ali1311's reviews
242 reviews

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

GIRL WTF!! I understand why people are feral about this book now. I can't say I liked it. But I can say I read it with the fervor of a thousand suns. I feel so intensely about it and yet I'm not sure I liked any of the characters. How does one create such a book? I'm mystified more than anything. Truly shocked. Not sure what just happened. Will report back after I read more of the series.
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Not in My Book by Katie Holt

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emotional hopeful lighthearted 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? Yes

4.5

This book was too sweet! It really is a love letter to romance readers (and also writers). The book started kind of slow for me, but once I was in it, I was in it. I read most of it in one day. The tension and the idea of writing a book like this together was just such a great premise and executed super well.
I wanted a little more of Aiden's personality throughout the story, and I wish he had to contend with his trauma a little more on the page and I wish Rosie hadn't decided to give up on her dreams because of a man at the end.
But overall, this was such a fun read.
The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan

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adventurous funny hopeful mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Loved this book and especially loved Apollo's short moments of reflection where he banged out one of the most stunning sentences. I think this series is shaping up to be something really special, and I really appreciate how it's so different from Rick's past books but still has that signature charm. 
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Make the Season Bright by Ashley Herring Blake

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hopeful lighthearted slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book was pretty okay if a little bit underdeveloped. But I think that may just be a curse of holiday books in a general sense. Either way, this story was sweet but I didn't feel that invested in the characters. They weren't particularly distinctive other than some things on the surface, so it made the story a little bit boring overall. But still a sweet Christmas read.
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Wrapped Up in You by Talia Hibbert

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Oooo this is a romance!! Talia Hibbert really never misses for me. This novella was so full of yearning and adoration, I felt whipped reading it! It helped that both these characters were lovely. I love a story of people learning and deciding to be vulnerable and that's what this was. It was also perfectly Christmas-y/wintery and put me in the holiday mood. I was smitten with this story and its characters and the everything. This may just have cemented itself in the annual holiday rotation.
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The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter

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emotional funny lighthearted mysterious 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

3.0

This was a fun little holiday read. I felt like the two main characters didn't have much chemistry and a lot of the romantic lines felt inauthentic somehow. I also felt like the FMC was a little bit of a pushover when it came to the MMC and relied on him a bit too much to fix her problems. But overall, it was a fun read, even if the romance was a bit bland.
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PS: I Hate You by Lauren Connolly

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful reflective 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

5.0

This book had be bawling. Might be the most I've cried over a book this whole year. I loved every part of it. The plot was so interesting, and I loved all of the characters. No character felt underdeveloped or like a side character, even if they were one. This was such an authentic and moving portrait of grief, and I loved the idea of finding love in the midst of that pain. Maddie and Dom were both so distinct and complex characters. The whole story was just so thoughtful and deep and every single thread was connected in the end. It was a heavy read for a romance, balanced well with humor, and honestly, I think that's what I look for in a great romance book these days. 
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The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas

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adventurous challenging dark emotional slow-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

3.5

This one hurts. But it also gives Celaena so much character depth. But ow.
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Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.
Just a little slow for me right now! Hopefully can circle back later or next Christmas season.
The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann

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emotional funny slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This was almost a great book!! I'm not sure it can be classified as a romance novel, and not because of the asexuality representation (which was great) but because our main character spends most of the book pining after someone else. I needed more from the MMC as well. I thought he was great but I wanted to see more of his personality through dialogue. I did really enjoy the asexuality rep and thought that Joy's character was fun. The puns didn't really work for me but that's alright I was glad she was having a good time.
I wish the story had been more focused on her getting over Malcolm rather than her contending with her feelings for him; it could have been as much Malcom and Joy's story instead of Joy and Fox's. It felt like it didn't fully decide between these two characters and that made it fall a bit flat emotionally.