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btwnprintedpgs's reviews
1302 reviews

Finding Mr. Write by Kelley Armstrong

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adventurous emotional lighthearted reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

As a long-time follower of Kelley Armstrong, I love how much of herself she put into this story. I also love how it had all the signature Kelley Armstrong features, like a green-flag (mostly) love interest, good humour, and all the romantic tension.

You'd never know that this is Kelley's first foray into adult romance. With the easy dialogue and the humour, it's classic Kelley, just without all the fantastical elements that usually surround her characters (though the author still wrote a zombie book, so that counts, right?). I flew through it quickly and I thoroughly enjoyed the overall story. The humour and commentary mix well, and I loved how everything played out.

This book reminds me a bit of Yellowface in its social commentary. A dash of "who's allowed to write a story," but also "how far would you go to be published?" Of course, this book is much lighter and taken from a Caucasian woman's POV, but I liked how it called into question the biases that still exist in publishing and reading. Definitely something that needs to be examined on all sides.

Let's talk about the characters, though, shall we? I feel like the relationships were the weakest points for me. I thought Chris fell too fast, the secondary characters (Daphne's bestie Nia and Chris's sister Gemma) felt very one tone and not developed at all (which was surprising for a Kelley book), and I felt more camaraderie with their very stressed publicist than any of their personal connections. I did end up loving Chris and Daphne together, and I appreciated how Gemma came through in the end, but I wanted a bit more depth from everyone involved and was very disappointed I didn't get it.

Also, for the spicy romance girlies, this book is mostly fade-to-black. Given some of her other books, I was surprised, but the tension is still there and I loved the two of them together (though the number of times they get interrupted is wild).

Like I said, it's a Kelley book, and I'm obviously going to love it, but I know that she has and will write stronger relationships and characters with so much more depth and I felt like that was the missing heart of this book. That being said, if you're looking for a fun rom-com, that is what you'll get. It's the knowledge of her backlist that kind of brought this one down for me.

TW: vomit, sexism, sexual content; mentions drug abuse

Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
World Building: 4.5/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Pacing: 4/5
Overall: 4/5

eARC gifted via NetGalley by Forever in exchange for an honest review.

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Five Years and 2,000 Miles by Ivy Duncan

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challenging emotional 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? No

4.5

I flew through this book so fast. This was truly a coming of age read, with the main characters starting university and being away from home for the first time. This is definitely book for Alice Oseman fans.

Leo takes the more traditional route. He moves out of state for university to change up his life and goes through the usual roommate get-t0-know-yous, the experience of making new (and old) friends, and the feeling of falling in love, truly, for the first time. I really enjoyed his character as he found people to pull him out of his shell and allow him the space to be himself (very introverted, thoughtful, and loyal). I loved the little found family that he found himself in and his friends truly lived out the trend of extroverts adopting introverts.

Sloan, in contrast, is only moving an hour away from the neighbourhood he grew up in. In a year-long relationship, he moves in with his boyfriend and deals with all the growing pains that come with that. As he makes new friends and learns more about the man he moved in with, he learns the true meaning of unconditional love and support. I loved him so much, and I wanted to hug him so badly.

Colette, Justin, and Max, along with Leo and Sloan's respective family and friends, were so much fun and were fleshed out well. I loved seeing them explore university and all it has to offer them as the book progressed and we saw their growth as well.

As a whole, this book is entirely character driven and joining them through their freshman year was rewarding, emotional, and fun. I'm so sad that their story is over, but I am so looking forward to Ivy Duncan's books in the future!

Rep: MC is colourblind

TW: emotional abuse, drug use, alcohol consumption, violence, vomit; mentions sexual assault

Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
World Building: 3/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Pacing: 5/5
Overall: 4.5/5

eARC obtained via Reedsy Discovery in exchange for an honest review and remuneration.

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The Lies of the Ajungo by Moses Ose Utomi

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challenging dark informative mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

An absolutely riveting novella that is chalk full of symbolism and metaphor in a way that starts a dialogue around propaganda, power, and control over history and truth.

With each character representing different facets of humanity, this short story examines the greed that comes with power, and the lengths people go to in order to keep that power. It was interesting to hear about the author's sense of betweeness when it came to cultural truths, and to see how that translated into the story. I don't want to give a lot away, since it's such a short novella, but it's definitely worth the read.

Told in a fable-like/SFF manner, this is an easy read and something that I definitely think would make a great case study for an English class to examine.

TW: mutilation, death, injury detail, violence, propaganda, oppression

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Empire of Gods and Beasts by Joyce Chua

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful reflective 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? No

5.0

It's always bittersweet when a series comes to an end. Empire of Gods and Beasts had a grand but also sentimental finale that was absolutely perfect for this story and its characters.

As a whole, I really loved this series. The sweeping desert landscape, the political tension between our characters and the Oasis Kingdom, the oppression and scapegoating against the Ling (particularly the shouren), the four POVs of our favourite characters (Desert Rose, Wei, Windshadow, and Meng), all come together and clash within this epic finale.

Joyce Chua proves herself a storytelling master. Every book weaves in the events of the previous instalments to show the impact of previous events, as well as remind readers in an organic way of the the things that have already come to pass. It really helped to flesh the characters out further and remind us of their motivations and intentions. This also helped to continue to shape the world and its lore and history. As a whole, I found the story so easy to digest and I was so invested in their journey as the events laid out in the prophecy came to a head.

I will say that some parts felt too easy, though I also think that was also a result of our characters meshing better and them teaming up to actually fight their battles together. There was also one part where it felt like an MC was drinking some cultish koolaid, but I liked how that was spun as a fatal flaw issue. Windshadow and Meng surprised me the most, I think, though I think I would've like to be privy to more of the work they did in the background. We get to see Meng's sharp mind and Windshadow's surprising loyalty more in book 2, and I kind of wanted a bit more of that in this instalment. All that to say that I was wholly invested in the trajectory of their character arc and I really loved them and wanted more!

After all that scheming, all those various rotations through the palace dungeons, all the angst and fighting and loss, the end felt so earned and wonderful, and I loved that this story closed the way it did. I was so excited to hear Joyce Chua mention that there are spin-offs in the work that take place in the same universe, and I'm already excited to return to this world in the future.

TW: injury detail, fire injury/death, death, murder, war, violence; mentions torture, death of a parent, death of a sibling, grief

Plot: 4.5/5
Characters: 5/5
World Building: 5/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Pacing: 4.5/5
Overall: 5/5

eARC gifted by the author in exchange for an honest review.

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Kingdom of Blood and Gold by Joyce Chua

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adventurous challenging emotional informative reflective 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? Yes

5.0

Fast-paced and full of action and intrigue, I really enjoyed Kingdom of Blood and Gold.

While book 1 was more setup and getting to know the characters, book 2 jumped straight into the action. I love how the world is fleshed out more and the relationships deepen between our four MCs (yup, four! Windshadow gets her own POV in this one!).

Though much of it takes place away from court, this installment seemed to have more intrigue - more backstabbing, questions of loyalty and friendship, and surprises. I loved the little twists and how they built up each character, even giving time to secondary characters to shine.

I adored Wei so much more in this one and his friendship (and more???) with Desert Rose. I also liked seeing Meng at work in this one. He gave us some surprises, despite his "destiny" falling apart before our eyes. And Windshadow, I loved getting to know her more through this one. Her POV really showed off her quick mind and her sentimentality, despite her denial around caring for anyone else but herself.

Desert Rose is an absolute baddie, and she's a force to reckon with throughout this book. Seeing her powers grow and develop has been a treat and I love how the magic is described and built into the world. Her character plus the lore make this story so fascinating.

Again, I love how much Joyce Chua is able to cover in such a short time. With less than 300 pages, this book builds on the world, the characters, the politics, and the magic so well, giving us a rich follow up that both pays out what was set up in book 1 while also setting us up for book 3. I'm so excited for the finale, but I also know I'm woefully unprepared for the pain, because we all know that at least one of our beloved MCs has to go.

TW: death of a parent, blood, injury detail, violence, fire injury/death, murder, death, war; mentions torture

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Land of Sand and Song by Joyce Chua

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adventurous emotional informative inspiring 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? No

4.0

There's something to be said for lush, fantastical books being short and easy reads. Land of Sand and Song is an epic fantasy set in its own unique world, with its own politics and magic and class systems. The fact that Joyce Chua not only makes this world feel real, but in a way that feels simple, rather than overly complex and heavy-handed, accompanied by strong character arcs and story development, is a testament to her skill as a writer.

Right away, I was pulled into the story, invested in Desert Rose as she loses everything she's ever known due to a rebellion within her tribe. Her arc was fantastic as she meets new characters, faces trials, and learns about herself as the story progresses. I found her an interesting MC and one I could easy root for.

The other two POVs in this book are Wei's and Meng's. Wei is the Third Prince and rogue brother, while Meng is the Fourth Prince who recently became the favourite for the throne. Both have their own agendas and I loved seeing the layers peeled back slowly to reveal their true intentions and hearts. It provided a bit of mystery and assisted in the world building in a way that felt super organic and well delivered. I'm curious to see how their stories will play out alongside Desert Rose's as the series continues, as we leave them both as the start of something new at the end of this instalment.

All in all, I really liked how compact but fully realized this first instalment was. I'm very excited to see how this all plays out, as we've set up some interesting events for the characters to sink their teeth into.

TW: death of a parent, death of a sibling, death, violence, injury detail, war, imprisonment, fire injury/death

Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
World Building: 4.5/5
Writing: 5/5
Pacing: 4.5/5
Overall: 4/5

eBook gifted by the author in exchange for an honest review.

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Too Far by Abby Millsaps

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adventurous challenging dark reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

Still couldn't care less for Decker tbh lol his addition did not matter to me at all, but I appreciated the growth in his character. It felt like pulling teeth though, which was unexpected and kind of annoying. Like this was a three part series of telling Decker to get his head out of his ass.

Kylian remains my favourite and I love his character development. His arc was fantastic and I loved seeing him grow and kind of figure out what he wanted. All the boys at that. Locke especially, since he had the largest need to pivot.

Anyways, I enjoyed this series. It was mostly smut, but I liked the characters well enough. Kylian is a new forever fave.

Rep: MC with rheumatoid arthritis, MC with autism, MC with lupus

TW: sexual content, blackmail, violence, pregnancy; mentions death of a parent, murder, parental neglect, drug use, alcohol consumption

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Too Fast by Abby Millsaps

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adventurous challenging dark reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

I stand by my declaration of love for Kylian. Locke gets a sliver of that love too. Couldn't care less for Decker tbh, he is the downside of this series lol

Was not here for the plot, but it was still good. Was not surprised by Kendrick at all, but his addition was fun.

Again, I was just here for Kylian content, though I did like the progression of their relationships and learning more about her history.

Rep: MC with Autism, MC with Lupus, MC with rheumatoid arthritis 

TW: death of a parent, rape, medical content, panic attack, sexual content, kidnapping, drugs; mentions physical abuse, domestic abuse, parental neglect, alcohol consumption

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Too Safe by Abby Millsaps

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adventurous challenging reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I would die for Kylian. He must be protected at all costs. I love him.

How she ended up there was stupid, but I'll overlook it. I love the banter and the dynamics, and Kylian.

Rep: MC with autism, MC with lupus, MC with temporary disability, MC with rheumatoid arthritis

TW: panic attack, sexual content, kidnapping, alcohol consumption, vomiting, injury detail; mentions death of a parent, parental neglect

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Pretty Rings and Broken Things by Kat Singleton

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challenging hopeful reflective 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? It's complicated

2.0

Ah, terrible parents, forever scarring their children. This book felt formulaic and trite, but it was a good entertainment. I did love how well they communicated with each other, especially on Archer's end, which made the book exponentially better. Otherwise, the characters didn't have much personality, outside of Emma, who the next book is about. I'd be curious about her because she seems fun, but I'm not sure I'm interested enough in the trope-bait writing to read it. We'll see.

TW: sexism, sexual content, alcohol consumption, unconsensual filming during sex, violence; mentions pregnancy

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