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caitybell's reviews
521 reviews
Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews
4.0
Andrea is no Kate, but damn if I don’t root for her just as hard. I was timid about reading a spin off that wasn’t from Kate’s POV, but I enjoyed this book immensely. I’ve been waiting for this particular culture (no saying which as a spoiler) to pop up in this series, and now it has! Also, Raphael is a precious cinnamon roll armed with daggers and I would protect him with my life. <3
Magic Tests by Ilona Andrews
5.0
Super refreshing novella featuring Julie and some fun mythology. We also see some characters from other novellas return and I really appreciated that. The character development in this series/world remains one of the best I’ve read.
Kate and Curran Texts, Dabwaha by NOT A BOOK
4.75
Curran doesn’t know how to do laundry? Amazing.
I am eating all these little extras up as if it were air I was breathing.
I am eating all these little extras up as if it were air I was breathing.
A Pack of Blood and Lies by Olivia Wildenstein
2.0
I was happy to receive an ARC of A Pack of Blood and Lies in exchange for an honest review!
Real rating 2.5/5
Werewolves, like most fantasy or supernatural creatures are a fave when it comes to reading material. More so, I love a good "woman finding her way in a male dominated pack." It's a trope, but a good one we see often enough in werewolf books. Alas, this book just didn't do it for me the way I wanted it to. I may have gone in with too high of expectations, but APOBAL fell short in so many areas, I'm surprised I finished it.
The bones of the story are thus: Ness, just shy of her 18th birthday, is forced to return to a town and a pack that had originally chased her and her widowed mother out several years ago. The horrible alpha is dead, and his son is set to be the new alpha. But when Ness returns, she decides to run against him for the title.
Now, let's begin with Ness. I had mixed feelings towards the beginning, her inner thoughts and reasoning and overall thought process is kind of bland and boring. I think she's boring, but I also thought there was plenty of room to grow. I don't believe Ness grew at all throughout this book. Her attraction to Liam (the guy who wants to be alpha) is kinda just THERE, not really written in a way where it blooms and unfolds. She makes several very questionable, bordering on reckless, decisions that had me so irritated with her I had to put the book down and question if I wanted to continue. Liam is two dimensional, and though I was promised a "kind but punishing" alpha male, I got none of that. There is legitimately no reason why she should like this guy. I was a bit distraught halfway through the book when I realized I didn't care for a single character. Like, at all. Every character is boring, flat, and so cliche it physically hurt my eyes.
There are severe trigger warnings that should be better advertised instead of the, "contains alpha males" warning in the synopsis. There is rape, so bad the girl is in a comma. Lots of rape and sexual violence. So be warned. Also, be warned that the sexual assault in this book is written for one purpose: SHOCK VALUE, and that irks me greatly. There were a cluster of political and social issues the author tried to weave throughout her story but it simply ended up a giant mess and came off as trying so very hard to make me see OH LOOK DIVERSITY OH LOOK FEMINISM OH LOOK SEXUAL REPRESENTATION. I prefer books to have these elements as a natural inclination, instead of being forced onto me in a far too obvious and pushed way. If anything some of it took away from the story and characters because it didn't feel natural at all.
There is misogyny. Lots of it. It's one of the key motivators for Ness, to prove the men wrong and show that she is strong and can be a part of the pack. Most of the characters were so out of character the whole time, things they would do or say one chapter would be erased or confused by the next chapter. The guys don't want a girl in the pack, then they are saying she's so great and strong...its tiresome the lack of character consistency. And Ness? The main girl who vows sexism is wrong? She would turn right around and hate on a girl just for what she was wearing but complain that girls weren't sticking together. Hypocritical to the max.
The main plot, her and Liam fighting it out with a series of tasks to achieve the title of alpha, was kind of a backburner plot even though it should have been front and center. Not to mention the tasks were ultimately pretty boring and simple. But there are about three other subplots that weave throughout and it all seems so halfhearted that I ultimately wasn't too invested in seeing how any of it played out. The stakes of this book are at a flatline the entire time, never once did I worry or truly care who would win or what would happen.
The saving grace of the story was the werewolf factor, I love the beasts and it's the only reason I kept reading. Overall I give it such a low rating because I feel like the world building and character development was very weak. But I also plan on continuing the series because I hope to actually see the characters finally grow and come together.
Real rating 2.5/5
Werewolves, like most fantasy or supernatural creatures are a fave when it comes to reading material. More so, I love a good "woman finding her way in a male dominated pack." It's a trope, but a good one we see often enough in werewolf books. Alas, this book just didn't do it for me the way I wanted it to. I may have gone in with too high of expectations, but APOBAL fell short in so many areas, I'm surprised I finished it.
The bones of the story are thus: Ness, just shy of her 18th birthday, is forced to return to a town and a pack that had originally chased her and her widowed mother out several years ago. The horrible alpha is dead, and his son is set to be the new alpha. But when Ness returns, she decides to run against him for the title.
Now, let's begin with Ness. I had mixed feelings towards the beginning, her inner thoughts and reasoning and overall thought process is kind of bland and boring. I think she's boring, but I also thought there was plenty of room to grow. I don't believe Ness grew at all throughout this book. Her attraction to Liam (the guy who wants to be alpha) is kinda just THERE, not really written in a way where it blooms and unfolds. She makes several very questionable, bordering on reckless, decisions that had me so irritated with her I had to put the book down and question if I wanted to continue. Liam is two dimensional, and though I was promised a "kind but punishing" alpha male, I got none of that. There is legitimately no reason why she should like this guy. I was a bit distraught halfway through the book when I realized I didn't care for a single character. Like, at all. Every character is boring, flat, and so cliche it physically hurt my eyes.
There are severe trigger warnings that should be better advertised instead of the, "contains alpha males" warning in the synopsis. There is rape, so bad the girl is in a comma. Lots of rape and sexual violence. So be warned. Also, be warned that the sexual assault in this book is written for one purpose: SHOCK VALUE, and that irks me greatly. There were a cluster of political and social issues the author tried to weave throughout her story but it simply ended up a giant mess and came off as trying so very hard to make me see OH LOOK DIVERSITY OH LOOK FEMINISM OH LOOK SEXUAL REPRESENTATION. I prefer books to have these elements as a natural inclination, instead of being forced onto me in a far too obvious and pushed way. If anything some of it took away from the story and characters because it didn't feel natural at all.
There is misogyny. Lots of it. It's one of the key motivators for Ness, to prove the men wrong and show that she is strong and can be a part of the pack. Most of the characters were so out of character the whole time, things they would do or say one chapter would be erased or confused by the next chapter. The guys don't want a girl in the pack, then they are saying she's so great and strong...its tiresome the lack of character consistency. And Ness? The main girl who vows sexism is wrong? She would turn right around and hate on a girl just for what she was wearing but complain that girls weren't sticking together. Hypocritical to the max.
The main plot, her and Liam fighting it out with a series of tasks to achieve the title of alpha, was kind of a backburner plot even though it should have been front and center. Not to mention the tasks were ultimately pretty boring and simple. But there are about three other subplots that weave throughout and it all seems so halfhearted that I ultimately wasn't too invested in seeing how any of it played out. The stakes of this book are at a flatline the entire time, never once did I worry or truly care who would win or what would happen.
The saving grace of the story was the werewolf factor, I love the beasts and it's the only reason I kept reading. Overall I give it such a low rating because I feel like the world building and character development was very weak. But I also plan on continuing the series because I hope to actually see the characters finally grow and come together.