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jenessalikes's reviews
271 reviews
House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
challenging
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Ok I needed time to process but here we go.
First, let me state by saying I believe SJM to be a brilliant author. I love the way her mind works, I love how she weaves lore and romance and action together in her storytelling. And I absolute love how she foreshadows and gives us crumbs to then form theories of our own on.
I thought the time spent with the crossover was perfect. There was no way this was going to be an ACOTAR heavy thing. It doesn't make sense. It would be fan service-y to do so. All that being said, this book, while exhilarating at times, was anticlimactic as a whole to me. Let me explain-spoilers ahead.
First, let's dive into characters:
-Nesta. Listen, I'm not a Nesta stan. I appreciate her journey, I recognize that SJM appears to not be done with her story arc and that she clearly wants this character to reach a certain point that she hasn't yet. That's fine. But the Nesta in HOFAS? That is not the Nesta we've gotten to know over the ACOTAR series. This cool, calm, collected warrior who is kind and level-headed and wants to befriend a stranger that has literally dropped into their world... no. No. Nesta is not that. She felt so out of character to me that it almost became cringey. And giving Bryce the mask? After what Bryce did in the Prison? I'm sorry there is no freaking way Nesta does that. And in the bonus chapter? Making Rhys look like some a**hole and Nesta *cowering* as he sneers at her? They both felt SO hot and cold. Nesta felt at times like Feyre, and I'm genuinely confused by that. Speaking of, where was Feyre? You know, the only character that actually GLOWS like Bryce? That has starlight (literally SJM has called it starlight)? And Ember and Nesta immediately taking to each other? Again-cringe. There is no way Nesta does that. And I know you're probably saying "well SJM wrote it, therefore she does do that" and yes, but also she's written Nesta a certain way up until HOFAS and then suddenly, she's changed her. Why?
Azriel-I really enjoyed him in this book! I liked seeing his little friendship with Nesta. I thought he was softened a bit, especially again towards a complete stranger, but it didn't bother me because overall, even though this is the most time we've spent with him, he still felt like the Az we've seen in the ACOTAR series.
Bryce-While not my favorite SJM girlie, I did really like Bryce. I loved her sass and the way she loves hard and stands up for people. I love that she seemed like a super relatable character. But in this book, Bryce becomes a weird shell of herself. She's downright insufferable at parts, especially when it comes to Hunt and his trauma. She ends part one not really trusting Nesta and Az but then suddenly, the thought of Nesta makes her believe all fae can change and then she trusts them to watch her parents? Idk, I just was so disappointed in how her character was portrayed.
Hunt- SJM had the opportunity to really dig deep into his character. We have been building up his parentage, building up who he is and the power he possesses and it all fell very flat. Though he's never been like Rowan or Rhys, I would have loved to see him shine and come into his own. But he was relegated to being "Bryce's mate". By the end of the book there was no personality to him. He was just a blob with some lightning or should I say helfire.
Ithan-His storyline seemed so chaotic, so hot and cold, back and forth. I'm assuming the whole reaper alpha thing is setting up something in CC4. I'm fine with that (same with Ariadne disappearing). There's another book coming that will probably tie in those things. But we dedicated SO MUCH of his character to that, when in the end in THIS BOOK, it didn't matter...it left a bad taste in my mouth. I like that he's become a reluctant leader. That his brother is his motivation. But his povs slowed the story down immensely when Hypaxia and Jesiba weren't around. Sabine's death was satisfying enough.
Tharion-Gods poor guy. Making terrible decision after terrible decision. Again, I think his story will continue in CC4 so I'm not really upset with where we ended off for him. Other than the frustration of watching him continually fuck up and make poor choices this entire series, his pov's didn't bother me. They also didn't really add to the story.
Ruhn-I loved him in this book. He felt real and raw, and it seemed like of all the characters SJM was writing about in this book, Ruhn and Lidia were the ones she was most passionate about.
Lidia-My favorite character in the entire book. Which wasn't the case before HOFAS but man was her story brilliant. I loved the surprise of her sons. I freaking screamed at the confirmation of her being a descendant of our fire breathing bitch queen. She was the most well rounded well written character. Chefs kiss to our girl.
Baxian-Add him to the Ruhn/Lidia category honestly. I loved him. Loved that he was the first one to tell Bryce that she could be the type of leader to unite everyone if she just got out of her freaking head (more or less). My heart aches that he still loves and cares about his mate despite the fact that she is gone. Ugh.
Princes of Hel-Loved them. Needed more. Really hope they show up in CC4 and ACOTAR.
Everyone else-Meh.
Moving onto the plot:
Plot pacing suffered in this book. Things happened a little too conveniently. And a lot of it felt very repetitive. I'm curious about what the book looked like before she rewrote it. It felt like there was just stuff happening for the sake of happening at times (not all the times, but enough that it stood out). I might be in the minority here, but I loved the info dump from Seline. I got answers to things I was theorizing over for a year plus. So I didn't give a shit that it was a hologram speaking like she was reading a speech. Because the lore was so good.
But then it was basically repeated with the caves in Avallen. Not the hologram part but was there truly no other way to convey information than to have these two sisters simultaneously carve out the story in the caves? To have them both have secret meanings that follow the same trajectory? Like I said above it just felt...too convenient. And Bryce knew all, figured it all out so quickly.
And Hunt and Bryce's reunion? WTH was that. I reread Rowan and Aelin's reunion in the alley. I reread Feyre and Rhys' reunion after she's in the spring court. Both of those had more emotion than Bryce and Hunt's reunion. It was just... such a letdown.
The romance in this book was a sub plot to the fantasy and sci-fi elements. And that would have been fine if all the romance was portrayed like Ruhn and Lidia's. They reminded me so much of Feyre and Rhys and I loved that. But Hunt and Bryce... if it wasn't repeatedly said to us that they are mates, I honestly just would of thought they were fuck buddies with zero attachment at points. IN BOOK THREE OF THEIR STORY. Even their spicy scenes were so lackluster.
Final thoughts:
I'm still an SJM stan, I still have faith in the stories she is going to tell. At least, until the next ACOTAR book comes out. But this book felt very much like an author who was rushed into a story and didn't quite have the details yet of how she wanted to do it. It felt very much like making characters say and act and do things a certain way to move the plot, and not because it was actually in character for them to do those things. It just felt like an SJM-light kind of book.
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶🌶/5
First, let me state by saying I believe SJM to be a brilliant author. I love the way her mind works, I love how she weaves lore and romance and action together in her storytelling. And I absolute love how she foreshadows and gives us crumbs to then form theories of our own on.
I thought the time spent with the crossover was perfect. There was no way this was going to be an ACOTAR heavy thing. It doesn't make sense. It would be fan service-y to do so. All that being said, this book, while exhilarating at times, was anticlimactic as a whole to me. Let me explain-spoilers ahead.
First, let's dive into characters:
-Nesta. Listen, I'm not a Nesta stan. I appreciate her journey, I recognize that SJM appears to not be done with her story arc and that she clearly wants this character to reach a certain point that she hasn't yet. That's fine. But the Nesta in HOFAS? That is not the Nesta we've gotten to know over the ACOTAR series. This cool, calm, collected warrior who is kind and level-headed and wants to befriend a stranger that has literally dropped into their world... no. No. Nesta is not that. She felt so out of character to me that it almost became cringey. And giving Bryce the mask? After what Bryce did in the Prison? I'm sorry there is no freaking way Nesta does that. And in the bonus chapter? Making Rhys look like some a**hole and Nesta *cowering* as he sneers at her? They both felt SO hot and cold. Nesta felt at times like Feyre, and I'm genuinely confused by that. Speaking of, where was Feyre? You know, the only character that actually GLOWS like Bryce? That has starlight (literally SJM has called it starlight)? And Ember and Nesta immediately taking to each other? Again-cringe. There is no way Nesta does that. And I know you're probably saying "well SJM wrote it, therefore she does do that" and yes, but also she's written Nesta a certain way up until HOFAS and then suddenly, she's changed her. Why?
Azriel-I really enjoyed him in this book! I liked seeing his little friendship with Nesta. I thought he was softened a bit, especially again towards a complete stranger, but it didn't bother me because overall, even though this is the most time we've spent with him, he still felt like the Az we've seen in the ACOTAR series.
Bryce-While not my favorite SJM girlie, I did really like Bryce. I loved her sass and the way she loves hard and stands up for people. I love that she seemed like a super relatable character. But in this book, Bryce becomes a weird shell of herself. She's downright insufferable at parts, especially when it comes to Hunt and his trauma. She ends part one not really trusting Nesta and Az but then suddenly, the thought of Nesta makes her believe all fae can change and then she trusts them to watch her parents? Idk, I just was so disappointed in how her character was portrayed.
Hunt- SJM had the opportunity to really dig deep into his character. We have been building up his parentage, building up who he is and the power he possesses and it all fell very flat. Though he's never been like Rowan or Rhys, I would have loved to see him shine and come into his own. But he was relegated to being "Bryce's mate". By the end of the book there was no personality to him. He was just a blob with some lightning or should I say helfire.
Ithan-His storyline seemed so chaotic, so hot and cold, back and forth. I'm assuming the whole reaper alpha thing is setting up something in CC4. I'm fine with that (same with Ariadne disappearing). There's another book coming that will probably tie in those things. But we dedicated SO MUCH of his character to that, when in the end in THIS BOOK, it didn't matter...it left a bad taste in my mouth. I like that he's become a reluctant leader. That his brother is his motivation. But his povs slowed the story down immensely when Hypaxia and Jesiba weren't around. Sabine's death was satisfying enough.
Tharion-Gods poor guy. Making terrible decision after terrible decision. Again, I think his story will continue in CC4 so I'm not really upset with where we ended off for him. Other than the frustration of watching him continually fuck up and make poor choices this entire series, his pov's didn't bother me. They also didn't really add to the story.
Ruhn-I loved him in this book. He felt real and raw, and it seemed like of all the characters SJM was writing about in this book, Ruhn and Lidia were the ones she was most passionate about.
Lidia-My favorite character in the entire book. Which wasn't the case before HOFAS but man was her story brilliant. I loved the surprise of her sons. I freaking screamed at the confirmation of her being a descendant of our fire breathing bitch queen. She was the most well rounded well written character. Chefs kiss to our girl.
Baxian-Add him to the Ruhn/Lidia category honestly. I loved him. Loved that he was the first one to tell Bryce that she could be the type of leader to unite everyone if she just got out of her freaking head (more or less). My heart aches that he still loves and cares about his mate despite the fact that she is gone. Ugh.
Princes of Hel-Loved them. Needed more. Really hope they show up in CC4 and ACOTAR.
Everyone else-Meh.
Moving onto the plot:
Plot pacing suffered in this book. Things happened a little too conveniently. And a lot of it felt very repetitive. I'm curious about what the book looked like before she rewrote it. It felt like there was just stuff happening for the sake of happening at times (not all the times, but enough that it stood out). I might be in the minority here, but I loved the info dump from Seline. I got answers to things I was theorizing over for a year plus. So I didn't give a shit that it was a hologram speaking like she was reading a speech. Because the lore was so good.
But then it was basically repeated with the caves in Avallen. Not the hologram part but was there truly no other way to convey information than to have these two sisters simultaneously carve out the story in the caves? To have them both have secret meanings that follow the same trajectory? Like I said above it just felt...too convenient. And Bryce knew all, figured it all out so quickly.
And Hunt and Bryce's reunion? WTH was that. I reread Rowan and Aelin's reunion in the alley. I reread Feyre and Rhys' reunion after she's in the spring court. Both of those had more emotion than Bryce and Hunt's reunion. It was just... such a letdown.
The romance in this book was a sub plot to the fantasy and sci-fi elements. And that would have been fine if all the romance was portrayed like Ruhn and Lidia's. They reminded me so much of Feyre and Rhys and I loved that. But Hunt and Bryce... if it wasn't repeatedly said to us that they are mates, I honestly just would of thought they were fuck buddies with zero attachment at points. IN BOOK THREE OF THEIR STORY. Even their spicy scenes were so lackluster.
Final thoughts:
I'm still an SJM stan, I still have faith in the stories she is going to tell. At least, until the next ACOTAR book comes out. But this book felt very much like an author who was rushed into a story and didn't quite have the details yet of how she wanted to do it. It felt very much like making characters say and act and do things a certain way to move the plot, and not because it was actually in character for them to do those things. It just felt like an SJM-light kind of book.
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶🌶/5
What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Ahhhhhhh!
That ending?! Oh my goddddd😱
This book is perfect for all the girlies who grew up obsessed with Egypt. Who love a little saucy bantering between their fmc and mmc.
Whit-I need more of him. Our little despressy and stressy secret keeping man.
Inez was bold and curious, but girl made some dumb decisions occasionally. It fits, though, as someone out on her own for the first time.
The Egyptian Lore and magic were so interesting, and I found myself on the edge of my seat, wanting to learn even more!
The only negative for me is that the pace felt really slow at times.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
No spice
That ending?! Oh my goddddd😱
This book is perfect for all the girlies who grew up obsessed with Egypt. Who love a little saucy bantering between their fmc and mmc.
Whit-I need more of him. Our little despressy and stressy secret keeping man.
Inez was bold and curious, but girl made some dumb decisions occasionally. It fits, though, as someone out on her own for the first time.
The Egyptian Lore and magic were so interesting, and I found myself on the edge of my seat, wanting to learn even more!
The only negative for me is that the pace felt really slow at times.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
No spice
The Deal by Elle Kennedy
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
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
5.0
I read this book in under twenty-four hours. It's so perfectly bingeable!
I love Hannah and Garrett, their banter was so fun and sweet. I thought the author did a good job tackling tougher subjects while also infusing a lightness to it that was refreshing.
Overall if you want something funny, sweet, and spicy, then give this one a read!
🌶🌶🌶 .5/5
I love Hannah and Garrett, their banter was so fun and sweet. I thought the author did a good job tackling tougher subjects while also infusing a lightness to it that was refreshing.
Overall if you want something funny, sweet, and spicy, then give this one a read!
🌶🌶🌶 .5/5
Bride of the Shadow King by Sylvia Mercedes
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The things I enjoyed about this book unfortunately don't outweigh the things I didn't.
The writing I found lacking, to the point where I sometimes cringed from the phrases used or lack of consistency between characters from one chapter to the next.
I enjoyed the twists and turns, and do praise the author for that because I wasn't able to predict what was coming to a degree!
I won't be finishing the series, but I can see why lots of people might enjoy this particular boom.
Spice was 🌶1.5
The writing I found lacking, to the point where I sometimes cringed from the phrases used or lack of consistency between characters from one chapter to the next.
I enjoyed the twists and turns, and do praise the author for that because I wasn't able to predict what was coming to a degree!
I won't be finishing the series, but I can see why lots of people might enjoy this particular boom.
Spice was 🌶1.5
Wrath of the Damned by Ella Fields
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
A beautiful wrap-up to the duology that left me sobbing and will be on my mind for weeks to come.
It's hard to find the proper words for the way I wish I could read this series for the very first time again, but let's start with the love story.
We leave DR with two aching hearts, one with their memories forgotten and one who painfully remembers everything. I'm happy to report (as someone who genuinely loathes the amnesia trope) this is resolved in a way that I enjoyed and that felt fitting to the story without it dragging on longer than it needed to.
I can't say more without giving anything away, but I loved how Iris and Roman always found their way back to each other and how passionate and unyielding their love was.
For the plot, it does move a bit slow for the majority of the book, though there are plenty of tension-filled moments that had my heart racing.
Attie and Tobias should be a study for some authors who struggle to let side character romance bloom without it overtaking the main characters.
The ending does wrap up a bit quick, but honestly, the book puts you through the emotional wringer so thoroughly that it actually works well.
I can't recommend this series enough and I can't wait to reread it after I've emotionally recovered.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
No spice but plenty of steam
It's hard to find the proper words for the way I wish I could read this series for the very first time again, but let's start with the love story.
We leave DR with two aching hearts, one with their memories forgotten and one who painfully remembers everything. I'm happy to report (as someone who genuinely loathes the amnesia trope) this is resolved in a way that I enjoyed and that felt fitting to the story without it dragging on longer than it needed to.
I can't say more without giving anything away, but I loved how Iris and Roman always found their way back to each other and how passionate and unyielding their love was.
For the plot, it does move a bit slow for the majority of the book, though there are plenty of tension-filled moments that had my heart racing.
Attie and Tobias should be a study for some authors who struggle to let side character romance bloom without it overtaking the main characters.
The ending does wrap up a bit quick, but honestly, the book puts you through the emotional wringer so thoroughly that it actually works well.
I can't recommend this series enough and I can't wait to reread it after I've emotionally recovered.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
No spice but plenty of steam
A Fallen Sword by Kaven Hirning
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A wild quest of a story that will leave you scrambling to make sense of a shocking end!
A Fallen Sword is exactly how you might expect a story propelled by random rolls of a dice to be - a bit chaotic in a fun way. The pacing at the beginning of the book was a tad slower, but once you cross the 30% of the story, the action and intrigue pick up.
The magic system is well laid out and complicated in the best way. So many times as I was reading, I thought to myself, "How the hell did Kaven come up with this?" While there were many characters, I thought they were represented well and given time to shine throughout the story.
Kaven's strength as a writer lies in the inner and outer dialogue between her characters. Her humor, wit, and ability to relay emotional distress in a way that's relatable is something she excels at.
I'll be anxiously waiting for book 2 (because that ending wtf) and hoping that our Mirevra girl finds the strength to break free of her invisible chains. And that a certain rogue helps her along the way.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶2/5
A Fallen Sword is exactly how you might expect a story propelled by random rolls of a dice to be - a bit chaotic in a fun way. The pacing at the beginning of the book was a tad slower, but once you cross the 30% of the story, the action and intrigue pick up.
The magic system is well laid out and complicated in the best way. So many times as I was reading, I thought to myself, "How the hell did Kaven come up with this?" While there were many characters, I thought they were represented well and given time to shine throughout the story.
Kaven's strength as a writer lies in the inner and outer dialogue between her characters. Her humor, wit, and ability to relay emotional distress in a way that's relatable is something she excels at.
I'll be anxiously waiting for book 2 (because that ending wtf) and hoping that our Mirevra girl finds the strength to break free of her invisible chains. And that a certain rogue helps her along the way.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶2/5
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
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? No
5.0
I went into this story knowing that Iris and Roman could pass notes back and forth to each other magically and that there were gods.
I'm glad I didn't have much else to go off of because this was a delightful surprise of a story! I was immediately sucked in, wanting to know more about Iris. About Roman. About Forest. How the magic works and the gods.
The writing was beautiful and, at times, lyrical. I thought the story progression was evenly paced and left you wanting to turn the page to find out what would happen next.
Iris and Roman's romance was sweet. Their progression from rivals to lovers was fast-paced, but I think it worked in the setting of war time. I want to hug them and keep them safe forever.
I thought about this story every moment I wasn't reading it, and I rushed to get to the end... which absolutely destroyed me.
I truly feel unwell about it.
I can't wait for book 2.
I'm glad I didn't have much else to go off of because this was a delightful surprise of a story! I was immediately sucked in, wanting to know more about Iris. About Roman. About Forest. How the magic works and the gods.
The writing was beautiful and, at times, lyrical. I thought the story progression was evenly paced and left you wanting to turn the page to find out what would happen next.
Iris and Roman's romance was sweet. Their progression from rivals to lovers was fast-paced, but I think it worked in the setting of war time. I want to hug them and keep them safe forever.
I thought about this story every moment I wasn't reading it, and I rushed to get to the end... which absolutely destroyed me.
I truly feel unwell about it.
I can't wait for book 2.
A Curse for True Love by Stephanie Garber
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I enjoyed reading the finale to the Once Upon A Broken Heart series!
I will say, I literally remember nothing about the previous two books except for the line, "There is nothing of equal value to me."
But turns out, I didn't need to remember anything to enjoy the story. And I'm not sure if that's indicative of the story being a good finale or not.
Overall, it felt sweet and magical, though I still think TBONA is the best book of the series. The ending is a bit abrupt and honestly I wish we had more EvaJacks.
Still, I was able to binge the book quickly and am excited to read even more (Hello Lala and Chaos).
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
0🌶
I will say, I literally remember nothing about the previous two books except for the line, "There is nothing of equal value to me."
But turns out, I didn't need to remember anything to enjoy the story. And I'm not sure if that's indicative of the story being a good finale or not.
Overall, it felt sweet and magical, though I still think TBONA is the best book of the series. The ending is a bit abrupt and honestly I wish we had more EvaJacks.
Still, I was able to binge the book quickly and am excited to read even more (Hello Lala and Chaos).
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
0🌶
King of Greed by Ana Huang
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Listen, Ana writes a particular type of story. It's like watching a bad soap opera. You can't look away no matter how cheesy or illogical it is.
I loved King Of Sin, but I'm a sucker for the fake marriage trope.
King Of Pride was alright, not my fave, but again, I live for the drama.
King Of Greed is peak Ana Huang writing in that it's literally like every other story she has written. And fuck it, I'm here for it! I binged the book and enjoyed it for what it was- a hyper-dramatic soap opera with a groveling man and a kinda dumb woman. Idk that's my jam, apparently. And yes, I'll def be reading King Of Sloth.
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
🌶🌶/5
I loved King Of Sin, but I'm a sucker for the fake marriage trope.
King Of Pride was alright, not my fave, but again, I live for the drama.
King Of Greed is peak Ana Huang writing in that it's literally like every other story she has written. And fuck it, I'm here for it! I binged the book and enjoyed it for what it was- a hyper-dramatic soap opera with a groveling man and a kinda dumb woman. Idk that's my jam, apparently. And yes, I'll def be reading King Of Sloth.
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
🌶🌶/5