cortanasreadingnook's reviews
271 reviews

The Emperor by RuNyx

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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? Yes

4.0

The Reaper by RuNyx

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

WHAT THE FUCK anyways full rtc!! 
Wild Love by Elsie Silver

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Going to begin this review with how I really love down bad, pathetic men for women because Ford Grant is a fucking treasure. This delightful and hilarious installment that starts the Rose Hill series is about childhood frenemies where he falls first AND harder than ever. This new book has a different writing style with a slower pacing, and yet there was no dull moment. The banter was both hilarious and intimate and there’s just truly something lovely about characters who have known each other since childhood. I firmly believe that to be loved is to be known and Wild Love was able to give us that.

For those who are curious if we get a cameo: YES. Our girl Willa was here being nuts as always <3 Cora was also an adorable addition! I loved the progress of their relationship towards the very end.
Tidesong by Wendy Xu

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

 Tidesong is a story of fairytales, dragons, and ancient magic brought to life with beautiful illustrations! Told through our main character Sophie, we read through her journey as a young witch/magician carrying the flame of being a descendant of a family of dragons in fantastical Ancient China What makes the story impressive for me is the fact that this reads as middle grade level and yet Wendy Xu’s depiction of anxiety is very realistic and relatable. I honestly did not expect less from the author of Mooncakes, which is also one of my favorite graphic novels! 
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad 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

3.5

This book is such a lush, young adult fantasy set in a magical ancient Korea. This adventurous tale is that of a young girl determinedly breaking the curse of the Sea God, jumping into the sea to spare their village’s newest sacrifice to appease the god’s anger. What I really liked about this book was its lore about the afterlife, and the magical creatures of old such as dragons and spirits. All of the characters were very enjoyable to read especially the dynamic between Mina, Namgi, Kirin, and Shin. I get why a lot of readers would consider this a favorite book. However, I noticed the lack of direction in the storytelling. The plot was definitely all over the place and it’s why my rating went down. If the romance could’ve been developed with an engaging form of narration, this wouldn’t have been so bad because some parts felt like dragging fillers. The lack of build-up towards the turning point made me lose enthusiasm all over because it should’ve been the very culmination of why this story was even written.
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King of Sloth by Ana Huang

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-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? Yes

3.0

I’ll be upfront and honest, so I need Ana to take a step back from publishing because this book wasn’t overall terrible, but it could’ve been better. More likeable than whatever the hell KOG was, but this genuinely just shows how her books are losing quality. There’s something lacking about Xavier & Sloane that I can’t point out despite all that hype last year. The number of loopholes here were just frustrating instead of giving a reader feelings of anticipation for the next book because I was more excited for the cameos. I’m also genuinely so sick of her books completely being marketed via tropes instead of having an actual plot. At this point it just feels poor and recycled that I can’t believe this is the same writer who gave us Twisted Series because as much as I dislike Alex, he and Ava actually had a story to tell.

I wish Ana all the best in writing, but taking a break isn’t so bad. Quality over quantity matters here and for a book advertised as NA Romance, this became a badly executed romcom. The characters were just so poorly developed that it felt dragging. Don’t even get me started on the smut because I’m not the only one who felt disappointed in King of Sloth. 
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Reckless by Elsie Silver

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is absolutely the peak of Elsie Silver’s writing because I fell in love with BOTH Winter and Theo. I know a lot of people hesitate when it comes to picking up anything with the pregnancy trope, but Reckless feels like a warm hug on a freezing, winter night so I’d suggest giving this a chance. Theo Silva is one of the most amazing men I’ve read about. He’s not perfect but he’s the perfect one for Winter. There’s something profoundly charming about having someone look at you and just know you. The banter and smut here were incredibly good and fun to read. Vivi was an adorable addition too! 
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Powerless by Elsie Silver

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

There’s a reason why I specifically love reading the bestfriends-to-lovers trope in romance because there’s some sort of familiarity with falling in love with a face you’ve known for a long time. Jasper and Sloane are so special to me, and this was the first time that I did not feel uncomfortable reading an age gap romance because it was just really well done. Mostly because it explained the boundaries that most age-gap relationships don’t tackle, especially when the characters have known each since childhood. If Sweet Nothing was a book, it’d be Jasper and Sloane. Powerless is a very endearing book about taking risks, literally just saying “fuck it” to everything, and the craziness adulthood can bring upon you. I expected to like this less, but I loved it more than I thought I would. 
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Darker by Four by June CL Tan

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adventurous challenging emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

June C.L. Tan is back with a new book perfect for fans of Shadowhunters, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Tokyo Ghoul; Queer teens, reapers from hell, a missing god, and powerful dark magic that could destroy them all. Darker by Four is richly imbued with Chinese diaspora lore, with beautiful, morally complex characters. It keeps a reader engaged with the right amount of tension, romance, and amazing action scenes. The author was able to capture the perfect magical and dark atmosphere that transports a reader into its incredible storytelling. A remarkable illustrated cover aside, this is a book that is definitely worth one’s time. I can’t wait for the sequel because the storytelling and characters give it huge potential to be a new YA Asian fantasy favorite. 
Flawless by Elsie Silver

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-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? Yes

3.0

 This is my first Elsie Silver book and suffice to say, I enjoyed it! I didn’t expect to like cowboy romance at all, but this was a very feel-good romance story with little to no conflict at all, just lots of tension and filthy smut (my cheeks were on fire I wish I was joking). To be completely honest, I’ve never felt this excited about reading a New Adult story in a long time, but this swoon-worthy romance made it worth my time, with both the characters having good character development arcs.