beccaannekent's reviews
523 reviews

Resisting Maxu by Victoria Aveline

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

3.0

I think the pacing of the book was a little off for this one. It felt rushed and I didn’t connect with either of the main characters enough to like them as much as I have with the others previously. 

There was also an introduction to new relationships, without any in-depth explanations. We got our first female / female mating bond and it didn’t get its own book? Or even novella??? 

I’m hoping that the last one fixes the issues I’ve experienced with this book, because before now I was ranting and raving about this entire series and how much I was enjoying it! 

Releasing Maladek by Victoria Aveline

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective 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

4.0

What a lovely little novella! Really cute, and although short the romance didn’t seem rushed or fall into the love at first sight trope. 

Katie has already acclimatised to being away from Earth, it’s been 15 years since she was whisked away and thus was refreshing. She was strong and confident, but sensed Maladek’s need to support her and protect her and did not judge him for this. 

I do love that throughout this series we’re slowly meeting and experiencing more characters who live across the Clecanian world, and how they are all slightly differing from each other. Maladek is another of those, with talents and challenges of his own. 

Using Fejo by Victoria Aveline

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

I literally cannot put this series down.

I loved the vulnerability of Vanessa in this one, we’ve met her before and we know she’s not accepted her new life on an alien world and finally we find out why. 

It’s a heartbreaking reason, and Fejo is an absolute dream to support her, accept her flaws and insecurities and in turn let her accept his. They’re such a good fit for each other 

Restless Stars by Susanne Valenti, Caroline Peckham

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

Good god this book was long, I felt every single one of those 1,153 pages. 

There are SO MANY POVs, and I would personally say Feyre are too many. 

There was also an introduction of new POVs, which almost tipped me over the edge, a whole new character called Lyra, please pray tell me Twisted Sisters, WHAT exactly was her point? Because she just disappeared into the ether and had no input after about 400pages in…


After 9 books and countless novellas, the ending was perfectly acceptable, it did end up being a HEA for everyone which I was grateful for. 

Cal and Seth’s HEA was the cutest and I love them so much. Lionel’s death was satisfying, Livinia’s even more so. 


In the last few flash-forwards, I was absolutely creased at the fact that Tory and Darius just kept popping out sprogs, love how there’s a whole new generations of their kids living happy lives now. 

Extremely glad Gabriel didn’t die, I was anxious the entire time ha. 


In the end, I feel like too many characters survived. Yes, we had deaths like Milton’s and Washer’s but surely, one of the big ones should’ve gone? (Potentially Max, or Geraldine?). It gave the overall impression that although this was a high risk battle with little chance of success…there was an extreme chance of survival in reality and the panic the two authors were trying to portray in their writing fell flat.  

I’ve never been more relieved to reach the end of a series. I highly doubt I’ll be delving into the next Solaria series offered at the end of the book, not until DARKMORE is finished anyway (have the authors forgotten about that???)

Tempting Auzed by Victoria Aveline

adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

God I LOVE the forced relationship / marriage of convenience tropes and this book handles it so well. 

Alongside this, Auzed is the typical grumpy alpha male, with Alex being the perfect sunshine female MC and I just ate up every page.

So far, none have come quite to the love I had for Choosing Theo, but this one is the closest. 

Saving Verakko by Victoria Aveline

adventurous challenging emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

I really loved this one. It is so refreshing to have a FMC who is as strong and independent as Lily is, in this situation she’s keeping Verakko alive at the beginning which morphs into a mutual arrangement where each of them is covering the others weaknesses to survive. 

I liked the introduction of a new sub-species, V’s description makes him sound dangerously gorgeous. Yes, he is not forthcoming with the truth, however it is understandable as to why he kept it secret and then struggled to explain later. It can’t be easy trying to explain your people’s backwards / archaic rules to an earthling who you’ve just met! 

Freeing Luka by Victoria Aveline

dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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

3.0

This book seems less high stakes than the one previous and unfortunately, although Luka is clearly a Golden Retriever type he’s * just not Theo *! 

Still enjoyable, and easy to see where book 3 is going regarding the MMC. 

Choosing Theo by Victoria Aveline

adventurous emotional funny mysterious reflective tense 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

4.0

Who knew I’d love this genre of book so much?

So very nearly a 5 star read, with all the tropes I love best (grumpy x sunshine, he falls first, fated mates etc). The only criticism I have (but not really because I still loved it), is the end was super quick. I’d have loved a little more on the mate situation and how this works for them both. Theo obviously has benefits, but we know little about how this potentially could affect Jade. 

If I’m honest, this is likely to be resolved in further books in the series (which I now expect to be reading sooner rather than later!), but just a touch of further detail to entice us in would’ve been perfect. 

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Um wow??? I cannot believe it has taken me THIS long to read this book???? 

What an engaging and intricate story. I know a lot of books can be described as having unique magic systems, but this really is unique. I’ve never seen a concept like this and it’s executed so well!! 

Every page had me gripped, the nightmare almost feeling like a subplot, with what turned out to be his own agenda, alongside the plot going on with Elspeth and the main characters.  

I honestly did not expect to be as immersed in this world as I became and I’m SO so glad I have book two on hand to start immediately. 

Zodiac Academy: Live and Let Lionel by Susanne Valenti, Caroline Peckham

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Adding nothing extra to the plot, this was just a collection of very short stories from different books throughout the series.

They focus on different characters viewpoints, giving us another view of some of our favourite scenes, or ones just briefly mentioned throughout the series.

Example, we see Hail and Merissa meeting for the first time, alongside Merissa meeting Gabriel’s father. If anything, it offers a little bit of insight into Hail’s anger and personality back before he found his happiness.

My favourite one of all was Darcy and Lance - seeing the scene from Lance’s house from his perspective was amazing, and cemented that these two really are the power couple of the entire series.

Tory and Darius pining for one another was emotional, only made bareable by the fact I KNOW that this is fixed as I am fully up to date on all the books. 

Seth, is….well Seth and the last story is very much him in a nutshell!