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chthonic_child's reviews
135 reviews
Behind The Net by Stephanie Archer
3.75
Okay Jamie Steicher, you can get it. Golden Retriever boy with a 🌶️ side to him ❤️. The way he’s so caring and spoils Pippa is ✨✨. This book was very fun to read :). We follow Pippa, who ends up as the PA of her high school crush Jamie. He’s a famous ice hockey goalie who moved back to Vancouver to be closer to his mom as her panick attacks get worse, and when he suddenly has his high school crush at his front door after requesting a PA, well…. But she doesn’t seem to recognize him (she does) and he’s supposed to be super grumpy and cold as ice as he only has time for hockey and his mom…. Or does he?
It’s really sweet to read how Jamie helps Pippa find her confidence, supports her and cares for her, even when they’re not even a couple yet. Even more when they are 😂. Story was entertaining and nice palate cleanser but it reads a little fanfic-y, so it’s not a literary masterpiece 🙈 some parts repeat a lot and it’s a lil cringy every so often but it’s also sweet and 👀👀👀🌶️ so all in all it was a fun read 😊
It’s really sweet to read how Jamie helps Pippa find her confidence, supports her and cares for her, even when they’re not even a couple yet. Even more when they are 😂. Story was entertaining and nice palate cleanser but it reads a little fanfic-y, so it’s not a literary masterpiece 🙈 some parts repeat a lot and it’s a lil cringy every so often but it’s also sweet and 👀👀👀🌶️ so all in all it was a fun read 😊
Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood
5.0
Sound the alarms, Ali has a new book 🥺 and shit it's a good one! This is probably my favourite book of hers, as well as my favourite characters. Rue is such an angel and she's such a complicated character? I love love love the way Ali wrote her and the complexities but also the way she just went about the relationship with Eli, even though she wasn't sure how to navigate the situation, she followed her feelings and yay girl 🥰
Eli? ✨a man✨. I LOVED reading his pov's and seeing how he pined for Rue 😂 But also how she intrigued him and how he thought about her with such admiration (and horny but yknow obviously), and really appreciated her for who she is.
The one really was different from Ali's usual books in the sense that it felt more mature? It was still silly and awkward as we're used to, but there's no hiding the trauma of either of them and the way they communicated felt more mature? idk how else to explain it. Please read :D
Eli? ✨a man✨. I LOVED reading his pov's and seeing how he pined for Rue 😂 But also how she intrigued him and how he thought about her with such admiration (and horny but yknow obviously), and really appreciated her for who she is.
The one really was different from Ali's usual books in the sense that it felt more mature? It was still silly and awkward as we're used to, but there's no hiding the trauma of either of them and the way they communicated felt more mature? idk how else to explain it. Please read :D
Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo
3.5
It took some time for me to get into the story, but when I finally sat down and actually got into it, it was so much better than the last two books for me. Alina was still bothering me, especially in the first half, but I think after they finally escaped the caves, I got into the story a lot more and I started feeling more with Alina and her choices. Especially near the end, it was better written, and quite intense! i'm such a sucker for Nikolai and his wits and charm 🥺. The connection with the Darkling and Alina was also very interesting and it was nice to get some answers! The epilogue was really sweet and I wouldn't have wanted to see it any other way. hella stoked for the next books in the Grisha Verse :D
Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
3.5
So, this book was already an improvement from book 1 for me. I'm also writing this review after reading book 3 because apparently I completely forgot about finishing the review and getting through this series😂 however this is just my thoughts on this book not the 3rd one. I appreciate the pace it got and after the first 100-something pages I got super into the story and raced through it. One thing Leigh does amazingly with this series is the plot-twists. As well as in the 3rd book, I've had so many surprising turn of events. I LOVED the introduction of Nikolai. His wittyness, charms and just person was such a breath of fresh air tbh. He's gonna make an amazing king <3. Also the others off the ship, Tamar and Tenya were some of my new favourites. Mal was not my favourite here. He was quite annoyingly posessive over Alina where she didnt need it in order to grow into her powers but ye...
Also, once again near the end, plottwists and action had me at the edge of my seat.
Also, once again near the end, plottwists and action had me at the edge of my seat.
The House that Horror Built by Christina Henry
5.0
oh. my. god... Obvisouly, it's Christina Henry so.. ya know? Did this book get me out of my reading slump? Probably. Might have also put me back into it because it was so good 😂. This is absolutely a mystery thriller. It has a huuuuuuge buildup, which left Shannon (buddy read) and me p l e n t y of time to speculate and guess an scheme of what everything actually is.
This book follows Harry, a single mom who loves horror movies. She just started a job as a cleaner at Bright Hall in Chigaco. The house where her favourite movie director. Javier Castillo is a (selfproclaimed) genius in his movies. He is constantly working on new movies and finding funding. His entire house is full of movie props and collectibles which is exactly why he hired Harry, he can't dust them off by himself. After a while of working there, Harry starts to get a creepy feeling and things start to happen that aren't supposed to happen, really.......
Near the end I was getting a little nervous, the final chapter was nearing and we still knew barely anything, however, in true Henry-style, the finale was grande! I feel like this book is either very much your thing or not at all, and in a way I feel like you might only get the 'full' appreciation for it if you know Henry her writing style a little better. It was an absolutely amazing read with tension, suspicion and so many questions 🤭
This book follows Harry, a single mom who loves horror movies. She just started a job as a cleaner at Bright Hall in Chigaco. The house where her favourite movie director. Javier Castillo is a (selfproclaimed) genius in his movies. He is constantly working on new movies and finding funding. His entire house is full of movie props and collectibles which is exactly why he hired Harry, he can't dust them off by himself. After a while of working there, Harry starts to get a creepy feeling and things start to happen that aren't supposed to happen, really.......
Near the end I was getting a little nervous, the final chapter was nearing and we still knew barely anything, however, in true Henry-style, the finale was grande! I feel like this book is either very much your thing or not at all, and in a way I feel like you might only get the 'full' appreciation for it if you know Henry her writing style a little better. It was an absolutely amazing read with tension, suspicion and so many questions 🤭
Throttled by Lauren Asher
3.5
Do i know anything about F1? No. But It's Lauren Asher so obviously I can't, not read this :). I enjoyed it but I'm not head over heels. We follow Maya and Noah. Noah is the three times world champion F1 racer and Maya is the sister of his new teammate Santi. Santi crashed him a few years before so there's not a lot of excitement about them coming together, but Maya intrigues him so he has to play nice.
There were quite a lot of happenings that I felt were a bit rushed and didn't the the attention it deserved. I was hoping for a little more 'drama'? Maybe? I had moments like ooohh here we goo-nevermind xD
Maya was annoying to me quite a lot of the times. Noah was a grade A dickhead in the beginning and gave me serious sweet-whiplash xD. The banter between them was nice and their chemistry was cute. Since her billionaire series kicked off after the first one, I'm hoping its the case for this one as well 😂🥺
There were quite a lot of happenings that I felt were a bit rushed and didn't the the attention it deserved. I was hoping for a little more 'drama'? Maybe? I had moments like ooohh here we goo-nevermind xD
Maya was annoying to me quite a lot of the times. Noah was a grade A dickhead in the beginning and gave me serious sweet-whiplash xD. The banter between them was nice and their chemistry was cute. Since her billionaire series kicked off after the first one, I'm hoping its the case for this one as well 😂🥺
Wildfire by Hannah Grace
4.0
Remember how much I cringed and struggled through Icebreaker? Wildfire fully redeemed Hannah Grace. I enjoyed this soooooooo much more!
During Wildfire we follow soft, introverted Russ an loud, wild Aurora. They meet during the farewell party from all the graduating hockeyplayers and Russ is instantly head over heels for Aurora, who he deems fully out of his league. They get it on though, during drunk Jenga and have a /very/ fun evening. When Russ is in the bathroom for a while, Aurora knows he wants her gone, from experience with her other hookups and leaves. Not knowing that both of them applied for councelors at the same summercamp.
My annoyances with Icebreaker were that there were some really good opportunities to touch on heavier subject but everything was glossed over and the only good thing was the smut... Wildfire has it all! I didnt yeet my book once because of cringing. Aurora is amazing! The self-discovery and character development is really well done and understandable. I could relate to the dad not being a dad and having been in a no-contact situation myself, I'm glad the book didn't take the turn I was kind of scared it was going to take.
Russ? Deserves the whole entire world? The smut? My mans knew what he was doing lemme tell ya xD. I'm glad this book was more than just smut. It had plot, commnication and character growth. Some parts still felt a bit rushed and I would've liked the situation with Clay to have escalated a little, maybe? But generally an upgrade and I'm actually looking forward to Henry's story!!
During Wildfire we follow soft, introverted Russ an loud, wild Aurora. They meet during the farewell party from all the graduating hockeyplayers and Russ is instantly head over heels for Aurora, who he deems fully out of his league. They get it on though, during drunk Jenga and have a /very/ fun evening. When Russ is in the bathroom for a while, Aurora knows he wants her gone, from experience with her other hookups and leaves. Not knowing that both of them applied for councelors at the same summercamp.
My annoyances with Icebreaker were that there were some really good opportunities to touch on heavier subject but everything was glossed over and the only good thing was the smut... Wildfire has it all! I didnt yeet my book once because of cringing. Aurora is amazing! The self-discovery and character development is really well done and understandable. I could relate to the dad not being a dad and having been in a no-contact situation myself, I'm glad the book didn't take the turn I was kind of scared it was going to take.
Russ? Deserves the whole entire world? The smut? My mans knew what he was doing lemme tell ya xD. I'm glad this book was more than just smut. It had plot, commnication and character growth. Some parts still felt a bit rushed and I would've liked the situation with Clay to have escalated a little, maybe? But generally an upgrade and I'm actually looking forward to Henry's story!!
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
3.0
In Shadow & Bone we follow Alina, who gets taken by the Darkling to change the world. She goes in training with the Grisha, people with 'magic' in order to be able to rid the world of The Fold, a black shroud with horrible creatures inside it.
This book, I had to get into it. The first part was kind of repetitive and I kept getting distracted with other books in the meantime. It was very fast paced but a lot of the same? Which it was nice to get her progress and all, but i think at some point a timeskip would have helped😅. Or more dialogues instead? Have Alina be more in contact with others i suppose? Idk. It took a while for me to get into it. But when it kicked off it was hard for me to put the book down. It was very tense and I was on the edge of my seat😂
Romance wise, I'm not a huge fan of love triangles, so I hope it's resolved fairly quickly? So far I'm a fan of Mal. I wish I had his tracking skills 😂
So far, not the most impactful fantasy I've ever read? But I was warned for this so I'll keep going for the rest!✨
This book, I had to get into it. The first part was kind of repetitive and I kept getting distracted with other books in the meantime. It was very fast paced but a lot of the same? Which it was nice to get her progress and all, but i think at some point a timeskip would have helped😅. Or more dialogues instead? Have Alina be more in contact with others i suppose? Idk. It took a while for me to get into it. But when it kicked off it was hard for me to put the book down. It was very tense and I was on the edge of my seat😂
Romance wise, I'm not a huge fan of love triangles, so I hope it's resolved fairly quickly? So far I'm a fan of Mal. I wish I had his tracking skills 😂
So far, not the most impactful fantasy I've ever read? But I was warned for this so I'll keep going for the rest!✨
Come Out, Come Out by Alexia Onyx
3.0
Let me start off by saying this was a lot less unhinged than I expected? Also, a book ending with links to black cat adoption? Instant yes. Keep in mind this book has a grocerylist of triggers though, and I'm keeping my review a little superficial to not spoil/hit too many triggers xd
In Come out, come out, we follow Aiden who lost his twin sister 5 years ago. After a discovery he sets out to off the guys that, offed his sister. He gets injured as well during the fight and passes away in the house, tethering him there. Then, Skye moves in with two friends. She's heavily depressed, a substance abuser and is very much ready to not be in the world anymore. For Aiden, it's his purpose to help her get her spark back, to make her feel alive because she is, and basically to be whatever she needs him to be.
This book had a lot of ups and downs for me. Parts were drawn out and some were skipped over super quickly. I think there's potential behind the concept and I can definitely see where the story comes from but it was a l o t of telling and very little showing. We only get slivers of character backgrounds compared to a l o t of smut. We know I don't shy away from it, and i can't lie it was really good smut, but everything around it was a little lacking for me. The parts I liked I really did like tho.
I struggled with the large timeskips... In a way I get them, because Aidan doesn't 'return' until every friday the 13th, but it also lead to a lot of things I felt like were logical? to not be explored until that timeskip? And I would have liked to see some more of the behaviours of Skye's ups and downs, rather than have been told about them in hindsight. I feel like that would've really helped with my connection to the characters.
Nevertheless, although it's extreme in the books, I felt like I could relate to Skye in some ways. The way she sought her escapes and her depression. But maybe that's why I would have liked to have seen more description of that, to really settle that connection?
I think Aiden was a amazing, especially near the end of the book. The way he learned Skye and what she needed, which is fair because he's literally there 24/7 but yknow, the man's trying. Also with him though, I would've liked to see maybe, flashbacks to his living days, to really get to know him a lot better other than what he's telling ig?
Also- im just gonna pretend that epilogue does not exist xD
In the end I feel like this might be a little like icebreaker where book one just didn't hit it, but book two will be a lot better with the author's process? So I'll probably, eventually, read that one :)
In Come out, come out, we follow Aiden who lost his twin sister 5 years ago. After a discovery he sets out to off the guys that, offed his sister. He gets injured as well during the fight and passes away in the house, tethering him there. Then, Skye moves in with two friends. She's heavily depressed, a substance abuser and is very much ready to not be in the world anymore. For Aiden, it's his purpose to help her get her spark back, to make her feel alive because she is, and basically to be whatever she needs him to be.
This book had a lot of ups and downs for me. Parts were drawn out and some were skipped over super quickly. I think there's potential behind the concept and I can definitely see where the story comes from but it was a l o t of telling and very little showing. We only get slivers of character backgrounds compared to a l o t of smut. We know I don't shy away from it, and i can't lie it was really good smut, but everything around it was a little lacking for me. The parts I liked I really did like tho.
I struggled with the large timeskips... In a way I get them, because Aidan doesn't 'return' until every friday the 13th, but it also lead to a lot of things I felt like were logical? to not be explored until that timeskip? And I would have liked to see some more of the behaviours of Skye's ups and downs, rather than have been told about them in hindsight. I feel like that would've really helped with my connection to the characters.
Nevertheless, although it's extreme in the books, I felt like I could relate to Skye in some ways. The way she sought her escapes and her depression. But maybe that's why I would have liked to have seen more description of that, to really settle that connection?
I think Aiden was a amazing, especially near the end of the book. The way he learned Skye and what she needed, which is fair because he's literally there 24/7 but yknow, the man's trying. Also with him though, I would've liked to see maybe, flashbacks to his living days, to really get to know him a lot better other than what he's telling ig?
Also- im just gonna pretend that epilogue does not exist xD
In the end I feel like this might be a little like icebreaker where book one just didn't hit it, but book two will be a lot better with the author's process? So I'll probably, eventually, read that one :)
Travis by Mia Sheridan
5.0
I've been debating whether I wanted to reread Archer's Voice before I read this one, but in the end I didn't and I'm kind of happy? I feel like it gave me more of an "accurate" timeskip feeling and Travis' true redemption arc.
I l o v e d Archer's Voice and maybe i was a bit nervous on whether I would enjoy Travis' story as well but consider my man redeemed💜. I read this in a day for a reason.
Travis' story ends up being so compelling and when the book /really/ kicks off it's hard to put it down. The little nudges that are introduced in the beginning that later become known or consequences give this book as many layers as it's characters. Mia really has a way of writing that grips you. Like AV, I'm still thinking about that book long after I read it, I feel like the lessons of Travis will do that too.
Haven is a beautiful soul, the way her trauma impacted her is making the world a better place, but I also hope that somewhere she is/was able to find help with processing everything, whether it's with Travis or professionals.
It was So good to read about Archer and Bree again! I missed them, and seeing how they turned out 8 years later was so good🥺🥺 I honestly wish I could be her friend XD
All in all this book had me all over the place with feelings. I was on the verge of tears more times than I'd like to admit. The way Mia makes her characters feel so real is so magical, I honestly cannot wait to read more of her.
I l o v e d Archer's Voice and maybe i was a bit nervous on whether I would enjoy Travis' story as well but consider my man redeemed💜. I read this in a day for a reason.
Travis' story ends up being so compelling and when the book /really/ kicks off it's hard to put it down. The little nudges that are introduced in the beginning that later become known or consequences give this book as many layers as it's characters. Mia really has a way of writing that grips you. Like AV, I'm still thinking about that book long after I read it, I feel like the lessons of Travis will do that too.
Haven is a beautiful soul, the way her trauma impacted her is making the world a better place, but I also hope that somewhere she is/was able to find help with processing everything, whether it's with Travis or professionals.
It was So good to read about Archer and Bree again! I missed them, and seeing how they turned out 8 years later was so good🥺🥺 I honestly wish I could be her friend XD
All in all this book had me all over the place with feelings. I was on the verge of tears more times than I'd like to admit. The way Mia makes her characters feel so real is so magical, I honestly cannot wait to read more of her.