bookishambs's reviews
127 reviews

Bride by Ali Hazelwood

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

5.0

The hype is real! Read it! 

No Darker Temptation by Leonora Mendez Castillo

dark emotional mysterious 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? N/A

4.75

Happy Pub Day!

First I want to say thank you to Leonora for letting me get my hands on the ARC of this book! Second if you loved No Sweeter Poison then you may love this book even more and if you haven’t read No Sweeter Poison go read it right now then read this book immediately after. 

I really loved getting to see more of Dahlia and Karina’s relationship. We also got some important history and learned more about some side characters. Dahlia is really relatable with all her vulnerable feelings about how her life is changing and adjusting to transitions. Alejandro is STILL that guy and I loved getting to see the way him and Dahlia handled situations that came their way. The cliffhanger has me ready for book 3 right now! 

If you have been thinking about picking up this series please do it now! 

Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear: Poems from Gaza by Mosab Abu Toha

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Currently very relevant. Emotional collection. Had me feeling heartbroken one second then inspired by the resilience the next. Free 🇵🇸. 

Alone with You in the Ether by Olivie Blake

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

I had put off this book for a while after seeing reviewers complain about Olivie Blake’s writing style and rating this book low. I just want to say if you’re intrigued by a book don’t let people who hate on a book prevent you from reading it because I couldn’t disagree with them more. The writing was beautiful and this story moved me so much. I was so invested in both the main characters and this book touches on heavier topics like mental health and addiction. I cried reading the acknowledgments and this story has a special place in my heart now. I don’t even do star reviews anymore unless it’s for an ARC but this masterpiece is getting 5 stars. I’ll be going down an Olivie Blake worm hole if any of yall need me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Addiction

White Tears/Brown Scars: How White Feminism Betrays Women of Color by Ruby Hamad

challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

If you’re seeing this, add this to your required reading list. 

*Review to come*

Twilight of Embers by Tessa Hale

adventurous lighthearted tense fast-paced

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

4.25

This was my first Tessa Hale book and I was lucky enough to snag an advanced listener copy.  This book was so fun and I’m so excited to continue this series and go down the Tessa Hale rabbit hole and read some of their other series. If you want a spicy well paced dragon shifter, why choose, fated mates romance then definitely pick this up! The audiobook has a full cast so definitely recommend listening to it, if you can! 

The Book of Azrael by Amber V. Nicole

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-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? It's complicated

I don’t really do star reviews anymore but this book gave 5 star energy. The vibes were 5 stars idc what anyone says. I absolutely devoured this book and made an exception for it. It was exactly the Romantasy book I needed. True enemies to lovers, good banter, morally grey characters with soft moments for their family or love interests. I ate it up. But after that cliff hanger there may be some amber on amber crime. Running to the second book now which I hear will destroy me in a new way. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, Sexual content, and Gore

The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon

dark tense medium-paced

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

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross

Unfortunately I cannot review this book because St Martin’s Press still haven’t addressed their marketing employees racist remarks.