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hexentart's reviews
610 reviews
The Red Lily by Juliette Cross
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
First came Cinderella, now Red Riding Hood (with a mention of Sleeping Beauty). Loving the essence of fairytale protagonists in such a rich and original world. So fun!
Nikolai is very much the Huntsman, with his own inner beast to fight. Loved to see both his protective and his bestiel aspects emerge for his lady love.
*swoon*
Sienna is no wilting lily either, despite being human. She is brave, strong, and true. Her fire burns bright and we love to see it!
I can't wait to see what's in store next for our freedom fighters.
Down with the evil Vampire monarchy!
Nikolai is very much the Huntsman, with his own inner beast to fight. Loved to see both his protective and his bestiel aspects emerge for his lady love.
*swoon*
Sienna is no wilting lily either, despite being human. She is brave, strong, and true. Her fire burns bright and we love to see it!
I can't wait to see what's in store next for our freedom fighters.
Down with the evil Vampire monarchy!
The Black Lily by Juliette Cross
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
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
4.0
A paranormal romantasy of love, hate, betrayal, truth, and justice.
A good start to the series; can't wait to read the next book.
A good start to the series; can't wait to read the next book.
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
Quirky, infuriating, hilarious, and wonderful. This motley crew of characters are a glorious chaotic mess.
The various ways magic manifests in this world, and for each individual caster, is imaginative and charming.
I related to Sophie to an embarrassing degree. 😳
I wanted to throttle Howl more often than not, but I would still march through the Wastes to save him nonetheless.
Calcifer is the best of them all. Bless him.
Looking forward to their next adventures in Castle in the Air.
The various ways magic manifests in this world, and for each individual caster, is imaginative and charming.
I related to Sophie to an embarrassing degree. 😳
I wanted to throttle Howl more often than not, but I would still march through the Wastes to save him nonetheless.
Calcifer is the best of them all. Bless him.
Looking forward to their next adventures in Castle in the Air.
Faker by Kiki Clark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Love a good Bi-Awakening, best friends to lovers, and protective vibes. When you pair that with an absolute cinnamon roll like Samuel, how can you not fall in love with this book?
Easy by Kiki Clark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
The banter and sass had me cackling more than once.
Gotta love a good maintenance spanking too.
Simon is a handful, but Jackson's got him well in hand. I love their dynamic!
A very fun read and my favorite of the series so far.
Gotta love a good maintenance spanking too.
Simon is a handful, but Jackson's got him well in hand. I love their dynamic!
A very fun read and my favorite of the series so far.
Favor by Kiki Clark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
A sweet, contemporary, Achillean romance with a bit of miscommunication, a little steam, found family, and a HEA.
Jeremy and Declan were adorably awkward.
Jeremy and Declan were adorably awkward.
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Some hard parts to read, due to the raw subject matter, but an enjoyable book overall.
Heart of Skulls by Ashley Earley
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I wanted to like it, I really did, but it has far too many problems that just don't work.
There are a few incidents that contradict themselves that someone along the chain to publishing should've easily caught, amongst other issues.
Scott comments that Nat has practically never been inside his truck because they use the Beetle as the family vehicle, only to later claim since he got the truck that they almost always use it as the family vehicle since it's new and safer than the Beetle. So which is it?
While Scott is observing his apparently 4th victim (more on this in a moment), he describes her outfit as a shirt that's knotted in the front so that her midriff is exposed, and a very short skirt. A few moments later during the actual act, he says she's wearing a dress. Did the victim do a costume change like Cher somehow?
Now to the victim count issue. Scott relives his incidents with death, usually right before he breaks and needs to kill again. The first was simply him witnessing a ghastly drug overdose in the bathroom he was in at a party. He didn't know the guy, had nothing to do with the drugs or incident involved other than being an accidental witness, but he continues to obsess over the image for years.
Ok, it was pretty graphic so fair enough. However, his first actual kill was an intern from work, followed by his next kill, a woman from a bar. The intern he took out to the woods and partially concealed, the bar patron he took home and eventually dissolved in a barrel of lye. Between the OD and the first killing, he commits arson and for a brief time he relives that moment, then it's seemingly gone from his mind.
Throughout the rest of the book, Scott keeps getting flashes of memory about the OD, the intern, the bar patron, and the aforementioned young women with the costume changing. There's another death in there that may or may not briefly make an appearance in his memories, but it's hard to be sure. The others I mention are quite obviously being played back on the regular.
Back to the count issue. Scott mentions going on the prowl, observing and following potential targets, but nothing pans out for various reasons, which is also explained. So his stress mounts because he hasn't been able to kill. As mentioned, the bar patron is murder victim number 2, so when a newspaper article talks about a series of missing women, all with blonde hair, that's got the local police on edge, it leaves one confused. Scott, upon hearing this, immediately wonders if the bodies of his victims have been discovered. We're left to wonder what bodies though. His thoughts immediately go to the intern in the woods (victim # 1) and the remains in his basement (victim # 2). Since the police don't immediately hunt him down, we know they haven't somehow magically found his home and the remains there, and it isn't until later in the book they find the intern in the woods, so what bodies is he worried about? Who are all these allegedly missing blonde women? There's enough that the police feel like there's a pattern, but Scott doesn't seem to have killed anyone but these 2 so far, so what exactly is going on? This leads to further confusion late in the book where the headlines speak of a curfew being enacted due to the "Skull Splitter" murders.
I understand the concept of action "happening off-screen," so to speak, but that requires the author to supply narrative commentary that alludes to such. When the protagonist only recalls or relives the same few victims over and over again, and specifically speaks of his inability to sate his urge to kill, it's only natural to assume that's all there is.
Then there's Chekhov's Gun, Zach. Starting with the death of the intern, Scott states that he feels like Zach knows something about the murder or at least suspects something. This continues throughout the book and their interactions, so much so that Scott decides he needs to get rid of Zach cause he's reached the point where his perceived suspicions are making Scott enraged.
Scott considers, decides, and becomes adamant that Zach needs to go for his own piece of mind and to make sure he doesn't expose him, then does nothing. Zach was groomed to be one of Scott's victims for a good portion of the narrative…so what happened? What was even the point of investing so much time into this point then not deliver?
This all brings us to the obvious ending. From Nat's pregnancy onwards we're just biding our time until Scott finally kills her. His affection for her is quite obviously waning and being redirected to their unborn child instead. If you caught the few random comments about the taste of some victims and mentions of biting them (again, where's all these victims?), then you knew he was going to eat her. The one irrefutable point throughout this book from start of their relationship until the final swallow was that he couldn't bear to have Nat leave him. Even when he no longer had feelings for her and was becoming more enraged at her, he didn't want her to go. So, you put 2 and 2 together and you get cannibalism. Nat can't ever leave if she's a literal part of him.
With the contradictory information, the apparently large swath of victims that doesn't seem to actually exist, and the fact that Scott isn't some brilliant mastermind but is a rather impulsive killer motivated by rage, who somehow doesn't get caught,
I really wanted to like this book, so much potential was there, but it was just confusing and disappointing.
YMMV, of course.
There are a few incidents that contradict themselves that someone along the chain to publishing should've easily caught, amongst other issues.
Scott comments that Nat has practically never been inside his truck because they use the Beetle as the family vehicle, only to later claim since he got the truck that they almost always use it as the family vehicle since it's new and safer than the Beetle. So which is it?
While Scott is observing his apparently 4th victim (more on this in a moment), he describes her outfit as a shirt that's knotted in the front so that her midriff is exposed, and a very short skirt. A few moments later during the actual act, he says she's wearing a dress. Did the victim do a costume change like Cher somehow?
Now to the victim count issue. Scott relives his incidents with death, usually right before he breaks and needs to kill again. The first was simply him witnessing a ghastly drug overdose in the bathroom he was in at a party. He didn't know the guy, had nothing to do with the drugs or incident involved other than being an accidental witness, but he continues to obsess over the image for years.
Ok, it was pretty graphic so fair enough. However, his first actual kill was an intern from work, followed by his next kill, a woman from a bar. The intern he took out to the woods and partially concealed, the bar patron he took home and eventually dissolved in a barrel of lye. Between the OD and the first killing, he commits arson and for a brief time he relives that moment, then it's seemingly gone from his mind.
Throughout the rest of the book, Scott keeps getting flashes of memory about the OD, the intern, the bar patron, and the aforementioned young women with the costume changing. There's another death in there that may or may not briefly make an appearance in his memories, but it's hard to be sure. The others I mention are quite obviously being played back on the regular.
Back to the count issue. Scott mentions going on the prowl, observing and following potential targets, but nothing pans out for various reasons, which is also explained. So his stress mounts because he hasn't been able to kill. As mentioned, the bar patron is murder victim number 2, so when a newspaper article talks about a series of missing women, all with blonde hair, that's got the local police on edge, it leaves one confused. Scott, upon hearing this, immediately wonders if the bodies of his victims have been discovered. We're left to wonder what bodies though. His thoughts immediately go to the intern in the woods (victim # 1) and the remains in his basement (victim # 2). Since the police don't immediately hunt him down, we know they haven't somehow magically found his home and the remains there, and it isn't until later in the book they find the intern in the woods, so what bodies is he worried about? Who are all these allegedly missing blonde women? There's enough that the police feel like there's a pattern, but Scott doesn't seem to have killed anyone but these 2 so far, so what exactly is going on? This leads to further confusion late in the book where the headlines speak of a curfew being enacted due to the "Skull Splitter" murders.
I understand the concept of action "happening off-screen," so to speak, but that requires the author to supply narrative commentary that alludes to such. When the protagonist only recalls or relives the same few victims over and over again, and specifically speaks of his inability to sate his urge to kill, it's only natural to assume that's all there is.
Then there's Chekhov's Gun, Zach. Starting with the death of the intern, Scott states that he feels like Zach knows something about the murder or at least suspects something. This continues throughout the book and their interactions, so much so that Scott decides he needs to get rid of Zach cause he's reached the point where his perceived suspicions are making Scott enraged.
Scott considers, decides, and becomes adamant that Zach needs to go for his own piece of mind and to make sure he doesn't expose him, then does nothing. Zach was groomed to be one of Scott's victims for a good portion of the narrative…so what happened? What was even the point of investing so much time into this point then not deliver?
This all brings us to the obvious ending. From Nat's pregnancy onwards we're just biding our time until Scott finally kills her. His affection for her is quite obviously waning and being redirected to their unborn child instead. If you caught the few random comments about the taste of some victims and mentions of biting them (again, where's all these victims?), then you knew he was going to eat her. The one irrefutable point throughout this book from start of their relationship until the final swallow was that he couldn't bear to have Nat leave him. Even when he no longer had feelings for her and was becoming more enraged at her, he didn't want her to go. So, you put 2 and 2 together and you get cannibalism. Nat can't ever leave if she's a literal part of him.
With the contradictory information, the apparently large swath of victims that doesn't seem to actually exist, and the fact that Scott isn't some brilliant mastermind but is a rather impulsive killer motivated by rage, who somehow doesn't get caught,
I really wanted to like this book, so much potential was there, but it was just confusing and disappointing.
YMMV, of course.
Starborn Husbands: Return to the Pleiades by S. Legend
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
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
Another stellar novel by S. Legend (pardon the pun 😁).
Despite being a Guardian, Treyu is a Brat that requires a firm hand. Literally.
Someone is out to get him and he's going to need all his allies, and maybe a few frenemies, to figure things out before Treyu ends up as stardust.
Brilliantly meshing sci-fi elements with ancient mythology, S. Legend has created interesting worlds, populated with an array of diverse folk. It's hard not to fall in love with the side characters as well as the main crew. Little Trinket nearly steals every scene he's in (when you meet him you'll see) and there's even an appearance by Briggland and Ridomie Riker (IYKYK).
From first page to last, I was happily lost in this book. The action, intrigue, and snark was absolutely delicious. I'm emotionally invested in these characters and can't wait to see what happens next. So good!
If you enjoy sci-fi adventures, mysterious plots, spicy m/m+ relationships, domestic discipline, possessive MCs with literal "touch him and die" vibes, & brilliant banter, then this book is for you.
Despite being a Guardian, Treyu is a Brat that requires a firm hand. Literally.
Someone is out to get him and he's going to need all his allies, and maybe a few frenemies, to figure things out before Treyu ends up as stardust.
Brilliantly meshing sci-fi elements with ancient mythology, S. Legend has created interesting worlds, populated with an array of diverse folk. It's hard not to fall in love with the side characters as well as the main crew. Little Trinket nearly steals every scene he's in (when you meet him you'll see) and there's even an appearance by Briggland and Ridomie Riker (IYKYK).
From first page to last, I was happily lost in this book. The action, intrigue, and snark was absolutely delicious. I'm emotionally invested in these characters and can't wait to see what happens next. So good!
If you enjoy sci-fi adventures, mysterious plots, spicy m/m+ relationships, domestic discipline, possessive MCs with literal "touch him and die" vibes, & brilliant banter, then this book is for you.
Winter Wonders: An Anthology of Winter-Themed Speculative Fiction by Chris Durston
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Every story was vastly different and such a pleasure to read. An enjoyable anthology.