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howlinglibraries's reviews
1833 reviews
Go Luck Yourself by Sara Raasch
I loved this book so much. Lochlann has such a special place in my heart! His rage and anguish over the way his holiday was being treated, both from within and by outsiders, had me so deeply in my feelings. Don't even get me started on how hard he fell for our little anxiety baby Kris. π
Kris, on the other hand, frustrated me in the beginning, but then I realized that it was because his lashing out and depression hit TOO close to home. Once I set that aside, I loved him almost as much as I loved Coal in book 1. π₯Ί
Sara Raasch, PLEASE give us a 3rd book from Iris' POV! I need it! πβ₯οΈ
5.0
"I'm someone who hurt you and I'm despairingly in love with you and I canna bear to be both those things at once."
I loved this book so much. Lochlann has such a special place in my heart! His rage and anguish over the way his holiday was being treated, both from within and by outsiders, had me so deeply in my feelings. Don't even get me started on how hard he fell for our little anxiety baby Kris. π
Kris, on the other hand, frustrated me in the beginning, but then I realized that it was because his lashing out and depression hit TOO close to home. Once I set that aside, I loved him almost as much as I loved Coal in book 1. π₯Ί
Sara Raasch, PLEASE give us a 3rd book from Iris' POV! I need it! πβ₯οΈ
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.
β¨ Representation: bi/pan MC, queer love interest, queer side characters
β¨ Content warnings: emotional/verbal abuse from parents, neglectful parents, alcohol, loss of parents, grief, explicit sex, anxiety/panic attacks
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Alcohol
Minor: Grief, Death of parent
Lights Out by Navessa Allen
Look, I didn't know what to expect going into this book because honestly, it felt like there was a really good chance it wasn't going to live up to the hype for me. I didn't even think I liked stalker romances that much! I guess Aly and Josh weren't the only ones learning new things about themselves here. π€·ββοΈ
Lights Out is literally one of the funniest, most delightful books I have ever read. There were times where I was listening to the audiobook after my family went to bed and literally was sitting there in the dark with TEARS streaming down my face from how hard I was trying to stifle my laughter, and I honestly don't know if that has ever happened to me with a rom-com. 10/10, no notes. I can't wait for book 2.
β¨ Content warnings: graphic sex, BDSM, kinks, stalking, voyeurism, violence, murder, discussions of rape/assault, home invasion, spying, hacking, death of a parent, grief, mentions of serial killers, mentions of cannibalism, vomit, medical content/settings
dark
funny
tense
medium-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
Heβd dragged me out of the gray world Iβd been living in and taught me how to see colors again.
Look, I didn't know what to expect going into this book because honestly, it felt like there was a really good chance it wasn't going to live up to the hype for me. I didn't even think I liked stalker romances that much! I guess Aly and Josh weren't the only ones learning new things about themselves here. π€·ββοΈ
Lights Out is literally one of the funniest, most delightful books I have ever read. There were times where I was listening to the audiobook after my family went to bed and literally was sitting there in the dark with TEARS streaming down my face from how hard I was trying to stifle my laughter, and I honestly don't know if that has ever happened to me with a rom-com. 10/10, no notes. I can't wait for book 2.
I read a final copy borrowed from the library, but for the sake of disclosure, I was also gifted an early review copy. All thoughts are honest and my own.
β¨ Content warnings: graphic sex, BDSM, kinks, stalking, voyeurism, violence, murder, discussions of rape/assault, home invasion, spying, hacking, death of a parent, grief, mentions of serial killers, mentions of cannibalism, vomit, medical content/settings
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Stalking
Moderate: Rape, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder
Minor: Vomit, Medical content, Cannibalism, Car accident
The Lamb by Lucy Rose
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
5.0
This odd little book has been a real source of discussion lately, and after reading it, I can see why. Told through the perspective of a child, there's a devastating sadness and unsettling nature to her upbringing that claws its way under your skin and remains there. I wanted to take Margot right out of these twisted pages and hold her, but she's far from an innocent little girl - and, somehow, her own terrible behaviors and thoughts about the world made me love her that much more. The ending of this book is going to stay with me for a long time to come, and despite how much heartache the entire story brought me, I'm already itching to read it once more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse
Minor: Infidelity
Grim Portraits: Six Stories About the Dark Side of Art by Kealan Patrick Burke
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
5.0
I always love Kealan's work, so I figured I'd celebrate St. Patrick's Day by picking up a new-to-me read from my favorite Irish author! It was a damn good choice. I loved this collection. I'm fascinated by the idea of haunted pieces of art anyway, but also, I enjoyed that it wasn't only about paintings - the final story was even about music, which I wasn't expecting but really loved.
My favorite story of the collection was the first one, which was so sad and lovely, but all of them were fantastic! I highly recommend this collection to anyone who enjoys short horror stories, especially if you're looking to get into Kealan's work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Suicide attempt
The Wild by K Webster
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
... I should have read the spoiler reviews.
I went into this book totally oblivious, knowing nothing about it except that it was very controversial. I'll admit that it piqued my interest and I bought the ebook from the author's site on a whim, wondering, "How bad could it be?" Well, friends, how bad it could be was that this entire book is a romance story between a 16/17-year-old girl and her dad.
Honestly, I think the worst part was killing off the mom a chapter in just to fridge her character and make room for these two to hook up, but really, there's a lot of stuff to choose from here that's frankly even more offensive than the incest. The entire book was a shitshow stacked on top of a trainwreck and I'll probably never reach for a K. Webster book again.
The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch
β¨ Representation: bi MC, queer love interest, queer side characters, Mexican love interest, Black side character
β¨ Content warnings for: loss of a sibling, loss of a parent, abandonment from a parent, grief, insecurity, emotional and verbal abuse from a parent, mentions of physical abuse, mentions of toxic relationships, alcohol, vomit, blackmail
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.5
This was adorable. I love a good, cute, gay rom-com and this definitely delivered! The holiday fantasy elements were a great backdrop to this sweet 'star-crossed lovers' romance, but what really stole the show for me was Hex's character. I mean, anyone who knows me at all would NOT be surprised to hear that I adored the Prince of Halloween, but that's beside the point. π€£ He was SO funny and precious and soft, and I just loved him to bits! I can't wait to continue the series and I really hope we get cameos of Coal and Hex in future installments.
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.
β¨ Representation: bi MC, queer love interest, queer side characters, Mexican love interest, Black side character
β¨ Content warnings for: loss of a sibling, loss of a parent, abandonment from a parent, grief, insecurity, emotional and verbal abuse from a parent, mentions of physical abuse, mentions of toxic relationships, alcohol, vomit, blackmail
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Vomit, Grief, Abandonment, Alcohol
Minor: Death, Physical abuse, Death of parent
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
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
5.0
I loved this. I'm suffering, but I loved this. π
I have to say I enjoyed this more than Iron Flame. I'm genuinely at a bit of a loss as to why so many people hated this installment or chose this moment to DNF the series. I respect opposing opinions, don't get me wrong... π I just thought it was a really fun, likeable continuation of the series. It wasn't the best writing I've ever read or anything, but that's not really what I love this series for. I'm here for the characters and dragons I love and the fun battle scenes, and this one provided all of that in droves!
Buddy read with Misty!
I have to say I enjoyed this more than Iron Flame. I'm genuinely at a bit of a loss as to why so many people hated this installment or chose this moment to DNF the series. I respect opposing opinions, don't get me wrong... π I just thought it was a really fun, likeable continuation of the series. It wasn't the best writing I've ever read or anything, but that's not really what I love this series for. I'm here for the characters and dragons I love and the fun battle scenes, and this one provided all of that in droves!
Buddy read with Misty!
Hello Billionaire by Kelsie Hoss
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
3.0
This was mostly a pretty cute read, though it definitely wasn't perfect. I picked up this one out of the middle of the series, so there were a lot of characters that I didn't know but I assume I would have; that said, it functioned well as a standalone and I didn't feel like I was missing anything important by not starting at the beginning of the series.
Farrah was a likable enough FMC, though she suffered from the same problem all of the other characters did: she felt flat and one-dimensional at times. I enjoyed her most of all when interacting with her kids, because I felt like Hoss' writing shone in the motherly love depicted there. Gage felt pretty flat at times, too, but like Farrah and her kids, I enjoyed him most when spending time with his family.
I had a handful of minor problems throughout the book, like stilted bits of dialogue, but my biggest problem definitely boiled down to the third act breakup. It absolutely enraged me and I had a hard time forgiving Gage for his actions, even though the story tried to force in this ideal that he was doing it "for the greater good". It was so aggravating and ultimately led to my being unable to care much at all about the end of the book, even though the breakup was such a short portion of it overall.
Farrah was a likable enough FMC, though she suffered from the same problem all of the other characters did: she felt flat and one-dimensional at times. I enjoyed her most of all when interacting with her kids, because I felt like Hoss' writing shone in the motherly love depicted there. Gage felt pretty flat at times, too, but like Farrah and her kids, I enjoyed him most when spending time with his family.
I had a handful of minor problems throughout the book, like stilted bits of dialogue, but my biggest problem definitely boiled down to the third act breakup. It absolutely enraged me and I had a hard time forgiving Gage for his actions, even though the story tried to force in this ideal that he was doing it "for the greater good". It was so aggravating and ultimately led to my being unable to care much at all about the end of the book, even though the breakup was such a short portion of it overall.
Marrying The Protective Professor by Iris West
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I hate being negative about indie romance books, especially ones that don't have a ton of ratings, but I didn't enjoy the writing in this at all. It was a classic case of an author attempting to cram a full novel's worth of back story, angst, and personal traumas into a 50-page short story and it did not work.
Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates
5.0
This was a ton of fun! I don't read a lot of murder mysteries, but when I do, I like for them to be like this: lots of characters with odd little back stories, nobody worth trusting, and a trapped/stranded setting that nobody can leave. Darcy Coates pulled it off brilliantly and the tension was just right! I usually guess twists, but I honestly fell for a red herring and had no idea who the killer was until right before the reveal. I loved this!