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A review by jennireadsmaybe
Bride by Ali Hazelwood
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for providing me with and E-ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.
Bride demonstrates Ali Hazelwood's innate ability to create fmcs that are entirely too relatable to the average reader. Misery is a blunt, black cat adjacent, dark humor loving badass. Being in her head was both unlike anything I've ever experienced and so similar to Hazelwood's previous fmcs. I found her backstory extremely intriguing, because though it's similar to other characters in Hazelwood's backlist, it's also so separate because of the fantasy element.
The first 40% is a slog to get through, but once you do it picks up quite quickly. When the plot picked up, I was thoroughly invested to the point that I read 200+ pages before going to bed. The dynamics between vampyres, werewolves, and humans were interesting especially with the addition of a collateral and the political heavy nature of the relationships.
Ali Hazelwood sat down and wrote the horniest scenting scene I've ever read. It truly unlocked a part of my lizard brain. Then throw in the sexual nature of vampyre feeding, I was a freaking mess. Also, I would be remiss if I didn't scream from rooftops about the fated mates twist in here. I thought it was such a unique way to combat the different species understanding of both romance and desire. I'm genuinely so excited to see if she will continue with other standalones in this universe she's created.
Bride demonstrates Ali Hazelwood's innate ability to create fmcs that are entirely too relatable to the average reader. Misery is a blunt, black cat adjacent, dark humor loving badass. Being in her head was both unlike anything I've ever experienced and so similar to Hazelwood's previous fmcs. I found her backstory extremely intriguing, because though it's similar to other characters in Hazelwood's backlist, it's also so separate because of the fantasy element.
The first 40% is a slog to get through, but once you do it picks up quite quickly. When the plot picked up, I was thoroughly invested to the point that I read 200+ pages before going to bed. The dynamics between vampyres, werewolves, and humans were interesting especially with the addition of a collateral and the political heavy nature of the relationships.
Ali Hazelwood sat down and wrote the horniest scenting scene I've ever read. It truly unlocked a part of my lizard brain. Then throw in the sexual nature of vampyre feeding, I was a freaking mess. Also, I would be remiss if I didn't scream from rooftops about the fated mates twist in here. I thought it was such a unique way to combat the different species understanding of both romance and desire. I'm genuinely so excited to see if she will continue with other standalones in this universe she's created.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, and Racism
Minor: Death and Grief