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flightyreads's reviews
71 reviews
A Cursed Son by Day Leitao
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Note: I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
A Cursed Son starts us in a very human world that quickly lets us know how it differs from our world. There’s magic! But human magic bad… except for the main character? This theme is continuously repeated throughout the book, likely to remind us that the main character must unlearn this to succeed. While helpful the first few times, I definitely started to roll my eyes a bit when this continued well through the third act.
Astra is not like other girls even beyond her magic. She has secret purple hair and evil ancestors and is a princess body-double/assassin/guard/prisoner. Marlak is not like other boys, because he is fae. And also evil but not evil. And maybe killed all of his family. But he’s half-hot in more ways than one!
I say all this because the characters and their themes are repeated constantly, yet I often found these characters on a roller coaster with their actions. Something is bad and forbidden-I should do this, it’s right-Something is bad and forbidden. This repeats itself often with Astra.
Despite some characterization complaints, I did genuinely enjoy the overall story. I found myself captured by Marlak’s mystery and Astra’s newfound freedom. I found myself excited when they would make progress on their relationship and reasonably bummed as a reader should be when it sometimes turned into two steps back. I thought the pacing of their relationship genuinely made sense and it was nice to see the strength of this relationship play out in the end. I am definitely going to be reading the sequel when it is out. Although this book is listed as New Adult, I would definitely recommend this more to readers who enjoy a slightly more juvenile narrative with some spice sprinkled in. I would encourage the author to add more action descriptions in the next book when it pertains to fights, arguments, and even just friends reuniting. Overall, I rated this book 3.5/5 stars.
A Cursed Son starts us in a very human world that quickly lets us know how it differs from our world. There’s magic! But human magic bad… except for the main character? This theme is continuously repeated throughout the book, likely to remind us that the main character must unlearn this to succeed. While helpful the first few times, I definitely started to roll my eyes a bit when this continued well through the third act.
Astra is not like other girls even beyond her magic. She has secret purple hair and evil ancestors and is a princess body-double/assassin/guard/prisoner. Marlak is not like other boys, because he is fae. And also evil but not evil. And maybe killed all of his family. But he’s half-hot in more ways than one!
I say all this because the characters and their themes are repeated constantly, yet I often found these characters on a roller coaster with their actions. Something is bad and forbidden-I should do this, it’s right-Something is bad and forbidden. This repeats itself often with Astra.
Despite some characterization complaints, I did genuinely enjoy the overall story. I found myself captured by Marlak’s mystery and Astra’s newfound freedom. I found myself excited when they would make progress on their relationship and reasonably bummed as a reader should be when it sometimes turned into two steps back. I thought the pacing of their relationship genuinely made sense and it was nice to see the strength of this relationship play out in the end. I am definitely going to be reading the sequel when it is out. Although this book is listed as New Adult, I would definitely recommend this more to readers who enjoy a slightly more juvenile narrative with some spice sprinkled in. I would encourage the author to add more action descriptions in the next book when it pertains to fights, arguments, and even just friends reuniting. Overall, I rated this book 3.5/5 stars.
A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon
Did not finish book. Stopped at 23%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 23%.
will return in future
House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Through love, all is possible.
I adore this universe and its stories and absolutely devoured this book in under a day! I had to take some time to pull my feelings together after an emotional 24 hours.
CC2 left off on one of the most intense cliffhangers I have ever read. This book picked up right where we left off and gave us a look at characters from a fresh perspective that I absolutely loved. I don’t think readers who have only read one of the three series involved would enjoy this. There is so much joy at seeing characters back in the narrative that we haven’t seen in some time that I believe is appropriately tempered by removing our rose-colored glasses about these characters.
I found myself on the edge of my seat at so many times throughout my read, anxious to see what would come next. At the same time, I found that the plotline for a couple of our side characters was a little too predictable, and I didn’t get the shock factor to make their climaxes excitable.
However, I have been an SJM fan since 2017 and cannot see a world where I rate any of her works below 5 stars. I am so glad we get to journey through this story together, and I can’t wait to see every character return in any part, big or small, in the next story.
I adore this universe and its stories and absolutely devoured this book in under a day! I had to take some time to pull my feelings together after an emotional 24 hours.
CC2 left off on one of the most intense cliffhangers I have ever read. This book picked up right where we left off and gave us a look at characters from a fresh perspective that I absolutely loved. I don’t think readers who have only read one of the three series involved would enjoy this. There is so much joy at seeing characters back in the narrative that we haven’t seen in some time that I believe is appropriately tempered by removing our rose-colored glasses about these characters.
I found myself on the edge of my seat at so many times throughout my read, anxious to see what would come next. At the same time, I found that the plotline for a couple of our side characters was a little too predictable, and I didn’t get the shock factor to make their climaxes excitable.
However, I have been an SJM fan since 2017 and cannot see a world where I rate any of her works below 5 stars. I am so glad we get to journey through this story together, and I can’t wait to see every character return in any part, big or small, in the next story.
On the Care and Keeping of Orcs by Kass O'Shire
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-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? It's complicated
4.75
Note: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
It’s been ages since I start and finished a book in one day. I absolutely adored this world and these characters! This was actually my first book I read by both the author and in the series, and I want to read the first book now. I loved that plot, while sweet and not “important” when considering the world the characters live in, was still there and really anchored the story.
Most times, when picking out a spicy monster romance like this, you don’t expect to enjoy the worldbuilding and it is usually just background. I really like that the author took the time to create an entire magic system and a place where everyone, even humans, have some kind of magic in them. I also enjoyed the backstories of our two main characters, and could easily see their struggles both written and implied.
This is a quick but fun read for sure! My only complaint is that I often wished for longer spicy scenese. The characters focused a lot on foreplay, which is great!! But I found myself wanting a bit more when it came to the actual deed.
I would easily recommend this book to any enjoyer of romance books, especially those who enjoy their MMC to be a little big and green.
It’s been ages since I start and finished a book in one day. I absolutely adored this world and these characters! This was actually my first book I read by both the author and in the series, and I want to read the first book now. I loved that plot, while sweet and not “important” when considering the world the characters live in, was still there and really anchored the story.
Most times, when picking out a spicy monster romance like this, you don’t expect to enjoy the worldbuilding and it is usually just background. I really like that the author took the time to create an entire magic system and a place where everyone, even humans, have some kind of magic in them. I also enjoyed the backstories of our two main characters, and could easily see their struggles both written and implied.
This is a quick but fun read for sure! My only complaint is that I often wished for longer spicy scenese. The characters focused a lot on foreplay, which is great!! But I found myself wanting a bit more when it came to the actual deed.
I would easily recommend this book to any enjoyer of romance books, especially those who enjoy their MMC to be a little big and green.
Here for the Wrong Reasons by Lydia Wang, Annabel Paulsen
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Note: I received an ARC from the publisher on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Lauren and Krystin are on a Bachelor-esque show. One of them knows exactly what she wants and has a plan, and the other has no idea what her life is turning into. They start as competitors but gradually get to know each other better.
I read a book with a similar concept last year, so I was excited to see a fresh take on this plotline. I think it is difficult to be uber original on such a plot, but there were several instances that surprised me in this book in a good way. Ultimately, my favorite parts of the book were the actual “reality TV” snippets at the end of each chapter, containing confessionals from each contestant. I thought this was a great way to get to know key characters in such a large cast, and it made it way easier to follow along. I also appreciate that there was no external homophobia written in the book. This was truly a sapphic book made to bring enjoyment, not turmoil.
Ultimately, I think this book suffered from two things that affected my enjoyment while reading. A small part was due to a lot of formatting mistakes, but I imagine these will be fixed before official release. The main issue I had was that I struggled to tell what demographic this was targeted to beyond “generally queer women”. The writing, especially earlier in the book, often feels as though lifted directly from an episode of The Bachelor. At first I took it that this was aimed younger audiences due to this, but there are also themes that felt more geared towards older/new adult audiences.
Ultimately, I think fans of reality TV will enjoy this regardless of sexuality and I rated it a 3.75/5 stars.
Lauren and Krystin are on a Bachelor-esque show. One of them knows exactly what she wants and has a plan, and the other has no idea what her life is turning into. They start as competitors but gradually get to know each other better.
I read a book with a similar concept last year, so I was excited to see a fresh take on this plotline. I think it is difficult to be uber original on such a plot, but there were several instances that surprised me in this book in a good way. Ultimately, my favorite parts of the book were the actual “reality TV” snippets at the end of each chapter, containing confessionals from each contestant. I thought this was a great way to get to know key characters in such a large cast, and it made it way easier to follow along. I also appreciate that there was no external homophobia written in the book. This was truly a sapphic book made to bring enjoyment, not turmoil.
Ultimately, I think this book suffered from two things that affected my enjoyment while reading. A small part was due to a lot of formatting mistakes, but I imagine these will be fixed before official release. The main issue I had was that I struggled to tell what demographic this was targeted to beyond “generally queer women”. The writing, especially earlier in the book, often feels as though lifted directly from an episode of The Bachelor. At first I took it that this was aimed younger audiences due to this, but there are also themes that felt more geared towards older/new adult audiences.
Ultimately, I think fans of reality TV will enjoy this regardless of sexuality and I rated it a 3.75/5 stars.
Offside Hearts by Nikki Lawson
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I greatly enjoyed the first 70% or so of this book. It starts as an easygoing read, with low stakes and fun romance. There is some big drama in the second half of the book due to miscommunication (or lack of) which is a HUGE pet peeve of mine and vastly lowered the enjoyment I got from this book. I think this went against the established character growth from earlier in the book purely for the sake of creating drama. I would recommend this book for hockey romance enjoyers who don’t share this pet peeve of mine.
The Fake Mate by Lana Ferguson
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 have been enjoying Omegaverse content since I was probably 14 on Fanfiction.net and Archive of Our Own. I adore this niche verse and often enjoy reading romance books in the Omegaverse, but have usually found that romance book authors clearly do not know the history of the verse and its origins. Ferguson’s book reads as someone who did research into Omegaverse finally!!!! While there are still some differences in how The Fake Mate’s verse works to traditional fanfiction works, I could see the history reflected and truly enjoyed reading it. I recommend this book to contemporary romance readers and fanfiction readers alike!
The Fake Out by Stephanie Archer
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
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
5.0
Note: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I didn’t think I could love a hockey couple more than Jaime and Pippa (and they are definitely one of my fave book couples), but Hazel and Rory just proved me wrong. When I say I *devoured* this book, I’m talking a matter of hours!
If you love a couple with witty banter, amazing chemistry at the arena AND in the bedroom, and the capability to grow both as individuals and as a couple, then you will fall in love with Hazel and Rory. This story focuses primarily on their romance of course, but also talks a lot about themes that are important to me, such as loving, not just accepting, your body and its flaws, forgiving your parents, and taking leaps of faith. Overall, this book is 5/5 for me!
I recommend this book for all looking for a cozy story with a very sweet HEA. I can’t wait to see what Archer does next!
I didn’t think I could love a hockey couple more than Jaime and Pippa (and they are definitely one of my fave book couples), but Hazel and Rory just proved me wrong. When I say I *devoured* this book, I’m talking a matter of hours!
If you love a couple with witty banter, amazing chemistry at the arena AND in the bedroom, and the capability to grow both as individuals and as a couple, then you will fall in love with Hazel and Rory. This story focuses primarily on their romance of course, but also talks a lot about themes that are important to me, such as loving, not just accepting, your body and its flaws, forgiving your parents, and taking leaps of faith. Overall, this book is 5/5 for me!
I recommend this book for all looking for a cozy story with a very sweet HEA. I can’t wait to see what Archer does next!
A Shadow in the Ember by Jennifer L. Armentrout
4.75
When I finished this book, I was at first bummed because I didn’t want to wait for another book. Then I discovered the sequel had been released not even 3 weeks prior, grabbed my boyfriend and keys, and ran to the book store. Sera is a fascinating heroine with a rich history emotionally and I love following her journey. Nyktos is a very intriguing immortal, and I love reading how these two met and what their story is.