deannak92's reviews
172 reviews

Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett

adventurous emotional funny inspiring lighthearted mysterious 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

I thoroughly enjoyed the first two books in the Emily Wilde series and this final instalment did not disappoint. Delightful, magical, lighthearted and humorous, the Compendium of Lost Tales takes you on another adventure of academia, folklore, romance and action. I am obsessed with this series, it is so whimsical and I highly recommend everyone give this series a go. I am so incredibly sad to see the end of it.

“I have learned there is one thing a person never tires of, no matter how long they live. And that is being in love. All else is ash and ember.” ✨❤️🧚‍♀️

The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

4.5

The angst, the action, the slow burn, THE SPICE. When he was massaging and touching her wings, you better believe I was holding my breath.  If you know me, you know I’m a huge fan of spice and the few scenes you receive in this book were done so utterly well and worth the wait of 300+ pages. Some of the romance was so poetic and just beautiful. I felt like I was reading all the action in 2x speed and watching it unfold like a movie I my head. I’m so pleasantly surprised by this final book in the duet after feeling like the first one was a little slow. Very excited to read the next duet!

The kiss was like a thunderstorm over the summer desert - a torrent that swept in all at once, obliterating the heat, so all-consuming that suddenly you remember nothing but the rain 😩❤️

The Accidental Dating Experiment by Lauren Blakely

funny lighthearted 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? No

3.75

For a free audiobook in the Audible Plus catalogue, I was pleasantly surprised! It’s just a cute, funny, romantic little story. Nice amount of spice and Jacob Morgan does a superb job at narrating. I’d have loved it to be a duet rather than duel narration, as I feel that would have made it even better. If you’re looking for a quick palette cleanser, have a listen to this 🎧👌🏼

Where the Library Hides by Isabel Ibañez

challenging mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I had such high hopes for the sequel to What the River Knows - I absolutely loved book 1 with all the offerings of action, romance, banter, history and more. Where the Library Hides just left me with a bunch of questions and thoughts.

Poor Inez has had such a rough experience with her entire family and literally nearly everyone that surrounds her.  Both of her parents give zero shits about her and she’s better off without them. Her father being revealed as Stirling was not something I was expecting and I was certainly mind blown by that. 

I loved Whit in the first book, but what the fuck was that, Whit? How dare you! I don’t understand how Inez could so easily forgive him for stealing all of her money, and the fact he was allowed to access it without her permission just because they were married made my head explode - I know laws were different when this story was set but I’m still furious about it 😅

There just seemed to be so many plot holes and discrepancies in Where the Library Hides. We miss Inez and her curious personality in this sequel, there was barely any history, not once was she sketching something. I hoped for so much more! 

The audio however is very lush, the narrators do a stunning job and kept me engaged purely just based on their voices. 

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

This is a reread after many years and it is still an enjoyable, short fantasy. I wouldn’t say I love it, but it’s definitely a good foundation for what is a very loved world and series. At times, I found it a bit of a drag and push to get through but as a whole these small parts did not take away from the experience. The writing is very descriptive. 

“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”

Six Scorched Roses by Carissa Broadbent

dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.0

A little novella that packs a punch. Full of action, tension and romance. Beautiful, dark descriptive writing and thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to end. 

“Whatever you wish to give me,” he repeated, slowly, like he wanted to make sure I understood. “I’ll have it.”

Fourth Wing (Part 2 of 2) [Dramatized Adaptation] by Rebecca Yarros

adventurous emotional mysterious 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

5.0

Phenomenal adaptation. I fear I will never listen to a regular audiobook again. Dramatized adaptations are the way to go. 

Loved reading this physically back in 2023, and enjoyed it just as much listening to it the second time around. 

Fourth Wing (Part 1 of 2) (Dramatized Adaptation) by Rebecca Yarros

adventurous mysterious 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

5.0

Incredible adaptation from Graphic Audio. Like most people, I am re-reading this series in preparation for Onyx Storm. I physically read the books the first time, so thought the audio this time would be a nice change. The narration is done extremely well, with the added sound effects and music it truly makes it feel like a movie unfolding in front of you. 

I did notice a couple of mispronunciations but this didn’t affect my experience at all. Onto Part 2 🙌🏼

Sugar Baby by Harley Madison

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

If you’re looking for a fast paced, FMMMM spicy read then look no further! 

I love how Emmy’s roommate isn’t at all judgemental and helps her out in her current situation and for a short erotica book you still got a bit of backstory which gives the book a good balance of plot and spice. 

I enjoyed the age gap/daddy kink, although feel it got a bit old after a while as the word could sometimes be used multiple times on the same page. There was a couple of small icks for me, but overall I’d recommend it for a quick fun read. 

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

3.75 stars. For me, Heir of Fire was mediocre in comparison to Throne of Glass. You’re set up for this amazing story previously, but this instalment felt like a lot of filler to me with a slow pace. 

The multiple POVs made it hard to connect with the newer characters as it’s continually bouncing back and forth. Unsure how Manon is meant to fit into the story as her chapters felt like a totally different book or a novella but I’m sure we will see her place further into the series. 

I don’t understand Rowan and how he can be an absolute prick for 80% of this book only to come out a totally different person at the end with not a whole lot of personality building? I’d have loved to see more of Chaol and his inner thoughts as I really enjoy him as a character and feel he’s got a very good story behind him to tell. 

However even with all my negative points on this story, I did still enjoy it, especially the last few chapters where as per usual you get a massive helping of action that sets you up for the next book. 

Putting this one as a 3.75 for me, as I promised myself I’d try to really sit with my ratings and reviews properly in 2025.