itsjojo's reviews
192 reviews

The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah

adventurous 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

3.5

This refreshing fantasy switch-up had me intrigued quickly. I’ve been searching for fantasy books set in diverse settings, and this one captured my attention immediately. However, the middle section felt a bit slow-paced for me. I read some reviews that mentioned a YA-like tone, and I couldn’t disagree more. Regardless, I’m still invested enough to continue the series. 

“The only difference between a hero and a coward is that one forgets their fear and fights, while the other succumbs to it and flees.” 💪🏽

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

“Sometimes I think it’s the fear of falling down that makes people trip up. We're not born afraid. When we're young, we dont hesitate to run, or climb or jump & we dont worry about getting hurt or fret about failure. Rejection & real life teach us to fear - but if you want something badly enough - you have to take the leap.” ❤️

Wow. This book was WILD. The twists were twisting! The turns were turning! And the QUOTES were quoting! I enjoyed every moment of this! 👏🏽

“Words don’t come with gift receipts and you can’t take them back.”

“Silence cannot be misquoted.”

“The reason why a person lies is almost always more interesting than the lie itself.”

Born of Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

slow-paced

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

“Don’t allow this to leave a mark.” 🥺

While the book started off on solid footing, I spent about 65% questioning the life choices that led me to this point. The first 2 books in this series are probably the best in the FBAA world — period. For whatever reason, the last two books combined are over 1300 pages. They probably should have been reduced to around 500. There’s an ungodly amount of characters that don’t matter and details that feel like they were just randomly added. This is a final book in a series and should be an epic ending of sorts to Ash and Sera’s story. Instead, it’s clearly being used to tie together plot lines for the FBAA series that’s already spiraled off the deep end. I had such high hopes for this series and instead I’m just annoyed. 

“It was the most selfish and altruistic thing in all the realms, more powerful than the Ancients, and the only thing that could snap the threads of fate. It was the only hope the realms had now. Love. “ ❤️ 

The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

This one was a wild ride. I’m usually pretty good at guessing twists but this one threw me for a loop! 

Play With Me by Becka Mack

funny lighthearted 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

3.5

“Real love isn’t conditional. It’s seeing somebody for everything they are and accepting all of them. It’s knowing you’re friends first and lovers second, understanding that arguments are opportunities to know each other deeper.”

I’m struggling with this series because so far I’ve really enjoyed the characters in each book and also the plot. But lawd Jesus these books are long and drawn out. And probably 200 pages more than they need to be. There’s actually some pretty beautiful prose in this book but sadly it’s overshadowed by 20 of the exact same spicy scenes over and over again.  I think Adam is setup for a solid story line. I just hope that book doesn’t have the same pitfalls as the first two. 

A Kingdom of Venom and Vows by Holly Renee

adventurous slow-paced

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

1.5

Gawd this was painful. Even the spice couldn’t save it. What an anticlimactic end to Evren & Adara’s story. I’ve not really taken this series seriously so far but at least the first two books were fun. This one was shortest of the three and by fair the most boring. I truly have never cared less about thing. Maybe Sorin & Thalia’s story can redeem the series.

The Fake Mate by Lana Ferguson

lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.5

“Because when I’m with you . . . I don’t feel like I’m just going through the motions in life. When I’m with you . . . I feel like I’m actually living.” 💗

This was fun. Lana Ferguson knows how to write spice, that’s for damn sure. I enjoyed the story until the third act break up. It’s just never done well. It’s always one party trying to be all noble and shit and protect the other when the clear choice is to just be honest.

It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover

dark emotional sad 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? N/A

5.0

“Cycles exist because they are excruciating to break. It takes an astronomical amount of pain and courage to disrupt a familiar pattern. Sometimes it seems easier to just keep running in the same familiar circles, rather than facing the fear of jumping and possibly not landing on your feet.” 💔

The CoHo haters are annoying. Sometimes I think people just love to hate popular things. I thought this book was great. I will say…this is not a love story. As much as I wanted to read about the great love of Atlas and Lilly, this is a story about generational trauma. And how the choices we make everyday impact the people we love. Either way, I wouldn’t change a thing. ✨

Keeping 13 by Chloe Walsh

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

“I love you. Like, a crazy fucking amount.” 💗

This series is shaping up to be a favorite. I’ve been buddy reading these with several of my friends and I love the conversation it inspires. This world dark and these characters are broken. And if there’s one thing I know, it’s that you never know what you would do until you’re the one in a situation. 

From the found family to Shannon’s baby brother Sean, I love these characters with my whole heart. Every aspect of this story broke me. I found this book to be a bit repetitive like the first and a bit longer than it needed to be, but I’m all in on this series. 

“It was at that exact moment that I knew I was going to be okay. That I could do this. I could live this life with him. No matter what he decided, I would find a way to cope, because sitting on Johnny Kavanagh’s shoulders, with his arm wrapped around my legs and his hand on my thigh, I knew there was no other place I wanted to be. I belonged with this boy and he belonged with me.” 🫶🏽

The Game Changer by Lana Ferguson

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

This was cute. The spice was solid.