hrtlss_grl's reviews
113 reviews

Phantasma by Kaylie Smith

adventurous emotional inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

King of Battle and Blood by Scarlett St. Clair

adventurous emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Heir of Ashes by H.M. Darling

tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

Kiss of Steel by Bec McMaster

adventurous emotional funny 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

The Frost Queen's Blade by Meg Smitherman

adventurous emotional funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book was one I couldn't put down. It definitely got me out of a slump. And while I feel like technically it was a little obvious in its "twists" it was not supposed to be some kind of over the top Machaivellian masterpiece. It was exactly what I think it was meant to be: fun, inspiring, fantastical, romantic and a little bit smutty. It got me out of a slump and into a frenzy. I was laughing, smirking, smacking my forehead and groaning in disbelief. My family is convinced I'm crazy, but this book was just that good. 
Elma was fantastic and while Rune outshown her on occasion, she flew high on her own, kicked butt and saved the day. We gotta love a woman who knows what she wants, and while it takes her a little bit to figure it out, when she does, she takes it. 
Something that I really enjoyed was what felt like an accurate (to my experience with mental health) depiction of depression, lonelines, and suicidal thoughts. I am so glad that the author was thoughtful enough to include a trigger warnings section in her book. It helped me mentally prepare.
Overall, I loved this. It will easily be in my top 5 favourites for a long while. 
5 🌟 (stars)
3 🌶 (spicy peppers)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Animal death, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Death of parent, and War

Beautiful Wreck by Larissa Brown

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious slow-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

3.75

This book was very heavy on the prose. For swaths of the book, it felt like nothing was happening because it was all flowery words. That being said, the main character is a linguist, so it did make sense. This is one of the slowest of slow burns I have ever read, and I mean that with all my heart. Having met fairly early in the story, they don't even brush hands until around 100 pages in. It takes them even longer to kiss. He is technically untouchable, so that has a ton to do with it, but it also informs the whole story and a strong amount of the plot. I will say it takes the main character far to long to figure out the major twist. I saw that coming from a mile away, and so did my beastie Betta. I will say there is some mild sort of grooming going on with Betta, but it actually seems to work for the book. I also feel like grooming is sort of the wrong word, but I haven't got a better one. In the end, it is a lot of buildup for a quick wrapup. I wished we had gotten more of an ending. There is however a book 2, though I believe it is about a different main character and I will have to consider it, since I didn't care to much for her in this one. (I wasn't supposed to, but oh well.) I did love how women were always the center and focus of this book. We rarely saw the men, and truly only through the women's eyes. Would definitely recommend for viking romance fans, time travel romance fans, historical fantasy epics fans, or anyone who just loves a beautifully written love story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Death of parent, and Murder

Dating & Dismemberment by A.L. Brody

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-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

4.75

This book embodies the idea of 'What would happen if Friday the 13th were a Rom-Com?' It's a fast paced fun romp with low stakes and a lot of heart. We follow the story of the Duchess of Death, and her family trying to figure out life and love. Even though these characters are monsters, they are very human and have hopes and dreams, wants and needs just like everyone else. I would also like to point out that this book is written by a man. And while there is some disagreement on whether or not men can write women, I would say of all the men writing women, he definitely did the best. It's not perfect, but for sure better than some female authors I've read. *cough cough Galenorn cough cough* These characters feel real. Their emotional struggles feel real. At the same time this book is so lighthearted and fun. I know there is some heavy stuff listed in the warnings, but they are mostly just mentions and very little is seen on page. Please give it a try. I really enjoyed it a ton!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing, Death, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment

Minor: Ableism, Bullying, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Antisemitism, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Luck in the Shadows by Lynn Flewelling

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Eating disorder, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, Vomit, Murder, and War

Minor: Animal death, Miscarriage, and Death of parent

Cassiel's Servant by Jacqueline Carey

adventurous dark emotional inspiring 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

A retelling of the first book in the Kushiel's Legacy Series (Kushiel's Dart), this book is so much more. It actually fleshes out the character of Joscelin, giving him more agency and showing us a whole different side of Terre d'Ange. While written to match the first book, it is considerably shorter do to less description, giving it a different feel from Phedre's voice. Joscelin is definitely his own person with his own way of seeing things, giving this book a less prose heavy bent. I loved the glimpses of things we never got to see in the original book, and plan to read it side by side with the original any time I read this series from now on. Just remember, it does follow the plot of the first book, and so it has graphic violence and also torture and slavery and the inability for Joscelin to prevent what happens to Phedre which makes him suicidal, and you do get to see his thought processes through all that.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Outing, and War

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Rape, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

The Rom-Com Agenda by Jayne Denker

emotional hopeful reflective 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, and Death of parent

Very cute fade to black romance with diverse characters and a plot straight out of a rom-com movie. A nod to all the greats. :) Narrator was a little slow, but otherwise great at making characters stand out from each other.