Mini Reviews: The Overdue ARC edition… | yes i really am this bad

Hi friends! I’ve uh…been gone for a while. That was due to a huge blogging/reading slump that also combined with school and left me drowning like a fish out of water. But I’m here today to share my reviews on two books I SHOULD have released months ago so go me!

Thank you to HarperTeen and Freeform for e-ARCS through Edelweiss in exchange for honest reviews!

One sentence summary: Feminist Robin Hood retelling where Robin Hood dies and Maid Marian must take his place. I absolutely adored Meagan Spooner’s writing style! It’s effortlessly atmospheric, yet isn’t filled with needless descriptions. Also, Marian’s character was fantastic! She had her struggles, flaws, and dreams. Her grief after Robin’s death was done so well in my opinion. It fleshed-out her character in the first few chapters which I really liked. However, I thought the romantic aspects were completely unnecessary? EVERY YA BOOK DOESN’T NEED ROMANCE. Also, I enjoyed the main points of the plot but found it to be a little bit filler-y in the middle. And finally, I know the whole point is that, ya know, Robin dies but I WANTED HIM. I really shipped him and Marian despite not really knowing him but whatever. So overall, I’d give this 4 stars!

recommended:

This is the sequel to the The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton, and I actually really enjoyed it! It didn’t have all the royal, political intrigue I enjoyed in the first book but rather explored the world more deeply. So there’s finally a use for that pretty map in the beginning lol. The magic system is based on beauty, of course, and the amount of racial diversity in this book is amazing! Also I got more of my ship so YASSSS. But also on that note, the ship kinda came out of nowhere. The way the relationships were at the start of this book didn’t quite correlate to how they ended at the end of the first. I also found the writing, while gorgeous, to be a little much at times. And Camille is just…I don’t dislike her but she’s not a favorite character of mine. So I gave this 4/5 stars!

And that’s it! Have you read any of these???