beckyyreadss's reviews
755 reviews

adventurous dark funny tense fast-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

4.0

I wanted to read this book because I had seen this book everywhere and it seems like it is right up my street. This is one of the booktok’s recommendations that I trust, and I’ve already bought the rest of the series.

This book has two points of view and when a chance encounter sparks an unlikely bond between rival murderers Sloane and Rowan, the two find something elusive – the friendship of a like-minded, pitch-black soul. From small town West Virginia to upscale California, from downtown Boston to rural Texas, the two hunters collide in an annual game of blood and suffering, one that pits them against the most dangerous monsters in the country. But as their friendship develops into something more, the restless ghosts left in their wake are only a few steps behind, ready to claim more than just their newfound love. Can Rowan and Sloane dig themselves out of a game of graves? Or have they finally met their match?

I love these two. I love the competition between them and how they are both after shittier people and not just killing for the sake of it. They are killers who are killing murders. I love the storyline and love the banter between Sloane and Rowan but also between the brothers. I love that they are all teasing each other about their relationships with the doctor brother and the girl staying at his house, the other brother and Sloane’s best friend and Sloane and Rowan and how they all rip each other to shreds but would also die for each other. I love Rowan and how he named a restaurant after her and he has a permanent table reserved for her. I love Sloane and how she has this hard shell and is a badass when she’s on the hunt, but she has this gooey centre and just wants to be love and I love the friendship between her and Lark and how they would both die for each other. I also love the mystery aspect of the book and the fact that there was no third act breakup though I was certain that there was going to be a third act breakup. Also, the smut in this book was adorable and spicy and just chef’s kiss.

The only thing that stopped this from being five stars was the insta love from Rowan to Sloane. It was an instant connection from Rowan, but Sloane didn’t want to date or get into a serious relationship.

I love that these men are Irish and I cannot wait to see more of them within the trilogy and I cannot wait for Leather to not look after Lark but fall head over heels for her.

Content Warnings

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I wanted to read this book because I enjoyed the first book in the series and wanted to know how Violet’s second year was going to go. Again, I’m really glad I waited for the paperback even if it took over a year to be released just because right now everyone is obsessing over Onyx Storm coming out and I can read Iron Flame without it being over-hyped. However, it was over-hyped, and I was disappointed.

This book is based on Violet Sorrengail and everyone expected her to die during her first year at Basgiath War College, including Violet. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy and the unlucky. Now the real training begins, and Violet’s already wondering how she’ll get through. It's not just that it’s gruelling and maliciously brutal, or even that it’s designed to stretch the riders’ capacity for pain beyond endurance. It's the new vice commandant, who’s made it his personal mission to teach Violet exactly how powerless she is – unless she betrays the man she loves. Although Violet’s body might be weaker and frailer than everyone else’s, she still has her wits and a will of iron. And leadership is forgetting the most important lesson Basgiath has taught: Dragon riders make their own rules. But a determination to survive won’t be enough this year. Because Violet knows the real secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College, and nothing, not even dragon fire, might be enough to save them in the end.

I usually judge fantasy with how quickly I understand the book and how quickly I can get into the storyline. Unlike the first book, I struggled to get into this book because it was just a complete information overload. This book kept changing the pace, one minute it was fast-paced, and I couldn’t keep up and the next it was so slow that I kept procrastinating to get through the book. I was getting sick of Xaden and the secrets and giving them out like treats, I keep forgetting that Xaden and Violet have only been together for a few weeks and not years. The miscommunication between them and all the conflict was just driving me nuts. I thought I was going to fall into this book like returning to a world and instead I felt like I was back at step one within the fantasy world. With Xaden and Violet being separate so much, I would have loved for this to be dual POV especially with the secrets. I was getting sick of the repeated information and Xaden and Violet going round and round. I would have liked Cat to team up with Xaden and Violet from the beginning, instead of the whole other woman and jealously thing, it was just too petty and wasn’t needed. I felt like because of the information overload, there wasn’t a lot of character development besides Xaden and Violet learning to trust each other again but I wanted more from the character development.

I still adore the found family, and I would have had a MASSIVE issue if any of them died. The way they all wanted to stick together no matter what and would have gladly followed Violet until the end of the earth made me want to cry. However, all I can think about is that Sawyer is going to become like Hiccup from How to Train Your Dragon. I just want all of them to make it to graduation and to have relationships with their loved ones. I love the friendship blossoming especially once they realised that Violet, Mira and Brennan aren’t like their mother. I love that Sloane was determined to hate Violet and just couldn’t after the events and for saving Liam’s letters for her. I adore the Tairn and Andarna and how they are just bicker, but they would also protect each other and Violet.

I feel like a lot of fantasy books goes through the same kind of events: secrets, hidden worlds and identity, memory loss, massive injuries, the main character or the hero being infected or going bad. So, the ending wasn’t really a shock to me, and I have a feeling that the third book is going to be a bit predictable like From Blood and Ash. Violet is going to go to the ends of the earth to save Xaden, but Xaden is going to go rogue and keep secrets and then Violet is going to team up with Cat to save him. Oh, and Xaden’s mother is going to return out of the blue and be the biggest hero or the main headache.

Content Warnings

Filled Potential by Lainey Davis

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emotional lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I bought the first book of the series during the one of the Stuff Your Kindle Days, I am a compulsive series finisher and knew this was Juniper’s book, so was interested in how it was going to go. It was okay, I just wanted more.

This book has two points of view. The first is Ty Stag and he is looking for redemption. He is a pro hockey player with a hot temper, he is a new addition to the Pittsburgh Fury thanks to his brother’s connection. Ty hits the clubs to celebrate his success and finds an irresistible woman looking for one night of wild passion. No names. Just heat and passion. The second point of view is Juniper Jones, and she needs a fresh start. She has left behind her cheating boyfriend and wants to cut loose and forget about her problems. She finds just the right man to take her breath away for one night. When she shows up at work on Monday, eager to meet her new client . . . the boss’s brother . . . she’s breathless for a different reason. Her new client and the man from the nightclub are one and the same. Can Juniper maintain her professional composure while Ty is in the room? Or will their sparks melt the ice and get Juniper disbarred?

I liked Donna and how the Ty’s gran basically knew from the beginning what was going on and telling Ty to stop moping and to take control of his life. I liked that Juniper wasn’t the kind of girl to give up everything to be with the guy and she was determined to still have her own career whether it was in law and rowing. I liked that she wanted to stand her ground against Ty and Tim.

However, I felt like Juniper had a personality transplant between this book and the last book and considering they were both set at the same time, how did that happen? In the first book, she was all strong and bad-ass and wanting to help Alice and stuff. In this book, she spent more time pining and ogling and going back and forth with herself than just being open with Ty and Tim and considering how much stick she gave Tim about what happened with Alice. I still hate the insta-love trope, and it was a bit rushed with the beginning. There was no slow build up, or even a few conversations before Ty started acting like a hormonal teenager once he found out Juniper was his lawyer.

I wanted more within the pages that we had and would have liked more from Juniper’s work with the women's sports team and her own sports career.

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Merciless Kings by C. Lymari, Becca Steele

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I bought this book during the one of the Stuff Your Kindle Days, I liked the idea and I’ve been wanting to read more dark romance, and this was a short story to read to get into it. I was hoping there would be more action but can see it ended on a cliffhanger just to get us to read the next one.

This book is based on Everly Walker, and she has had a pretty crappy childhood. First, she lost her parents, the second when she had to leave everything behind to move across the world to live with her only remaining relative which is her uncle. But what was life for, if not for living? So, she kept moving. Then the third thing happened, just as she was about to begin her junior year at the prestigious Blackstone University. Everly caught the eye of not one, not two, but three of the most infamous guys on campus. The three locals from the wrong side of the tracks. Saint, Mateo and Callum. And now that they have her in their sights, she knows there’s nowhere she can hide. There's no escape from the Boneyard Kings.

I liked how you can tell the four different points of view. When reading why choose, I am always nervous that the characters of similar genders will be blended as one. Each of these men had a very distinct personality that shone through during each of those POVs. You had Saint that was trying to be this bad ass with mummy issues and a heart of gold when he was caring for Everly, and you saw how quick he fell. Then you had Mateo who was already dealing with his mummy issues and that he was a person of colour so was also dealing with racist shit from people who dared to cross him. Then you had Callum who was also dealing with past problems but had to put on the brave face of being the leader and making sure someone has control of the situation because he has never had control in the past. Finally, you have Everly, she is so naive and too trusting of people, but too be fair, if I had those three pushing the same buttons that they were to Everly, I would be as useful as a chocolate fire guard. I liked how she got more confident and wanted to know what the hell was going on.

I liked the mystery of the storyline; however, I wanted more answers than we got in this book. You could tell that the authors were building the characters and the university and the trauma. But I would have liked more answers – who is the uncle involved in? What happened to the junkyard’s owner? What is the dean’s beef? I just wanted more solid answers than what we got.

I’m going to carry on with the series because the cliffhanger it ended on was mean as hell as I want to know what the hell is going with the dean and what the plan is.

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Rise and Reverence (The Valmenessian Chronicles, #2). by Rebecca Camm

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adventurous challenging dark emotional 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 got the first book during the one of the Stuff Your Kindle Days and I felt like something was missing during the first book. This book kind of made sense but it just felt like a filler book for the final one in the series.

There are several points of view in the book. The first is Evelyn and she has been blackmailed into leaving her home and finds herself trapped in Royal Bay and betrothed to a prince. However, things aren’t as they seem, and to uncover secrets and keep her friends safe, Evelyn must play the part King Dominic demands of her. The second point of view is Nora, and she has been freed from the magical bonds that tied her to a tyrant king and now she is forced to reconcile with her past actions. But can she ever learn to trust someone again? The last point of view is August, and his emotions and magic run unchecked which makes him a threat to all those around him. He is deep in the Periculum Mountains and hoping to find help, unearth secrets and discover more than he bargained for. As all three battle their own demons, a greater evil grows with each sacrifice to the Makers. The rebels will rise. The king will demand reverence. Valmenessia will be changed forever.

I liked the characters and how much they all develop within this book. They all had their own voices and their own reasons for doing what they did and how they did. I liked Nora and August’s relationship, and I missed them being together during this book. The only relationship we got to see develop was Sage and Nora’s because they were the only ones together. I enjoyed the additional POV from August and I would have loved for an additional POV from Kylan especially with the tension growing between Evelyn and Kylan. I am wanting to trust Kylan, but I don’t trust anyone in the castle so far. I felt like King Dominic was finally the scary and villainous bad guy that we didn’t get in the last book.

I felt like the ending was a bit rushed with a lot of information. I felt like it was a massive filler book there wasn’t many massive plot points besides the war brewing, sides being picked and people getting killed. I was waiting for some big revelation like August reuniting with the King or Evelyn escaping or the King getting killed.

I am excited to see how this series finished and sort of hoping everyone gets a happy ending including Evelyn and August reunite and August and Nora reunite and none of the big three characters or their love interests get killed during the war.

Content Warnings

A Soul of Ash and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout

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adventurous informative slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

I thought this was the final book of this series and yet it wasn’t, and it wasn’t needed. If I wanted to re-read the first book, I would have re-read the first book.

This book is based on Cas and after the battle, the fighting has only just begun. Gods are awakening across Iliseeum and the mortal realm, readying for the war to come. But when Poppy falls into stasis, Cas faces the very real possibility that the dire, unexpected consequences of what she is becoming could take her away from him. Cas is given some advice though – something he plans to cling to as he waits to see her beautiful eyes open once more: Talk to her. And so, he does. He reminds Poppy how their journey began, revealing things about himself that only Kieran knew in the process. But it’s anyone’s guess when she’ll wake or how much of the realm and Cas will have changed when she does.

This book just wasn’t needed in the slightest, the author could have cut down the first book and do it as dual POV, but my patience with this series is getting thinner and thinner. I was hoping this would be the end, but it was a complete money-grab. It was like the author was being pushed by her manager, editor someone from her team to get a book out from this series in 2023 and she found a draft or an early idea of making the first book with either dual POV or with Cas’s point of view and decided to run with it whilst Poppy is asleep and threatening memory loss. However, we don’t have memory loss, so I didn’t care for it. I didn’t particularly enjoy the first book from Poppy’s point of view never mind Cas’s. From the twelve chapters that we get in the present, it is just Cas and Kieran being concerned for Poppy and being like “hahaha yeah you remember that”, i thought she was going to kill me and things like that. We don’t find out any new information or if Poppy will remember everything.

This book felt like a way to justify things that had happened in the series so far because why on earth was Cas watching Kieran having sex with another girl at the Red Pearl and then being so defensive if someone even looks at Poppy the wrong way but was imagining and wanting Kieran to have sex with her before he did. I feel so bad for Kieran and just want him to have his own heartmate instead of being a plaything to Cas and Poppy.

This series will end well, if they all die besides Kieran and Tawny.

Content Warnings

Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

4.0

I wanted to read this book as I enjoyed the first book in the series and wanted to know what was going to happen with Karou. This book was enjoyable, but I did get lost again.

This is based on Karou who we met in the first book, and she is an art student and a monster’s apprentice, and she finally has the answer she has always been looking for. She knows who she is and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo she has felt in love with the enemy, and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it. Karou must decide how far she’ll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices. Karou and Akiva are on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life. While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption and for hope.

I still adore Laini’s writing style and the way she describes things so beautiful and makes you feel like you are lying on a soft pillow. I loved the love story between our two MCs, and I was rooting for them to get back together and to talk through their issues. Karou is such a badass and yet she’s got a heart of gold and just wants to find a true love for herself and who she is – like having a gooey inside but a tough shell. I still don’t trust Akiva, he was growing on me but then he was conflicting, and I just didn’t trust him. I love Karou’s best friend and how she was such a girl’s girl. Her best friend goes missing and sends cryptic messages and she’s like nope, I don’t believe you, I'm going to come and find you. I just wanted to hug her throughout this whole book – she just wanted to have friends and live. The story was so unique, and it was so interesting.

I still struggled with the rapid change of point of views. One minute it was Karou, then it was Akiva, then it was Karou’s best friend. I ended up losing the storyline a bit at the beginning and then as it went on, I managed to get back on track and remembering that this was how it goes with this series and was more focused on the events rather than the character’s point of view.

Overall, this book was fantastic, and I will be reading the last book in the series and the cliffhanger was still mean.

Content Warnings

Jackpot by Nic Stone

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adventurous emotional hopeful 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

4.0

I wanted to read this book because I enjoyed Nic Stone’s previous work. This year, I have been trying to read more books from authors I previously enjoyed. I love the Dear Martin series, and this book was on sale on Amazon when I was browsing and decided to try this book out.

This book is based on Rico Danger, and she is a high school senior and an afternoon-shift cashier at the Gas ‘n’ Go, who after school and work races home to take care of her younger brother. Every. Single. Day. When Rico sells a jackpot-winning lotto ticket, she thinks her luck will finally change, but only if she can find the ticket holder who hasn’t claimed the prize. She has some assistance from her popular and wildly rich classmate, Zan, but what happens when have and have-nots collide? Will this investigate duo unite or divide?

I will forever love the way that Nic Stone writes and how she goes about difficult subjects. I loved the different perspective from the objects like Zan’s fidget spinner, Rico’s prom dress, the lottery ticket, the money. It just made it a bit more special and a bit more different. I loved Rico, I just wanted to give her a hug the whole time, she felt like the whole world was on her shoulder and she was trying to keep it together for everyone else but having a breakdown mentally the whole time. I liked the storyline and the way that it puts everything into perspective, I liked that Rico is this blunt straight talker especially when it comes to Zan. I managed to guess the storyline early on but that didn’t make it any less enjoyable, but I was just waiting for the shoe to drop.

Zan and Rico’s mum drove me nuts in this book. Zan took a while to grow on me, I think it was because I didn’t trust him, I thought he was going to screw Rico over. I think he would have grown on me quicker if this was dual POV besides the fidget spinner’s point of view where we knew he was stressed, I just wanted more from him. Rico’s mum is selfish and just annoying, like appreciate everything your daughter is doing but also remember that SHE IS A LITERAL CHILD WHO WANTS TO EXPERIENCE HIGH SCHOOL LIKE A NORMAL GIRL. I would have liked more of an ending or an epilogue where we see Zan at Stanford and Rico at Space Camp and if they are still talking regularly or not and what happened to Jax – what did he want to do when he was older? I have so many questions.

As I finished this, I've noticed that Dear Martin is getting another book, and I've got Odd One Out left to read so I'm excited to read more of her work.

Content Warnings

Past Present Future by Rachel Lynn Solomon

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emotional funny hopeful reflective 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

4.0

I wanted to read this book because I adored the first book and I adore the Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon, so when this got announced I was so excited. During the first book, I related so much to Rowan. In this book, I wanted to hug Neil because I felt his story in my bones.

This book has two points of view. Rowan and Neil were longtime rivals until they confessed their feelings on the last day of senior year, and they knew they’d only have a couple months together before they left for college. Now summer is over, and they’re determined to make their relationship work as they begin school in different places. The first point of view is Rowan, she is in Boston and is eager to be among other aspiring novelists, learning from a creative writing professor she adores. She's just not sure why she suddenly can’t seem to find her voice. The second point of view is Neil, he is in New York and is embraces the chaos of the city, clicking with a new friend group more easily than he anticipated. But when his past refuses to leave him alone, he doesn’t know how to handle his rapidly changing mental health or how to talk about it with the girl he loves. Over a year of late-night phone calls, weekend visits and East Coast adventures, Rowan and Neil fall for each other again and again as they grapple with the uncertainty of their new lives. They've spent so many years at odds with each other and now that they’re finally on the same team, what does the future hold for them?

I loved the dual POV, it was so needed during this book. During the first book, I loved Rowan and connected with her so much and I didn’t really like Neil. In this book, I've had a complete 180. I understood Rowan’s struggles with college and believe me, still wanted to give her a hug. But my god, Neil was just heartbreaking. I felt like Rachel was in my brain. I have gone no contact with my father within the last year (he didn’t go to prison like Neil’s dad) but the way he felt about his dad and how he was talking about his dad affected his childhood was a full-on kick in the teeth. It’s like she managed to describe EXACTLY how I was thinking. The whole time, I wanted to tell Neil that it was going to get better and I'm so glad he got the help he needed. I feel like young men’s mental health isn’t discussed as much and Rachel did this perfectly.

I just wanted more from the epilogue, maybe a third book as them as adult. I don’t want to say goodbye to these characters.

Content Warnings

My Serenity by M. Clarke

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adventurous challenging dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I got the first book during the one of the Stuff Your Kindle Days. I didn’t mind the first one and I was looking forward to the second one and was wondering how it was going to be done. I wanted more and I felt like it was more of Alex and Elijah’s story than Seth and Josie’s story.

This book has two points of view. The first is Seth Stewart and when tragedy strikes, he is forced to return home after the death of his beloved father. The unexpected detour forces him to oversee the family’s auto ship and the restaurant business, and Seth must kiss the prestigious internship goodbye after his first year at Berkeley Business School. When he collides with his first crush after his arrival, Seth wonders what possibly could have happened to Josefina Anders. The second point of view is Josie Anders, and she has hidden many secrets she is too ashamed to share with anyone, especially Seth. When they cross paths again, the urge to relive their past lingers in her mind even though she knows he couldn’t accept her sketchy past. Things get more complicated when her mother returns, as well as her overly possessive ex, who decides to crash into her fragile existence all over again. Will Seth’s connection for Josie be strong enough to see past her secrets, or will he realise he can’t rekindle an old flame?

I still adore this friendship group, and I feel like we got to see them more. I liked that Lexy was completely pissed at Seth without knowing anything and just being a girl’s girl. I still adore Elijah, and I love that he calls Seth’s bullshit out, too bad he couldn’t call his own bullshit out in his own book. Same with Seth. I liked the discussion of grief and the effects of abuse. I liked how it showed several points of view from grief from the community to Seth’s mum and how she wasn’t really dealing with it and Seth’s older brother was running away from the issue.

There was a lot of Alex and Elijah from the proposal and them just being cute and sweet together. Why are we seeing more of them than Seth and Josie? Like we get it, we’ve read about it. Like Elijah just repeats everything that happened in the last book when talking to Seth and every time they are together it’s just oh, they’ve been through hell. Those 70-80 pages could have been used to build more tension or Elijah, Lexy or Seth noticing that someone was making Josie uncomfortable. I would have liked more to happen to Brad, I felt like that was very rushed. I think I'm starting hate friends-to-lovers unless the story shows them growing up, the flashbacks were confusing me because it was like they were having a conversation and then one of them would start into space and boom here are Josie and Seth from 6th grade, like what? The storyline was sort of slowed-paced and then it was like boom, third act conflict, and all hell breaking loose from Brad being around.

Like with the last book, I wanted more. I still have more questions.

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beckyyreadss's reviews 755 reviews

beckyyreadss's reviews
755 reviews