erinnicolecreads's reviews
187 reviews

Zodiac Rising by Katie Zhao

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

This was a really fun read & set the scene for following books really well! I loved the use of the Chinese zodiac in the magic system & how Asian culture was woven into the story. I also loved the characters & can’t wait to see them develop further in the next book! Very intrigued to see how the romance subplots unfold as well. I loved how readers are transported from modern Manhattan, to the shaman realm, to the Descendant academy, & to faerieland! The ending left off with a bang & has me itching for the next book!

I do however wish we had some elaboration for the following things:
-the curse: it didn’t really seem that bad, so why were the Descendants so desperate to get rid of it?
-the midsummer sprout story: had major jaw-dropping potential, but the execution fell flat; i wish there were some subtle clues leading up to the reveal
-the final betrayal: seemed out of character for that person; again, i wish there were some subtle clues for readers to try to work it out leading up to the event

Overall this was such a fun read & I’m really looking forward to reading the next book! Thank you so much Penguin Teen Canada for the ARC copy!

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

3.5

While this book was definitely a page turner & I was very intrigued to see how things played out, I do have some critiques for it. I know the intended audience is YA (& I LOVE YA books!), & while that could forgive some issues I had with the book, I felt as though the dialogue & the writing fit more with middle-grade style. At times, the FMC also came off a bit white-saviour-esque & some of the dialogue was a bit distasteful at times. Lastly, I felt as though some plot twists & reveals made a lot of sense & were surprising yet sensible, while others just didn’t really seem to fit as well as other potential options. I also really disliked the plot line with the dog & felt it was unnecessary. Despite the few issues I had with it, I still flew through this story, enjoyed my time reading it, & intend to read the rest of Holly’s books! 

The Crimson Moth by Kristen Ciccarelli

adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

I think this might be one of my new favourite books of all time. I usually have such a hard time feeling connected to characters & usually am more plot focussed, but the characters really had me in this book. Especially GIDEON!! Though I adore Rune too!! But something about dark broody Gideon having so much depth & seeing how he has gone through so much trauma & experienced it in different ways really hit me hard. I also just loved the plot & magic system in this book & am SO excited to see where things go in the next book! I literally can’t stop thinking about this book & these characters.

Rider's Block by Waitlyn Andrews

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

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

4.25

Oh I’m so glad I stumbled upon this one! I had such a great time reading this one!! While I do enjoy a spicy romance from time to time, I really enjoyed reading this closed-door cowboy romance (which I find to be rare to find for cowboy romances!). This was such a fluffy feel good read. While there were a few small moments where I felt some characters were cliche, the characters were overall really well done & distinct from one another! I really grew to love them all. This story was so fun as well! Overall I really enjoyed this read & I’m so glad I found an author that I’d like to read more from!

Thank you to the author & NetGalley for the eARC!

An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-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

5.0

This book was FANTASTIC!! This year is really serving so many amazing dark academia murder mystery fantasy books & this one lived up to that. I loved the twists & turns the book takes readers along. I loved the characters, their relationships with one another,  & how complex they all were. I loved the setting & the magic system. This was so unique & so so cool. I loved this SO incredibly much. This was a fantastic read & I read it so quickly!

Thank you Berkley & NetGalley for the eARC!!

Valley by Stacey McEwan

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense 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? Yes

5.0

This was easily my favourite book in the trilogy. This book gave me that same feeling I had reading Throne of Glass & I LOVED it. The way all the breadcrumbs from the other books all connected in a way I didn’t see coming was mastermind. The characters were amazing, the found family was amazing, the politics & action were so good. I’d say in both this book & book 2 the romance was more subplot than it was in book 1 (which I prefer). This was so fantastic. Once the first 100 pages of set up concluded, the plot picked up so quickly & there were plot twists I didn’t anticipate left & right. This was a wild ride & I loved it so much, but I’m so sad it’s over.

Thank you so much to Angry Robot Books for the ARC!!

Chasm by Stacey McEwan

adventurous dark funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-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

4.5

Another bingeable banger from McEwan!!! The characters in this one really had my heart - this book was their moment to shine. The found family in this was so heartwarming & I loved seeing more of each character!! Also - Stacey is the queen of cliff (ledge??) hangers because WHAT was that ending!!! I don’t cry over books often but there were tears in my eyes. There were so many moments where dots were connecting in this book too - the world was coming together in such a well thought out way. The only reason I very slightly preferred Ledge was because this one was more character forward while Ledge was a touch more plot forward, which I prefer, but I know I’m usually in the minority with that personal preference! So well done once again. This was delicious. 

Ledge by Stacey McEwan

adventurous dark funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense 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

5.0

I actually cannot believe this book isn’t raved about on the internet because that was WILD!! Stacey really came for the jugular with all those plot twists WOW. I adored the unique plot, the pacing in this was perfect, I ADORE all of the characters, the romance gave me all the tension I could ever want, the friends gave the best found family vibes. The world & the politics were so interesting & again the plot twists had me by the throat. I actually can’t finish the day without starting book 2. I should also note I finished this whole book in 1 sitting & will be doing the same with books 2 & 3. Thank you goodbye.

Echo Across The Sands by M.A. Brown

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Another solid read from M. A. Brown! In this novella, the characters really shined. I loved their personalities & complex morality. This read, like The Songs that Beckon, was so unique! I really enjoyed seeing how everything played out in this world prior to what we see of it in Songs. I did have a bit of trouble feeling the chemistry between the characters & with the pacing of the plot, but overall I enjoyed this read!

Thank you so much to M. A. Brown for the ARC copy!

Hopeless: Special Edition by Elsie Silver

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-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

While this one didn’t feel quite as natural as the others in this series, I still had an absolute blast reading this! I really loved seeing the characters come into themselves & grow as individuals. However, the romance felt a little more insta-love-ish in this one compared to the others in the series. For some reason, the story didn’t feel as natural to me as the others. Still really enjoyed it though! As always, a fun, spicy, fluffy romance from Elsie. So sad this series is over!!