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a_j_torres0's reviews
52 reviews
Fae Hunter by Sarah K.L. Wilson
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Fae Hunter is a Young Adult/New Adult Fantasy novel Book 1.
I very much like Alastru(Allie), but I don't care for the people of Skundtown. Her mother is such a caring and loving mother who is also forced to deal with a town turning on her as well because of what's happening. Allie and her mother don't deserve the s*** the people keep blaming them for, but I guess living in a medieval like time period where people only like you enough so long as things go right and you play the part THEY prefer you to play only to quickly turn on you once things go bad. It's frustrating and annoying, but Alastru actually makes me bare it with how clever and quick witted she is. Not to mention, her banter with her fae prisoner was pretty good. They were interesting and made me chuckle a few times lol. The series is complete at 5 books long and I recommend this book if you want a female protagonist who is strong, or strong willed as I should say, clever, and quick witted while also having such patience to deal with a ungrateful, cowardly village, but is also a teenage girl who also gets bothered when such hateful words actually hurt and "friends" who easily abandoned her once things get tough. I like that, Alastru can be strong, but she's also human. I think other readers will enjoy following her story so far. Also, I very much recommend just collecting the series as a whole, because that cliffhanger SUCKS! Lol.
I very much like Alastru(Allie), but I don't care for the people of Skundtown. Her mother is such a caring and loving mother who is also forced to deal with a town turning on her as well because of what's happening. Allie and her mother don't deserve the s*** the people keep blaming them for, but I guess living in a medieval like time period where people only like you enough so long as things go right and you play the part THEY prefer you to play only to quickly turn on you once things go bad. It's frustrating and annoying, but Alastru actually makes me bare it with how clever and quick witted she is. Not to mention, her banter with her fae prisoner was pretty good. They were interesting and made me chuckle a few times lol. The series is complete at 5 books long and I recommend this book if you want a female protagonist who is strong, or strong willed as I should say, clever, and quick witted while also having such patience to deal with a ungrateful, cowardly village, but is also a teenage girl who also gets bothered when such hateful words actually hurt and "friends" who easily abandoned her once things get tough. I like that, Alastru can be strong, but she's also human. I think other readers will enjoy following her story so far. Also, I very much recommend just collecting the series as a whole, because that cliffhanger SUCKS! Lol.
The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The Horse and His Boy is a Children/Middle Grade Portal Fantasy novel, book 3 in the series.
All in all the series is turning serviceable for what I need. Besides the cringy content, the characters aren't bad and neither is the story. If you want to get through this series, try to plow through this one and get to Prince Caspian. So far, the series isn't that connected with each other except by certain key characters from previous books. Book 2 was connected by Digory and the wardrobe from book 1, and this book had Susan, Edmund, and Lucy from book 2. If I remember correctly, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy come back to Narnia in Prince Caspian, so I'm sure that will be that books connection, but I don't think I'll see Shasta, Bree, Aravis, and Hwin in later books, unless I get surprised by later books.
All in all the series is turning serviceable for what I need. Besides the cringy content, the characters aren't bad and neither is the story. If you want to get through this series, try to plow through this one and get to Prince Caspian. So far, the series isn't that connected with each other except by certain key characters from previous books. Book 2 was connected by Digory and the wardrobe from book 1, and this book had Susan, Edmund, and Lucy from book 2. If I remember correctly, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy come back to Narnia in Prince Caspian, so I'm sure that will be that books connection, but I don't think I'll see Shasta, Bree, Aravis, and Hwin in later books, unless I get surprised by later books.
Dawn till Dusk by Becky Moynihan, Tyffany Hackett
4.0
I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Dawn Till Dusk is a New Adult Urban Fantasy Romance novel, book 1 in the series.
Also, I thought I should let you know that Urban Fantasy is a pretty hard genre for me to get into. Now that that’s said, let’s get to this review.
Book Cover: 4* - Now, I’m not a big fan of photo stock book covers for a few reasons, but after learning that one of the authors did it herself, I thought it actually came out really nice. The characters on the cover for the most part look like how they are described in the book. Plus it’s purple, I love purple lol.
Summary/Tagline: 3* - It’s good. It got me curious enough to want to know what the story entails, but knowing that this is a romance story too, I assumed that both Reagan and Tarik would most definitely end up together, how? Probably something bad would bring the two together, knowing the authors lol. I will also make sure not to reveal any spoilers in this review.
Characters: 3* - We follow two characters in this story. Reagan, a female shifter that can turn into a winged white lion, and Tarik, a male fae who is heavily brooding, angry, and knows magic(trigger warning for suicide attempts and thoughts). Either character is written by each of the authors respectfully(I’ll get into this more in the story section). Out of the two characters, I connected to Reagan a hell of a lot faster than I did Tarik. Reagan is spunky, strong, caring, and has quite the patience to put up with Tarik for the beginning part of the book. Tarik … was unfortunately a pretty predictable character. I think I connected with him by the end, but I wasn’t sure, and I did predict his tragic backstory when he brought it up cryptically in a way in either chapter 1 or 2. When his past does reveal itself, showing why he’s so angry and wanting death so badly, I actually blurted out, “Yeah I called it.” Speaking of tragic pasts, Reagan’s backstory, or I guess her life situation with her step family, I’m sure this was a coincidence, but her abusive relationship with Reagan’s stepfather Mordecai(the antagonist of the book) is pretty similar to a character written by one of the authors from another book series, and no it wasn’t the one that wrote Reagan’s chapters. Like I said, I’m sure it was a coincidence. Now speaking of Reagan’s stepfamily. Mordecai and Alec, oooooh trigger warning for abuse(physical and emotional), torture, and assault(physical and sexual). Mordecai is the worst, even though he’s a bit of a little b**** and Alec is just a nasty creep. There are a few supporting characters throughout this book, some I like, a few I rolled my eyes in annoyance, and others I feel like weren’t around enough to warrant much opinions on just yet.
World Building: 2* - This section is normally why I have trouble with this genre. Once I start asking questions, and I mean a lot of questions, if they don’t get answered by the end, I unfortunately get upset/disappointed, as I often see the potential/opportunity to just dive into a world where our modern world is combined with the fantastical, but it doesn’t really get utilized.
So first off, I’m so used to urban fantasy stories where faes, elves, vampires, and/or other pretty fantasy races are the ones on top and/or run an entire city and the other races such as werewolves, shifters, and/or other creatures that involve turning into some sort of beast/monster, are beneath them as guards, slaves, etc. Humans are either stuck in the middle of them or are in the same area as werewolves and shifters. This book has decided to swap those roles which I liked, making shifters on top and faes are pretty much treated as third class citizens with terrible living conditions.
Secondly, I very much enjoyed the brief history I got about Nathra city and the fae shifter war. There’s even a brief explanation stating that the humans, during the civil war, were “allowed” to leave Nathra city to go to other places. So that was some neat info …
Now here is where I struggled with the book. I have NO idea where Nathra city is. Is it in the US? Canada? UK? Somewhere where the English language is dominant? I don’t know. There’s not even a mention of whatever country's government that’s around, as the world knows faes and shifters exist, but it seems like Nathra city is just closed off from the world? I was struggling to figure this out as I don’t think any government would be okay with a mass of people leaving one city and going to another. I also have no idea of the year this story is taking place. I know it’s urban fantasy, but it also sounds like there are some futuristic elements in this city? I’m still trying to figure this out and understand that part as well.
Now when it comes to technology in this book, it gets a mention or two in the first half of the book but we never hear of it again lol. Cellphones, I’m pretty sure Reagan has one as she uses it to listen to music when she sleeps, but like I said, a few mentions and done. There is a computer that gets used to figure something out about what her stepfather plans to do to some faes, only a few mentions, and that’s it. There was even a pretty nifty tablet that got used, and again, no more use after that. I just find it funny that a staple with urban fantasy stories is the lack of technology being used or even seen, I do find this odd … a lot. I understand why faes wouldn’t have technology, they aren’t allowed to work so they don’t even have much money to buy necessities … in fact they aren’t even allowed to buy food as many stores have closed themselves off to faes. So there really isn’t much they can do in Nathra city. They also can’t just leave as they aren’t allowed and are killed if they try to flee. So Nathra city is both a home to shifters that live in a more urban setting while faes are imprisoned and live in the outskirts of ruined buildings being covered in nature.
Speaking of faes and shifters, I … honestly don’t really know much about them other than a few things that are considered a fae THING and a shifter THING. This irked me a bit as growing up I kept hearing, “Oh it’s just a Spanish thing” or a whatever insert race here thing as more of an assumption of what my or any other race does as a whole. It wasn't really a pleasant read to just see a quality from someone as just being, well the whole species does it … Really? The ENTIRE race does this THING? For example, Shifters: They can turn into animals, they wear less clothing to be able to easily turn with no restrictions, they have tattoos on their bodies, they have piercings, they have dyed colored hair, they don’t mind being naked or showing so much skin, they don’t like nature, and they prefer meat over vegetables. Faes: They have feathered wings(are kept hidden because of a law placed upon them) and pointed ears, they can do magic(but can’t do them because of a law placed on them. Plus, the magic system is very basic. The Fae's use some magic and get tired from it. So it looks like magic takes from their energy. There is an object that seems to amplify their magic capabilities, but it's story related, and therefore spoilery.), they love nature, they are vegetarians/vegans(I’m not sure, I just know that they are apparently not supposed to eat meat because reasons), they are more conservative with clothing as they are uncomfortable with nakedness and too much skin showing, they worship Gaia? But they use the term hell? … That’s it. I’m not saying I need an in depth explanation about religion, government, or whatever, but a sentence here or there or a paragraph going a little more into THIS world would have been enough to sedate my curiosity. I wouldn’t have much of a problem with such little information, but most of these THINGS meant for each race never came with an explanation as to why, and for every character shown, they pretty much share all these features for their respective species. There isn’t a fae that doesn’t mind skin or wears less clothing, so far. There is also no shifter that isn’t a fan of tattoos and also doesn’t mind wearing more clothes, so far. It just didn’t feel like there was any individuality per character. Nevaeh is Reagan’s best friend, but the only difference in their appearance is their skin and eye color, hair dye color, types of tattoos, and their choice of shoes. Other than that, they wear the same types of clothing, down to the fishnet stockings. As for fae characters, every one of them has expressed discomfort when Reagan walks around naked after being in her lion form for a while. Not to mention, EVERYONE is beautiful. Fae's can barely afford food, but the guys are ripped as f*** and the women are dropped dead gorgeous … I'm going to just chuck this up as a Romance genre thing.
Speaking of Reagan’s lion form, I DO NOT understand why a FEMALE shifter turns into a MALE lion. Her form is described with a mane. As soon as that popped in, I was wondering if other shifters can turn into the opposite gender of the animal. Problem is, there aren’t many animals out there that have a clear male and female distinction to my knowledge, but then a lion shifter shows up near the end of the book, and instead of using the term it, as there is no way Reagan would know what gender the shifter is, she instead uses the pronoun HE. So, I am seriously asking, why is Reagan the only female shifter so far that can turn into a male lion and no others? It can’t be because she can turn into a mythical like creature with wings as she isn’t the only one. There are dragons, a giant wolf that can breathe fire, and a giant spider. So mysticism isn’t the answer here.
I also became really uncomfortable when there were two instances in this book that a fae, who’s supposed to not eat meat … because reasons, are force fed bacon, like it, and are now omnivores like it was no big deal. I know it was meant to be “funny,” but I was just uncomfortable with those scenes as I thought there was some significance to faes not wanting to eat animals, but it looks like there was never really a reason except for tradition? My husband also thinks I might be over thinking those scenes, but I’m not so sure anymore … Ok this section went on longer than I thought, so I will just end it here.
Story: 3* - You know what, I’m actually pretty surprised how separate the romance is from the story's plot. There is no, “Oh I know things are happening around us and we could die, but we need to talk about our feelings NOW!” That gets really annoying, really fast in romance stories, but this story remains focused which was nice. When it comes to the action scenes, that’s where the character's focus on to survive fights and challenges they didn't expect. Yes there are a few moments where one of the main characters saves the other, but it only happens a few times throughout the book, and when it comes to down time, that is when we focus on more character/story driven moments. I can also tell the difference between one author’s writing style over the other author, but I thought their style meshed pretty well together. It wasn’t super obvious nor distracting. Now, there is one trope that I didn’t really see played out in the manner that it is meant for and that is the enemies/hate to lovers trope. The hatred felt pretty one sighted as only Tarik didn’t like shifters while Reagan wanted to help faes. I only see hatred more coming from shifters to faes than the other way around, or even equal amounts, but I didn’t see that trope utilized much, if at all. Not to mention Tarik gets over his hatred of shifters pretty fast because of Reagan, so I REALLY didn't get this hatred/enemies to lovers trope in this book. The reason this story gets three stars and not more is mainly because the story was good, it just didn’t wow me. There was a twist near the end that involved Reagan which I can’t wait for these two authors to explore in future books, but that’s it. Everything else was pretty predictable.
Over All: 3.5* - This took me a while to figure out, but in my honest opinion, this story was a good one, unfortunately, I liked one main character way more than the other and because there was so little world information in this story, it distracted me quite a bit. I had too many questions left unanswered by the end and I found many parts of this story predictable, but entertaining. I do look forward to reading more of this story, and I will recommend this story for those who want a fun, simple fantasy story with a nice, slow burn romance. I will probably make this 4 stars because half stars are not a thing apparently lol, but the story was interesting enough to round up to 4 stars instead of just an average 3 stars.
Dawn Till Dusk is a New Adult Urban Fantasy Romance novel, book 1 in the series.
Also, I thought I should let you know that Urban Fantasy is a pretty hard genre for me to get into. Now that that’s said, let’s get to this review.
Book Cover: 4* - Now, I’m not a big fan of photo stock book covers for a few reasons, but after learning that one of the authors did it herself, I thought it actually came out really nice. The characters on the cover for the most part look like how they are described in the book. Plus it’s purple, I love purple lol.
Summary/Tagline: 3* - It’s good. It got me curious enough to want to know what the story entails, but knowing that this is a romance story too, I assumed that both Reagan and Tarik would most definitely end up together, how? Probably something bad would bring the two together, knowing the authors lol. I will also make sure not to reveal any spoilers in this review.
Characters: 3* - We follow two characters in this story. Reagan, a female shifter that can turn into a winged white lion, and Tarik, a male fae who is heavily brooding, angry, and knows magic(trigger warning for suicide attempts and thoughts). Either character is written by each of the authors respectfully(I’ll get into this more in the story section). Out of the two characters, I connected to Reagan a hell of a lot faster than I did Tarik. Reagan is spunky, strong, caring, and has quite the patience to put up with Tarik for the beginning part of the book. Tarik … was unfortunately a pretty predictable character. I think I connected with him by the end, but I wasn’t sure, and I did predict his tragic backstory when he brought it up cryptically in a way in either chapter 1 or 2. When his past does reveal itself, showing why he’s so angry and wanting death so badly, I actually blurted out, “Yeah I called it.” Speaking of tragic pasts, Reagan’s backstory, or I guess her life situation with her step family, I’m sure this was a coincidence, but her abusive relationship with Reagan’s stepfather Mordecai(the antagonist of the book) is pretty similar to a character written by one of the authors from another book series, and no it wasn’t the one that wrote Reagan’s chapters. Like I said, I’m sure it was a coincidence. Now speaking of Reagan’s stepfamily. Mordecai and Alec, oooooh trigger warning for abuse(physical and emotional), torture, and assault(physical and sexual). Mordecai is the worst, even though he’s a bit of a little b**** and Alec is just a nasty creep. There are a few supporting characters throughout this book, some I like, a few I rolled my eyes in annoyance, and others I feel like weren’t around enough to warrant much opinions on just yet.
World Building: 2* - This section is normally why I have trouble with this genre. Once I start asking questions, and I mean a lot of questions, if they don’t get answered by the end, I unfortunately get upset/disappointed, as I often see the potential/opportunity to just dive into a world where our modern world is combined with the fantastical, but it doesn’t really get utilized.
So first off, I’m so used to urban fantasy stories where faes, elves, vampires, and/or other pretty fantasy races are the ones on top and/or run an entire city and the other races such as werewolves, shifters, and/or other creatures that involve turning into some sort of beast/monster, are beneath them as guards, slaves, etc. Humans are either stuck in the middle of them or are in the same area as werewolves and shifters. This book has decided to swap those roles which I liked, making shifters on top and faes are pretty much treated as third class citizens with terrible living conditions.
Secondly, I very much enjoyed the brief history I got about Nathra city and the fae shifter war. There’s even a brief explanation stating that the humans, during the civil war, were “allowed” to leave Nathra city to go to other places. So that was some neat info …
Now here is where I struggled with the book. I have NO idea where Nathra city is. Is it in the US? Canada? UK? Somewhere where the English language is dominant? I don’t know. There’s not even a mention of whatever country's government that’s around, as the world knows faes and shifters exist, but it seems like Nathra city is just closed off from the world? I was struggling to figure this out as I don’t think any government would be okay with a mass of people leaving one city and going to another. I also have no idea of the year this story is taking place. I know it’s urban fantasy, but it also sounds like there are some futuristic elements in this city? I’m still trying to figure this out and understand that part as well.
Now when it comes to technology in this book, it gets a mention or two in the first half of the book but we never hear of it again lol. Cellphones, I’m pretty sure Reagan has one as she uses it to listen to music when she sleeps, but like I said, a few mentions and done. There is a computer that gets used to figure something out about what her stepfather plans to do to some faes, only a few mentions, and that’s it. There was even a pretty nifty tablet that got used, and again, no more use after that. I just find it funny that a staple with urban fantasy stories is the lack of technology being used or even seen, I do find this odd … a lot. I understand why faes wouldn’t have technology, they aren’t allowed to work so they don’t even have much money to buy necessities … in fact they aren’t even allowed to buy food as many stores have closed themselves off to faes. So there really isn’t much they can do in Nathra city. They also can’t just leave as they aren’t allowed and are killed if they try to flee. So Nathra city is both a home to shifters that live in a more urban setting while faes are imprisoned and live in the outskirts of ruined buildings being covered in nature.
Speaking of faes and shifters, I … honestly don’t really know much about them other than a few things that are considered a fae THING and a shifter THING. This irked me a bit as growing up I kept hearing, “Oh it’s just a Spanish thing” or a whatever insert race here thing as more of an assumption of what my or any other race does as a whole. It wasn't really a pleasant read to just see a quality from someone as just being, well the whole species does it … Really? The ENTIRE race does this THING? For example, Shifters: They can turn into animals, they wear less clothing to be able to easily turn with no restrictions, they have tattoos on their bodies, they have piercings, they have dyed colored hair, they don’t mind being naked or showing so much skin, they don’t like nature, and they prefer meat over vegetables. Faes: They have feathered wings(are kept hidden because of a law placed upon them) and pointed ears, they can do magic(but can’t do them because of a law placed on them. Plus, the magic system is very basic. The Fae's use some magic and get tired from it. So it looks like magic takes from their energy. There is an object that seems to amplify their magic capabilities, but it's story related, and therefore spoilery.), they love nature, they are vegetarians/vegans(I’m not sure, I just know that they are apparently not supposed to eat meat because reasons), they are more conservative with clothing as they are uncomfortable with nakedness and too much skin showing, they worship Gaia? But they use the term hell? … That’s it. I’m not saying I need an in depth explanation about religion, government, or whatever, but a sentence here or there or a paragraph going a little more into THIS world would have been enough to sedate my curiosity. I wouldn’t have much of a problem with such little information, but most of these THINGS meant for each race never came with an explanation as to why, and for every character shown, they pretty much share all these features for their respective species. There isn’t a fae that doesn’t mind skin or wears less clothing, so far. There is also no shifter that isn’t a fan of tattoos and also doesn’t mind wearing more clothes, so far. It just didn’t feel like there was any individuality per character. Nevaeh is Reagan’s best friend, but the only difference in their appearance is their skin and eye color, hair dye color, types of tattoos, and their choice of shoes. Other than that, they wear the same types of clothing, down to the fishnet stockings. As for fae characters, every one of them has expressed discomfort when Reagan walks around naked after being in her lion form for a while. Not to mention, EVERYONE is beautiful. Fae's can barely afford food, but the guys are ripped as f*** and the women are dropped dead gorgeous … I'm going to just chuck this up as a Romance genre thing.
Speaking of Reagan’s lion form, I DO NOT understand why a FEMALE shifter turns into a MALE lion. Her form is described with a mane. As soon as that popped in, I was wondering if other shifters can turn into the opposite gender of the animal. Problem is, there aren’t many animals out there that have a clear male and female distinction to my knowledge, but then a lion shifter shows up near the end of the book, and instead of using the term it, as there is no way Reagan would know what gender the shifter is, she instead uses the pronoun HE. So, I am seriously asking, why is Reagan the only female shifter so far that can turn into a male lion and no others? It can’t be because she can turn into a mythical like creature with wings as she isn’t the only one. There are dragons, a giant wolf that can breathe fire, and a giant spider. So mysticism isn’t the answer here.
I also became really uncomfortable when there were two instances in this book that a fae, who’s supposed to not eat meat … because reasons, are force fed bacon, like it, and are now omnivores like it was no big deal. I know it was meant to be “funny,” but I was just uncomfortable with those scenes as I thought there was some significance to faes not wanting to eat animals, but it looks like there was never really a reason except for tradition? My husband also thinks I might be over thinking those scenes, but I’m not so sure anymore … Ok this section went on longer than I thought, so I will just end it here.
Story: 3* - You know what, I’m actually pretty surprised how separate the romance is from the story's plot. There is no, “Oh I know things are happening around us and we could die, but we need to talk about our feelings NOW!” That gets really annoying, really fast in romance stories, but this story remains focused which was nice. When it comes to the action scenes, that’s where the character's focus on to survive fights and challenges they didn't expect. Yes there are a few moments where one of the main characters saves the other, but it only happens a few times throughout the book, and when it comes to down time, that is when we focus on more character/story driven moments. I can also tell the difference between one author’s writing style over the other author, but I thought their style meshed pretty well together. It wasn’t super obvious nor distracting. Now, there is one trope that I didn’t really see played out in the manner that it is meant for and that is the enemies/hate to lovers trope. The hatred felt pretty one sighted as only Tarik didn’t like shifters while Reagan wanted to help faes. I only see hatred more coming from shifters to faes than the other way around, or even equal amounts, but I didn’t see that trope utilized much, if at all. Not to mention Tarik gets over his hatred of shifters pretty fast because of Reagan, so I REALLY didn't get this hatred/enemies to lovers trope in this book. The reason this story gets three stars and not more is mainly because the story was good, it just didn’t wow me. There was a twist near the end that involved Reagan which I can’t wait for these two authors to explore in future books, but that’s it. Everything else was pretty predictable.
Over All: 3.5* - This took me a while to figure out, but in my honest opinion, this story was a good one, unfortunately, I liked one main character way more than the other and because there was so little world information in this story, it distracted me quite a bit. I had too many questions left unanswered by the end and I found many parts of this story predictable, but entertaining. I do look forward to reading more of this story, and I will recommend this story for those who want a fun, simple fantasy story with a nice, slow burn romance. I will probably make this 4 stars because half stars are not a thing apparently lol, but the story was interesting enough to round up to 4 stars instead of just an average 3 stars.
Alter Ego by Kate Sheeran Swed
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I received a free eBook in exchange for an honest review.
Alter Ego is a Adult Science Fiction/Superhero novel, book 1 in the series.
Hmmm, based on my scoring so far, I think I'm happy to say 4 stars is good for me. It's either that or 3.5, but because halfsies are a no no, I might as well say 4. The story was entertaining and engaging sometimes, and I did like the characters, plus Alter Ego totally gave me a MCU meets Mission Impossible vibe. The story was fun, exciting, and thrilling when it came down to it. I say if you like things like the MCU and Mission Impossible movies, I say give this book a try. I'm sure you'll have fun, especially if you're in the mood for more superhero stories mixed with some thrilling espionage.
Alter Ego is a Adult Science Fiction/Superhero novel, book 1 in the series.
Hmmm, based on my scoring so far, I think I'm happy to say 4 stars is good for me. It's either that or 3.5, but because halfsies are a no no, I might as well say 4. The story was entertaining and engaging sometimes, and I did like the characters, plus Alter Ego totally gave me a MCU meets Mission Impossible vibe. The story was fun, exciting, and thrilling when it came down to it. I say if you like things like the MCU and Mission Impossible movies, I say give this book a try. I'm sure you'll have fun, especially if you're in the mood for more superhero stories mixed with some thrilling espionage.
Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Prince Caspian is a Children/Middle Grade Portal Fantasy novel, book 4 in the series.
As usual, another book in the Narnia series turning out only ok with very few enjoyable moments in between. There's also this weird thing about ... loss of innocence? I don't know, I just know that it's now becoming a chore to read these books to my son. I just need to get through 2 more books and I'm finally done with this series.
As usual, another book in the Narnia series turning out only ok with very few enjoyable moments in between. There's also this weird thing about ... loss of innocence? I don't know, I just know that it's now becoming a chore to read these books to my son. I just need to get through 2 more books and I'm finally done with this series.
Fall of Night by Becky Moynihan, Tyffany Hackett
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
3.0
I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Fall of Night is a New Adult Urban Fantasy Romance novel, book 2 in the series.
The Genesis Crystal Saga is a Romance story first and foremost, because of this, the fantasy plot feels like an afterthought. I didn't get a sense of urgency for anything happening unless Reagan was in trouble. The world is vague and I didn't click with most of the story. There were some cute and tenderhearted moments between Reagan and Tarik every now and then, it just wasn't enough for me. I am still curious about where the story is going, but it isn't something I'll be eagerly anticipating.
Fall of Night is a New Adult Urban Fantasy Romance novel, book 2 in the series.
The Genesis Crystal Saga is a Romance story first and foremost, because of this, the fantasy plot feels like an afterthought. I didn't get a sense of urgency for anything happening unless Reagan was in trouble. The world is vague and I didn't click with most of the story. There were some cute and tenderhearted moments between Reagan and Tarik every now and then, it just wasn't enough for me. I am still curious about where the story is going, but it isn't something I'll be eagerly anticipating.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
4.0
This is a Middle Grade Urban Fantasy novel book 1 in the series.
(NEW NEW)**Please be aware that the author to this series has come forward as being a transphobic TERF, purposely spreading lies and misinformation about not only the trans community but nonbinary folks as well. She is unapologetic and doesn't care how much harm her platform now brings onto certain members of the LGBTQIA+ community. If you wish to read this book and/or this series, then please be aware of what she is doing. Thank you.**
(New)**This is my 3rd of 4th time reading this book, and this time I read the Hufflepuff House Editions, but most of the review will cover the first US Edition.**
Book Cover: 5* - I love illustrated covers, and this cover explains the crazy adventure the 11 year old main character is going to have. Harry is on a flying broom about to grab a gold ball with wings. A dark forest with a unicorn running before it. Silhouettes of people in the background flying on broomsticks, avoiding what looks like flying balls and a 3 headed dog in the gateway of a castle, and I'm not even including the stuff in the back. Plus I like the style.(I Still Feel The Same.)
Summary/Tagline: 3.5* - After reading the summary for the first time I was still excited to read it, but at some point it sounds weirdly like it's breaking the 4th wall. I just think it was a little weird.(This Is Now 3.5 Instead Of 4.)
Characters: 3* - The teachers in this story suck. 1 openly abuses the main character verbally and blatantly shows favoritism towards one house. Someone like him would have been fired right off the bat if word of what he has been doing got out. Another just ignores the main character after telling the instructor the special object hiding in the school is going to be stolen. Not to mention punishment priorities, for example: Fighting a troll -5 points from Gryffindor, Out of bed at night -150 points from Gryffindor . . . What? Anyway, the story follows Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger with some POV hopping peppered throughout the story. The main character, Harry, is a blank character meant to represent the reader, and quite boring compared to Ron and Hermione. Ron, the side/supporting character, is the comic relief but an informative one who likes to talk back sometimes. Hermione has a similar role as Ron but is the smart character and is able to break her friends out of a tough situation when she has a level head. As for a villain/rival character we have Draco Malfoy and he is a snobby rich, cowardly, annoying boy who is a huge bully and I am not a fan of this kid. The bad guy character is a typical evil character that needs or wants to kill the 11 year old main character because reasons, weird huh.(This Is Now 3 Instead Of 3.5.)
World Building: 4* - The wizarding world of Harry Potter is fun, exciting, and very informative. This may be a school, but Harry and his friends go on adventures in the school meeting new people, creatures, and ghosts. Not to mention they get lost in a crazy maze of a school, whether the stairs decide to change and move or statues come to life to bar the path from the main character. The school actually feels like it is alive with their own currency and Government. However, I draw the line at the fact that the wizards themselves are pretty disconnected from the muggle world. They don't seem to know any muggle sports such as basketball and football(European) and are completely unaware of the technologies used by muggles, I mean, they didn't even know that pictures and posters used by muggles don't move . . . Really?(This Is Now 4 Instead Of 5.)
Story: 4* - The adventures and side stories is very fun as it explores the world. The main story towards the end of the book stays the course and is pretty straightforward. Once Harry discovers a mysterious, scary figure in the forest by the castle midway into the book, then the story kicks it into high gear as the fate of Harry's life, and quite possibly the school, is at stakes. Which I don't think it's bad, just a little obvious in some points.(I Still Feel The Same.)
Over All: 4.5* - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is a fun and exciting read with some pretty good characters. The world is alive with a somewhat simple story. Over all it is a fun book and I love that it made me want to be apart of that world, in fact I still do. I will highly recommend this book to first time Fantasy readers.(This Is Now 4.5 Instead Of 5.)
(NEW NEW)**Please be aware that the author to this series has come forward as being a transphobic TERF, purposely spreading lies and misinformation about not only the trans community but nonbinary folks as well. She is unapologetic and doesn't care how much harm her platform now brings onto certain members of the LGBTQIA+ community. If you wish to read this book and/or this series, then please be aware of what she is doing. Thank you.**
(New)**This is my 3rd of 4th time reading this book, and this time I read the Hufflepuff House Editions, but most of the review will cover the first US Edition.**
Book Cover: 5* - I love illustrated covers, and this cover explains the crazy adventure the 11 year old main character is going to have. Harry is on a flying broom about to grab a gold ball with wings. A dark forest with a unicorn running before it. Silhouettes of people in the background flying on broomsticks, avoiding what looks like flying balls and a 3 headed dog in the gateway of a castle, and I'm not even including the stuff in the back. Plus I like the style.(I Still Feel The Same.)
Summary/Tagline: 3.5* - After reading the summary for the first time I was still excited to read it, but at some point it sounds weirdly like it's breaking the 4th wall. I just think it was a little weird.(This Is Now 3.5 Instead Of 4.)
Characters: 3* - The teachers in this story suck. 1 openly abuses the main character verbally and blatantly shows favoritism towards one house. Someone like him would have been fired right off the bat if word of what he has been doing got out. Another just ignores the main character after telling the instructor the special object hiding in the school is going to be stolen. Not to mention punishment priorities, for example: Fighting a troll -5 points from Gryffindor, Out of bed at night -150 points from Gryffindor . . . What? Anyway, the story follows Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger with some POV hopping peppered throughout the story. The main character, Harry, is a blank character meant to represent the reader, and quite boring compared to Ron and Hermione. Ron, the side/supporting character, is the comic relief but an informative one who likes to talk back sometimes. Hermione has a similar role as Ron but is the smart character and is able to break her friends out of a tough situation when she has a level head. As for a villain/rival character we have Draco Malfoy and he is a snobby rich, cowardly, annoying boy who is a huge bully and I am not a fan of this kid. The bad guy character is a typical evil character that needs or wants to kill the 11 year old main character because reasons, weird huh.(This Is Now 3 Instead Of 3.5.)
World Building: 4* - The wizarding world of Harry Potter is fun, exciting, and very informative. This may be a school, but Harry and his friends go on adventures in the school meeting new people, creatures, and ghosts. Not to mention they get lost in a crazy maze of a school, whether the stairs decide to change and move or statues come to life to bar the path from the main character. The school actually feels like it is alive with their own currency and Government. However, I draw the line at the fact that the wizards themselves are pretty disconnected from the muggle world. They don't seem to know any muggle sports such as basketball and football(European) and are completely unaware of the technologies used by muggles, I mean, they didn't even know that pictures and posters used by muggles don't move . . . Really?(This Is Now 4 Instead Of 5.)
Story: 4* - The adventures and side stories is very fun as it explores the world. The main story towards the end of the book stays the course and is pretty straightforward. Once Harry discovers a mysterious, scary figure in the forest by the castle midway into the book, then the story kicks it into high gear as the fate of Harry's life, and quite possibly the school, is at stakes. Which I don't think it's bad, just a little obvious in some points.(I Still Feel The Same.)
Over All: 4.5* - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is a fun and exciting read with some pretty good characters. The world is alive with a somewhat simple story. Over all it is a fun book and I love that it made me want to be apart of that world, in fact I still do. I will highly recommend this book to first time Fantasy readers.(This Is Now 4.5 Instead Of 5.)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
4.0
This is a Middle Grade Urban Fantasy novel book 2 in the series.
(NEW)**Please be aware that the author to this series has come forward as being a transphobic TERF, purposely spreading lies and misinformation about not only the trans community but nonbinary folks as well. She is unapologetic and doesn't care how much harm her platform now brings onto certain members of the LGBTQIA+ community. If you wish to read this book and/or this series, then please be aware of what she is doing. Thank you.**
Book Cover: 5* - Yup, I still love illustrated covers, this book is no exception. However, there is something I noticed thanks to an ending bit of this book, and that is Harry has a really strong neck lol. I mean, Harry is holding on to Faux the phoenix while Ron hangs on by Harry's cloak AND holding Ginny's hand! And no magic was never used to be held in this manner lmao.
Summary/Tagline: 4* - I think this books summary is much more intriguing than book 1's. We get new things in the school, one of which if pretty terrifying as it mentions kids being turned to stone. Like, woah!
Characters: 3* - I still find Harry pretty boring compared to Hermione and Ron. Hermione learns about the wizarding world while having a celebrity crush on Gilderoy Lockhart, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and Ron just having knowledge on the wizarding world in general. However, Professor Snape is still a terrible teacher that verbally abuses students that isn't in Slytherin, Draco Malfoy is very much a racist bully who I want to slap really badly, Gilderoy Lockhart is just . . . such an a**! A really big dumba**! And of course, kids are in danger in the school but most of the teachers don't really seem to take it that seriously and instead groan about how terrible Gilderoy is as a teacher and a person, and Dumbledore would much prefer to rely on a child to face the big bad baddies in order to save the school and stop the villain . . . The villain is still the same as in book 1 but in a different form . . . I just found him meh in this book.
World Building: 3* - Now I'm really surprised at myself for bringing the world building in this book 1 star lower than it was from the last one, but I'm going to stand my ground here as I ended up realizing something about the wizarding world, and that is the fact that there is a class system. The purest blood wizarding family seem to be the richest in this world, along with the Potters and the Longbottoms . . . so why are the Weasleys so almost dirt poor that they have so many kids, but barely the means to care for them and provide what they need for school? Not to mention, this is the second book in the series, and the magic is never explained. I know they use wands, and hands I guess, but I don't know where their source of magic comes from, and the magic is barely used in these books. I'm serious, there isn't a lot of moments in these 2 books so far where they utilize their magic except for as a gag. I'm just starting to think there was way more magic done in the movies than in this book. I hope this improves by book 3.
Story: 3* - This was a tough one to decide on, but I found most of the story . . . not boring, but not interesting either. It's just most of the exciting scenes were quickly breezed over and then we just get stuck with how Harry feels about the Dursleys, Snape, class or quiditch for much longer than what is actually going on. I also thought it was odd how many students quickly turned on Harry when the students being targeted for petrification were muggle born students, you know, HERMIONE! However, those short, fascinating moments were very memorable, it's just hard to get through how terrible the whole, I get it, the Dursleys suck, and if this was in real life, child services would have been called on them and Snape would have been fire, I'm just saying. Also Dumbledore is terrible Headmaster, why the h*** would he rely on Harry to save the school against a terrifying monster!? Read the book to know what I mean -_-.
Over All: 3.5* - All in all, this book was interesting, but I'm also finding this series to be ok suddenly at the same time. Maybe it's because I'm starting to ask way more questions compared to when I first read these books and finding no answers to them or something, but I honestly expected better. Anyway, if I remember correctly, book 3 and on get better based on story and characters at least, possibly the world building too, but I will see when I get to those books.
(NEW)**Please be aware that the author to this series has come forward as being a transphobic TERF, purposely spreading lies and misinformation about not only the trans community but nonbinary folks as well. She is unapologetic and doesn't care how much harm her platform now brings onto certain members of the LGBTQIA+ community. If you wish to read this book and/or this series, then please be aware of what she is doing. Thank you.**
Book Cover: 5* - Yup, I still love illustrated covers, this book is no exception. However, there is something I noticed thanks to an ending bit of this book, and that is Harry has a really strong neck lol. I mean, Harry is holding on to Faux the phoenix while Ron hangs on by Harry's cloak AND holding Ginny's hand! And no magic was never used to be held in this manner lmao.
Summary/Tagline: 4* - I think this books summary is much more intriguing than book 1's. We get new things in the school, one of which if pretty terrifying as it mentions kids being turned to stone. Like, woah!
Characters: 3* - I still find Harry pretty boring compared to Hermione and Ron. Hermione learns about the wizarding world while having a celebrity crush on Gilderoy Lockhart, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and Ron just having knowledge on the wizarding world in general. However, Professor Snape is still a terrible teacher that verbally abuses students that isn't in Slytherin, Draco Malfoy is very much a racist bully who I want to slap really badly, Gilderoy Lockhart is just . . . such an a**! A really big dumba**! And of course, kids are in danger in the school but most of the teachers don't really seem to take it that seriously and instead groan about how terrible Gilderoy is as a teacher and a person, and Dumbledore would much prefer to rely on a child to face the big bad baddies in order to save the school and stop the villain . . . The villain is still the same as in book 1 but in a different form . . . I just found him meh in this book.
World Building: 3* - Now I'm really surprised at myself for bringing the world building in this book 1 star lower than it was from the last one, but I'm going to stand my ground here as I ended up realizing something about the wizarding world, and that is the fact that there is a class system. The purest blood wizarding family seem to be the richest in this world, along with the Potters and the Longbottoms . . . so why are the Weasleys so almost dirt poor that they have so many kids, but barely the means to care for them and provide what they need for school? Not to mention, this is the second book in the series, and the magic is never explained. I know they use wands, and hands I guess, but I don't know where their source of magic comes from, and the magic is barely used in these books. I'm serious, there isn't a lot of moments in these 2 books so far where they utilize their magic except for as a gag. I'm just starting to think there was way more magic done in the movies than in this book. I hope this improves by book 3.
Story: 3* - This was a tough one to decide on, but I found most of the story . . . not boring, but not interesting either. It's just most of the exciting scenes were quickly breezed over and then we just get stuck with how Harry feels about the Dursleys, Snape, class or quiditch for much longer than what is actually going on. I also thought it was odd how many students quickly turned on Harry when the students being targeted for petrification were muggle born students, you know, HERMIONE! However, those short, fascinating moments were very memorable, it's just hard to get through how terrible the whole, I get it, the Dursleys suck, and if this was in real life, child services would have been called on them and Snape would have been fire, I'm just saying. Also Dumbledore is terrible Headmaster, why the h*** would he rely on Harry to save the school against a terrifying monster!? Read the book to know what I mean -_-.
Over All: 3.5* - All in all, this book was interesting, but I'm also finding this series to be ok suddenly at the same time. Maybe it's because I'm starting to ask way more questions compared to when I first read these books and finding no answers to them or something, but I honestly expected better. Anyway, if I remember correctly, book 3 and on get better based on story and characters at least, possibly the world building too, but I will see when I get to those books.
The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Prince Caspian is a Children/Middle Grade Portal Fantasy novel, book 6 in the series.
It was ok. It wasn't annoying or boring as some of the books before this one, but it also wasn't as interesting as the earlier books. It is cool to see how well the books are connected to each other, but as this is supposed to be Eustace's last journey into Narnia, I'm curious about the last book in the series as there won't be any kids from our world this time being summoned to save Narnia. So I am interested to seeing how this series ends.
It was ok. It wasn't annoying or boring as some of the books before this one, but it also wasn't as interesting as the earlier books. It is cool to see how well the books are connected to each other, but as this is supposed to be Eustace's last journey into Narnia, I'm curious about the last book in the series as there won't be any kids from our world this time being summoned to save Narnia. So I am interested to seeing how this series ends.
The Novice by Taran Matharu
4.0
This is a Young Adult Epic Fantasy novel Book 1.
Book Cover: 3* - As I said in my Harry Potter Book 1 review, I love illustrated covers, that being said the main character alone looks great but a solid background with sparkling blue and white light, not so much. It doesn't really set any settings for me but it isn't all bad. I do like that little ball of magic coming out of his tattooed hand and the little demon perched on his left shoulder, so cute.
Summary/Tagline: 2.5* - The summary reads like any normal summary and sounds like a few other books that have MC finds he is some of the rare few to do something amazing and must go somewhere to learn, of course there will be rivalries and of course it will be up to him to save everything. The beginning part of the summary is a brief passage from the first chapter right in the beginning, I honestly don't think that is necessary as after reading the summary I normally like to see how the first chapter reads only to find the words are verbatim. I didn't really find anything special or attractive about the summary.
Characters: 4* - I don't like the comparison between this book and Harry Potter, all because we are in a magical school with magical students it automatically means if you like Harry Potter then you'll definitely like this book which is just terrible. Out of the many main characters I have ever read Fletcher Wulf is just amazing. I've never fallen in love with a MC so fast, he's very kind, open minded, adorkably friendly, just AGH! I love this kid. Sadly I can't say the same for the other characters in this book. Othello Thorsager is a dwarf and an obvious comic relief and Sylva Arkenia is an elf with a stick up her ass. She eventually loosens up but she talks down to other characters too much for me to care for her. Then OH MY GOD! The twin Malfoy characters are just taken to the extreme in this book. The villain/rival characters are twin siblings, nobles name Tarquin and Isadora Forsyth and they are annoyingly pompous in the worst way possible. If the author meant for me to hate them no matter what then it works because I can't stand these characters. There is a few teachers that are interesting but they aren't shown enough for me to fully care when they do enter a chapter and then there are other characters that sadly are forgettable.
World Building: 2* - The world building is just non existent in this book. When it comes to fantasy books I expect some history and customs to be exclaimed but because of the, what I'm assuming, Wattpad short chapters issue this book has, the author missed out a lot. At most all I know is there is a terrible war with orcs in the south where I think this kingdom is losing though I'm not sure, barely any one is taking it seriously, and the elf war in the north that doesn't seem to be going anywhere because barely anything happens up there. Dwarves are treated as second class citizens, maybe worse, some humans suck and the former King was just terrible to his subjects . . . That's it? Well dwarves homes are more underground and they are great black smiths, they made the guns . . . so do dwarves in World of Warcraft, anything else . . . no, well that's just disappointing. Even the school was highly underwhelming. We only visit a few of the classrooms, the arena, and the dorms the common students sleep in. There isn't much exploring of what this school is. I suppose we do get a how the school came to be in the 2nd book but I'm reviewing the 1st book so it's getting points knocked off.
Story: 3* - The story seems pretty straightforward and sadly very predictable but I had fun nonetheless because of the MC Fletcher and his demon companion Ignatius. MC is picked on by the noble's son at his village, gets an awesome item from a wondering old soldier, summons a demon and accidentally sicks it on the noble's son that was trying to kill him, runs away after foster father calls him son because there needs to be some sort of feels in the beginning, goes to the capital city that only took a couple of days to get to which means there isn't much distance to worry about in this book, is saved by a bad ass teacher that isn't around much after this encounter, goes to school for magic and demon summoning, learns a few things, life is going well but then it doesn't. I will say the ending did surprise me but if you hate cliffhangers with a passion then I suggest giving this book a pass but if you are looking to read fantasy for the first time then pick up this book, I promise it is a fun read.
Over All: 4* - The only reason this book is 4 stars instead of 3 is because of Fletcher. I'm not kidding. I really do love this character. I'm always rooting for him even though there really isn't a need for one lol. I've already read all three books so I know the world building doesn't get better and the story remains predictable but for this book, 4 stars remains.
Book Cover: 3* - As I said in my Harry Potter Book 1 review, I love illustrated covers, that being said the main character alone looks great but a solid background with sparkling blue and white light, not so much. It doesn't really set any settings for me but it isn't all bad. I do like that little ball of magic coming out of his tattooed hand and the little demon perched on his left shoulder, so cute.
Summary/Tagline: 2.5* - The summary reads like any normal summary and sounds like a few other books that have MC finds he is some of the rare few to do something amazing and must go somewhere to learn, of course there will be rivalries and of course it will be up to him to save everything. The beginning part of the summary is a brief passage from the first chapter right in the beginning, I honestly don't think that is necessary as after reading the summary I normally like to see how the first chapter reads only to find the words are verbatim. I didn't really find anything special or attractive about the summary.
Characters: 4* - I don't like the comparison between this book and Harry Potter, all because we are in a magical school with magical students it automatically means if you like Harry Potter then you'll definitely like this book which is just terrible. Out of the many main characters I have ever read Fletcher Wulf is just amazing. I've never fallen in love with a MC so fast, he's very kind, open minded, adorkably friendly, just AGH! I love this kid. Sadly I can't say the same for the other characters in this book. Othello Thorsager is a dwarf and an obvious comic relief and Sylva Arkenia is an elf with a stick up her ass. She eventually loosens up but she talks down to other characters too much for me to care for her. Then OH MY GOD! The twin Malfoy characters are just taken to the extreme in this book. The villain/rival characters are twin siblings, nobles name Tarquin and Isadora Forsyth and they are annoyingly pompous in the worst way possible. If the author meant for me to hate them no matter what then it works because I can't stand these characters. There is a few teachers that are interesting but they aren't shown enough for me to fully care when they do enter a chapter and then there are other characters that sadly are forgettable.
World Building: 2* - The world building is just non existent in this book. When it comes to fantasy books I expect some history and customs to be exclaimed but because of the, what I'm assuming, Wattpad short chapters issue this book has, the author missed out a lot. At most all I know is there is a terrible war with orcs in the south where I think this kingdom is losing though I'm not sure, barely any one is taking it seriously, and the elf war in the north that doesn't seem to be going anywhere because barely anything happens up there. Dwarves are treated as second class citizens, maybe worse, some humans suck and the former King was just terrible to his subjects . . . That's it? Well dwarves homes are more underground and they are great black smiths, they made the guns . . . so do dwarves in World of Warcraft, anything else . . . no, well that's just disappointing. Even the school was highly underwhelming. We only visit a few of the classrooms, the arena, and the dorms the common students sleep in. There isn't much exploring of what this school is. I suppose we do get a how the school came to be in the 2nd book but I'm reviewing the 1st book so it's getting points knocked off.
Story: 3* - The story seems pretty straightforward and sadly very predictable but I had fun nonetheless because of the MC Fletcher and his demon companion Ignatius. MC is picked on by the noble's son at his village, gets an awesome item from a wondering old soldier, summons a demon and accidentally sicks it on the noble's son that was trying to kill him, runs away after foster father calls him son because there needs to be some sort of feels in the beginning, goes to the capital city that only took a couple of days to get to which means there isn't much distance to worry about in this book, is saved by a bad ass teacher that isn't around much after this encounter, goes to school for magic and demon summoning, learns a few things, life is going well but then it doesn't. I will say the ending did surprise me but if you hate cliffhangers with a passion then I suggest giving this book a pass but if you are looking to read fantasy for the first time then pick up this book, I promise it is a fun read.
Over All: 4* - The only reason this book is 4 stars instead of 3 is because of Fletcher. I'm not kidding. I really do love this character. I'm always rooting for him even though there really isn't a need for one lol. I've already read all three books so I know the world building doesn't get better and the story remains predictable but for this book, 4 stars remains.