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books_with_caity's Reviews (91)
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
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
I loved this book so much! It is honestly my top read of the year everything about it is perfect.
Meilin is a flawed main character she's selfish and often puts herself first which i absolutely love to see in fmc
The romance is flawless, I usually hate a love triangle but I am obsessed with how its done in this book, I cannot wait for book two
If Mulan was your favourite disney princess or you are a big fan of mythology retellings but make them fantasy then you have to read this!
Meilin is a flawed main character she's selfish and often puts herself first which i absolutely love to see in fmc
The romance is flawless, I usually hate a love triangle but I am obsessed with how its done in this book, I cannot wait for book two
If Mulan was your favourite disney princess or you are a big fan of mythology retellings but make them fantasy then you have to read this!
medium-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
A great read for pride month, I was so happy to see a book featuring an aroace main character which is usually massively under-represented and misunderstood in media so seeing a main character who is aroace and seeing t done well was absolutely fantastic.
I found the world building with the tethers and such very well thought out but also complex and difficult to understand though I suspect that is partially due to audio format and I think I personally would have found it easier to follow in a physical read.
The characters were all perfectly flawed and showed fantastic growth, Remy especially. This book was the perfect example of the found family trope so if you love found family absolutely gibe this a read.
Thank you NetGalley and Hodder & Soughton Audo for this ARC audiobook and Happy Pride!
I found the world building with the tethers and such very well thought out but also complex and difficult to understand though I suspect that is partially due to audio format and I think I personally would have found it easier to follow in a physical read.
The characters were all perfectly flawed and showed fantastic growth, Remy especially. This book was the perfect example of the found family trope so if you love found family absolutely gibe this a read.
Thank you NetGalley and Hodder & Soughton Audo for this ARC audiobook and Happy Pride!
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞"
I loved this book! Im going to try say as little as possible as this book is best going in blind!
Set in rural Dumfries and Galloway this book is eerie, creepy and hauntingly beautiful, I dont know why but when I bought this I thought it was a historical fiction, I couldnt have been more wrong! Set in modern day this is a light horror sure to give you chills!
If you are fan of witches and unreliable narrators read this.
I loved this book! Im going to try say as little as possible as this book is best going in blind!
Set in rural Dumfries and Galloway this book is eerie, creepy and hauntingly beautiful, I dont know why but when I bought this I thought it was a historical fiction, I couldnt have been more wrong! Set in modern day this is a light horror sure to give you chills!
If you are fan of witches and unreliable narrators read this.
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
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
Set in post apocalyptic America, trans boy Benji tries to escape the religious cult that has caused the apocalypse. In the process meeting Nick and his crew, a queer group of survivors who made it through by hunkering down in the LGBTQ+ centre.
This is quite possibly one of my top reads of 2024, as a queer person who grew up religious with a fairly bigoted family I feel like I can relate to Benji and the side characters quite a lot. Andrew Joseph White did a great job capturing what it is like to grow up queer in an unaccepting community and criticising those with harmful extremist religious views that seem to be quite prevalent in the US while also staying respectful of religion in general.
I cannot think of a single flaw with this book, I loved every character and thought they were all very well thought out, my only ask would've been to see more of the side characters. I also loved how much representation was in the book with people from all sorts of backgrounds being fairly prominent characters.
As a horror fan I loved the gore and body horror but didn't think anything about it was so scary that it wouldn't be suitable for older teens.
Thank you to Andrew Joseph White, Daphne Press, and NetGalley for this arc and Happy Pride month!
This is quite possibly one of my top reads of 2024, as a queer person who grew up religious with a fairly bigoted family I feel like I can relate to Benji and the side characters quite a lot. Andrew Joseph White did a great job capturing what it is like to grow up queer in an unaccepting community and criticising those with harmful extremist religious views that seem to be quite prevalent in the US while also staying respectful of religion in general.
I cannot think of a single flaw with this book, I loved every character and thought they were all very well thought out, my only ask would've been to see more of the side characters. I also loved how much representation was in the book with people from all sorts of backgrounds being fairly prominent characters.
As a horror fan I loved the gore and body horror but didn't think anything about it was so scary that it wouldn't be suitable for older teens.
Thank you to Andrew Joseph White, Daphne Press, and NetGalley for this arc and Happy Pride month!
adventurous
dark
informative
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A short enjoyable read. This retelling of Queen Gruoch and her husband King Macbethad shines a very different light on the well known Shakespeare play. The main differences being this is a little closer to the real history and that it paints Gruoch and Macbeth in a much better light.
I thought this was a great wee read which taught me some more of Scotlands history while also taking some creative freedoms to keep it feeling like and interesting novella and not just a history documentary.
I will definitely be picking up more of the darkland tales series and more by Val McDermid
I thought this was a great wee read which taught me some more of Scotlands history while also taking some creative freedoms to keep it feeling like and interesting novella and not just a history documentary.
I will definitely be picking up more of the darkland tales series and more by Val McDermid
adventurous
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
If Silver Flames was your favourite of the ACOTAR books then this is definitely for you. Full of political drama, action, and of course lots of spice Crown of Earth and Sky is a fantastic romantasy read. The plot immediately pulls you in with a dramatic death and intriguing world building but it does slow down a lot in the middle and I struggled with continuing on. But I am glad I did because the 3rd act is so worth it. The ending draws you back in with so many plot twists and a fabulous cliff hanger.
The world building is really interesting and well thought out. The characters are complex, flawed, and loveable. The FMC Veyka is stubborn and headstrong but also brave and fiercely loyal its hard not to love her and emphasise with all she's been through. Arren, the MMC, is quite a typical fantasy male, tall, dark, and brooding, although we got glimpses of his backstory it didn't go into much detail and I really hope we delve into his character more in books 2 and 3. Every side character was very well written and each felt like their own person who contributed to the story I look forward to diving more into their stories, Gwen especially as she is such an interesting character.
The slow burn romance was well done, with the 2 main characters having obvious attraction while not liking each other but falling into the love the more they got to know each other. The fact we have a plus size main character love interest is also fantastic! There isn't enough plus size fmcs in fantasy or romance. Though for me I felt the author maybe objectified Veyka a little too much, there was very very few chapters that didn't mention her ass, curves, or breasts, which I found a little over the top but I am not a fan of smut or sexual writing so this is very much a personal issue.
On the topic of smut there was just too much of it for me and ultimately it did negatively affect my enjoyment of the book. The amount of times it mentions Arrens c*ck getting hard honestly made me uncomfortable. But if you are a spice lover this will be right up your street.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and I would have rated it higher but the slow point in the middle and the amount of smut really let it down for me. Nonetheless I am still excited to get stuck into book 2!
adventurous
emotional
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Jennifer Saint is a fantastic writer of Greek mythology retellings and this does not disappoint. This book was like a Greek mythology overview starting with the fall of Cronos all the way through to the fall of the gods all from the POV of Hera, queen of the gods and wife of Zeus. Dipping in and out of so many myths from the really well known ones like Heracles, and Medusa, and into some of the lesser known ones the reader gets a bit of a Greek mythology 101. For me personally it helped me much better understand the chronological order of my favourite Greek myths.
Hera isn't exactly a likeable character, she is, what she always has been, vindictive, jealous, and petty but this book gives a better understanding of why she is this way and although I definitely did not agree with her actions I could at least emphasise with her. I did find it a little repetitive, Zeus does something bad, Hera lashes out at some poor victim of her husband.
While I enjoyed the story and the narrator her pronunciations of some names and places really took me out of the story at times and it took me a little minute to figure out who was who. I am not sure if she was perhaps pronouncing them the correct Greek way and my knowledge of the pronunciations is just wrong in which case I retract this statement.
Overall a really good retelling, it isn't my favourite by Jennifer Saint but it certainly wasn't a bad read and I would recommend to anyone who loves a good retelling.
Thank you Netgalley and Headline Audio for an arc copy of this audiobook.
Hera isn't exactly a likeable character, she is, what she always has been, vindictive, jealous, and petty but this book gives a better understanding of why she is this way and although I definitely did not agree with her actions I could at least emphasise with her. I did find it a little repetitive, Zeus does something bad, Hera lashes out at some poor victim of her husband.
While I enjoyed the story and the narrator her pronunciations of some names and places really took me out of the story at times and it took me a little minute to figure out who was who. I am not sure if she was perhaps pronouncing them the correct Greek way and my knowledge of the pronunciations is just wrong in which case I retract this statement.
Overall a really good retelling, it isn't my favourite by Jennifer Saint but it certainly wasn't a bad read and I would recommend to anyone who loves a good retelling.
Thank you Netgalley and Headline Audio for an arc copy of this audiobook.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I didn't think I would like this nearly as much as I did, I am usually not a huge fan of thrillers but I absolutely loved this. Before reading, having never seen the film, I thought how interesting can an author being held captive and forced to right a book really be? As it turns out, pretty damn interesting!
The writing is phenomenal, it shows Paul coming back to himself, then losing himself, then coming back to himself all over again. Perfectly capturing Pauls incredibly fragile mental state. Everything about it from word choice, to sentence structure, to chapter layout was just fantastic. The story within the story of 'Misery's Return' was fascinating escape from the miserable existence Paul was facing and a great coping mechanism used by Paul.
The descriptions in the novel were "so vivid!" multiple times it had be gasping in shock and feeling a little queasy with just how vivid everything was. King painted the scenes so well I felt like I was there watching it happen in real time.
Annie was a fabulous villain. She made me feel genuinely scared for Paul. Such a complex character I truly loved (and hated) every second she came onto the page.
"she may be crazy but she sure aint dumb."
An absolutely brilliant read for my first King book. I will definitely be picking up another soon.
Though this is more of a thriller than a horror it does have some horror elements and graphic descriptions of violence.
The writing is phenomenal, it shows Paul coming back to himself, then losing himself, then coming back to himself all over again. Perfectly capturing Pauls incredibly fragile mental state. Everything about it from word choice, to sentence structure, to chapter layout was just fantastic. The story within the story of 'Misery's Return' was fascinating escape from the miserable existence Paul was facing and a great coping mechanism used by Paul.
The descriptions in the novel were "so vivid!" multiple times it had be gasping in shock and feeling a little queasy with just how vivid everything was. King painted the scenes so well I felt like I was there watching it happen in real time.
Annie was a fabulous villain. She made me feel genuinely scared for Paul. Such a complex character I truly loved (and hated) every second she came onto the page.
"she may be crazy but she sure aint dumb."
An absolutely brilliant read for my first King book. I will definitely be picking up another soon.
Though this is more of a thriller than a horror it does have some horror elements and graphic descriptions of violence.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Injury/Injury detail
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A feminist horror story about female hysteria, medical gaslighting, and a hint of the paranormal.
The real horror in this story is how it so accurately depicts the way women are treated by the medical industry.
The story follows our main character, Anna, a newly famous actress nearing 40 and trying to concieve. The first part of the book deals with Anna's difficult and painful IVF journey. Trying to juggle her newfound fame while also dealing with the barrage of contradictory do's and dont's of what women should or should not be doing while trying for a baby. Anna finds herself getting increasingly paranoid that someone is out to sabotage her when appointment times keep changing, medicines get left out of the fridge, and ominous messages are left om social media.
Things take an even more dramatic turn for the worst once Anna finally conceives, with a sinister stalker, a mountain of doctors who just wont listen, and a terrifying amount of gaslighting. Absolutely no one will listen to Anna and she slowly believes she is going crazy.
Interwoven with Anna's story is the stories of many other women both past and present, throughout these the author details the struggles black women in particular have went through in regards to childbirth. She tells of how black women have a higher mortality rate during childbirth, and how in the past they were used for experiments with no anesthesia in the name of medical advancements. While not the main focus of the book it is great that authors like Danielle are shining a light on these issues that are still prevalent today and are so often ignored.
This book is full of twists and turns and so many times I thought I had finally figured it out and predicted what would happen next I was proved wrong. While the majority of the book feels like more like a thriller with a deranged stalker things take a paranoral turn until finally at the end everything clicks into place! Truly wonderfully written and had me on the edge of my seat. I would highly recommend to anyone after some feminist horror.
The real horror in this story is how it so accurately depicts the way women are treated by the medical industry.
The story follows our main character, Anna, a newly famous actress nearing 40 and trying to concieve. The first part of the book deals with Anna's difficult and painful IVF journey. Trying to juggle her newfound fame while also dealing with the barrage of contradictory do's and dont's of what women should or should not be doing while trying for a baby. Anna finds herself getting increasingly paranoid that someone is out to sabotage her when appointment times keep changing, medicines get left out of the fridge, and ominous messages are left om social media.
Things take an even more dramatic turn for the worst once Anna finally conceives, with a sinister stalker, a mountain of doctors who just wont listen, and a terrifying amount of gaslighting. Absolutely no one will listen to Anna and she slowly believes she is going crazy.
Interwoven with Anna's story is the stories of many other women both past and present, throughout these the author details the struggles black women in particular have went through in regards to childbirth. She tells of how black women have a higher mortality rate during childbirth, and how in the past they were used for experiments with no anesthesia in the name of medical advancements. While not the main focus of the book it is great that authors like Danielle are shining a light on these issues that are still prevalent today and are so often ignored.
This book is full of twists and turns and so many times I thought I had finally figured it out and predicted what would happen next I was proved wrong. While the majority of the book feels like more like a thriller with a deranged stalker things take a paranoral turn until finally at the end everything clicks into place! Truly wonderfully written and had me on the edge of my seat. I would highly recommend to anyone after some feminist horror.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Pregnancy, Gaslighting
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Cancer, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
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:
Complicated
A retelling of the story of Queen Semiramis from the Ancient Mesopotamian times. This book does a truly wonderful job telling us Semiramis' story. Of her love, loss, humble beginnings, and her eventual queendom.
Like with Clytemnestra, Costanza does a terrific job of staying true to the original myths and legends. While also giving the characters a new depth and life that the originals usually miss.
"As long as I breath, I will sob for him"
Beautifully written and a joy to read. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read and review this arc. I am sure this book will be considered one of the best releases of 2024.
Like with Clytemnestra, Costanza does a terrific job of staying true to the original myths and legends. While also giving the characters a new depth and life that the originals usually miss.
"As long as I breath, I will sob for him"
Beautifully written and a joy to read. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read and review this arc. I am sure this book will be considered one of the best releases of 2024.