betterwithabookinmyhand's reviews
427 reviews

Sing Me to Sleep by Gabi Burton

adventurous informative mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

I put off this book for so long thinking it was just another siren story. I finally sampled the audiobook and by the first line I knew I wanted to listen to the whole book.

The audiobook is excellent first off. The narrator’s voice is European and you can just hear when she has a smirk while narrating. The characters were eaay to connect to and the author’s warm, expressive tone had a lot to do with that.

And then the story turned out to be SO different from the mermaid and siren stories I have previously read . This story wasn’t set on a boat or by water, the MC had to fully resist her connection to the water. That mixed with the fae and witches in this world as well as this short academy setting and soon after guard post defending a Royal was just such a refreshing take that I just applaud the author for finding another way to tell a siren story. I thought I had read enough about sirens that I had exhausted the topic but I’ve been proven wrong! I’ll be here for the sequel. 

The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb

challenging emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

Wow this story was moving. It came highly recommended to me by a friend and I knew I wanted to give it a try. I originally started the first few chapters and tried another book just because it was a slow start and I wanted to see if I was in the mood for something else.

Turned out I wasn’t and once I gave myself a good chunk of time to the audiobook I quickly became widely invested and didn’t want stop.

The storyline was both heartbreaking and inspiring. It follows a Black classical violinist whose priceless violin is stolen before a world-renowned competition. It flashes between his current struggles and his past that led him to where he is today. I was rooting for Ray and hoping beyond hope that he’d be reunited with his violin after all he’d been through.

The afterward from the author was equally touching. The author attested to the trials and racism he faced in the classical music industry. 

I don’t read a lot of fiction outside of fantasy and this story was 100% worth the read. 

Murder Road by Simone St. James

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

What I liked:
 This story was bone-chilling. As someone who doesn’t read many ghost stories, I trust this  author to do them well and she delivered yet again. The narrator has narrated other thrillers I’ve listened to and I really enjoy their range in character voices. I wasn’t sure how the supernatural parts would sound but they were eerie and definitely made this audiobook impossible to turn off!

What I struggled with:
 After the initial rush of the first two chapters the story slowed down and I found myself craving more action. It was worth the wait, it just took me a while to get past the first third of the story.

 If you enjoy mysteries or ghost stories this book is going to be a must-read!! It hits shelves March 5th! Be on the lookout or pre-order it from your favorite store! 📚

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad 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? No

4.25

I saw this book floating around bookshelves and Bookstagram so I picked it up! 

What I liked:

The premise! An art student loses her ability to distinguish facial features and is forced to navigate that reality.

The resolution in the end. It was satisfying as it was all playing out.

The redemption for the villainous characters. I know some people are tough and stink as human beings sometimes but when they live only to ruin lives that gets hard to believe. That happened just enough in this story.

What I struggled with:

The suspended belief in order for our MC to confuse the two men in her life was tough. We knew. She *could* have not known but it was a long road to get to the grand reveal.

The MC’s friend kind of sucks?? She left her best friend when she needed her most. I could never do that to a friend. Ever. She came across as shallow and made me hard to like.

Overall it’s a lighthearted read with an insanely nice and handsome love interest!

Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree

adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

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

3.75

Another case of right book wrong time strikes again!

I adored Legends & Lattes and it found me in a time when I was ready for a light fantasy read that was cozy and easy to pick up. So I was thrilled about this prequel coming out and I thought I could finish it in December before the new year but I lost motivation.

I expected a little more action since this was Viv’s backstory and we do get some it was just over in a flash. I hoped we’d get a tad more of her glory, sell sword days. There were some slow scenes in the middle where I craved action and when it came in the end I wish it could have been spread across 100 pages rather than 20-30. But the story was what it promised to be: a sleepy seaside town where Viv goes to heal from an injury. 

It read a bit slow for me but I was in a place where I was ready for more fantasy. 

But if you liked Legends & Lattes you’ll like its prequel with the similar cozy, fantasy elements. The foul-mouthed ratkin bookshop owner with her griffen-dog were definitely my favorite parts of this story! Legends & Lattes is still my favorite of the two.

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Well hot dang!! This story delivered. A psychological thriller that kept me guessing that had unreliable characters that I somehow grew to like?? This felt different from other con artist stories I read and while I thought I knew the final plot twist I definitely didn’t and loved the surprise! Would recommend!

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious sad 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

I didn’t know cozy mysteries existed until this book and now I need more!! 

All I was expecting was an amateur murder mystery story but the found family and connections made in this story really drove the plot! I absolutely loved it!

Vera Wang is a tea shop owner who is pretty sure she knows the secrets to all things in life, including solving the death of the man found in her shop early one morning. The police say it’s not a homicide but what do they know? Vera’s watched CSI and is confident she can solve this murder without the police.

This story has several characters who you slowly get to know under this amusing pretense that they’re all Vera’s murder suspects. Once you know everyone’s secrets you just can’t help but root for this unlikely cadre to find happiness.

I would recommend this story to anyone. If you’re looking for a laugh, a little amateur detective work, and a touching story—look no further!

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen

adventurous dark funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.25

This book has been on my TBR and shelves for a while and I’ve been waiting to be in a light fantasy mood. The mood struck and I started this audiobook—and I seriously loved this romantasy story. It gave me Daughter of Smoke & Bone (fantasy + romance) mixed with Divine Rivals (anonymous letter writing)! 

In this approachable fantasy world there are people in charge of carefully handling people’s deaths so that evil spirits don’t take over their bodies (no big deal). Hart is like a Marshall in charge of handling bodies & delivering them essentially to a spiritual funeral parlor. 

There is so much banter in this story that had me chuckling aloud or cracking up. The anonymous back and forth letters are so tender and hopeful and I’m just glad there’s a sequel because this as a standalone would have been the end of me!

4.5 stars, definitely recommend for a light fantasy and mild romance read 

Legend by Marie Lu

4.0

I really enjoyed this book!! 4.5/5 stars. I didn't know anything about the series going into it, so I went from feeling like, "Okay, I get the plot, cool" to wanting to stay home just an hour longer so I could finish it! It was a fast read and not terribly predictable, which was refreshing. I'm going straight into the next book in the series!

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

5.0

"And so Tamlin unwittingly led the High Lady of the Night Court into the heart of his territory." 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼 So worth the reread, its ACOWAR time friends!