What an end to the series! The whole series, and this book is no exception here, has had me absolutely astonished with the plot twists to every case. I started this book having incredibly high hopes, given the 5 stars I had rated the three previous books, and it did not disappoint in the slightest! If it was not for the fact that life continues whilst I read and unfortunately I had things to do, I wholeheartedly know I would have happily read this book in a single sitting.

Not only was the plot once again phenomenal but I did not think it was possible to adore the characters more than I already did! A character who, although I begrudgingly still loved, I could not stand or get on with in the third book has instantly fallen back into my good graces, highlighting how well written these characters are if it is possible to love them, dislike them and then love them again in such fluidity. I also did not expect for any of these characters or the relationships/interactions between characters to affect me emotionally in any capacity, and yet I found myself tearing up in parts towards the end of the main book.

All In by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Just when I think I figure out the plot twist, I get absolutely blind sided by the actual truth. The ending of this book had my jaw dropped in disbelief, and I cannot wait to start the fourth and final book!

Another thing I really wanna highlight is this review is that this book is one of the incredibly rare 5 star reads where I don't necessarily like all the characters, at least for about 90% of the book.

- Spoilers ahead -

I've always had a love/hate relationship with Lia in this series. Obviously, she can be incredibly cold towards Cassie. However, in the earlier two books I was a begrudging respect for her, given that her coldness was a fierce demonstration of her love for Dean and Michael. However, although I love her fierce love for Michael and Sloane, I could not find that justifying the fact that she told Cassie essentially she wasn't allow to process her own grief and trauma for the sake of others. So I spent a solid 90% of the book mad at Lia's words and decisions. She did however redeem herself at the end.

As someone who loves to relate and understand character motives, for me to actively dislike a character for the majority of the read and still rate this 5 stars, shows how genius and captivating this book and series is.

Twin Crowns by Katherine Webber, Catherine Doyle

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

4.75

This book was reaching for five stars but just fell short, which I feel slightly disappointed by because I was rooting for a five star read... However, that is not to diminish how great a read this was!

I love dual POVs, and the writing for both princesses flowed so seemlessly together. I enjoyed both romances, though I definitely favoured Wren's romance subplot slightly more. I also appreciate that the romances don't feel complete yet, as I know this book is part of a trilogy and I want to explore them more.

My two slight criticisms that just prevented this book from receiving the highest marks was Rose's character and the ending.

Rose's tendency to overly indulge in self pity, combined with her entitled arrogance around the witches, was mildly irritating at times and I wish she had grown past that.

My qualms with the ending was that, although it was interesting and set up a huge plot for the next book easily, the writing itself and the cramming of a multitude of events all in a few short chapters got a little hard to read and keep straight. I did feel as though I needed to slow myself down incredibly just to make sense of what was happening, and not overlook something important by mistake.

More...

backwithbee's reviews 91 reviews

backwithbee's reviews
91 reviews