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jenhawk's reviews
38 reviews
The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf
3.0
There was a couple of reasons why i gave this read 3 stars.
It was interesting. Each chapter was setup as 3 different timelines/POV.
The word building was great. it was a tad predictable but at the same time i was caught off guard at the end with randy being the killer.
For Wylie (josie) to be a crime writer and have x amount of experience, she was oblivious of all the red flags right in front of her.
Wylie staying at her old murderous house (not visiting) was just plain weird and unrealistic to me.
Randy being the true murderer was surprising but disappointing,
let me explain. Randy at the end stated it was suppose to be josie he wanted to take. his actions stated differently. Randy shot Josie but took Becky, why not take Becky out and keep going for Josie.
why go to thru entire trouble to murder Josie entire family, drag Ethan to the barn house and murder him differently.
At what point did everyone become so oblivious, outside help (agents) couldn't figure it out even with the calls being traced back to the cutters.
How was there not one thing that pointed it back to Randy. In my opinion, once Randy was caught in the barn and dismissed than Ethan body was found, Randy should have been brought into questioning. It was a bit disappointing.
Moving forward... Becky and Her daughter Josie was a very heartbreaking story. The characters were well written and their determination to escape was brave.
Wylie (josie) as a parent to her son Seth was cringe. Wylie excuse as to why she decided to be absent parent was a bit lame. Wylie being josie (her past) was preventing her to be a good mother, once Becky was found and she went though that whole ordeal, she just changed and wanted to reunite with her son....seriously....
Overall In my opinion I enjoyed this book even with these little hiccups.
It was interesting. Each chapter was setup as 3 different timelines/POV.
The word building was great. it was a tad predictable but at the same time i was caught off guard at the end with randy being the killer.
For Wylie (josie) to be a crime writer and have x amount of experience, she was oblivious of all the red flags right in front of her.
Wylie staying at her old murderous house (not visiting) was just plain weird and unrealistic to me.
Randy being the true murderer was surprising but disappointing,
let me explain. Randy at the end stated it was suppose to be josie he wanted to take. his actions stated differently. Randy shot Josie but took Becky, why not take Becky out and keep going for Josie.
why go to thru entire trouble to murder Josie entire family, drag Ethan to the barn house and murder him differently.
At what point did everyone become so oblivious, outside help (agents) couldn't figure it out even with the calls being traced back to the cutters.
How was there not one thing that pointed it back to Randy. In my opinion, once Randy was caught in the barn and dismissed than Ethan body was found, Randy should have been brought into questioning. It was a bit disappointing.
Moving forward... Becky and Her daughter Josie was a very heartbreaking story. The characters were well written and their determination to escape was brave.
Wylie (josie) as a parent to her son Seth was cringe. Wylie excuse as to why she decided to be absent parent was a bit lame. Wylie being josie (her past) was preventing her to be a good mother, once Becky was found and she went though that whole ordeal, she just changed and wanted to reunite with her son....seriously....
Overall In my opinion I enjoyed this book even with these little hiccups.
Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
5.0
I enjoyed this read very much.
A bit spooky at certain points which kept me on my toes.
It was written so well that I could picture everything I was reading.
I was very satisfied with the ending.
A bit spooky at certain points which kept me on my toes.
It was written so well that I could picture everything I was reading.
I was very satisfied with the ending.
Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco
5.0
Witches, Demons, Devils, Witch hunters, Werewolves
Enemies to lovers!!
Let me go ahead and say this was an AMAZING book.
I give the writing style and content structure of the book 5/5.
What I liked most about the book was the family.
The twins sisters- Emilia and Vittoria
Emilia's character is more structured, naive in a way and rule follower. Emilia loves to cook and create new ideas for recipes, I could relate because I love to eat.
Vittoria was very adventurous and a risktakers. The two sisters got along so great and were very close......so I thought....
Vittoria had SECRETS!!! After reading the entire book I came to the conclusion that Vittoria was trying to keep her family safe by taking it upon herself to close the gates of hell. Vittoria was brave, fearless and clever.....
Vittoria died...
I obviously knew a brutal murder was going to happen but the sister!! I was shocked and so was Emilia because she was the one who found her !!
Grief took over, It changed Emilia but in a way I see it also evolved her.
Emilia didn't do the things she loved anymore instead she decided to focus on who murdered her sister. Which our first suspect was the one who she saw with Vittoria as she was dead. A Demon.
So what did she do ...She summoned a Demon !!
which now comes in the Demon Wrath and the one who was there.
This Demon wrath was written so perfect. Even though he was a Demon, He was very well mannered, Respectful, Thoughtful and sweet to Emilia. That made him my favorite character.
Now don't get it twisted, he was a shit to everyone else but I definitely let it slide.
come to find out Wrath wasn't the murderer.
I was blindsided when I found out who it actually was.
This was like fantasy/mystery/thriller type of story and I was all here for it.
Plot twist and surprises made this so interesting that I kept flipping those pages.
One plot twist that I found was my most favorite was the part where Wrath had to translate the true meaning of her "protection spell" towards him. Emilia made an error and instead of a protection spell she bounded him to her forever as in marriage. Blew my mind when I read it. In the end I was rooting for them.
Wrath and Emilia together was so beautiful.. there was a bit of smooch here and there but nothing beyond that.... yet .. maybe in book 2 or 3.. ill have to find out but i was rooting for both of them to just get together and fall in love ....
but then she HAD to be engaged to Wrath brother Pride (disclaimer we don't know their real name as of right now) sure enough I was heartbroken.
This book was an adventure. The ending gave me closure because the true killer is revealed and Emilia is going to get her justice and we will find out how i assume in book 2.
I definitely recommend this book! I plan on continuing this series.
Enemies to lovers!!
Let me go ahead and say this was an AMAZING book.
I give the writing style and content structure of the book 5/5.
What I liked most about the book was the family.
The twins sisters- Emilia and Vittoria
Emilia's character is more structured, naive in a way and rule follower. Emilia loves to cook and create new ideas for recipes, I could relate because I love to eat.
Vittoria was very adventurous and a risktakers. The two sisters got along so great and were very close......so I thought....
Vittoria had SECRETS!!! After reading the entire book I came to the conclusion that Vittoria was trying to keep her family safe by taking it upon herself to close the gates of hell. Vittoria was brave, fearless and clever.....
Vittoria died...
I obviously knew a brutal murder was going to happen but the sister!! I was shocked and so was Emilia because she was the one who found her !!
Grief took over, It changed Emilia but in a way I see it also evolved her.
Emilia didn't do the things she loved anymore instead she decided to focus on who murdered her sister. Which our first suspect was the one who she saw with Vittoria as she was dead. A Demon.
So what did she do ...She summoned a Demon !!
which now comes in the Demon Wrath and the one who was there.
This Demon wrath was written so perfect. Even though he was a Demon, He was very well mannered, Respectful, Thoughtful and sweet to Emilia. That made him my favorite character.
Now don't get it twisted, he was a shit to everyone else but I definitely let it slide.
come to find out Wrath wasn't the murderer.
I was blindsided when I found out who it actually was.
This was like fantasy/mystery/thriller type of story and I was all here for it.
Plot twist and surprises made this so interesting that I kept flipping those pages.
One plot twist that I found was my most favorite was the part where Wrath had to translate the true meaning of her "protection spell" towards him. Emilia made an error and instead of a protection spell she bounded him to her forever as in marriage. Blew my mind when I read it. In the end I was rooting for them.
Wrath and Emilia together was so beautiful.. there was a bit of smooch here and there but nothing beyond that.... yet .. maybe in book 2 or 3.. ill have to find out but i was rooting for both of them to just get together and fall in love ....
but then she HAD to be engaged to Wrath brother Pride (disclaimer we don't know their real name as of right now) sure enough I was heartbroken.
This book was an adventure. The ending gave me closure because the true killer is revealed and Emilia is going to get her justice and we will find out how i assume in book 2.
I definitely recommend this book! I plan on continuing this series.
The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent
4.0
Spicy, Betrayal, Political intrigue, Heartbreak and Redemption
I knew the book was good when the words faded away and became a movie in my head.
I give this book a 4.8.
It was a long book to read and I feel it could've been wrapped up a bit shorter like the first book but the adventure was nice and I enjoyed it. I will continue this series as I see there is a 3rd book coming out later in 2024.
I knew the book was good when the words faded away and became a movie in my head.
I give this book a 4.8.
It was a long book to read and I feel it could've been wrapped up a bit shorter like the first book but the adventure was nice and I enjoyed it. I will continue this series as I see there is a 3rd book coming out later in 2024.
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
5.0
From beginning to end this book was outstanding.
Exceed my expectations!
lies, love, betrayal, friendship, family, turmoil, discovery, mystery, and terror.
kept me on the edge of my seat. I will continue with the series.
Exceed my expectations!
lies, love, betrayal, friendship, family, turmoil, discovery, mystery, and terror.
kept me on the edge of my seat. I will continue with the series.
Scythe by Neal Shusterman
4.0
This read was for one of my book clubs.
The word building was great.
I would consider this more of a Sci-fi book.
It was an interesting read, personally not much excitement for me but definitely a bit scary.
There were moments in the book where i kind of felt a bit of terror
The word building was great.
I would consider this more of a Sci-fi book.
It was an interesting read, personally not much excitement for me but definitely a bit scary.
There were moments in the book where i kind of felt a bit of terror
Kingdom of the Cursed by Kerri Maniscalco
3.0
Enemies to Lovers, spicy and mystery
A bit of gothic vibes
From the beginning to the middle of this book was mostly about character building/development and getting to know new characters coming in.
Emilia is giving Mostly like a detective/thriller type of vibe throughout the book.
Finally towards the end it starts picking up with all the revelations and the setup for the 3rd book.
I would've given it 5 stars but I just felt a bit annoyed at times by Emilia actions in this book.
A bit of gothic vibes
From the beginning to the middle of this book was mostly about character building/development and getting to know new characters coming in.
Emilia is giving Mostly like a detective/thriller type of vibe throughout the book.
Finally towards the end it starts picking up with all the revelations and the setup for the 3rd book.
I would've given it 5 stars but I just felt a bit annoyed at times by Emilia actions in this book.
Six Scorched Roses by Carissa Broadbent
5.0
This book is the story about Vale.
He is mentioned briefly in the first book. (when Raihn and Oraya went to visit Mische)
Once I finished the first book I went ahead and read The ashes and the star cursed king, where Vale is now part of the story.
This book is apparently to be read in between book 1 ( The serpent and the wings of night) and book 2 (The ashes and the star cursed king)
In my opinion, IM SO GLAD I didn't read it in that order but read it after the second book.
If I would've read it in the original order I feel like it would've been a forgetful story, not very meaningful or standout.
Besides it being a very short book (187 pages) it was absolutely beautiful. The word building was great and I'm amazed of how much emotion I felt reading it. This book was super lovely.
Again, I highly recommend reading it AFTER The ashes and the star cursed king. You'll love it even more.
He is mentioned briefly in the first book. (when Raihn and Oraya went to visit Mische)
Once I finished the first book I went ahead and read The ashes and the star cursed king, where Vale is now part of the story.
This book is apparently to be read in between book 1 ( The serpent and the wings of night) and book 2 (The ashes and the star cursed king)
In my opinion, IM SO GLAD I didn't read it in that order but read it after the second book.
If I would've read it in the original order I feel like it would've been a forgetful story, not very meaningful or standout.
Besides it being a very short book (187 pages) it was absolutely beautiful. The word building was great and I'm amazed of how much emotion I felt reading it. This book was super lovely.
Again, I highly recommend reading it AFTER The ashes and the star cursed king. You'll love it even more.
A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
5.0
Exceed beyond my expectations.
War, Politics, Friends, Family, Love, Betrayal, Loss & Reunion
Going into this book I was already warned that this one was going to be a bit of a tear jerker.
There was no denying I was hydrated today because I can bet I could've filled a 2 gallon jug water with how much I cried reading this book.
plot twist, after plot twist, after plot twist, about broke my damn neck. Each plot twist progressively was proven to be better than the last.
Each chapter kept me either entertained or on the edge of my seat.
Vividly I could imagine this world and that's what I love so much about this book. It takes me away from reality. Hands down amazing writing and what an adventure !!!
I plan on continuing this series and I recommend all to read while hanging on to dear life because this was a ride out of this world.
War, Politics, Friends, Family, Love, Betrayal, Loss & Reunion
Going into this book I was already warned that this one was going to be a bit of a tear jerker.
There was no denying I was hydrated today because I can bet I could've filled a 2 gallon jug water with how much I cried reading this book.
plot twist, after plot twist, after plot twist, about broke my damn neck. Each plot twist progressively was proven to be better than the last.
Each chapter kept me either entertained or on the edge of my seat.
Vividly I could imagine this world and that's what I love so much about this book. It takes me away from reality. Hands down amazing writing and what an adventure !!!
I plan on continuing this series and I recommend all to read while hanging on to dear life because this was a ride out of this world.