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bookwormpersephone's reviews
154 reviews
Serpents of Sky and Flame by Rebecca F. Kenney
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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
"We are creatures of sky and flame, and once our fire has died, we return to the air."
4.5 ⭐s
Fourth Wing except the dragon gets the girl... well, it's a bit more complicated than that.
Serylla as a captive princess wasn't as feisty as many people had expected of her, and honestly? It's a breath of fresh air. I've read so many "fiesty" characters that ended up either as annoying as nails on a chalkboard or just straight-up mean-spirited. Serylla having a heart and empathy towards her captor just supports her inner monologue of not being "cunning enough" for the inner politics and machinations of the palace. Otherwise, she would have had a train of thought like Jessiva, one of the captives, who wanted to start an uprising. And that's okay. We also stan a Queen with enough emotional intelligence to understand her enemy is grieving as hard as she was.
Kyreagan was also not what I expected. He's just a kind cinammon roll that feels so much more deeply than everyone else. He suffers from anxiety and panic attacks frequently, overthinks a lot, is not good with words, and just overall trying his best. For a dragon, he seems more human than any of the human characters. Sure, he might be a mighty dragon 5x the size of Serylla or more, but in his POv we discover his dragon form makes him <i>feel</i> strong, like armor. I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up being the captive of the villain in the 2nd book and Serylla is the one to save him.
The story is not as complicated as it seems. It flows easily, and the lore inserts were scattered around chapters so it's not a huge info dump at the beginning, which I am grateful for. All female dragons get offed, male dragons get bibidi-bobidi-boo'ed by an enchantress, attain human form for around 8 hours, mate with human captives, and go back to being a dragon afterward. This puts a strain on the more serious problems, like the lineage of dragons and how "halflings" will affect the future, but also sets up multiple stories for the books. I'm excited about what Rebecca has in store for Varex and Rothkuri.
The spice score for this is high... 5 🌶️/ 5🌶️. Breeding kink + primal play??? *chef's kiss*
Be forewarned, this book ends in a cliffhanger (at least, leaves Serylla hanging in a certain dragon's claws...) but the author assured us part 2 is not far from its release!
Thank you Author Rebecca Kenney for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
4.5 ⭐s
Fourth Wing except the dragon gets the girl... well, it's a bit more complicated than that.
Serylla as a captive princess wasn't as feisty as many people had expected of her, and honestly? It's a breath of fresh air. I've read so many "fiesty" characters that ended up either as annoying as nails on a chalkboard or just straight-up mean-spirited. Serylla having a heart and empathy towards her captor just supports her inner monologue of not being "cunning enough" for the inner politics and machinations of the palace. Otherwise, she would have had a train of thought like Jessiva, one of the captives, who wanted to start an uprising. And that's okay. We also stan a Queen with enough emotional intelligence to understand her enemy is grieving as hard as she was.
Kyreagan was also not what I expected. He's just a kind cinammon roll that feels so much more deeply than everyone else. He suffers from anxiety and panic attacks frequently, overthinks a lot, is not good with words, and just overall trying his best. For a dragon, he seems more human than any of the human characters. Sure, he might be a mighty dragon 5x the size of Serylla or more, but in his POv we discover his dragon form makes him <i>feel</i> strong, like armor. I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up being the captive of the villain in the 2nd book and Serylla is the one to save him.
The story is not as complicated as it seems. It flows easily, and the lore inserts were scattered around chapters so it's not a huge info dump at the beginning, which I am grateful for. All female dragons get offed, male dragons get bibidi-bobidi-boo'ed by an enchantress, attain human form for around 8 hours, mate with human captives, and go back to being a dragon afterward. This puts a strain on the more serious problems, like the lineage of dragons and how "halflings" will affect the future, but also sets up multiple stories for the books. I'm excited about what Rebecca has in store for Varex and Rothkuri.
The spice score for this is high... 5 🌶️/ 5🌶️. Breeding kink + primal play??? *chef's kiss*
Be forewarned, this book ends in a cliffhanger (at least, leaves Serylla hanging in a certain dragon's claws...) but the author assured us part 2 is not far from its release!
Thank you Author Rebecca Kenney for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
A Soul to Heal by Opal Reyne
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
sgoreog 5 ⭐
“Welcome to the horny Duskwalker club.”
This was a hard but satisfying read for me compared to A Soul to Keep. Delora is our FMC. She's a plus-size woman who suffers from anxiety and depression because of everything going on with her life. Unlike the first book, Delora gave her soul to the Duskwalker about 10% into the book, but it doesn't mean the couple hadn't faced any difficulties. I'd say more than Reia and Orpheus, Delora and Nameless had deeper and riskier conflicts.
Nameless (he'll have a different name later on) is a Duskwalker who is both naive and feral due to his lack of humanity. His Mavka brother Orpheus is intelligent and can understand humans better, which is more often than not a source of Nameless' envy towards him. Because of these traits and Delora's deepening depression, they face many rocky hurdles in their relationship, and one of them is handling a Mavka pregnancy and raising it (yes, this has a pregnancy trope).
While I saw many people hating on Delora, especially in the first half of the book, I cannot say I agree. In fact, I have never read a character I've related to so much than Delora. I might not have murdered my (hypothetical) husband and his mistress, but I have struggled so much with my mental health and weight that showing it on paper was both hard and liberating to read. I had to put down my Kindle many times in order not to cry outright (I still did). The way she climbed out of her depression and eventually let go of her guilt and pains made me feel less alone in my struggles.
Hence, it took me almost a month to finish this book. But it was incredibly worth it.
Overall though, I love this book. I have never felt more seen and heard in my whole life reading a book before. There are very few (good) inclusive books published today, and I just read one of them. To my plus-size girlies struggling with their weight, mental health, and self-worth, Nameless and I hope that you feel as warm and accepted in this book as I have if you decide to read it.
“Welcome to the horny Duskwalker club.”
This was a hard but satisfying read for me compared to A Soul to Keep. Delora is our FMC. She's a plus-size woman who suffers from anxiety and depression because of everything going on with her life. Unlike the first book, Delora gave her soul to the Duskwalker about 10% into the book, but it doesn't mean the couple hadn't faced any difficulties. I'd say more than Reia and Orpheus, Delora and Nameless had deeper and riskier conflicts.
Nameless (he'll have a different name later on) is a Duskwalker who is both naive and feral due to his lack of humanity. His Mavka brother Orpheus is intelligent and can understand humans better, which is more often than not a source of Nameless' envy towards him. Because of these traits and Delora's deepening depression, they face many rocky hurdles in their relationship, and one of them is handling a Mavka pregnancy and raising it (yes, this has a pregnancy trope).
While I saw many people hating on Delora, especially in the first half of the book, I cannot say I agree. In fact, I have never read a character I've related to so much than Delora. I might not have murdered my (hypothetical) husband and his mistress, but I have struggled so much with my mental health and weight that showing it on paper was both hard and liberating to read. I had to put down my Kindle many times in order not to cry outright (I still did). The way she climbed out of her depression and eventually let go of her guilt and pains made me feel less alone in my struggles.
Hence, it took me almost a month to finish this book. But it was incredibly worth it.
Overall though, I love this book. I have never felt more seen and heard in my whole life reading a book before. There are very few (good) inclusive books published today, and I just read one of them. To my plus-size girlies struggling with their weight, mental health, and self-worth, Nameless and I hope that you feel as warm and accepted in this book as I have if you decide to read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Gore, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Bullying and Body shaming
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Grief
Covenant, Vol. 1 by explodikid, LySandra Vuong
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I always love binging webtoons!
I came across Covenant before but because my goldfish, dopamine-high brain was too distracted with Villainess manhwas I totally forgot about it!
I'm glad our paths crossed again. I wouldn't have know what I was missing
The art is gorgeous. Not exactly Long-strip manhwa-like (at least the orientation in my Netgalley shelf is square) but leans and takes after more on western style comics. Keep in mind though that it sounds and "moves" like an action manhwa, but the art has hints of western comics in it, as well as the humour.
I wasn't too attached to the characters because of their lack of bonding in the spotlight but I absolutely saw the potential between Ezra and Sunny. Shipped immediately.
The plot was kind of complicated... I was kind of detached to it. The first part was also info-dumping, which almost led me to DNF. I'm glad I didn't, the pay off is worth it!
Thank you Netgalley and Oni Press for the ARC!
I came across Covenant before but because my goldfish, dopamine-high brain was too distracted with Villainess manhwas I totally forgot about it!
I'm glad our paths crossed again. I wouldn't have know what I was missing
The art is gorgeous. Not exactly Long-strip manhwa-like (at least the orientation in my Netgalley shelf is square) but leans and takes after more on western style comics. Keep in mind though that it sounds and "moves" like an action manhwa, but the art has hints of western comics in it, as well as the humour.
I wasn't too attached to the characters because of their lack of bonding in the spotlight but I absolutely saw the potential between Ezra and Sunny. Shipped immediately.
The plot was kind of complicated... I was kind of detached to it. The first part was also info-dumping, which almost led me to DNF. I'm glad I didn't, the pay off is worth it!
Thank you Netgalley and Oni Press for the ARC!
The Maiden & The Unseen by Jeanette Rose, Alexis Rune
dark
tense
slow-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
2.0
Oh brother.
I previously said in my other reviews that I don't DNF unless there's something in the book that really bothers me or is problematic overall, so I read this from cover to cover (ebook style).
It was horrendous.
You can tell from my username. I adore Hades and Persephone and have read (to my knowledge) almost all retellings under heaven. This has got to be in my top 3 never read again list.
First, Hades is the god of wealth, but everytime he opens his mouth I hear a whining teenage girl. Every move he makes is supposed to be calculated but it's either A.) supposed to inconvenience Persephone and B.) just petty.
He can turn mute and the book will gain another star
Persephone is cringe personified. The first chapter we're introduced to her she's looking out her 16th story window of a classy apartment whilst "groaning inwardly" about emails and clingy clients. All the while, she's having an inner monologue of her life (wattpad style) and loathing the fact all these luxuries are wasted on her because... Beats me. She rambles too much.
Their relationship is just bang --> drama ensues --> make up bang ---> drama ensues ---> make up bang infinity
There's little to no plot. I don't mind spice but then it becomes repetitive the 3rd time around and the plot is nowhere to be seen. I'm dreading the 2nd book.
Thank you Netgalley and Rose and Star publishing for the ARC.
I previously said in my other reviews that I don't DNF unless there's something in the book that really bothers me or is problematic overall, so I read this from cover to cover (ebook style).
It was horrendous.
You can tell from my username. I adore Hades and Persephone and have read (to my knowledge) almost all retellings under heaven. This has got to be in my top 3 never read again list.
First, Hades is the god of wealth, but everytime he opens his mouth I hear a whining teenage girl. Every move he makes is supposed to be calculated but it's either A.) supposed to inconvenience Persephone and B.) just petty.
He can turn mute and the book will gain another star
Persephone is cringe personified. The first chapter we're introduced to her she's looking out her 16th story window of a classy apartment whilst "groaning inwardly" about emails and clingy clients. All the while, she's having an inner monologue of her life (wattpad style) and loathing the fact all these luxuries are wasted on her because... Beats me. She rambles too much.
Their relationship is just bang --> drama ensues --> make up bang ---> drama ensues ---> make up bang infinity
There's little to no plot. I don't mind spice but then it becomes repetitive the 3rd time around and the plot is nowhere to be seen. I'm dreading the 2nd book.
Thank you Netgalley and Rose and Star publishing for the ARC.
The Last Phi Hunter by Salinee Goldenberg
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
70% into the book, I got anxiety.
Now, given that this book has a fair amount of gore as it has fantastical elements, it would have been understandable. I squirm during horror movies and could not finish a Last Destination movie without getting actual nightmares. But no, this time it wasn't due to its quite descriptive violent scenes. I realized just when I was about to finish through the epilogue... that it was because the book was ending. It was going to be over, finished.
I got so attached to this book without realizing it. I LOVED THIS BOOK.
Ex is a 24 year-old Phi hunter. I won't go into details about what the Phi are but know they are dark spirits that often cause grief in the mortal plane, so phi hunters exist to eradicate them. Phi hunters are "morally gray", one would say. They hunt and kill phi, yes, but only do so when the Phi actively causes strife in an area of the kingdom. They (or at least our MMC) never kill humans and are not considered murderers. They hunt efficiently by scavenging phi parts to sell to witches and apothecaries who need the phi parts.
Ex is on a journey to take our FMC, Arinya, to a well-known witch for... a ritual. It all starts there, the adventure, the romance, and Ex's journey to hunt the True Demon (greater Phi), Shar-Ala.
This book, I realized when I jumped into the audiobook at Chapter 1, is so similar to a game my significant other and I enjoy playing: Monster Hunter. The game requires you to hunt monsters and "farm" for parts for your armor. Usually, monsters that have caused trouble to the Village you belong to. Because of this connection, it was easy for me to imagine most of the fighting in the book, the appearances of the phi, and even the guild of the Phi hunters. Oh, and he has a best friend, who is a Hound, that I think is a cross between Cerberus and a Palamute.
The dash of romance was also very cute. I LOVED Ex and Arinya's dynamic, with him being a younger, more naive boy than his older counterpart (8 years apart, if I recall correctly), chaos and funny moments were likely to ensue. Though there are times when Ex would make decisions about his feelings and relationship with Arinya that would lead you to think he has 5 different layers of stupid in him, it was all understandable because he had no experience with love. All this guy thinks about is Shar-Ala, hunting Shar-Ala, and Spicy Bami noodles.
Until Arinya came.
I won't reveal more about their romance because it only gets better and better, just like their character development. Their love becomes so pure and sweet that it just makes me ache with happiness and envy. Oh, and I should add right now that this is a semi-clean romance, and I'm glad it is.
I'd like to share a quote that made me scream into my pillow, when the master asked Ex about his feelings for Arinya:
"It is a force of nature, boy. Sometimes it swells like a tsunami, and drowns you. Sometimes it grows as slow as a tree, and blooms like a flower. Which was it?"
Ex exhaled as his will faded into slush. "How the sun rises. And the stars come out."
Like??? I CANT!!! To him, their love is slow but inevitable!!!
Anyway, I digress.
A LOT happens in this book. After achieving one goal, you'd think the villain is defeated. Alas, there is not one villain, but TWO. The real one, being the second, is such a character. Think Jafar from Aladdin or Tzekel-Khan of El Dorado. THOSE VIBES.
The story touches briefly on other planes of existence, reincarnation, ambition, Karma, and all that good stuff. This is the first novel I've read with a background in Thai culture and mythology, so most of it went over my head, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I love elements of reincarnation--or an implication of such a phenomenon.
All in all, Goldenburg has weaved a new and exciting prose, not despite Thai culture and mythology, but because of it. The way each character is flawed and finds peace with those flaws is so achingly human despite half of them not being one. The political and social issues, such as the fading of magic and the declining need for phi hunters have not been resolved at the very end simply because it is inevitable. Their world, much like ours, will simply move on and progress, and myths and legends will soon cease and become superstitions until finally, they become pages in a storybook.
With how the story ended, it might be true that Ex is indeed THE LAST PHI HUNTER... it is inevitable. And that's okay.
Dear author, if you're reading this, I'm asking for HELP. What in the 5 realms was THAT ENDING?! Can we have a long, nice chat over coffee or tea while I interrogate you about it and all the other theories that have kept my mind occupied for the last 8 hours!? Please and thank you!
P.S, my boyfriend is dying to read your book. :)
Now, given that this book has a fair amount of gore as it has fantastical elements, it would have been understandable. I squirm during horror movies and could not finish a Last Destination movie without getting actual nightmares. But no, this time it wasn't due to its quite descriptive violent scenes. I realized just when I was about to finish through the epilogue... that it was because the book was ending. It was going to be over, finished.
I got so attached to this book without realizing it. I LOVED THIS BOOK.
Ex is a 24 year-old Phi hunter. I won't go into details about what the Phi are but know they are dark spirits that often cause grief in the mortal plane, so phi hunters exist to eradicate them. Phi hunters are "morally gray", one would say. They hunt and kill phi, yes, but only do so when the Phi actively causes strife in an area of the kingdom. They (or at least our MMC) never kill humans and are not considered murderers. They hunt efficiently by scavenging phi parts to sell to witches and apothecaries who need the phi parts.
Ex is on a journey to take our FMC, Arinya, to a well-known witch for... a ritual. It all starts there, the adventure, the romance, and Ex's journey to hunt the True Demon (greater Phi), Shar-Ala.
This book, I realized when I jumped into the audiobook at Chapter 1, is so similar to a game my significant other and I enjoy playing: Monster Hunter. The game requires you to hunt monsters and "farm" for parts for your armor. Usually, monsters that have caused trouble to the Village you belong to. Because of this connection, it was easy for me to imagine most of the fighting in the book, the appearances of the phi, and even the guild of the Phi hunters. Oh, and he has a best friend, who is a Hound, that I think is a cross between Cerberus and a Palamute.
The dash of romance was also very cute. I LOVED Ex and Arinya's dynamic, with him being a younger, more naive boy than his older counterpart (8 years apart, if I recall correctly), chaos and funny moments were likely to ensue. Though there are times when Ex would make decisions about his feelings and relationship with Arinya that would lead you to think he has 5 different layers of stupid in him, it was all understandable because he had no experience with love. All this guy thinks about is Shar-Ala, hunting Shar-Ala, and Spicy Bami noodles.
Until Arinya came.
I won't reveal more about their romance because it only gets better and better, just like their character development. Their love becomes so pure and sweet that it just makes me ache with happiness and envy. Oh, and I should add right now that this is a semi-clean romance, and I'm glad it is.
I'd like to share a quote that made me scream into my pillow, when the master asked Ex about his feelings for Arinya:
"It is a force of nature, boy. Sometimes it swells like a tsunami, and drowns you. Sometimes it grows as slow as a tree, and blooms like a flower. Which was it?"
Ex exhaled as his will faded into slush. "How the sun rises. And the stars come out."
Like??? I CANT!!! To him, their love is slow but inevitable!!!
Anyway, I digress.
A LOT happens in this book. After achieving one goal, you'd think the villain is defeated. Alas, there is not one villain, but TWO. The real one, being the second, is such a character. Think Jafar from Aladdin or Tzekel-Khan of El Dorado. THOSE VIBES.
The story touches briefly on other planes of existence, reincarnation, ambition, Karma, and all that good stuff. This is the first novel I've read with a background in Thai culture and mythology, so most of it went over my head, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I love elements of reincarnation--or an implication of such a phenomenon.
All in all, Goldenburg has weaved a new and exciting prose, not despite Thai culture and mythology, but because of it. The way each character is flawed and finds peace with those flaws is so achingly human despite half of them not being one. The political and social issues, such as the fading of magic and the declining need for phi hunters have not been resolved at the very end simply because it is inevitable. Their world, much like ours, will simply move on and progress, and myths and legends will soon cease and become superstitions until finally, they become pages in a storybook.
With how the story ended, it might be true that Ex is indeed THE LAST PHI HUNTER... it is inevitable. And that's okay.
Dear author, if you're reading this, I'm asking for HELP. What in the 5 realms was THAT ENDING?! Can we have a long, nice chat over coffee or tea while I interrogate you about it and all the other theories that have kept my mind occupied for the last 8 hours!? Please and thank you!
P.S, my boyfriend is dying to read your book. :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, and Body horror
Moderate: Blood
Record Of Lodoss War by Akihiro Yamada, Ryo Mizuno
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This was a pretty fast read! The art and overall plot is great, but the pacing is a bit off. From the get-go you're being bombarded by political drama and introduced to like 5 different people that barely reappear in the later parts of the volume. It's better to focus on what's happening rather than the characters because of that. I hope the author will flesh out the rest of the characters because all of them are worth writing their stories about (especially the 3 brothers. Please make it so it's like Vinland Saga!). 3.5 ⭐ s!
Robotics;Notes Volume 1 by 5pb.
adventurous
challenging
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
3.0
I wish there was a separate category for manga/manhwa/other visual novels because we have so many things to consider with them compared to a trad novel. There's art, composition, how good it flows, etc. I usually rate them based on pure ✨ vibes ✨ but I won't use that one in this manga review.
I think 3 ⭐s is fair, as I didn't actually love it, nor hate it.
🌷The art is REALLY gorgeous. Nostalgic. It reminds me a lot of Plunderer, and I love that manga to bits and pieces. I love any manga or visual novel that has an art style similar to oldies!
🥀 The story isn't as great, as it all went over my head. I'm not big on robotics but it's definitely not beginner-friendly
🌷 The female MC, Aki, is really the star of this manga. If not for her, I wouldn't have finished the manga. Her optimism and "never give up!" attitude basically keeps the story going, because if it's up to the MMC...
🥀 Nothing will happen. The MMC is insufferable and my mind refuses to recall his name. He basically serves as the "inner monologue" narrator most of the time which makes thing grim.
🌷 The fight at the end was epic though. It isn't worth slogging 300+ pages but we at least got that great art style and composition.
Thank you Netgalley and Author for a copy of the first volume of this manga.
I think 3 ⭐s is fair, as I didn't actually love it, nor hate it.
🌷The art is REALLY gorgeous. Nostalgic. It reminds me a lot of Plunderer, and I love that manga to bits and pieces. I love any manga or visual novel that has an art style similar to oldies!
🥀 The story isn't as great, as it all went over my head. I'm not big on robotics but it's definitely not beginner-friendly
🌷 The female MC, Aki, is really the star of this manga. If not for her, I wouldn't have finished the manga. Her optimism and "never give up!" attitude basically keeps the story going, because if it's up to the MMC...
🥀 Nothing will happen. The MMC is insufferable and my mind refuses to recall his name. He basically serves as the "inner monologue" narrator most of the time which makes thing grim.
🌷 The fight at the end was epic though. It isn't worth slogging 300+ pages but we at least got that great art style and composition.
Thank you Netgalley and Author for a copy of the first volume of this manga.
Terrestrial Passions by S.P. Somtow
DNF @ 50% on the dot. This is so tricky to review!!
For some context, this is my first spec fiction, but not my first alien and regency (both separate) book. I went into this expecting a spicy alien regency read and somehow I got that... just not in the way I usually do with the previous spice, regency, and alien books I've consumed. I know the problem lies in the way the book is written, filled with dry humour and satire, which leads me to conclude Spec Fiction is not for me.
But then again, it is nicely written, with a humorous alien as the MMC of the book to entertain me, but not for long. I cannot justify giving this one a low rating when nothing is wrong with the book, but personally it's my preferences that haven't been met.
I WILL say as an avid reader of regency novels my whole pre-teen and adult life, that the author seems to be lost on how to write it. They're brilliant in Spec Fic but floundering with the tone of a regency/victorian era novel. Thus, if half of the genre is poorly executed the overall idea is awkward and a bit cringe.
Anyhow, I'll give this one 3 ⭐s. It didn't leave me with good feelings but I didn't have a visceral reaction to it either. It's simply, as many have said about Spec Fic, not for me. I hope this finds it's audience!
For some context, this is my first spec fiction, but not my first alien and regency (both separate) book. I went into this expecting a spicy alien regency read and somehow I got that... just not in the way I usually do with the previous spice, regency, and alien books I've consumed. I know the problem lies in the way the book is written, filled with dry humour and satire, which leads me to conclude Spec Fiction is not for me.
But then again, it is nicely written, with a humorous alien as the MMC of the book to entertain me, but not for long. I cannot justify giving this one a low rating when nothing is wrong with the book, but personally it's my preferences that haven't been met.
I WILL say as an avid reader of regency novels my whole pre-teen and adult life, that the author seems to be lost on how to write it. They're brilliant in Spec Fic but floundering with the tone of a regency/victorian era novel. Thus, if half of the genre is poorly executed the overall idea is awkward and a bit cringe.
Anyhow, I'll give this one 3 ⭐s. It didn't leave me with good feelings but I didn't have a visceral reaction to it either. It's simply, as many have said about Spec Fic, not for me. I hope this finds it's audience!
The Last Huntress by Lenore Borja
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Was able to finish it, but found it isn't the book for me. I wanted to DNF it a lot of times before I realized it just doesn't fall in my tropes of genre, however, it IS well-written. I won't give it 3 ⭐s because it's just not fair, so 4 ⭐ for the nicely written novel. I hope this finds it's audience!