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eclecticreadsbyskye's Reviews (250)
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
An intriguing journey through human and fae worlds of myth and magic.
Astra is a princess impersonator and guard. Her sole purpose is to replace the Krastel princess during dangerous endeavors, even marriage. Her life has zero love, and little happiness, with the exception of her dreams every night of her kindred soul. He makes her feel loved and alive. Too bad he's only in her dreams.
Then on a mission impersonating the princess, her carriage is attacked by the disgraced fae prince Marlak. He just so happens to be her kindred soul. Unfortunately, real life doesn't feel like dreams.
As Astra is forced into Marlak's world, can she uncover his secrets without betraying her own?
I greatly enjoyed this story. Enemies to lovers is always a favorite trope of mine. They just get to add in the dream lovers much more quickly than their actual relationship progresses. Slowly uncovering some of their secrets was interesting. At times Astra's inner back and forth took me out of the story a bit, but it didn't keep me from enjoying it nonetheless.
I'm interested to see where the next book takes us after that cliffhanger of an ending.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced ecopy!
Astra is a princess impersonator and guard. Her sole purpose is to replace the Krastel princess during dangerous endeavors, even marriage. Her life has zero love, and little happiness, with the exception of her dreams every night of her kindred soul. He makes her feel loved and alive. Too bad he's only in her dreams.
Then on a mission impersonating the princess, her carriage is attacked by the disgraced fae prince Marlak. He just so happens to be her kindred soul. Unfortunately, real life doesn't feel like dreams.
As Astra is forced into Marlak's world, can she uncover his secrets without betraying her own?
I greatly enjoyed this story. Enemies to lovers is always a favorite trope of mine. They just get to add in the dream lovers much more quickly than their actual relationship progresses. Slowly uncovering some of their secrets was interesting. At times Astra's inner back and forth took me out of the story a bit, but it didn't keep me from enjoying it nonetheless.
I'm interested to see where the next book takes us after that cliffhanger of an ending.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced ecopy!
adventurous
emotional
sad
fast-paced
A short prequel to Wings of Ink. This tells of the Fall of the Wild Ray just as the title suggests. I knew the outcome from reading Wings of Ink, but I'm still heartbroken.
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
This book left me screaming.... because I need the next book! I devoured this book in a day and a half! (Hehehe devoured... you'll get it later.)
We start with Ayna, the pirate, in prison as the last of her crew. She supposedly deserves a fate worse than death, but what could that be? Well, there are those tales about women going missing in the middle of the night when the feathered Crows are spotted. She is, in fact, sent to King Myron to be his bride this year.
The story builds slowly. It takes a bit to even find out Ayna's name or much about anyone. It's really fitting for the story though, because she's been in prison for nine months, and her world has shrunk to fit a cell. Then, she's pretty much just thrown in to another, but with the beings from her nightmares. I got so frustrated at first with how little information that she got, but it really fit the story in my opinion. We learn more as she does, and we learn why information is given sparingly.
This BATB retelling was unique and lovely. The relationship builds slowly, and the characters' true selves are slowly revealed. There are many characters who I love, and one who I loved and now hate. I can't wait to see how everything continues to develop in this world.
I was expecting a tidy ending with a HEA.... that is NOT what happened. Now we must wait for the next book. Though, the epilogue and change in POV may have made the wait just a teensy bit better.
We start with Ayna, the pirate, in prison as the last of her crew. She supposedly deserves a fate worse than death, but what could that be? Well, there are those tales about women going missing in the middle of the night when the feathered Crows are spotted. She is, in fact, sent to King Myron to be his bride this year.
The story builds slowly. It takes a bit to even find out Ayna's name or much about anyone. It's really fitting for the story though, because she's been in prison for nine months, and her world has shrunk to fit a cell. Then, she's pretty much just thrown in to another, but with the beings from her nightmares. I got so frustrated at first with how little information that she got, but it really fit the story in my opinion. We learn more as she does, and we learn why information is given sparingly.
This BATB retelling was unique and lovely. The relationship builds slowly, and the characters' true selves are slowly revealed. There are many characters who I love, and one who I loved and now hate. I can't wait to see how everything continues to develop in this world.
I was expecting a tidy ending with a HEA.... that is NOT what happened. Now we must wait for the next book. Though, the epilogue and change in POV may have made the wait just a teensy bit better.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Magic, adventures & an interesting world!
Princess Johanna must step into the role of queen much earlier than expected. Her mother was attacked and killed protecting a relic. As she takes her place as Queen, she must learn to rule the country, figure out who to trust, come into her powers, find the people who murdered her mother and countless others, and figure out what those people were after in the first place.
Unique gods, the world building, and the magic system are all very interesting! Johanna's world is expanded through her quest for answers and her constant need to learn. I love that fact that she always asks what she wants to know. It makes her a bit abrupt and acting rashly, but always with a pure heart. Her Archon help is always entertaining.
The pacing was a bit slow through parts, but I loved the different aspects to the story. Science, magic, archeology, spirituality, friendship, family, and so much more area all present throughout this book. I want to go into more detail on the characters but don't want to give any spoilers, so I'll refrain besides loving them all. Well almost all. There is romance in this book, but it's a relatively small part in relation to everything else.
The author's writing style is a little different, and the writing is Canadian/British English, not American. I enjoy the differences personally, but I know some struggle with the different style, spelling and wording.
The story arc meets its conclusion by the ending, but the introduction of characters and the ending have me ready for the next book!
Thank you to the author for the advanced copy of the ebook!
Princess Johanna must step into the role of queen much earlier than expected. Her mother was attacked and killed protecting a relic. As she takes her place as Queen, she must learn to rule the country, figure out who to trust, come into her powers, find the people who murdered her mother and countless others, and figure out what those people were after in the first place.
Unique gods, the world building, and the magic system are all very interesting! Johanna's world is expanded through her quest for answers and her constant need to learn. I love that fact that she always asks what she wants to know. It makes her a bit abrupt and acting rashly, but always with a pure heart. Her Archon help is always entertaining.
The pacing was a bit slow through parts, but I loved the different aspects to the story. Science, magic, archeology, spirituality, friendship, family, and so much more area all present throughout this book. I want to go into more detail on the characters but don't want to give any spoilers, so I'll refrain besides loving them all. Well almost all. There is romance in this book, but it's a relatively small part in relation to everything else.
The author's writing style is a little different, and the writing is Canadian/British English, not American. I enjoy the differences personally, but I know some struggle with the different style, spelling and wording.
The story arc meets its conclusion by the ending, but the introduction of characters and the ending have me ready for the next book!
Thank you to the author for the advanced copy of the ebook!
dark
emotional
slow-paced
An enchanting gothic academia sapphic romance. A compelling Carmilla retelling.
When future parish priest Laura Sheridan goes to Saint Perpetua’s College, she hopes to further her love for poetry and language while getting her needed degree for her future. There, she's one of the chosen few in the poetry seminar from the esteemed De Lafontaine. What she doesn't expect is to immediately be drawn in to a rivalry with the charming Carmilla Karnstein.
This book straddles the line between love, obsession and possession. There are valid trigger warnings as it is gruesome and explicit along with having unfair power dynamics and inappropriate student-teacher relationships. It of course draws heavily from the classic Carmilla, but it has interesting twists and changes from the original as well.
I greatly enjoyed the language of the book and the poetry, though I did wish that we got to delve more deeply into the characters themselves. A lot of the relationship changes seemed to happen extremely quickly and took me out of the story a bit a few times.
Overall, an enjoyable gothic read.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc!
When future parish priest Laura Sheridan goes to Saint Perpetua’s College, she hopes to further her love for poetry and language while getting her needed degree for her future. There, she's one of the chosen few in the poetry seminar from the esteemed De Lafontaine. What she doesn't expect is to immediately be drawn in to a rivalry with the charming Carmilla Karnstein.
This book straddles the line between love, obsession and possession. There are valid trigger warnings as it is gruesome and explicit along with having unfair power dynamics and inappropriate student-teacher relationships. It of course draws heavily from the classic Carmilla, but it has interesting twists and changes from the original as well.
I greatly enjoyed the language of the book and the poetry, though I did wish that we got to delve more deeply into the characters themselves. A lot of the relationship changes seemed to happen extremely quickly and took me out of the story a bit a few times.
Overall, an enjoyable gothic read.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc!
adventurous
slow-paced
This book leaves me feeling very conflicted.
The premise is about the cursed Everly's and how once a generation, an Everly goes missing.
The set up to the story is great. The prologue draws you in and sets the scene of uncovering what has plagued the Everly's for generations.
This book reads like a movie. That's the best way that I can think to describe it. It's third person narration, but it's not from any set point of few. It skips around from all the characters' perspectives, so you know way more than the lead characters for most of the book. The majority of it is set from Violet Everly's perspective, as she's the one who is determined to find her mother and break their curse.
I often found myself not immersed in the book, because we would get the story moved along by another perspective while Violet was on her adventure, and we missed so much of her character's development because of it. The same goes for Aleksander, though some of his development is explained a bit more later on in the book. Penelope, our villain, appears as evil incarnate, though some of that changes over time and when you see her compared to others like her.
This story is wrought with extremely flawed characters, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but there wasn't much chance for redemption for those flaws, as the story just moved along. The ending I was rather expecting, yet not everything was set in stone, so you get to draw your own conclusions to a few things. I both like and dislike that equally.
There were some very unique things about this world, which I thoroughly enjoyed, I just wish that we learned more. Also, I found myself forgetting that I wasn't reading a young adult book, because it felt like one the entire time.
The premise is about the cursed Everly's and how once a generation, an Everly goes missing.
The set up to the story is great. The prologue draws you in and sets the scene of uncovering what has plagued the Everly's for generations.
This book reads like a movie. That's the best way that I can think to describe it. It's third person narration, but it's not from any set point of few. It skips around from all the characters' perspectives, so you know way more than the lead characters for most of the book. The majority of it is set from Violet Everly's perspective, as she's the one who is determined to find her mother and break their curse.
I often found myself not immersed in the book, because we would get the story moved along by another perspective while Violet was on her adventure, and we missed so much of her character's development because of it. The same goes for Aleksander, though some of his development is explained a bit more later on in the book. Penelope, our villain, appears as evil incarnate, though some of that changes over time and when you see her compared to others like her.
This story is wrought with extremely flawed characters, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but there wasn't much chance for redemption for those flaws, as the story just moved along. The ending I was rather expecting, yet not everything was set in stone, so you get to draw your own conclusions to a few things. I both like and dislike that equally.
There were some very unique things about this world, which I thoroughly enjoyed, I just wish that we learned more. Also, I found myself forgetting that I wasn't reading a young adult book, because it felt like one the entire time.
emotional
slow-paced
A twisting tale of life, death, angels, demons, and love.
Allie Graves died, but she didn't stay dead. Instead, she was recruited by the angels to fight demons for six years. After that, she gets another chance at living, but how does one go back to a normal life after that? Suddenly with only a month left of her contract, she finds herself with mysterious foes, a mystery guy, and a family secret.
As Allie finds her way to her family's old estate, she meets Simon, who says he's there to help her as he's helped the women in her family for generations. As they piece together the past, and as chemistry blooms, will the answers give them the chance for a better future?
This is an angels and demons story, yet it's so much more. At times it gets a bit lost in the story telling, and the past details seem like way too much, but there is a purpose. This book is full of wonderful, annoying, and evil characters. The Graves Estate is a world unto itself.
I did get lost in the pacing of the story at times, but it was still a fascinating read. I couldn't wait to find out what the next twist to the tale would be. Some were expected. Some were not.
Now we wait for the next book for the tale to continue to unfold!
Thank you to Booksirens for the arc.
Allie Graves died, but she didn't stay dead. Instead, she was recruited by the angels to fight demons for six years. After that, she gets another chance at living, but how does one go back to a normal life after that? Suddenly with only a month left of her contract, she finds herself with mysterious foes, a mystery guy, and a family secret.
As Allie finds her way to her family's old estate, she meets Simon, who says he's there to help her as he's helped the women in her family for generations. As they piece together the past, and as chemistry blooms, will the answers give them the chance for a better future?
This is an angels and demons story, yet it's so much more. At times it gets a bit lost in the story telling, and the past details seem like way too much, but there is a purpose. This book is full of wonderful, annoying, and evil characters. The Graves Estate is a world unto itself.
I did get lost in the pacing of the story at times, but it was still a fascinating read. I couldn't wait to find out what the next twist to the tale would be. Some were expected. Some were not.
Now we wait for the next book for the tale to continue to unfold!
Thank you to Booksirens for the arc.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
I'm often somewhat disappointed by The Next Big Thing. Very occasionally, I'll find That Next Big Thing that delivers. Heartless Hunter by Kristin Ciccarelli is just such a book.
We follow along with Rune as she leads her double life. By day, she's the rich socialite that turned on her own grandmother two years ago during the uprising. By night, she's saving as many witches as she can as the Crimson Moth. She's been working with her friends Alex and Verity to help save those who are being killed simply for being born witches. The Blood Guard hunts witches and is led by Gideon Sharp, Alex's brother. He suspects Rune is involved in who he's hunting, and she knows he's a source of information on the witch hunters.
What follows is a twisted tail of lies, deceit, love, second chances, and hate.
The magic system in the book is very interesting as it's blood based. This results in cutting references and therefore could be triggering to some.
I was transported into this story and cannot wait for the ending to this duology!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy!
We follow along with Rune as she leads her double life. By day, she's the rich socialite that turned on her own grandmother two years ago during the uprising. By night, she's saving as many witches as she can as the Crimson Moth. She's been working with her friends Alex and Verity to help save those who are being killed simply for being born witches. The Blood Guard hunts witches and is led by Gideon Sharp, Alex's brother. He suspects Rune is involved in who he's hunting, and she knows he's a source of information on the witch hunters.
What follows is a twisted tail of lies, deceit, love, second chances, and hate.
The magic system in the book is very interesting as it's blood based. This results in cutting references and therefore could be triggering to some.
I was transported into this story and cannot wait for the ending to this duology!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy!
Castle of Blood and Secrets: Vampire Assassin Chronicles, Book 1
Michelle A. Darnell, Michelle A. Darnell
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
This book follows Adina, the vampire daughter of the King of Assassins, as she outruns his attempts to kill her and finds herself part of an interesting crew of other vampires with various abilities.
Sujani, an old and powerful vampire, has collected a group to help him with an odd task. As we try to figure out what he's really up to and how everyone else is involved, we get to know some great characters. Sir Elrich is our hero with a dark past. Rene is our snobby but secretive character that annoys everyone yet is somehow still alive. Madalina is the best friend, seer. Her husband Sigfried is a shifter of few words. Then there's Adalina's father who's working with Damon, the character that you love to hate.
The book is very confusing at first as you try to figure out the world, magic system, characters and various motives. Slowly things are revealed throughout the book. It makes for a slow read at times. I also had a hard time connecting to some of the characters. There is an interesting magic system though.
It ends on a cliffhanger, so hopefully much more will be answered in the next book.
Sujani, an old and powerful vampire, has collected a group to help him with an odd task. As we try to figure out what he's really up to and how everyone else is involved, we get to know some great characters. Sir Elrich is our hero with a dark past. Rene is our snobby but secretive character that annoys everyone yet is somehow still alive. Madalina is the best friend, seer. Her husband Sigfried is a shifter of few words. Then there's Adalina's father who's working with Damon, the character that you love to hate.
The book is very confusing at first as you try to figure out the world, magic system, characters and various motives. Slowly things are revealed throughout the book. It makes for a slow read at times. I also had a hard time connecting to some of the characters. There is an interesting magic system though.
It ends on a cliffhanger, so hopefully much more will be answered in the next book.
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
A delightful Goldilocks/Robin Hood reverse harem reimagined fairytale!
In this fun retelling of Goldilocks and the three bears (shifters), we follow Eddie on her Robin Hood-esque adventures to steal from the rich and give to the poor. What she stumbles upon instead are 3 rich businessmen, who have a secret. At first, they think she's been sent by their enemies, but she soon agrees to help them out. She'll get more money to help those in need, they'll get better security. It's a win, win right?
This was a quick read and a lot of fun. I didn't always connect with Eddie and her narrow view of the world, but that's explained a bit later on. Her roommate and best friend, Lex, is not my favorite at times either, but they tend to work through their differences even if he's quick to point blame. Her involvement with the 3 bear shifters, Warrin, Anders and Draven, happens a bit fast, but that's to be expected with the size of the book. I loved the 3 bears, even Draven who takes a bit to warm up to Eddie, unlike the others.
Thank you to the author for the advanced copy!
In this fun retelling of Goldilocks and the three bears (shifters), we follow Eddie on her Robin Hood-esque adventures to steal from the rich and give to the poor. What she stumbles upon instead are 3 rich businessmen, who have a secret. At first, they think she's been sent by their enemies, but she soon agrees to help them out. She'll get more money to help those in need, they'll get better security. It's a win, win right?
This was a quick read and a lot of fun. I didn't always connect with Eddie and her narrow view of the world, but that's explained a bit later on. Her roommate and best friend, Lex, is not my favorite at times either, but they tend to work through their differences even if he's quick to point blame. Her involvement with the 3 bear shifters, Warrin, Anders and Draven, happens a bit fast, but that's to be expected with the size of the book. I loved the 3 bears, even Draven who takes a bit to warm up to Eddie, unlike the others.
Thank you to the author for the advanced copy!