I was so excited to dive into this novella because it continues Ansty’s story, which is one of my absolute favorites in the series. At the same time, I was a little hesitant—odd-numbered installments, which focus on the school and quests, usually don’t hook me the way the even-numbered prequels in other worlds do. But this one turned out to be such a pleasant surprise. Ansty’s journey to find her place at the school after everything she’s been through was so moving, it honestly got me emotional. Some of her scenes left me with a lump in my throat—they hit hard in the best way.
One of my favorite things about Mislaid in Parts Half-Known was the deep, heartfelt conversations between the characters as they questioned whether they truly wanted to return to their worlds. It was great to see more of Kade and Emily (I really need a spin-off about Emily in Harvest!), but I also found myself warming up to characters like Cora and Sumi. Sumi, in particular, stood out—I loved how the most nonsensical character somehow delivered the most logical lines. And getting to revisit the Shop Where the Lost Things Go, one of my favorite settings, was such a treat. That said, I was a little let down by the visits to two new worlds, especially the dinosaur one, which didn’t quite live up to my expectations.
Overall, this novella left me feeling inspired to revisit earlier installments—I think I’d appreciate them even more now. There are still so many incredible worlds waiting to be explored, and I’m so curious to see where the next story will take us!
I’m going to do small little TBRs of books I really want to get to in 2024 and break them down by genre! So these are the 5 fantasy books that I have been seeing around a lot that I really want to get to this year and they are:
Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett
Effy Sayre has always believed in fairy tales. Haunted by visions of the Fairy King since childhood, she’s had no choice. Her tattered copy of Angharad—Emrys Myrddin’s epic about a mortal girl who falls in love with the Fairy King, then destroys him—is the only thing keeping her afloat. So when Myrddin’s family announces a contest to redesign the late author’s estate, Effy feels certain it’s her destiny. But musty, decrepit Hiraeth Manor is an impossible task, and its residents are far from welcoming. Including Preston Héloury, a stodgy young literature scholar determined to expose Myrddin as a fraud. As the two rivals piece together clues about Myrddin’s legacy, dark forces, both mortal and magical, conspire against them—and the truth may bring them both to ruin.
I didn’t really form any sort of connection with Effy. I was just a bit ambivalent towards her and wasn’t really all that invested in her as a character. She definitely undergoes a bit of an evolution over the course of the plotline, growing in strength and coming out of her shell.
Preston was a nice contrast to Effy however he also didn’t really do much for me. He didn’t have that feeling of complexity or seemed very interesting at all. I think what really bothered me was how insta lovey the relationship was between these two. The go from hate to indifference to love so quickly it just kind of bugged me as I read. It doesn’t feel genuine to me and even though this is a fantasy I want to see the relationship play out somewhat realistically still.
I did very much enjoy the setting and the overall atmosphere as well as the mystery. Wondering whether or not this was actually going to be fantastical or if Effy was just hallucinating the Fairy King and it was all just a symptom of her medication after being abandoned and victimized. The misogyny was frustrating and the fact that had Preston not gone along with her to present the findings nothing would of changed.
Cordelia Carstairs is a Shadowhunter, a warrior trained since childhood to battle demons. When her father is accused of a terrible crime, she and her brother travel to London in hopes of preventing the family’s ruin. Cordelia’s mother wants to marry her off, but Cordelia is determined to be a hero rather than a bride. Soon Cordelia encounters childhood friends James and Lucie Herondale and is drawn into their world of glittering ballrooms, secret assignations, and supernatural salons, where vampires and warlocks mingle with mermaids and magicians. All the while, she must hide her secret love for James, who is sworn to marry someone else.
So it has been probably about 4/5 years since I immersed into the Shadowhunter world and it felt very nostalgic and easy to get back into. This time around the series definitely felt very YA and as the series progressed it was quite easy to pretty much predict what was going to happen. Sure, there were some twists and turns that surprised me but there are quite a few repeat themes that keep popping up from previous series.
With Chain of Gold specifically I thought this was a pretty solid first book. It establishes all the main protagonists pretty well, however and this has been a gripe of mine from earlier series but there is always an influx of Shadowhunter families and characters that we are introduced to all at once and it is really hard to keep track and distinguish everyone from each other and what families they belong to. This book sets up the rest of the series very well and really gives us great insight into all of the relationships our core characters have with each other as well as the overarching mystery that spans all three books.
Chain of Iron broadens out the scope of the series by including more of the secondary characters and a bit more of the adults into the plotline. One things that starts to pop up in the this book is how many secrets each of these characters are keeping from each other which carries over into Chain of Thorns for sure. Had everyone just laid everything out on the table from the start a lot of the conflict could have been avoided which irritates me. It just seems like laziness to come up with all of these reasons why they can’t just come out and tell each other what is really happening instead of creating all these crazy justifications.
Chain of Thorns felt a little too long for me. I think the first third could of really been condensed down and added to the end of Chain of Iron. Was I a fan of the love triangle, no. Do I think it was used as fan service to everyone who were diehard fans of The Infernal Devices series, yes. I just don’t think it was necessary as Tessa, Will and Jem are very prominent in this series. Again, we learn a lot more about the minute details of Belial’s plan and see it unfold. We still have this miscommunication trope running rampant and everyone is starting to acknowledge that. The sex scenes were a very fade to black and awkward to read, I appreciated that it was included but still made me cringe.
Overall, this was a good series. Very on brand with the whole Shadowhunter franchise, it just seems like Cassandra Clare followed the same blueprint just changed around a few details and expanded on those changes. Not my favorite by any means, but very entertaining and you do have this group of friends that you want to root for and see succeed.
“Mom seems off.” Her brother’s words echo in Sam Montgomery’s ear as she turns onto the quiet North Carolina street where their mother lives alone. She brushes the thought away as she climbs the front steps. Sam’s excited for this rare extended visit, and looking forward to nights with just the two of them, drinking boxed wine, watching murder mystery shows, and guessing who the killer is long before the characters figure it out. But stepping inside, she quickly realizes home isn’t what it used to be. Gone is the warm, cluttered charm her mom is known for; now the walls are painted a sterile white. Her mom jumps at the smallest noises and looks over her shoulder even when she’s the only person in the room. And when Sam steps out back to clear her head, she finds a jar of teeth hidden beneath the magazine-worthy rose bushes, and vultures are circling the garden from above. To find out what’s got her mom so frightened in her own home, Sam will go digging for the truth. But some secrets are better left buried.
Sam seems to err on the side of caution when it comes to her mother and the weird things that are going on inside the house. Normally her and her mum have such an open and honest relationship from what she tells us so the fact that she didn’t outright say wtf is going on here mum kind of bugged me a little. I get that she is a scientist and is looking for the most logical explanation but there comes a point where you just have to believe what you are seeing.
I loved Gail’s character and Phil seemed to be an interesting love interest but I want to know more about them! How did Gail become a witch and what happened with Hermes that he decided to stay with her? How did the feud with Granmae start and how did she know how when to come when Granmae was resurrected by the roses? I’m just left with so many questions about these characters that I’m left feeling a unsatisfied.
I’m a little bit hit and miss with T. Kingfisher so far. I just feel as though her books don’t have enough substance. I’m not sure if this is considered a short story and not an actual novel but overall this felt a tad rushed to me and didn’t delve as far into these characters and the plot as I wanted it too. The concept is fantastic and I love all of the witchy elements and the familiars attached to them but I didn’t get enough time to form a connection.
Amy Leigh Reads 