Reviews

Bando by Kate Stewart

whatnataliereadss's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

I fucking loved this! Small town, not one but two morally grey men and a darker plot that kinda feels like you’re reading an MC romance? Erm yea I’m here for that shit.

I went into this pretty blind and I’m glad I did because I was surprised by how quickly I was hooked! The vibes were spot on, the men in this are hot AF, the writing was excellent and the spice was *chefs kiss*.

This is single POV and it worked well. The FMC is likeable and relatable and I enjoyed being in her head, her inner monologue wasn’t repetitive or annoying like some single POV books can be. Only knowing what she knows adds to the suspense because, even towards the end, I still don’t completely know what Ravenhood is all about or how far their reach is etc.

I’m racking my brain over who the cliffhanger could be…I have a few theories but I guess I won’t know till I pick up Exodus in the AM?! Which I definitely will be.

I don’t know if I’m Team Dom or Team Sean but I’m leaning more to Dom at the moment…he’s moody, mysterious and little bit dangerous but shows glimpses of a softer side to Cecilia…what’s not to love?!

This ends on a CLIFFHANGER so have book 2 at the ready! Loving the start of this series

aball86's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

kalinova's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

birdie_98's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny hopeful sad tense medium-paced

3.75

juliahl's review against another edition

Go to review page

1.0

1/5 ⭐️
I dedicate this 1 star rating to Sean. I’ll keep this spoiler free.

I heard a lot of hype about this book, so I decided to take a chance since this was on kindle unlimited. I pushed through because of the hype, thinking it might get better, but this book just was not for me.

The male love interest, Sean, is 26 to the female main character’s 19. The age difference is really apparent in the way Sean treats and talks to Cecelia in a way that makes me cringe every time they touch. I understand the concept of cute in a romance novel, red flag in real life, but this was just too much for me personally.

Let’s talk about Sean. His entire personality is constantly being 3 seconds away from saying “wake up sheeple” at all times. He talks about conspiracy theories to Cecelia and implies she’s dumb for not believing them. At one point he belittles her by saying she thinks “big brother is just a tv show.” Come on. It comes off as brain washing and gaslighting which is not cute. He said his hero is Dave Chapelle, which this book was written before a lot of that controversy so I kept going, but it did not get any better. I never really understood the term “getting the ick” but whenever he spoke I turned to my fiancé and just said “ew” out loud.

I think the author did a good job of portraying teenage angst from Cecelia’s perspective, but it was like reading the same thought restated over and over for 30 chapters. Cecelia doesn’t trust Sean. Cecelia is belittled by Sean for it. Cecelia thinks she’s wrong. But wait, Cecelia doesn’t trust Sean again. It got repetitive being told on every page that Sean has secrets, I get it.

Does the series get better after book 1? Maybe. Will I read to find out? Absolutely not, because I know Sean will be there and ew.

lexuslovesbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

liza_mulomboi's review against another edition

Go to review page

2.0

Maybe the something I am missing but I didn't know like the book.Literally had to force myself to finish it.

angxlicsoul's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

4,5⭐️
Dominic got my attention I won’t lie. Just like in Credence, the quiet and rude guy got my attention when Saun was so nice to her. I am having problems. Cecilia was dumb af in some moments but that’s okay.

flaws's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

jspo's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Quality writing in its genre. Loved it the whole time but expect to be dissatisfied with the ending unless you plan to carry on into book 2.