Mini Reviews: Mortal Heart & A Million Junes

  / Goodreads

Annith has watched her gifted sisters at the convent come and go, carrying out their dark dealings in the name of St. Mortain, patiently awaiting her own turn to serve Death. But her worst fears are realized when she discovers she is being groomed by the abbess as a Seeress, to be forever sequestered in the rock and stone womb of the convent. Feeling sorely betrayed, Annith decides to strike out on her own.

She has spent her whole life training to be an assassin. Just because the convent has changed its mind doesn’t mean she has…

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I wasn’t a fan.

This series is my love, but this one I knew I would have struggles with because I had struggles with it before. This book just lost the magic that the other two had, and I mean, I feel bad for Annith and ths book that it has to live in the book shadow before it.

I think there were 3 main things that brought this book down for me:

1) Annith. I felt she was overshadowed by everyone else in the book. Yes, she was the star, but I never really got her. I never really felt her motivations besides focus on herself. She would all of a sudden worry about her other fellow sisters, but it never felt organic since it seemed to come out of nowhere. I just never connected with her, and I gave some half-hearted rooting for her.

2) The plot. At parts, it dwindled. I loved alllllllllll the moments with Sybella, Ismae, and Annith together and there were some great intrigue and continuation of the story happening. However, there were major parts that I was wanting to take a snooze. It was too sporadic with the slow moments and the intriguing moments.

3) The romance. I don’t want to fully spoil anything, but it was not my jam. The love interest was quite possessive for my taste, and it was wayyyyyyyyyyy too fast. I mean, I blinked and they were having INTENSE feels, and like WHAT IS HAPPENING??? And the possession thing? I feel like the love interest was pushing his whims and wishes on Annith, and being WAY too protective. Duval, the love interest in the first book, is one of the best love interests I’ve ever seen in YA with all the respect and support he gives Ismae, and I felt like this love interest lost all of what I loved about the first one.

As I said, there was still some major greatness. The writing is amazing as always and the plot was intriguing for the most part. I loved seeing the whole Assassin gang together, and there was some intriguing new mythology and more added. It’s definitely a lot more fantasy than the others. Again, I think the other books just set the bar too high for this one, and it couldn’t measure up. Still, I forever recommend this series. 2 crowns and a Cinderella rating!

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 / Goodreads

For as long as Jack “June” O’Donnell has been alive, her parents have had only one rule: stay away from the Angert family. But when June collides—quite literally—with Saul Angert, sparks fly, and everything June has known is thrown into chaos.

Who exactly is this gruff, sarcastic, but seemingly harmless boy who has returned to their hometown of Five Fingers, Michigan, after three mysterious years away? And why has June—an O’Donnell to her core—never questioned her late father’s deep hatred of the Angert family? After all, the O’Donnells and the Angerts may have mythic legacies, but for all the tall tales they weave, both founding families are tight-lipped about what caused the century-old rift between them.

As Saul and June’s connection grows deeper, they find that the magic, ghosts, and coywolves of Five Fingers seem to be conspiring to reveal the truth about the harrowing curse that has plagued their bloodlines for generations. Now June must question everything she knows about her family and the father she adored, and she must decide whether it’s finally time for her—and all the O’Donnells before her—to let go.

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This was…this was an intriguing one. I have officially decided that magical realism is not for me, and I’m going to be swerving a way a bit in the future. There might be a few I pick up, but for the most part, this girl is gonna be changing lanes and taking the next exit on the highway.

There was a lot of depth and emotion to this book. You could feel Jack’s heart coming through the pages, and listening to it via an audiobook really allowed me to feel all the feels. The depth and emotion that Henry put into this book was raw and unflinching, and it was wonderful.

Jasmine is shaking her head at Mandy right now, because she is all about the magical realism life.

At times I felt as if the writing was trying too hard? Henry had great prose at parts, but the other parts felt like it was trying SO hard to be a magical realism book and bring all the pretty writing. However, some things just sounded…really weird? I just kind of blinked at my car radio at parts, going, “Wait, what?”

The world that Henry did create really was magical and lush. It was complex and deep and messy and stunning. I loved the magic of Five Fingers, and the little stories were so intriguing. I will admit that they did lose me a bit – especially in the end. I think it really was due to personal tastes, but that ending was just way above my pay grade.

I thought the characters were pretty good. I really loved June and Hannah’s friendship. Everyone was complex and detailed and messy and flawed and so intriguing. I never really connected deeply with anyone, but they weren’t bad.

Overall, 3.5 crowns and a Jasmine rating!

What do you think? Have you read either of these? How do you feel about third books in the series or magical realism? Let’s discuss in the comments below!