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iloveyou's reviews
367 reviews
Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim
4.0
shiori’s story completely swept me away.
her adventure told through lim’s storytelling is nothing short of magical. scc takes me back to when i was a child, enraptured in reading fairytales.
shiori’s story reminds me of yona of the dawn, with an exiled princess and a witty dragon friend.
with the mixture of dangerous magic and the dragon realm, i was excited to read every page. and my experience with the story definitely did not disappoint.
but scc only gets four stars because the romance seemed to have more significance and dragged the plot. it’s really too bad that seryu only had a couple lines bc he had so much more potential for the first book, not just the second.
her adventure told through lim’s storytelling is nothing short of magical. scc takes me back to when i was a child, enraptured in reading fairytales.
shiori’s story reminds me of yona of the dawn, with an exiled princess and a witty dragon friend.
with the mixture of dangerous magic and the dragon realm, i was excited to read every page. and my experience with the story definitely did not disappoint.
but scc only gets four stars because the romance seemed to have more significance and dragged the plot. it’s really too bad that seryu only had a couple lines bc he had so much more potential for the first book, not just the second.
A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft
4.0
allison saft writing a sapphic dark fantasy about academic rivals to lovers? oh i’m sat.
the best part about reading ADADT was how beautifully crafted the world was and of course, the relationship between our mcs. from the stunning take on modern fairytales to the wonderful adventures of the two (painfully in love) mcs: lorelai (folklorist) and sylvia (naturalist). i haven’t read much sapphic fantasies but saft’s ADADT was just *chefs kiss*.
many thanks to random house publishing group & netgalley for the arc.
the best part about reading ADADT was how beautifully crafted the world was and of course, the relationship between our mcs. from the stunning take on modern fairytales to the wonderful adventures of the two (painfully in love) mcs: lorelai (folklorist) and sylvia (naturalist). i haven’t read much sapphic fantasies but saft’s ADADT was just *chefs kiss*.
many thanks to random house publishing group & netgalley for the arc.
The Fiancé Dilemma by Elena Armas
2.0
i love elena armas but TFD was not for me.
while the initial encounter between our two mcs (josephine “josie” & matthew) is understandably awkward, the rest of their following encounters felt exactly the same. one-dimensional. maybe i would’ve loved this if their relationship was developed better; i know it’s difficult with the fake engagement and time crunch but i’ll accept anything besides the insta-love trope. honestly, josie stressed me out with the way she handled her problems: valuing miscommunication and repeated lies over the truth.
also, is josie allergic to being a decent sister? i feel like she cared more about validation from andrew than listening to adalyn.
ANYWAYS, i am still excited to read whatever elena writes next <3
many thanks to atria books & netgalley for the arc.
while the initial encounter between our two mcs (josephine “josie” & matthew) is understandably awkward, the rest of their following encounters felt exactly the same. one-dimensional. maybe i would’ve loved this if their relationship was developed better; i know it’s difficult with the fake engagement and time crunch but i’ll accept anything besides the insta-love trope. honestly, josie stressed me out with the way she handled her problems: valuing miscommunication and repeated lies over the truth.
also, is josie allergic to being a decent sister? i feel like she cared more about validation from andrew than listening to adalyn.
ANYWAYS, i am still excited to read whatever elena writes next <3
many thanks to atria books & netgalley for the arc.
Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter
1.75
yup, she's not like other girls!
the clichés in this book are endless but the story was still sweet and memorable- the moments with liz's mother made me sob uncontrollably.
the clichés in this book are endless but the story was still sweet and memorable- the moments with liz's mother made me sob uncontrollably.
Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross
2.25
as i wanted desperately in divine rivals, there was just not enough worldbuilding & character development in ruthless vows which sucks bc it's the last of the duology. i know the story is now officially over but i feel robbed.
the war between gods was... something! nonexistent, really. we never truly get an explanation for what happened to the gods nor enva and dacre's backstory.
also, iris and roman are so SO adorable, it only sucks that the book drags on for a few hundred pages before a real interaction.
the war between gods was... something! nonexistent, really. we never truly get an explanation for what happened to the gods nor enva and dacre's backstory.
also, iris and roman are so SO adorable, it only sucks that the book drags on for a few hundred pages before a real interaction.
A Feather So Black by Lyra Selene
2.75
after hearing a feather so black shared similarities with the cruel prince, i just HAD to see for myself.
i found AFSB enjoyable but still fell incredibly short in many areas.
we have eala, the kidnapped princess that the folk stole off to their realm. and fia, our changeling mc, freshly abandoned by the folk to replace eala. young fia grows accustomed as the queen's foster daughter and more importantly, her upcoming weapon, training for years to one day bring eala back from the folk realm.
while we do have a love triangle in AFSB, i just felt like it was so lackluster for both love interests? rogan, fia's childhood best friend and first love, is betrothed to her stolen sister making them a forbidden love. fia and rogan's friendship was so adorable, yet as soon as their dynamic changed, everything just felt forced. rogan's character became unbearable to me. and irian, well, he's just... there. the average morally grey fae!
all in all, this is a fine read if ur looking for a fast-paced romantasy that actually doesn't overcomplicate the storyline. do be aware though that it's not a standalone!
i found AFSB enjoyable but still fell incredibly short in many areas.
we have eala, the kidnapped princess that the folk stole off to their realm. and fia, our changeling mc, freshly abandoned by the folk to replace eala. young fia grows accustomed as the queen's foster daughter and more importantly, her upcoming weapon, training for years to one day bring eala back from the folk realm.
while we do have a love triangle in AFSB, i just felt like it was so lackluster for both love interests? rogan, fia's childhood best friend and first love, is betrothed to her stolen sister making them a forbidden love. fia and rogan's friendship was so adorable, yet as soon as their dynamic changed, everything just felt forced. rogan's character became unbearable to me. and irian, well, he's just... there. the average morally grey fae!
all in all, this is a fine read if ur looking for a fast-paced romantasy that actually doesn't overcomplicate the storyline. do be aware though that it's not a standalone!
All This Twisted Glory by Tahereh Mafi
3.25
yesss mafi give us nothing!
in actuality, nothing really happened but i love the series too much okay
in actuality, nothing really happened but i love the series too much okay
An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson
2.25
An Education in Malice promises a dark and delicious rivals-to-lovers with its sapphic retelling of Carmilla.
Set in Saint Perpetua, a selective school for girls, Laura (our mc and aspiring writer) struggles to find her clique. Yet, she becomes obsessed with the poetry professor, De Lafontaine, and of course Carmilla, De Lafontaine’s mysterious and brightest pupil. Laura obsesses over Carmilla: the two quickly (if not instantly) developing into rivals-to-lovers.
The story somewhat delivers its promise of the synopsis, although it lacked plot for a LONG time. I quickly discovered that the showy writing, though beautiful, did not impress me. I do enjoy dark academia and enemies-to-lovers, but the atmosphere fell flat. Instead, Laura fixates on Carmilla the millisecond she sees her and let’s just say that I have whiplash. After finishing this book, I feel disappointed because I loved the setting but Laura and Carmilla were not particularly memorable characters as they had zero personality or chemistry.
Set in Saint Perpetua, a selective school for girls, Laura (our mc and aspiring writer) struggles to find her clique. Yet, she becomes obsessed with the poetry professor, De Lafontaine, and of course Carmilla, De Lafontaine’s mysterious and brightest pupil. Laura obsesses over Carmilla: the two quickly (if not instantly) developing into rivals-to-lovers.
The story somewhat delivers its promise of the synopsis, although it lacked plot for a LONG time. I quickly discovered that the showy writing, though beautiful, did not impress me. I do enjoy dark academia and enemies-to-lovers, but the atmosphere fell flat. Instead, Laura fixates on Carmilla the millisecond she sees her and let’s just say that I have whiplash. After finishing this book, I feel disappointed because I loved the setting but Laura and Carmilla were not particularly memorable characters as they had zero personality or chemistry.
The Fury by Alex Michaelides
1.0
usually enjoy reading thrillers and murder mysteries but the fury absolutely dragged itself for eternity. not fast-paced at all. though the synopsis sounded trusting: lana farrar, a famous actress, invites her friends to her private island but someone ends up getting murdered.
i'm generally a huge fan of unreliable narrators bc they make the story much more interesting, but the mmc (elliot) and his exhausting narration felt soulless. the mmc forces the story to be so sterile and none of the main characters were particularly memorable for me. unfortunately the fury was a miss for me, the book falls flat and the ending sadly did not shock me.
many thanks to celadon books and netgalley for the e-arc.
i'm generally a huge fan of unreliable narrators bc they make the story much more interesting, but the mmc (elliot) and his exhausting narration felt soulless. the mmc forces the story to be so sterile and none of the main characters were particularly memorable for me. unfortunately the fury was a miss for me, the book falls flat and the ending sadly did not shock me.
many thanks to celadon books and netgalley for the e-arc.
The Do-Over by Lynn Painter
2.0
was it overly corny and cliché? yes but binge-reading ya romance will hit every single time.
i’m not sure if i ever could have fully enjoyed the do-over bc i can’t stand the insta-love trope and that’s basically the whole plot of this book (seriously they meet and fall in love in less than 24 hours). regardless, i still found the story to be very cute and heartwarming!
i’m not sure if i ever could have fully enjoyed the do-over bc i can’t stand the insta-love trope and that’s basically the whole plot of this book (seriously they meet and fall in love in less than 24 hours). regardless, i still found the story to be very cute and heartwarming!