Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Bride by Ali Hazelwood

188 reviews

maello's review

adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

This book yanked and grabbed me out of my reading block. This definitely was not the most show-stopping or gorgeously written book (or even romance) I've ever read. Was the MC kind of "same-old" with his big tall body and he growls and is husky??? Yeah. But did I have fun reading it? Also yeah.

The writing reminds of Wattpad, and the whole "vampyre" x werewolf thing also kind of sells it on that. There isn't much description of the characters outside of size (MC has size 14 shoes btw), and they don't really feel like people. Misery (the name of the female lead) is somewhat aware that she literally has no life/things she cares about/hobbies/etc, and even if she is aware, it's kind of boring. The male lead allegedly had a life and hobbies and things before he became the "Alpha" but none of that is ever really touched on in a way that matters.

Similar to the characters, the world really lacks depth. The only detail you get is when something comes up that's important (eg they are going to a place, or they have to explain why alliance is the way it is).

There isn't really a romance, or a kindling between these two characters, as much as there is just a sexual attraction. There is definitely no slowburn, and if you were told this is enemies to lovers (or thought it was based on vampyre x werewolf) you are like, wrong. At best, it's miscommunication and lying.

Content Warnings

sierrabowers's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I thought this was a great read! It was a modern take on the classic vampires v werewolves rivalry. I really liked the characters and the side plots that went along with the main plot! There were several times where I audibly gasped because I was shocked at the turn of events!

Content Warnings

apirlroge's review

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Content Warnings

nerd_kind's review

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adventurous emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Content Warnings

zydecovivo's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious fast-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? It's complicated

4.75

This book is one I saw on TikTok in a video discussing fan fiction’s effect on the modern publishing industry. Ali Hazelwood is an author known for getting her start in Star Wars Reylo fan fiction. This book in particular discusses knotting (NOTE: this is something explicit and should not be looked into by readers under 18), which is new in a traditionally published romance but is definitely not new in fandom spaces. These were really the only 2 things I knew about the book before putting it on my TBR. I was curious to see what it was about.

In this universe, werewolves and vampyres exist and are known by humans, but the two species have been enemies for a long time. Our main character is named Mercy, a vampyre, and she has been used all of her life as collateral to keep the peace between humans and vampyres. Now, she is forced to marry the new Alpha of the werewolf pack across the river to create a flimsy alliance between the two groups. It is important to note that vampyres and werewolves work a bit differently than our classical concepts of them, but it is explained well at the beginning of the book.

This general premise is not groundbreaking and I think the overall plot, even the big reveals at the end, is predictable. However, I love Mercy and Lowe (the male love interest). I like them both individually and together as a unit. Their personalities and motivations feel very fleshed out and I enjoy watching their story (as predictable as it is). These two make the story worth reading and why the book deserves high ratings (5 stars? No. But more than 4). Mercy gets to learn what it’s like to be part of a loving family and Lowe learns how to be a little selfish because he deserves it. *chef’s kiss*

I do still have some nitpicking to do. Due to Mercy essentially being raised in the human world, she has very little knowledge of vampyres and no knowledge of werewolves due to historical animosity. This fact is a little overexploited (in my opinion) to show the reader the mechanics of this world. Additionally, the knot thing does not become relevant until the very end of the book. Experienced fan fiction readers, as well as regular paranormal romance readers, will probably find the spicy scenes somewhat tame.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I lost some sleep on a work night in order to finish it in one sitting, so be prepared. It may be a bit overhyped on BookTok, but I think it still deserves hype and praise.

Content Warnings

murve's review against another edition

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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? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

katharina90's review against another edition

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lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

A very Ali Hazelwood take on the omegaverse.

Cute but extremely predictable. The characters were likeable but pretty bland and immature, and the worldbuilding mostly fell flat for me.

Content Warnings

readbyjaimes's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Very fun! 🧛🏻‍♀️ 🪢 🐺

I really enjoyed this book, and I'm very happy that I did because I was expecting to lol. Lowe and Misery were so cute and I thought their relationship was really sweet. I will say that watching people review this book and be so baffled by the whole knot situation is fucking hilarious. Like please relax you guys it's not that big of a deal lmfao. I served my time on AO3, tumblr, and Wattpad so I knew full and well what I was getting into, but still quit with the pearl-clutching. This book would've gotten a higher rating from me if I didn't feel like the ending was sooooo rushed. Like the end felt like to was going in warp speed (or maybe I was just reading really fast ahha).

Overall, I really liked it and it made me wanna read more paranormal romances lol.

Content Warnings

elledanie's review against another edition

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lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

lilminx's review

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funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.75

We don't talk about how much I enjoyed this book. ✨

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