? The things he said? The Islamaphobia that was rampant after the terrorist attack? THAT ALL HAPPENS IN REAL LIFE. I mean, I see that stuff all the time from racist people on Twitter. And I’m glad that we got to see from Maya’s point-of-view that it was BS.

• It didn’t make a HUGE impact with me. Not saying that every book I have to read about social issues has to make me sob or shatter my soul to get a high rating, but in general, I found this book forgettable. I had a fun time, but I’m not going to really remember it much past this point.
• Also, she got into NYU. I mean, I would really like to go into NYU, but I don’t think I ever will, so I’ll just vicariously live through other main characters who literally do nothing and magically get there.
• LOL, just kidding; that’s not a real negative.

Did you enjoy The Cruel Prince? Do you also share the unpopular opinion on Batman: Nightwalker? How did you feel about Love, Hate, & Other Filters? And if you haven’t read any of the books, are you interested them?

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