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kaitie_reads's reviews
193 reviews
A Queen of Thieves & Chaos by K.A. Tucker
adventurous
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Audiobook Review ~
**series spoiler-free**
Reread. โจ๏ธ
๐ฅ Sequel
โ๏ธ Multiple POV
๐ฅ Dragons and Mythical Creatures
โ๏ธ Side Characters in the Spotlight
๐ฅ Battle Scenes and Political Intrigue
~
Have I ever mentioned how much I love this series? ๐ Probably only... 30 times. It's just exactly the perfect blend of fantasy and romance for me. There is so much scheming, political intrigue, and some heavier fantasy elements.... but it also has pining, romance, and just a touch of spice that pulls it all together.
This book introduces more POVs, but since we know the characters so well, it doesn't feel confusing or over the top, and it makes the story so much more interesting to get to see from multiple perspectives. More love stories are introduced, side characters are developed, and this book just expands on so many plot points in a way that is easy to digest.
What I love about Romeria (FMC) and Zander (MMC) is their adaptability. They are both compassionate individuals, and we don't lose the plot in their romantic explorations. Their relationship feels real, raw, and mature, compared to other main couples in similar romantasy stories.
It's easily my favourite book of this series so far... as I'm rereading in preparation for my first read of the 4th and final book.
**series spoiler-free**
Reread. โจ๏ธ
๐ฅ Sequel
โ๏ธ Multiple POV
๐ฅ Dragons and Mythical Creatures
โ๏ธ Side Characters in the Spotlight
๐ฅ Battle Scenes and Political Intrigue
~
Have I ever mentioned how much I love this series? ๐ Probably only... 30 times. It's just exactly the perfect blend of fantasy and romance for me. There is so much scheming, political intrigue, and some heavier fantasy elements.... but it also has pining, romance, and just a touch of spice that pulls it all together.
This book introduces more POVs, but since we know the characters so well, it doesn't feel confusing or over the top, and it makes the story so much more interesting to get to see from multiple perspectives. More love stories are introduced, side characters are developed, and this book just expands on so many plot points in a way that is easy to digest.
What I love about Romeria (FMC) and Zander (MMC) is their adaptability. They are both compassionate individuals, and we don't lose the plot in their romantic explorations. Their relationship feels real, raw, and mature, compared to other main couples in similar romantasy stories.
It's easily my favourite book of this series so far... as I'm rereading in preparation for my first read of the 4th and final book.
The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt by Chelsea Iversen
challenging
dark
slow-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? It's complicated
2.0
This book, unfortunately, didn't hit the mark for me.
I kind of expected female empowerment, a magical garden, and a main character who is a bit of a social recluse, by choice. What we get instead is a lot of abuse of the female characters in the story, a garden with unclear magic, and a bit of a doormat main character who pines for more, but doesn't take action.
I think this book could've been cut back a lot. Everything is so painstakingly snail-paced. It takes so long for the story to get anywhere, and it's overly wordy. I'm a lover of a slow burn, but so much of this book felt like filler. The characters don't do anything, and the story just unfolds around them. They aren't dynamic, and they all fall very flat. The plot lines felt weak to me; there are quite a few incidences where the driving factor of the plot is just an irrational dislike of our main character. The story relies a lot on a historical plot line of women being labelled hysterical by male figures in their lives, but it just didn't feel convincing here.
Almost all of the male characters are just terrible for no reason, and almost all of the female characters just revolve around that terribleness. Harriet (our FMC) has so many nudges in the right direction, and she just gives up again and again, but it feels like it is just to drive the plot forward. There's also an attempted SA that feels very brushed off while also being a driving factor for the plot. The book is marketed as Harriet learning to harness the power of her garden, but she mostly ignores it, wills it to be tame, and then simply runs away when the going gets tough... and relies on her garden to save her.
Overall, the garden was pretty cool. Some of the resolutions felt satisfying. I do like how the author writes, and I liked some of the concepts. I just think that this story wasn't well executed, and I often felt bored while reading because I couldn't get attached to the characters or plot.
๐ฃ๐ฑ๐ช๐ท๐ด ๐๐ธ๐พ ๐ฝ๐ธ ๐๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฐ๐ช๐ต๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ช๐ท๐ญ ๐ข๐ธ๐พ๐ป๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ธ๐ธ๐ด๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ธ๐ป ๐ช๐ท ๐๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ธ๐น๐ ๐ธ๐ฏ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ผ ๐ซ๐ธ๐ธ๐ด, ๐ฒ๐ท ๐ฎ๐๐ฌ๐ฑ๐ช๐ท๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ฏ๐ธ๐ป ๐ถ๐ ๐ฑ๐ธ๐ท๐ฎ๐ผ๐ฝ ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐.
I kind of expected female empowerment, a magical garden, and a main character who is a bit of a social recluse, by choice. What we get instead is a lot of abuse of the female characters in the story, a garden with unclear magic, and a bit of a doormat main character who pines for more, but doesn't take action.
I think this book could've been cut back a lot. Everything is so painstakingly snail-paced. It takes so long for the story to get anywhere, and it's overly wordy. I'm a lover of a slow burn, but so much of this book felt like filler. The characters don't do anything, and the story just unfolds around them. They aren't dynamic, and they all fall very flat. The plot lines felt weak to me; there are quite a few incidences where the driving factor of the plot is just an irrational dislike of our main character. The story relies a lot on a historical plot line of women being labelled hysterical by male figures in their lives, but it just didn't feel convincing here.
Almost all of the male characters are just terrible for no reason, and almost all of the female characters just revolve around that terribleness. Harriet (our FMC) has so many nudges in the right direction, and she just gives up again and again, but it feels like it is just to drive the plot forward. There's also an attempted SA that feels very brushed off while also being a driving factor for the plot. The book is marketed as Harriet learning to harness the power of her garden, but she mostly ignores it, wills it to be tame, and then simply runs away when the going gets tough... and relies on her garden to save her.
Overall, the garden was pretty cool. Some of the resolutions felt satisfying. I do like how the author writes, and I liked some of the concepts. I just think that this story wasn't well executed, and I often felt bored while reading because I couldn't get attached to the characters or plot.
๐ฃ๐ฑ๐ช๐ท๐ด ๐๐ธ๐พ ๐ฝ๐ธ ๐๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฐ๐ช๐ต๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ช๐ท๐ญ ๐ข๐ธ๐พ๐ป๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ธ๐ธ๐ด๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ธ๐ป ๐ช๐ท ๐๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ธ๐น๐ ๐ธ๐ฏ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ผ ๐ซ๐ธ๐ธ๐ด, ๐ฒ๐ท ๐ฎ๐๐ฌ๐ฑ๐ช๐ท๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ฏ๐ธ๐ป ๐ถ๐ ๐ฑ๐ธ๐ท๐ฎ๐ผ๐ฝ ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
๐ค Heart Wrenching
๐ Beautiful Passages
๐ค It Finished Me
๐ Ambiguous Ending
๐ค Slow Burn
~
I've had a really hard time putting together my thoughts and feelings for this book. I had a few minor issues with it, but overall, it is such an exquisitely beautiful book.
Addie Larue has made a deal, giving her the ability to live forever... or until she relinquishes control and chooses to sell her soul for good. But, all deals have consequences, and for her, it's the inability to leave traces of herself behind.
The prose is gorgeous. There are so many passages that pulled my heartstrings and wrenched at my soul. This book is a slower-paced slow burn, with no firm resolution, but it just feels like such an ode to embracing our humanity and leaving our mark on the world. I had some minor details that bothered me with the storyline - but nothing that was extremely note-worthy - and the beautiful writing was an amazing distraction from any perceived flaws.
This book feels like poetry, and it's definitely one that will stay with me for a long time.
~
"๐ ๐ญ๐ธ๐ท'๐ฝ ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ช๐ท ๐ฒ๐ฝ ๐ฒ๐ท ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฝ ๐ท๐ธ๐ป๐ถ๐ช๐ต, ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐ฏ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ผ ๐๐ช๐," ๐๐ฎ๐ท๐ป๐'๐ผ ๐ผ๐ช๐๐ฒ๐ท๐ฐ. "๐ ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ช๐ท ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ต๐ฒ๐ท๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ด๐ฎ ๐ฒ๐ฝ'๐ผ ๐ผ๐พ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ท๐ฐ ๐ซ๐ ๐ผ๐ธ ๐ฏ๐ช๐ผ๐ฝ, ๐ช๐ท๐ญ ๐๐ธ๐พ ๐ฝ๐ป๐ ๐ฝ๐ธ ๐ป๐ฎ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฑ ๐ธ๐พ๐ฝ ๐ช๐ท๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ป๐ช๐ซ ๐ฒ๐ฝ, ๐๐ธ๐พ ๐ฝ๐ป๐ ๐ฝ๐ธ ๐ฑ๐ธ๐ต๐ญ ๐ธ๐ท, ๐ซ๐พ๐ฝ ๐ฒ๐ฝ ๐ด๐ฎ๐ฎ๐น๐ผ ๐ป๐พ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ท๐ฐ ๐ช๐๐ช๐. ๐๐ท๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ธ๐ท๐ญ, ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ'๐ผ ๐ช ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ต๐ฎ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ผ๐ผ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฎ, ๐ช๐ท๐ญ ๐ช ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ต๐ฎ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ผ๐ผ ๐ช๐ฒ๐ป, ๐ช๐ท๐ญ ๐ผ๐ธ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ผ ๐๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ท ๐'๐ถ ๐ผ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ท๐ฐ ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ต๐ต, ๐ ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ช๐ป๐ฝ ๐ฝ๐ธ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ท๐ด ๐ช๐ซ๐ธ๐พ๐ฝ ๐ฒ๐ฝ, ๐ช๐ท๐ญ ๐๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ท ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ท๐ด ๐ช๐ซ๐ธ๐พ๐ฝ ๐ฒ๐ฝ, ๐ ๐ฌ๐ช๐ท'๐ฝ ๐ซ๐ป๐ฎ๐ช๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ."
๐ Beautiful Passages
๐ค It Finished Me
๐ Ambiguous Ending
๐ค Slow Burn
~
I've had a really hard time putting together my thoughts and feelings for this book. I had a few minor issues with it, but overall, it is such an exquisitely beautiful book.
Addie Larue has made a deal, giving her the ability to live forever... or until she relinquishes control and chooses to sell her soul for good. But, all deals have consequences, and for her, it's the inability to leave traces of herself behind.
The prose is gorgeous. There are so many passages that pulled my heartstrings and wrenched at my soul. This book is a slower-paced slow burn, with no firm resolution, but it just feels like such an ode to embracing our humanity and leaving our mark on the world. I had some minor details that bothered me with the storyline - but nothing that was extremely note-worthy - and the beautiful writing was an amazing distraction from any perceived flaws.
This book feels like poetry, and it's definitely one that will stay with me for a long time.
~
"๐ ๐ญ๐ธ๐ท'๐ฝ ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ช๐ท ๐ฒ๐ฝ ๐ฒ๐ท ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฝ ๐ท๐ธ๐ป๐ถ๐ช๐ต, ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐ฏ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ผ ๐๐ช๐," ๐๐ฎ๐ท๐ป๐'๐ผ ๐ผ๐ช๐๐ฒ๐ท๐ฐ. "๐ ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ช๐ท ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ต๐ฒ๐ท๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ด๐ฎ ๐ฒ๐ฝ'๐ผ ๐ผ๐พ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ท๐ฐ ๐ซ๐ ๐ผ๐ธ ๐ฏ๐ช๐ผ๐ฝ, ๐ช๐ท๐ญ ๐๐ธ๐พ ๐ฝ๐ป๐ ๐ฝ๐ธ ๐ป๐ฎ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฑ ๐ธ๐พ๐ฝ ๐ช๐ท๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ป๐ช๐ซ ๐ฒ๐ฝ, ๐๐ธ๐พ ๐ฝ๐ป๐ ๐ฝ๐ธ ๐ฑ๐ธ๐ต๐ญ ๐ธ๐ท, ๐ซ๐พ๐ฝ ๐ฒ๐ฝ ๐ด๐ฎ๐ฎ๐น๐ผ ๐ป๐พ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ท๐ฐ ๐ช๐๐ช๐. ๐๐ท๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ธ๐ท๐ญ, ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ'๐ผ ๐ช ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ต๐ฎ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ผ๐ผ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฎ, ๐ช๐ท๐ญ ๐ช ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ต๐ฎ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ผ๐ผ ๐ช๐ฒ๐ป, ๐ช๐ท๐ญ ๐ผ๐ธ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ผ ๐๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ท ๐'๐ถ ๐ผ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ท๐ฐ ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ต๐ต, ๐ ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ช๐ป๐ฝ ๐ฝ๐ธ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ท๐ด ๐ช๐ซ๐ธ๐พ๐ฝ ๐ฒ๐ฝ, ๐ช๐ท๐ญ ๐๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ท ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ท๐ด ๐ช๐ซ๐ธ๐พ๐ฝ ๐ฒ๐ฝ, ๐ ๐ฌ๐ช๐ท'๐ฝ ๐ซ๐ป๐ฎ๐ช๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ."
Scarred by Emily McIntire
dark
tense
medium-paced
3.0
Audiobook Review ~
๐ค Forbidden Love
๐ฆ Twisted Fairytale
๐ค Medieval Vibe
๐ฆ Great Tension
๐ค Sequel (but could be read as a standalone)
~
So I didn't love this as much as I liked Hooked, but I still had a good time.
The Lion King vibes were on point. The forbidden love between Sara B. (FMC) and Tristan (MMC) is tantalizing, and I love the medieval vibe of this book.
But, I just didn't feel very attached to either of our MCs, and the pacing often felt a little bit *too* slow for me, personally. Our scarred prince wasn't as morally grey (imo) as Hook from Book 1. I also found Sara kind of... annoying, and her worldview felt very repetitive throughout.
It's a solid 3-star from me. Fun, and mostly captivating, with some great tension, sexy, and a unique fairytale spin. Some of the quotes from our MMC are honestly *to die for* as well. ๐ฅ
I'm enjoying these reads as kind of not-too-serious, spicy fairytale palate cleansers.
~
"๐โ๐ถ ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ท๐ฐ ๐ฝ๐ธ ๐ด๐ฒ๐ผ๐ผ ๐๐ธ๐พ ๐ท๐ธ๐,โ ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ต๐ต ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ป. โ๐ฆ๐ฑ๐?โ ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ผ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ผ. โ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ช๐พ๐ผ๐ฎ, ๐ถ๐ช ๐น๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ท๐ฝ๐ฎ๐พ๐ผ๐ฎ, ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ธ๐พ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฝ ๐ธ๐ฏ ๐ท๐ธ๐ฝ ๐ด๐ฒ๐ผ๐ผ๐ฒ๐ท๐ฐ ๐๐ธ๐พ ๐ถ๐ช๐ด๐ฎ๐ผ ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐๐ช๐ท๐ฝ ๐ฝ๐ธ ๐ญ๐ฒ๐ฎ."
๐ค Forbidden Love
๐ฆ Twisted Fairytale
๐ค Medieval Vibe
๐ฆ Great Tension
๐ค Sequel (but could be read as a standalone)
~
So I didn't love this as much as I liked Hooked, but I still had a good time.
The Lion King vibes were on point. The forbidden love between Sara B. (FMC) and Tristan (MMC) is tantalizing, and I love the medieval vibe of this book.
But, I just didn't feel very attached to either of our MCs, and the pacing often felt a little bit *too* slow for me, personally. Our scarred prince wasn't as morally grey (imo) as Hook from Book 1. I also found Sara kind of... annoying, and her worldview felt very repetitive throughout.
It's a solid 3-star from me. Fun, and mostly captivating, with some great tension, sexy, and a unique fairytale spin. Some of the quotes from our MMC are honestly *to die for* as well. ๐ฅ
I'm enjoying these reads as kind of not-too-serious, spicy fairytale palate cleansers.
~
"๐โ๐ถ ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ท๐ฐ ๐ฝ๐ธ ๐ด๐ฒ๐ผ๐ผ ๐๐ธ๐พ ๐ท๐ธ๐,โ ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ต๐ต ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ป. โ๐ฆ๐ฑ๐?โ ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ผ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ผ. โ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ช๐พ๐ผ๐ฎ, ๐ถ๐ช ๐น๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฎ ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ท๐ฝ๐ฎ๐พ๐ผ๐ฎ, ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ธ๐พ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฝ ๐ธ๐ฏ ๐ท๐ธ๐ฝ ๐ด๐ฒ๐ผ๐ผ๐ฒ๐ท๐ฐ ๐๐ธ๐พ ๐ถ๐ช๐ด๐ฎ๐ผ ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐๐ช๐ท๐ฝ ๐ฝ๐ธ ๐ญ๐ฒ๐ฎ."
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
I generally don't star-rate classics ๐ค.
๐ป Spooky & Unsettling
๐ Haunted House
๐ป Classic Horror
๐ Thought-Provoking
๐ป One to reread.
OK, so this was terrifying, but not for the reason you'd think. I won't get into it because of *spoilers*, but holy cannoli.
I picked up The Haunting of Hill House because of that first paragraph, and I'm glad I stayed around for the journey. Shirley Jackson creates such an unsettling atmosphere in this story, and while the setting is a haunted house, the truly scary part of this story is more psychological.
I've seen a lot of reviewers say that this just isn't very scary - and it isn't if you take it at face value - but after the ending, I'm reeling and questioning everything I thought I knew during the beginning and middle of the story. The circumstances surrounding the haunting and ending are slightly ambiguous, which does a huge service in making the reader reflect.
This will be one I reread for sure just to pick up on all of the details that fell by the wayside for me that would probably sink in a lot deeper, knowing how it ends.
I also think not watching the Netflix special or the films based on this first did me a huge service as a reader because I went in blind.
~
"ษดแด สษชแด แด แดสษขแดษดษช๊ฑแด แดแดษด แดแดษดแดษชษดแดแด ๊ฐแดส สแดษดษข แดแด แดxษช๊ฑแด ๊ฑแดษดแดสส แดษดแด แดส แดแดษดแด ษชแดษชแดษด๊ฑ แด๊ฐ แดส๊ฑแดสแดแดแด สแดแดสษชแดส."
๐ป Spooky & Unsettling
๐ Haunted House
๐ป Classic Horror
๐ Thought-Provoking
๐ป One to reread.
OK, so this was terrifying, but not for the reason you'd think. I won't get into it because of *spoilers*, but holy cannoli.
I picked up The Haunting of Hill House because of that first paragraph, and I'm glad I stayed around for the journey. Shirley Jackson creates such an unsettling atmosphere in this story, and while the setting is a haunted house, the truly scary part of this story is more psychological.
I've seen a lot of reviewers say that this just isn't very scary - and it isn't if you take it at face value - but after the ending, I'm reeling and questioning everything I thought I knew during the beginning and middle of the story. The circumstances surrounding the haunting and ending are slightly ambiguous, which does a huge service in making the reader reflect.
This will be one I reread for sure just to pick up on all of the details that fell by the wayside for me that would probably sink in a lot deeper, knowing how it ends.
I also think not watching the Netflix special or the films based on this first did me a huge service as a reader because I went in blind.
~
"ษดแด สษชแด แด แดสษขแดษดษช๊ฑแด แดแดษด แดแดษดแดษชษดแดแด ๊ฐแดส สแดษดษข แดแด แดxษช๊ฑแด ๊ฑแดษดแดสส แดษดแด แดส แดแดษดแด ษชแดษชแดษด๊ฑ แด๊ฐ แดส๊ฑแดสแดแดแด สแดแดสษชแดส."
Little Deaths by Nenia Campbell
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
โค๏ธ Female Revenge
๐ช Stepson/Stepmom
โค๏ธ Whodunit
๐ช Hollywood FMC
โค๏ธ Horror Movie Vibes
So, this was excellent.
I did not expect to be rooting for the stepson/stepmom thing, so I'm sitting here wondering WHY it made perfect sense... and also, why is Rafe (our MMC) so hot?
Nenia Campbell has put together a story that is part steamy as hell, part slasher/horror whodunit, part Hollywood, part female rage/revenge and part f*ck the patriarchy with so many little gibes at society as a whole worked into this awesome soup that is Little Deaths.
I felt enraged for the women - like Donni (our FMC) - who have suffered at the hands of men while those men continued to thrive. I laughed at the quips. And, I was on the edge of my seat during the thrilling tension created by the death threats Donni experiences after the death of her husband.
Overall, it was an excellent read, and I had a lot of fun.
~
"๐ฐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐,โ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐, โ๐๐๐ ๐ฐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐.โ
"๐ท๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐. ๐บ๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐ฐ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐."
๐ช Stepson/Stepmom
โค๏ธ Whodunit
๐ช Hollywood FMC
โค๏ธ Horror Movie Vibes
So, this was excellent.
I did not expect to be rooting for the stepson/stepmom thing, so I'm sitting here wondering WHY it made perfect sense... and also, why is Rafe (our MMC) so hot?
Nenia Campbell has put together a story that is part steamy as hell, part slasher/horror whodunit, part Hollywood, part female rage/revenge and part f*ck the patriarchy with so many little gibes at society as a whole worked into this awesome soup that is Little Deaths.
I felt enraged for the women - like Donni (our FMC) - who have suffered at the hands of men while those men continued to thrive. I laughed at the quips. And, I was on the edge of my seat during the thrilling tension created by the death threats Donni experiences after the death of her husband.
Overall, it was an excellent read, and I had a lot of fun.
~
"๐ฐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐,โ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐, โ๐๐๐ ๐ฐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐.โ
"๐ท๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐. ๐บ๐๐โ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐ฐ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐."
The Games Gods Play by Abigail Owen
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Audiobook Review ~
โ๏ธ Fast-Paced
๐ฉต Trial Games
โ๏ธ Greek Mythology
๐ฉต The Dog Obviously
โ๏ธ Fun Banter
This was a good and entertaining read!
It was kind of like The Hunger Games with a strong (and modern) Greek Mythology element... although it doesn't really have a strong political message like The Hunger Games. It's more just entertainment for entertainment's sake. It also oddly feels like the stakes aren't that high even though people compete and die in trials that are orchestrated by the gods. But it's fun.
Lyra (our FMC) was a little hard for me to connect with, Hades (MMC) was hot, and I loved Cer Ber & Rus (but everyone always loves the dog). I loved the banter between the characters, and the trials were fun. The whole story is super fast-paced, too.
If you want a fun read with just a bit of romance and Greek mythology influence, it's a good pick. Although, I've seen Red Tower market this as enemies-to-lovers... and I've got to say I still can't find the enemies buried under the insta-lust trope.
โ๏ธ Fast-Paced
๐ฉต Trial Games
โ๏ธ Greek Mythology
๐ฉต The Dog Obviously
โ๏ธ Fun Banter
This was a good and entertaining read!
It was kind of like The Hunger Games with a strong (and modern) Greek Mythology element... although it doesn't really have a strong political message like The Hunger Games. It's more just entertainment for entertainment's sake. It also oddly feels like the stakes aren't that high even though people compete and die in trials that are orchestrated by the gods. But it's fun.
Lyra (our FMC) was a little hard for me to connect with, Hades (MMC) was hot, and I loved Cer Ber & Rus (but everyone always loves the dog). I loved the banter between the characters, and the trials were fun. The whole story is super fast-paced, too.
If you want a fun read with just a bit of romance and Greek mythology influence, it's a good pick. Although, I've seen Red Tower market this as enemies-to-lovers... and I've got to say I still can't find the enemies buried under the insta-lust trope.
A Curse of Blood & Stone by K.A. Tucker
adventurous
slow-paced
4.0
*series spoiler-free*
๐ฅ Sequel
โ๏ธ Romantic Tension
๐ฅ Dual POV
โ๏ธ Major Worldbuilding
๐ฅ Side Characters
So when I first read this sequel, I found it a little bit slower-paced, and while this is still true, I feel it's also necessary for character-building and world-building.
What I forgot since my last read and happen to love most about this sequel is that it switches to dual POV (and there are some additional POV chapters as well). Getting to see things from both Romeria's (our FMC) and Zander's (MMC) POV adds a lot to the story.
Because of how things end in the last story, we still get some amazing tension. Trust has been broken; prophecies have been laid out, there is betrayal in the air, and our MCs find themselves on a journey to save Islor. I love some of the new characters that are introduced and also feel that this story adds a lot of depth to both Romeria and Zander as individuals.
This series is superior in being such a great balance between romance and fantasy. It is a perfect mix, with just the right amount of spice, in my opinion.
Onto the next โ ๏ธ
๐ฅ Sequel
โ๏ธ Romantic Tension
๐ฅ Dual POV
โ๏ธ Major Worldbuilding
๐ฅ Side Characters
So when I first read this sequel, I found it a little bit slower-paced, and while this is still true, I feel it's also necessary for character-building and world-building.
What I forgot since my last read and happen to love most about this sequel is that it switches to dual POV (and there are some additional POV chapters as well). Getting to see things from both Romeria's (our FMC) and Zander's (MMC) POV adds a lot to the story.
Because of how things end in the last story, we still get some amazing tension. Trust has been broken; prophecies have been laid out, there is betrayal in the air, and our MCs find themselves on a journey to save Islor. I love some of the new characters that are introduced and also feel that this story adds a lot of depth to both Romeria and Zander as individuals.
This series is superior in being such a great balance between romance and fantasy. It is a perfect mix, with just the right amount of spice, in my opinion.
Onto the next โ ๏ธ
Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Caรฑas
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
๐ค Forbidden Romance
๐ Vivid Scenes
๐ค Scary Monsters
๐ Historic Mexico Setting
๐ค So Much Tension
I'll start by saying that this felt much more like a historical romance than a vampire horror story, but I absolutely loved it.
Isabel Caรฑas is a spectacular scene-setter. With vivid imagery throughout, Vampires of El Norte immerses readers into the story and its historic Mexico setting.
This story is told in dual POV. It has some forbidden romance. It has some amazing slow-burn romantic tension. It has scary vampire-like monsters who are draining people of their blood. It also has two characters who learn to fight for each other against the odds during the Mexican-American war.
I did wish for a little bit more of the vampires. Some of the plot conclusion felt a little bit too easy after so much tension and turmoil. Although - the vampires themselves were very unsettling, and the middle of this book had me sweating.
Overall, it was a wonderful read, very romantic, with some amazing passages. It thought that it was such a unique story, and I'd highly recommend it, especially if you love forbidden historical romance with a little bit of scaries.
"๐๐ฝ ๐ช๐ต๐ต ๐ถ๐ช๐ญ๐ฎ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ช๐ท๐ฝ ๐ฝ๐ธ ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ผ๐ด๐ฒ๐ท ๐ต๐ฒ๐ด๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฌ๐ฑ ๐ฒ๐ท ๐๐ซ๐พ๐ฎ๐ต๐ช'๐ผ ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ธ๐ป๐, ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฝ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ท๐ฐ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฝ ๐ถ๐ช๐ญ๐ฎ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ช ๐๐ธ๐ถ๐ช๐ท ๐ฏ๐ช๐ต๐ต ๐ฝ๐ธ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ป๐ธ๐พ๐ท๐ญ ๐ฝ๐ธ ๐ซ๐ฎ ๐ผ๐ช๐ต๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ช๐ท๐ญ ๐ป๐พ๐ฒ๐ท๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ช๐ผ ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐ฏ๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฒ๐ท๐ฝ๐ธ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐ท๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฝ, ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ซ๐ธ๐ท๐ฎ๐ผ ๐ซ๐ช๐ป๐ฎ ๐ช๐ท๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ธ๐ต๐ญ ๐ฒ๐ท ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ช๐ป๐ต๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฝ."
๐ Vivid Scenes
๐ค Scary Monsters
๐ Historic Mexico Setting
๐ค So Much Tension
I'll start by saying that this felt much more like a historical romance than a vampire horror story, but I absolutely loved it.
Isabel Caรฑas is a spectacular scene-setter. With vivid imagery throughout, Vampires of El Norte immerses readers into the story and its historic Mexico setting.
This story is told in dual POV. It has some forbidden romance. It has some amazing slow-burn romantic tension. It has scary vampire-like monsters who are draining people of their blood. It also has two characters who learn to fight for each other against the odds during the Mexican-American war.
I did wish for a little bit more of the vampires. Some of the plot conclusion felt a little bit too easy after so much tension and turmoil. Although - the vampires themselves were very unsettling, and the middle of this book had me sweating.
Overall, it was a wonderful read, very romantic, with some amazing passages. It thought that it was such a unique story, and I'd highly recommend it, especially if you love forbidden historical romance with a little bit of scaries.
"๐๐ฝ ๐ช๐ต๐ต ๐ถ๐ช๐ญ๐ฎ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ช๐ท๐ฝ ๐ฝ๐ธ ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ผ๐ด๐ฒ๐ท ๐ต๐ฒ๐ด๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฌ๐ฑ ๐ฒ๐ท ๐๐ซ๐พ๐ฎ๐ต๐ช'๐ผ ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ธ๐ป๐, ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฝ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ท๐ฐ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฝ ๐ถ๐ช๐ญ๐ฎ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ช ๐๐ธ๐ถ๐ช๐ท ๐ฏ๐ช๐ต๐ต ๐ฝ๐ธ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ป๐ธ๐พ๐ท๐ญ ๐ฝ๐ธ ๐ซ๐ฎ ๐ผ๐ช๐ต๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ช๐ท๐ญ ๐ป๐พ๐ฒ๐ท๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ช๐ผ ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐ฏ๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฒ๐ท๐ฝ๐ธ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐ท๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฝ, ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ซ๐ธ๐ท๐ฎ๐ผ ๐ซ๐ช๐ป๐ฎ ๐ช๐ท๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ธ๐ต๐ญ ๐ฒ๐ท ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ช๐ป๐ต๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฝ."
A Tribute of Fire by Sariah Wilson
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
A Tribute of Fire was an interesting read. While the story is captivating, I honestly did struggle with it, too.
Lia is a princess in a land cursed by a goddess. Every year, 2 maidens from her land are sacrificed as tributes to a bloodthirsty rite because of this curse. Desperate to save her land, she ensures that she will be one of the chosen picked in the upcoming rite.
I did enjoy the premise of this story. The first 25% of the story had me captivated. It lost me a little bit in the middle, and the last 25% or so was also very engaging.
I found that many of the plot elements were just a little bit too convenient for me, sometimes verging on unbelievable. The insta-lust between the MMC and (virgin) FMC felt very forced and I never found myself warming up to the MMC. Lia, our FMC, is frustratingly stubborn, and the emotional connection between characters feels shallow (it's more tell than show). I also felt like the story reads a lot like YA for being marketed as adult fantasy. There is quite a bit of material that feels like filler, especially in the dialogue, and the writing is just a bit choppy at times. I'm also feeling confused a bit about the mapping of the world and of the (country?) of Ilion. It feels kind of scattered, and I think a visual map would've helped me a lot as a reader. This first book ends on a pretty significant cliffhanger.
All of that said, I still generally enjoyed it. There are some great swoon-worthy moments and a tantalizing forbidden love element. There were some completely unanticipated twists and turns (but I'm a little bit frustrated as to how/why). The sisterhood aspect was wonderful, and I love the found family element to this story. I'm very curious about some of the unanswered questions, so for this reason, I'm interested in picking up the sequel despite my perceived flaws with the story.
It is a solid three-star read for me. While the plot and worldbuilding have issues - in my opinion - the overall vibe of the story makes it very enjoyable all the same.
๐ฃ๐ฑ๐ช๐ท๐ด ๐๐ธ๐พ ๐ฝ๐ธ ๐๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฐ๐ช๐ต๐ต๐ ๐ช๐ท๐ญ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐ช๐พ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ธ๐ป ๐ฏ๐ธ๐ป ๐ช๐ท ๐๐ก๐ ๐ธ๐ฏ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ผ ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ธ๐ป๐ ๐ฒ๐ท ๐ฎ๐๐ฌ๐ฑ๐ช๐ท๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ฏ๐ธ๐ป ๐ถ๐ ๐ฑ๐ธ๐ท๐ฎ๐ผ๐ฝ ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐.
Lia is a princess in a land cursed by a goddess. Every year, 2 maidens from her land are sacrificed as tributes to a bloodthirsty rite because of this curse. Desperate to save her land, she ensures that she will be one of the chosen picked in the upcoming rite.
I did enjoy the premise of this story. The first 25% of the story had me captivated. It lost me a little bit in the middle, and the last 25% or so was also very engaging.
I found that many of the plot elements were just a little bit too convenient for me, sometimes verging on unbelievable. The insta-lust between the MMC and (virgin) FMC felt very forced and I never found myself warming up to the MMC. Lia, our FMC, is frustratingly stubborn, and the emotional connection between characters feels shallow (it's more tell than show). I also felt like the story reads a lot like YA for being marketed as adult fantasy. There is quite a bit of material that feels like filler, especially in the dialogue, and the writing is just a bit choppy at times. I'm also feeling confused a bit about the mapping of the world and of the (country?) of Ilion. It feels kind of scattered, and I think a visual map would've helped me a lot as a reader. This first book ends on a pretty significant cliffhanger.
All of that said, I still generally enjoyed it. There are some great swoon-worthy moments and a tantalizing forbidden love element. There were some completely unanticipated twists and turns (but I'm a little bit frustrated as to how/why). The sisterhood aspect was wonderful, and I love the found family element to this story. I'm very curious about some of the unanswered questions, so for this reason, I'm interested in picking up the sequel despite my perceived flaws with the story.
It is a solid three-star read for me. While the plot and worldbuilding have issues - in my opinion - the overall vibe of the story makes it very enjoyable all the same.
๐ฃ๐ฑ๐ช๐ท๐ด ๐๐ธ๐พ ๐ฝ๐ธ ๐๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฐ๐ช๐ต๐ต๐ ๐ช๐ท๐ญ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐ช๐พ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ธ๐ป ๐ฏ๐ธ๐ป ๐ช๐ท ๐๐ก๐ ๐ธ๐ฏ ๐ฝ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ผ ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ธ๐ป๐ ๐ฒ๐ท ๐ฎ๐๐ฌ๐ฑ๐ช๐ท๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ฏ๐ธ๐ป ๐ถ๐ ๐ฑ๐ธ๐ท๐ฎ๐ผ๐ฝ ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐.