fatedhearts_lorilee's reviews
216 reviews

Blood of Two Crowns by Chiara Forestieri

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

I enjoyed getting to see how Mareina, Nakoa and Malekai were going to resolve the issues between them. I liked that there were multiple POVs so we got to hear from different characters that we wouldn’t normally hear from. 

The book felt pretty quick-paced and I wanted to keep reading so I could find out more about the different realms, and of course more about how they were all going to sort out their issues. 

There’s lots of excitement and stress, and also lots of spice! Definitely intrigued to see where the story goes in book 3!

Vice and Void by Sadie Hewitt

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

I received this book as an ARC, and am giving this review freely. All thoughts are my own.

I really enjoyed the urban paranormal fantasy world that Sadie created. The combination of the Banished Gods, the distills and the motorcycle club was so interesting. We get to see Dakota’s world at the hospital, and Callum’s with the Brotherhood. 

When Dakota comes back to town and she and Callum start interacting again, there’s quite the slow burn buildup of tension between them. We get to meet some really likeable supporting characters (Rocco, Lyra, Thalia, etc), and some who made me really really hate them. You’ll know who I mean. 

Dakota is a strong woman who has had to develop her confidence under the thumb of her controlling and powerful father. Callum cares about her and has no qualms about standing up to John in defence of her. 

I cannot wait to read the next book… there are so many exciting and stressful things that I need answers to! 

The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door by H.G. Parry

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook Books for the opportunity to ARC read this book. All opinions are my own and are given freely!

The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door was such a beautifully written story! Parry is a fantastic writer, both in terms of the story she constructed and in her prose. 

I loved the setting of post-WWI. It worked so well as a complement to the political conflicts between Families and non-Family people, and the personal conflicts of the main characters. 

The four main characters are so well constructed because they have realistic flaws that they recognize in themselves and in one another. They make mistakes and have to decide how to respond to what they’ve decided to do. 

Parry brings in a lot of detail to the world she’s built and does a fantastic job of making it feel real. 

Incandescent by River Savage

dark emotional funny tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.75

This was a really fun read, and I enjoyed the MCs. I liked that Nix was so supportive of Kadence’s burns. The found family aspect was also so great. There were a couple of things that happened that I thought could’ve been developed more subtly, and that were just a bit too over the top. But overall it was an enjoyable read! 

Steel Heart Iron Claws by Evie Marceau

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

Thank you to Evie Marceau for giving me the opportunity to ARC read this novel. All thoughts are my own, and are given freely!

This was a very exciting book, and it was so interesting to see how Basten’s memory loss was handled. Normally that’s not a trope that I like, but the way it was done made it feel like a real plot point and not just a device for drama.

I liked that it wasn’t just solved easily, which would’ve felt like a deus ex machina, but was a real issue that they have to deal with long term. Marceau made sure that Basten and Sabine had to work for what they wanted and I appreciated that!

There was a lot of excitement and intrigue with the gods and the way that they interact with one another and with Sabine. I wasn’t sure how things were going to go, which I love! It was so fun to see them get to know Sabine, and to see Sabine loosen up as she got to know them. The competitions and body shots were also very enjoyable! 

I am still very interested in Rian's character, and I think there's more to him that we haven't seen yet.

I hope that we get to learn more about why he sold out Sabine... maybe it is purely self-motivated, but one way or the other, I want to know more about his motivations. I'm very curious to see how the tension plays out between Rian and Basten as well.

Shout out to Torr, everyone's favourite murder horse! He has some hilarious moments in this book, and I am obsessed with him. 

I also love Folke and Ferra. They are great friends and they have such fun energy and banter. I hope we get to see more of them too! Suri continues to be a fantastic friend and supporter of Sabine. I have some predictions about Suri, and I will be very curious to see how her future unfolds. 

Once Sabine was killed after Vale had referenced a “deathless death” it was obvious that she was going to come back as a god, but I’m ok with that, since it wasn’t something I thought would happen from the beginning. I thought maybe the half god-half human thing would just explain her power or something like that, but we get to go further with it, which is very exciting!

Tragic Bonds by J. Bree

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

Undying Lands by Kara Douglas

dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

🖤 𝒰𝓃𝒹𝓎𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝐿𝒶𝓃𝒹𝓈 - 𝒜𝑅𝒞 𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌 🖤

Thank you to Kara Douglas for the opportunity to ARC read this book! I am completely obsessed with the world of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘦 series. Taking a pause after 𝘐𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 to jump back and learn more about Evelina and Daimon is perfect, and also, emotionally devastating. 

🤍 All thoughts in this review are Lorilee’s own! 

🖤 Kara’s storytelling ability and her writing style are so beautiful and engaging. The plot and character development is so well done - I was immediately invested in Evelina and Daimon, and was anxiously turning the pages waiting to see what was going to happen to them. 

🤍 We get to see relationships between the MCs and their friends and family, and the wyverns. The ups and downs that the characters go through as the war progresses is heart-wrenching. I just want good things for all of them, but of course, that isn’t in the way life works.  

🖤 𝙵𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚀𝚞𝚘𝚝𝚎: I will love you through the depths of despair, to the ends of our land, and into every blissful moment you offer me.

Silver Wings Golden Games by Evie Marceau

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

The story continues to explore Sabine and Basten’s relationship, as well as Sabine & Rian’s and Basten and Rian’s relationships.

Sabine uses her Godkiss in new ways, and there’s lots of excitement and tension as the three navigate their relationships and figure out who they can trust. I really liked getting to see Rian and Basten interact more throughout this book. While I love Basten, I’m also definitely a Rian fan and I wouldn’t mind (although I don’t think it’ll happen) if he ended up with Sabine.

Also, I wish I had Sabine’s Godkissed abilities. A favourite quote: My jewels don’t shine they kill

Shoutout to Farrah and the other friends that show up along the way… since I listened to the audiobook I don’t know how to spell all of them so I’m just gonna leave it at that. 

The ending leaves us with a lot of potential tension and drama set to roll out in book 3. I’m not totally in love with the way this one ended, but we’ll see where it goes! Overall, still really enjoyed it! 

Scaredy Cat by Pandora Cress

dark funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

Thank you to Pandora Cress for the opportunity to ARC read this book!

This was such a quick, fun, smutty Halloween novella! I loved jumping into the action with Stacey and Zach, and seeing how Zach planned to make Stacey his.

As a Swiftie, I am obligated to bring up this quote:

“Is that… are you playing Taylor Swift right now?”
Zach didn’t answer me but instead just kept banging out the chorus to Look What You Made Me Do. After a few more seconds, he stopped and looked at me again. “The Reputation album is my favorite. Which one is yours?”
I sputtered, “What?”
“A true musician recognizes another.”

It was so great to see Stacey come into her power as a woman as she gets what she’s been looking for. 

I must also shout out the hilarious dedication and Pandora’s novella playlist. I love the playlists she puts together for her books. 10/10 fantastic!

Add this to your Halloween tbr! You can fit it in between longer reads, it’s a really fun story!

The House of the Wicked: A romantic suspense novel by Oona Arlo

dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

🖤 I loved that this book was so multi-faceted. It’s a dark romantic suspense centred around organized crime, but it also deals with some really heavy issues in a meaningful way. Through the FMC Nora, Oona weaves in discussions/portrayals of depression and distorted thinking around body image, and it’s really impactful. The media and society pushes one version of the “right” body type, and many of us have struggled with the same things that Nora finds herself considering.

♥️ Nora has been sheltered (in some ways) by her uncle and guardian Ricky, who runs The Court Cartel, one of the two rival gangs in Port Manaus. She is isolated, and has very few people in her life. But Ricky also has her involved in his business, which means she has to do some things that she knows don’t align with her morals.

🖤 August comes onto the scene and disrupts Nora’s life in a good way. He becomes someone else that she can talk to and maybe trust, although he does tell her not to trust him, so I guess you’ll have to see what happens there! He is one of the only men around Nora who can see how uncomfortable she is around one of Ricky’s men, and is the only one who tries to do something (maybe possibly related to *almost* gouging out an eye).

♥️ There are a couple of very memorable supporting characters who need to be shouted out. Dima has been Nora’s nanny for her whole life, and she is really the only constant for her. Although she isn’t overly affectionate, Nora knows that Dima always has her back, no matter what. Yves comes into the book later, but brings a lot of fun energy and banter!

🖤 “She’s not a princess, we’re not in a tower, and I’m for damn sure not a prince. Despite that, I lean forward, my body quietly reaching for hers.”