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amandakatherine's reviews
144 reviews
Sinew and Bone by Gitte Tamar
3.0
Ooooh this was disturbing. The writing was atmospheric and the story was incredibly dark. Some story elements didn't work for me personally, but I still got a lot of enjoyment out of the story
A great start to Halloween month! I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley
A great start to Halloween month! I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley
The North Wind by Alexandria Warwick
2.5
This was ACOTAR, like down to the smallest detail. That was a little weird
I will say, I liked the start of this better than the start of ACOTAR, but the story kind of petered out for me by the end, and the characters sometimes felt inconsistent.
Not a bad read, but didn't blow me away either.
I will say, I liked the start of this better than the start of ACOTAR, but the story kind of petered out for me by the end, and the characters sometimes felt inconsistent.
Not a bad read, but didn't blow me away either.
Glow by Raven Kennedy
3.0
That cliffhanger? I can NOT wait to read the next
I could barely concentrate on the plot for most of the book because Auren without her ribbons was breaking my damn heart.
I could barely concentrate on the plot for most of the book because Auren without her ribbons was breaking my damn heart.
The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore
4.25
My obsession with stories about women ditching their high paying corporate jobs for a small town does not bode well for my law degree
The Bastard King by Donna Grant
Did not finish book. Stopped at 40%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 40%.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley.
The world building was interesting. Kora's backstory could have drawn me in, however I struggled with the prose. I tend to find consistently short sentences immersion breaking and found the prose to be almost exclusively in this style.
It is a personal preference, and the author created an interesting and rich world that I would otherwise be interested in exploring.
The world building was interesting. Kora's backstory could have drawn me in, however I struggled with the prose. I tend to find consistently short sentences immersion breaking and found the prose to be almost exclusively in this style.
It is a personal preference, and the author created an interesting and rich world that I would otherwise be interested in exploring.
Restless Stars by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti
4.75
I almost DNF'd this series so many times. It feels like a real slog around the book 6-8 mark and I honestly avoided reading this book for nearly two months.
BUT
I couldn't get the characters out of my head. I had to find out whether Caleb and Seth got their shit together, and where the hell Clyde fit into this series.
Once I actually committed and decided to finish it, I devoured it. This felt like the perfect ending to this series. There were some rushed elements (Clyde, for example), but we got a satisfying ending to each character arc and even got like 5 epilogues of happy endings for our babies.
BUT
I couldn't get the characters out of my head. I had to find out whether Caleb and Seth got their shit together, and where the hell Clyde fit into this series.
Once I actually committed and decided to finish it, I devoured it. This felt like the perfect ending to this series. There were some rushed elements (Clyde, for example), but we got a satisfying ending to each character arc and even got like 5 epilogues of happy endings for our babies.
The Useless Witch by Savannah Lee
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I was provided with an advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review :)
The Useless Witch follows Saoirse, an ex-princess who now lives and works as a baker after it is discovered she has no magic. She is comfortable in her life, happy to stay away from her abusive parents, the King and Queen of Lanthus. Until she meets the dark and mysterious Vane and gets magnetically drawn into his schemes.
As a fellow girl with uncontrollable anxiety, it was refreshing to follow Saoirse's journey.
I can't say I loved this book, I feel like the editing could have used a lot of work. I came across a number of spelling mistakes and words being used incorrectly. One such example was the use of the word "donned" about 55% through the book. I also noticed that the city name, Lanthus, was misspelled as "Lantus" at least three times. I found mistakes like this immersion breaking.
The romantasy market is saturated, and books wanting to succeed in this genre need to stand out. I don't feel like this book stood out for me. Saoirse was a great character, but the rest of the cast were shallow. Characters were too amenable to Vane's plans, no one questioned his motivations at all and it just felt convenient.
I feel like character development and complexity was sacrificed to keep the book short. I would have been happy to read more if the characters were given the opportunity to question and think critically about their situations a bit more. The main letdown of this book for me was the editing though. I love a good romantasy and this ticks all the right boxes. Not mind-blowing or genre-defining, but fun and interesting. I would happily follow Saoirse's story further, and would love to see other characters given the same level of complexity that Saoirse possessed.
The Useless Witch follows Saoirse, an ex-princess who now lives and works as a baker after it is discovered she has no magic. She is comfortable in her life, happy to stay away from her abusive parents, the King and Queen of Lanthus. Until she meets the dark and mysterious Vane and gets magnetically drawn into his schemes.
As a fellow girl with uncontrollable anxiety, it was refreshing to follow Saoirse's journey.
I can't say I loved this book, I feel like the editing could have used a lot of work. I came across a number of spelling mistakes and words being used incorrectly. One such example was the use of the word "donned" about 55% through the book. I also noticed that the city name, Lanthus, was misspelled as "Lantus" at least three times. I found mistakes like this immersion breaking.
The romantasy market is saturated, and books wanting to succeed in this genre need to stand out. I don't feel like this book stood out for me. Saoirse was a great character, but the rest of the cast were shallow. Characters were too amenable to Vane's plans, no one questioned his motivations at all and it just felt convenient.
I feel like character development and complexity was sacrificed to keep the book short. I would have been happy to read more if the characters were given the opportunity to question and think critically about their situations a bit more. The main letdown of this book for me was the editing though. I love a good romantasy and this ticks all the right boxes. Not mind-blowing or genre-defining, but fun and interesting. I would happily follow Saoirse's story further, and would love to see other characters given the same level of complexity that Saoirse possessed.
Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris
3.5
The husband was too smart, the characters were shallow, and the whirlwind romance made zero sense. That being said, I had so much fun.
It was an absolute blast from start to finish and I could not put it down. Don't think too critically and just enjoy the ride!
It was an absolute blast from start to finish and I could not put it down. Don't think too critically and just enjoy the ride!
Glint by Raven Kennedy
3.0
Is Rip Rhys with a beard?
If a formula works, it works. Not deducting points for recognising the inner circle in the wrath. I want an Os pov story
If a formula works, it works. Not deducting points for recognising the inner circle in the wrath. I want an Os pov story