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Open Book

2025 Book Reviews

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.”

- George R. R. Martin

I maintain a reading journal to track my yearly readings and thoughts. While I use a physical journal that I created, I will transcribe the reviews here as well.

For fiction books, I roughly use the CAWPILE system. Susan Lyn has one of my favorite breakdowns of this rating system. Find it here.

Anything with an asterisk (*) contains minor spoilers.

Monthly Overview

Personal Statistics

Number of Days Read

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

September

October

November

December

27/31

19/28

​16/31

13/30

Number of Books Read

10

3

3.25

2.75

Number of Pages Read

Book of the Month

4,830

1,488

1,397

1,030

Empire of Storms

Onyx Storm

The Slain Divine

Bookshops & Bonedust

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Apprentice to the Villain

Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Series:

# Pages:

Genre:

Pub Year:

Dates Read:

Format:

Assistant to the Villain #2

337

Fantasy/Rom-Com

2024

01/01/2025-01/02/2025

Paperback

Favorite Quotes

     She was afraid, but she knew now: fear usually meant you were standing on the edge of something new, something self-altering, something potentially good.

     It had occurred to her many times over that "impossible" was merely a word people used to describe limitations they wished for you to adhere to, so you wouldn't upset the balance.

     "Does your mind live in the gutter?"..."No, but it rents there on occasion."

Favorite Style Aspects

Banter is great.

Love Evie's character.

Great manipulation of POVs

Ratings

C -

A -

W -

P -

I -

L -

E -

5

2

4

5

4

3

4

My Review*

     I was smiling throughout half the book. The comedy and banter was great. The tension between Evie & Trystan dragged on a bit, and his self-righteousness in not wanting to "ruin her" makes me angry.

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Crown of Midnight

Sarah J Maas

Series:

# Pages:

Genre:

Pub Year:

Dates Read:

Format:

Throne of Glass #2

418

Fantasy

2013

01/03/2025-01/06/2025

Paperback

Favorite Quotes

     But death was her curse and her gift, and death had been her good friend these long, long years.

     Some things you hear with your ears. Others, you hear with your heart.

     To escape death, she'd become death.

     But he had no idea what sort of darkness lurked inside her, or what sort of monster she was willing to become in order to make things right.

Favorite Style Aspects

Good manipulation of POV

Good use of character epiphany moments

Good use of vagueness/foreshadowing

Ratings

C -

A -

W -

P -

I -

L -

E -

5

5

4

5

4

4

4

My Review*

   Better than book 1. Intrigue was definitely there. I think Calaena was too harsh on Chaol. I know she lost her best friend, but it felt like too much. Dorian having Magic was a neat twist.

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The Assassin's Blade

Sarah J Maas

Series:

# Pages:

Genre:

Pub Year:

Dates Read:

Format:

Throne of Glass #0.5

435

Fantasy

2014

01/07/2025-01/09/2025

Paperback

Favorite Quotes

     "If you can learn to endure pain, you can survive anything."

     She was fire, she was darkness, she was dust and blood and shadow.

     Life isn't easy, no matter where you are. You'll make choices you think are right, then suffer for them.

     Everything has a price.

     "My name is Calaena Sardothien...and I will not be afraid."

Favorite Style Aspects

Use of POV (and deliberate disuse of Sam's)

Each story built upon the last

Different cultures, even among assassins

Ratings

C -

A -

W -

P -

I -

L -

E -

2

4

4

5

4

4

4

My Review

   Not nearly as good. The characters were flat. The Red Desert was my favorite, and it didn't have most of the usual characters.

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Heir of Fire

Sarah J Maas

Series:

# Pages:

Genre:

Pub Year:

Dates Read:

Format:

Throne of Glass #3

562

Fantasy

2014

01/10/2025-01/15/2025

Paperback

Favorite Quotes

     It would not take a monster to destroy a monster - but light, light to drive out the darkness.

     She was the hear of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.

     "And then I am going to rattle the stars."

     "Because I am lost...And I do not know the way."

     "To whatever end."

Favorite Style Aspects

Use of POV, especially in high tension scenarios

Foreshadowing

Fleshed out characters

Ratings

C -

A -

W -

P -

I -

L -

E -

5

5

4

4

5

4

5

My Review

   As everyone agrees, the best book so far. A story of reforging oneself and love, self-reflection, and realization. Balance, light, and dark; past, present, and future.

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Queen of Shadows

Sarah J Maas

Series:

# Pages:

Genre:

Pub Year:

Dates Read:

Format:

Throne of Glass #4

645

Fantasy

2015

01/15/2025-01/17/2025

Paperback

Favorite Quotes

     "You make me want to live, Rowan. Not survive; not exist. Live."

     They joined hands. So the world ended. And the next one began.

     But perhaps monsters needed to look out for each other now and then.

     "Light up the darkness, Majesty."

     "You and I are nothing but wild beasts wearing human skins."

     "How can I take away somebody who means the world to someone else? Even if she is my enemy."

Favorite Style Aspects

Foreshadowing

POV usage

Deep, unique characters

Ratings

C -

A -

W -

P -

I -

L -

E -

5

5

4

4

5

4

5

My Review*

   The best so far. Now I get the memes about Aelin not telling her court her plans. And for some reason, I especially love how Manon gave Aelin the message about Dorian.

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Empire of Storms

Sarah J Maas

Series:

# Pages:

Genre:

Pub Year:

Dates Read:

Format:

Throne of Glass #5

689

Fantasy

2016

01/17/2025-01/22/2025

Paperback

Favorite Quotes

     "The world will be saved and remade by the dreamers."

     "Even when this world is a forgotten whisper of dust between the stars, I will always love you."

     "Tell him thank you for walking that dark path with me back to the light."

     "It is not such a hard thing, is it - to die for your friends?"
     "War is sanctioned murder, no matter what side you're on."

Favorite Style Aspects

Tandem with Tower of Dawn

POV usage

Deep, unique characters

Ratings

C -

A -

W -

P -

I -

L -

E -

5

5

5

4

5

5

5

My Review

   I knew what was going to happen, and I was still bawling by the end. I fully believe reading this in tandem with Tower of Dawn makes both books so much better.

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Tower of Dawn

Sarah J Maas

Series:

# Pages:

Genre:

Pub Year:

Dates Read:

Format:

Throne of Glass #6

660

Fantasy

2017

01/17/2025-01/22/2025

Paperback

Favorite Quotes

     A gift for a queen who had seen another human in hell and thought to reach back a hand. With no thought of it ever being returned. A moment of kindness....

     You must enter where you fear to tread.

     "We don't look back. It helps no one and nothing to look back."

     A moment of kindness from a young woman who ended lives to [one] who saved them.

     ...he'd learned that strength could be hidden beneath the most unlikely faces.

Favorite Style Aspects

Tandem with Empire of Storms

POV usage

Character growth

Ratings

C -

A -

W -

P -

I -

L -

E -

4

4

5

5

5

4

5

My Review*

   Chaol still had moments of self-righteousness or self-loathing that had me rolling my eyes or grinding my teeth, but otherwise, I loved it.

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Kingdom of Ash

Sarah J Maas

Series:

# Pages:

Genre:

Pub Year:

Dates Read:

Format:

Throne of Glass #7

984

Fantasy

2018

01/23/2025-01/24/2025

Paperback

Favorite Quotes

     "You do not yield."

     He would not allow it...He would not obey.

     "Let's make this a fight worthy of a song."

     "I am here, I am with you."

     Light. They all burned with it. Radiated it...their fierce hearts...not a trace of the Thirteen, or their brave, noble wyverns.

     Gavriel smiled at him. "Close the gate, Aedion."

Favorite Style Aspects

Call back ending

POV usage

Character growth

Ratings

C -

A -

W -

P -

I -

L -

E -

5

4

5

4

5

5

5

My Review

   Honestly, almost too many people lived. As much as I hate deaths, there should have been more. At least one of the royals or the Healer on High. Otherwise, excellent book.

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Of Jade and Dragons

Amber Chen

Series:

# Pages:

Genre:

Pub Year:

Dates Read:

Format:

Fall of the Dragon #1

466 (DNF @ 100)

Fantasy/steampunk

2024

01/27/25-01/29/25

Hardcover, Illumicrate Exclusive

Ratings - DNF

C -

A -

W -

P -

I -

L -

E -

2

1

1

2

2

4

1

My Review*

   I couldn't do it. Over 25% through and I had no interest. The characters were flat and I didn't feel like Ying was passionate enough about vengeance. The coolest thing was the mech chimera.

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The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

Stuart Turton

Series:

# Pages:

Genre:

Pub Year:

Dates Read:

Format:

-

482

Paranormal Mystery

2018

12/03/2024-02/01/2025

Audiobook

Favorite Quotes

     How lost do you have to be to let the devil lead you home?

     Too little information and you're blind, too much and you're blinded.

     What use is rearranging the furniture if you burn the house down doing it.

     ...every man is in a cage of his own making.

     ...without hope, what use is love or compassion or kindness?

     Nothing like a mask to reveal somebody's true nature.

Favorite Style Aspects

Character personalities

Timeloop

Twisty-turvy

Ratings

C -

A -

W -

P -

I -

L -

E -

5

4

5

5

5

3

4

My Review*

The audiobook narrator was fabulous. The idea of a rehabilitation prison is fascination. The logic of it all is questionable, but that comes something with paranormals.

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Onyx Storm

Rebecca Yarros

Series:

# Pages:

Genre:

Pub Year:

Dates Read:

Format:

The Empyrean #3

527

Fantasy

2025

02/01/2025-02/05/2025

Hardcover

Favorite Quotes

     She is warmth and light and air and love.

     "We made it a good one."

     "Don't barter it away...The pain. The mess. Give it to me. I'll hold it. I know that sounds ludicrous, but I'll find a way...I will hold everything you don't want to feel..."

     "I kept the inside remarks inside."

     "Pain isn't a competition...There's always enough to go around."

Favorite Style Aspects

Beautiful foreshadowing

Disability inclusion

Ratings

C -

A -

W -

P -

I -

L -

E -

5

5

5

5

5

4

5

My Review

   Ugh. As a write, I can see all the heartbreaking ways this can go. I can handle all of them as long as Xaden & Violet are together in the end.

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The Bladed Faith

David Dalglish

Series:

# Pages:

Genre:

Pub Year:

Dates Read:

Format:

Vagrant Gods #1

465

Fantasy

2022

02/08/2025-02/15/2025

Paperback

Favorite Quotes

     "People say it is in the daylight that things are laid bare, but I've found truths are best revealed when the moon is high."

     "War makes monsters of us all...I hunt so no one else must be a monster."

     "The wise can rebuild a better world from the ashes, but for there to be ashes, we must first burn down the old and rotten."

     "You are not defined by your doubts...but the path you walked to bring you to where you are now."

Favorite Style Aspects

Excellent foreshadowing/set-up

Interesting world-building/faith system

Cool characters

Ratings

C -

A -

W -

P -

I -

L -

E -

4

4

4

4

5

4

4

My Review

   It had a slow start, but overall, it was very intriguing and I enjoyed it. It will be interesting to see where the series leads.

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The Sapphire Altar

David Dalglish

Series:

# Pages:

Genre:

Pub Year:

Dates Read:

Format:

Vagrant Gods #2

496

Fantasy

2023

02/16/2025-02/27/2025

Paperback

Favorite Quotes

     "You would destroy a world of beauty and wonder to achieve your hollow peace."

     "You would build a gray land of ash and soot, where the faithful bend by the boot on their necks to offer shallow worship."

     "...a crown and a throne to rule an island of corpses."

Favorite Style Aspects

Foreshadowing

POVs

Unique characters

Ratings

C -

A -

W -

P -

I -

L -

E -

5

4

4

4

4

4

4

My Review*

   It was harder to get through this one. I liked the twist of Keles becoming queen.

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The Slain Divine

David Dalglish

Series:

# Pages:

Genre:

Pub Year:

Dates Read:

Format:

Vagrant Gods #3

477

Fantasy

2024

03/07/2025-03/10/2025

Paperback

Favorite Quotes

     "I believe in you," she whispered to the boy she might have loved and the god she would never worship.

     "The man is still in there...I trust in him. I believe in him. He is wounded, broken, and afraid, but he is alive...You offered me hope when I would have accepted death. You vowed to protect those you loved, no matter the cost. You knelt and called me your queen, because you knew who you are...Remember what you were, and look upon what you are now. See, Cyrus Lythan. See, and then choose."

Favorite Style Aspects

Foreshadowing

POVs

Unique characters

Ratings

C -

A -

W -

P -

I -

L -

E -

5

4

4

4

4

4

4

My Review*

   Overall, I enjoyed it. Thorda's death seemed too short, as did Soma's/Dagon's, and that left something to be desired. Dario's death being a call back to Velgyn's was a nice touch.

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The Children of Gods and Fighting Men

Shauna Lawless

Series:

# Pages:

Genre:

Pub Year:

Dates Read:

Format:

Gael Song #1

434

Fantasy, Historical Fiction

2022

03/12/2025-03/15/2025

Paperback

Favorite Quotes

   "Helping bring babies into the world is hungry work." "So is living."

   "You kings and princes war and fight like little boys hitting each other with sticks, squabbling over the same land. And it's the poor people who pay the price."

   "Fearing rejection is not a good reason to not ask a question."

   "But if you don't do something counter to expectations, anything will never change, right?"

   How can he smile when the ground was covered with dead men, lost dreams, and stilled hearts?

Favorite Style Aspects

Very different 2 main characters

Appendix of characters

Not afraid of time lapse

Ratings

C -

A -

W -

P -

I -

L -

E -

2

3

5

3

3

5

3

My Review**

   It was different. Fodla was too naive. Grom was too power-hungry and naive. A little TOO much focus on women not having political power. Lonan's death wasn't really necessary or adding to plot or character development. However, I did like Lawless's writing style/voice, which is probably the main reason I did not DNF this book.

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The Hand of the Sun King

J.T. Greathouse

Series:

# Pages:

Genre:

Pub Year:

Dates Read:

Format:

Pact and Pattern #1

356

Fantasy

2021

03/16/2025-03/22/2025

Paperback

Favorite Quotes

   "The eye trained always on the next bend in the path never sees the beauty of the forest."

   "History is the story of many kings and many gods, all grasping for the reins of the world...letting the weak be trampled by the chaos wrought."

   Suffering is unescapable, for it is the dusk that must follow every dawn...cruelty is a human invention.

   ...romantic tales of wars long past could never trick the young into seeking glory, only to drag them down into death.​

Favorite Style Aspects

Some mild 4th wall breaking

Different cultures

Timelapse

Ratings

C -

A -

W -

P -

I -

L -

E -

3

4

4

3

4

3

4

My Review

   I enjoyed it. Parts of the magic were a little difficult to understand, and the "woe as me" dragged on some. However, you really do start to feel for Alder, as well as his allies.

Posted on 03/25/2025

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The Witch King

Martha Wells

Series:

# Pages:

Genre:

Pub Year:

Dates Read:

Format:

The Rising World #1

414

Fantasy

2023

03/23/2025-04/09/2025

Hardcover

Favorite Quotes

   "I don't need rest, I'm fueled by spite."

   Most of the time, Kai felt like he was made of razors, bleeding from the inside.

   "Stop being overdramatic." Kai would have loved to, if dramatic things would stop happening to him.

   "Don't let everything we fought for be for nothing."

Favorite Style Aspects

Past & present lining up

Great character writing

3 interesting magic systems

Ratings

C -

A -

W -

P -

I -

L -

E -

5

4

4

4

5

3

5

My Review

   It took some focus and time to understand the magic system, but once I did, I greatly enjoyed the book, especially the characters. I am interested to see where book 2 leads and have already pre-ordered it.

Posted on 04/28/2025

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Bookshops & Bonedust

Travis Baldree

Series:

# Pages:

Genre:

Pub Year:

Dates Read:

Format:

Legends & Lattes #2/#0

332

Cozy fantasy

2023

04/15/2025-04/19/2025

Paperback

Favorite Quotes

   "The tunnel?" "You're just trying to make it to the other end, and while you're in it, there's nothing to either side. Only the way forward."

   "It's all sand! One bad washout and somebody's grandpa comes slidin' down..."

   "Small stones tossed in the river. A thousand tiny prayers. The course i turned."

   "She's not writing, so she's in a good mood."

   One had gone up, and the other down, and the crossing would not be repeated.

Favorite Style Aspects

Deep characters and reverse stereotypes

Humor

Adventures in the mundane

Ratings

C -

A -

W -

P -

I -

L -

E -

5

4

4

5

4

4

5

My Review

   I love cozy fantasy, and Baldree's first novel is the reason I got into this subgenre. The non-stereotype characters are wonderful, and it brings light to the joy and adventures that can be found in the everyday.

Posted on 04/28/2025

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A Fate Inked in Blood

Danielle L Jensen

Series:

# Pages:

Genre:

Pub Year:

Dates Read:

Format:

Saga of the Unfated #1

414

Fantasy

2024

04/12/2025-04/26/2025

Paperback

Favorite Quotes

   The dead are beyond your help but you've yet the power to curse the living.

   "Perhaps he will be king of no one, all dead beneath the heels of his ambition."

   "In your selfishness and greed, you stuck your own necks under the axe, yet weep that it is my fault when the blade threatens to descend."

   "Failure always has a price, Freya. But it isn't always paid by the one who fails."

   If I could only stop wanting, perhaps I might find some happiness in what I had.

Favorite Style Aspects

Powerful FMC

Interesting magic system

Repeated twisting of who was the enemy

Ratings

C -

A -

W -

P -

I -

L -

E -

3

5

4

3

4

4

3

My Review*

   I side with Bjorn that Freya should have just forgotten her family. They were a joke. I like the premise otherwise. I will be interested to see where Jensen ends the series.

Posted on 04/28/2025

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Watch Me

Tahereh Mafi

Series:

# Pages:

Genre:

Pub Year:

Dates Read:

Format:

Shatter Me #7

353

Fantasy

2025

05/01/2025-05/01/2025

Paperback

Favorite Quotes

   I don't want to live in fear of my hands, my head, the collapsed star that is my soul. I don't want to live every day only for the promise of death.

   There's a rage that lives inside me...The rage of a child still too young to fight the monsters when they came calling.

   When there's something you want but can't have, you can be patient or creative. Choose a path.

Favorite Style Aspects

Humor

Great characters

Morally grey scenarios

Ratings

C -

A -

W -

P -

I -

L -

E -

5

4

5

3

4

5

5

My Review

   I was nervous for a return to this world, but Mafi did it really well. Her style has developed more over the years. I especially loved seeing the original characters through the eyes of others.

Posted on 05/02/2025

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You've Reached Sam

Dustin Thao

Series:

# Pages:

Genre:

Pub Year:

Dates Read:

Format:

You've Reached Sam #1

303

Romance

2024

05/02/2025-05/08/2025

Paperback

Favorite Quotes

   "Letting go isn't about forgetting. It's balancing moving forward with life, and looking back from time to time, remembering the people in it."

   We are two parts of a song. He is the music. I am the words.

   "Out there, life doesn't give you extensions."

   I try not to daydream anymore...reality comes in like a storm to blow everything away.

   The world keeps moving no matter what happens to you.

Favorite Style Aspects

Shift between memories

Ratings

C -

A -

W -

P -

I -

L -

E -

4

3

3

4

4

3

4

My Review

   I really enjoyed the first half, but the second half dwindled down for 2 reasons. 1) a lot of flow-breaking typos. 2) the questions of how things worked were never answered; I prefer at least a made-up hypothetical reason than just choosing to ignore it.

Posted on 05/12/2025

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The Alloy of Law

Brandon Sanderson

Series:

# Pages:

Genre:

Pub Year:

Dates Read:

Format:

Mistborn #4

306

Fantasy

2011

05/09/2025-05/13/2025

Paperback

Favorite Quotes

   "Trust me. He's like a rash. The more you scratch him, the more irritating he gets."

   "If you remove the foundation of trust from a relationship, then what is the point of the relationship?"

   "To be of use in even a single burst of flame and sound is worth more than lifetime of achieving nothing."

   "The more alone you are...the more important it is to have someone you can rely on."

Favorite Style Aspects

Great banter

Fun characters

Previous characters are now historical/religious figures

Ratings

C -

A -

W -

P -

I -

L -

E -

5

4

5

4

5

4

5

(Barely)

My Review

   I actually loved this book more than the original trilogy. It flowed easier, the banter was great, and I enjoyed the mystery approach/trope versus the heist approach. Ironically, I finished this the same day I read that Sanderson is considering/writing a third Mistborn series.

Posted on 05/14/2025

 

© 2025 Danielle Barth

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