kaitie_reads's reviews
193 reviews

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

Just... yes. 

This book was perfect. I wasn't sure what to expect going in, but it was such a fabulous read. 

First of all, this book has footnotes. It has article excerpts. It has illustrations. It has a story within a story. It has a spooky house. These things are all amazing for me, and naturally, I was geeking out from the first page. 

What I didn't anticipate was getting so emotionally attached to the characters, but there are so many layers and so much depth to most of the characters we meet. The characters are very real and raw. The small-town prejudices and unrelenting rumour mill are so well portrayed in this story. I love that our hero - Opal - is rough around the edges but with such a kind and courageous heart, despite how much she's been knocked down. 

Then there's the fact that this is just such an amazing mash-up of genres. A little bit of fantasy, a little bit of horror, a historical element, romance - and all of it sprouting from gothic roots. 

I teared up multiple times, and for me, that's always a marker of a phenomenal story. I'm honestly a little upset that this one had to come to an end. Alix E Harrow is such an amazing writer, and you can tell that she poured so much into this beautiful story.

Daughter of No Worlds by Carissa Broadbent

adventurous dark inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

I LOVED this story. 

This is such a beautiful, slow-burn, and I can't wait to read the rest of this trilogy. 

Tisaanah is forced into slavery at a young age but wants nothing more than freedom for herself and those she loves. However, freedom always comes at a cost.  I love her tenacity. No obstacle is too big, and nothing is going to stand in her way.  

The worldbuilding for this story is well-layered. The characters are complex with a lot of depth. There is some slow-burn romance, political tension, and a healthy dose of female rage. I loved learning about the different wielders and magic. I felt like the twists and turns were unanticipated, and while the development wasn't fast-paced, I was completely engaged throughout. (I do love a slow burn 🔥)

While this first book rounds off nicely (with no major cliffhangers), there is still so much suspense that I plan to dive into the 2nd book right away.

~

"𝓜𝔂 𝓷𝓪𝓶𝓮 𝓲𝓼 𝓣𝓲𝓼𝓪𝓪𝓷𝓪𝓱. 𝓘 𝓪𝓶 𝓪 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝓮 𝔀𝓸𝓶𝓪𝓷 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝔂𝓮𝓽 𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓪 𝓼𝓵𝓪𝓿𝓮. 𝓘 𝓪𝓶 𝓯𝓻𝓪𝓰𝓶𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓼 𝓸𝓯 𝓶𝓪𝓷𝔂 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓼 𝓫𝓾𝓽 𝓪 𝔀𝓱𝓸𝓵𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓸𝓷𝓵𝔂 𝓶𝔂𝓼𝓮𝓵𝓯. 𝓘 𝓪𝓶 𝓪 𝓭𝓪𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓸𝓯 𝓷𝓸 𝔀𝓸𝓻𝓵𝓭𝓼, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝔀𝓸𝓻𝓵𝓭𝓼.
𝓐𝓷𝓭 𝓘 𝓪𝓶 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓭𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝔂𝓮𝓽."

Impractical Magic by Emily Grimoire

lighthearted medium-paced

• Loveable characters? No

2.0

I wanted to love this, truly. 

It starts great. A little bit witchy, has some fun references, perfectly cozy for autumn, and then it just... bursts apart at the seams. 

The little nods and references quickly become WAY too much, taking over any existence of a plot. The town of Oak Haven doesn't make sense to me at all. The characters are all insufferable, and there are just far too many people to keep track of. The conversations and dialogue are super stretched out and run off on tangents. And... I just didn't care about the characters or development at all. 

I finished reading this so that I could leave a review in good faith, but I'm honestly regretting it. The story just feels like it's trying hard to be funny and quirky with all of the pop culture references, but the characters and story overall end up lacking depth because of it. 

𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓴 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓽𝓸 𝓝𝓮𝓽𝓰𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝔂 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓐𝓿𝓸𝓷 𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴𝓼 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓪𝓷 𝓐𝓡𝓒 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓫𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓲𝓷 𝓮𝔁𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓮 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓶𝔂 𝓱𝓸𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓽 𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀.

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

This was brilliant, my first ever book by T. Kingfisher and I'm sold. 

This book is creepy and unnerving, yet dry-wit and humour are also present on almost every page. It's amazing how the author has packed so much into this novella. 

I loved the entire concept behind "What Moves The Dead." Going in, I hadn't actually read "The Fall of the House of Usher" which this story is based on, but I went and read it immediately after. This was a fabulous retelling.

For being so short, the characters are well-rounded, there are some fabulous and frankly hysterical interactions, and it's just a wonderful mix of so many different genres. Without spoiling anything, I read the author's note at the end, and T. Kingfisher is so superbly clever, she talks about being disappointed in how she had to end this novella, and I understand where she was coming from because it's such an amazing, grotesque and off-putting concept that drives this story. 

Overall, it was fantastic, and I'm still squirming in my skin, hours after finishing. 

~ 

"ʜɪꜱ ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ ʜᴀᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʟɪɢʜᴛ ᴠᴇɴᴇᴇʀ ᴏꜰ ʜᴜᴍᴏᴜʀ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇ ᴀʟʟ ɢᴇᴛ, ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ɪꜰ ᴡᴇ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴘʀᴇᴛᴇɴᴅ ᴡᴇ'ʀᴇ ʟᴀᴜɢʜɪɴɢ, ᴡᴇ ᴍɪɢʜᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴀᴅᴍɪᴛ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ʜᴏᴡ ʙʀᴏᴋᴇɴ ᴡᴇ ᴀʀᴇ."

Curse of Wings and Darkness by Amy Prokopis

adventurous dark medium-paced

4.0

This was a good read! 

The vibe is kind of like... twilight for adults. 

Lily, a college student, encounters Angel - a 500-year-old vampire on a night out. While first a little annoyed by this meddlesome stranger, he soon saves her from a terrible fate. 

Lily, our FMC, has a passion for music. She's a cellist and has a pretty toned-down existence, largely in part due to her anxiety, but she yearns to find success in her art. She isn't your typical feisty FMC, but she is quietly curious and perceptive. 

Angel, our MMC and resident vampire, is trying to rid himself of his "curse" (the vampire thing). He's morally grey and a bit of a vigilante vampire. Very broody, with a huge soft spot for Lily. I love how he cares for our FMC and always takes her feelings into account. 

While a lot of the story focuses on the romance, there are some bigger factors at play as well, which come to light as our story progresses. I loved the build-up, and I couldn't put it down through the suspense. 

The conflict resolution at the end was perfect, and I'm anticipating the next book! 

𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓴 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓪𝓾𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓻 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓹𝓻𝓸𝓿𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓶𝓮 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓪𝓷 𝓐𝓡𝓒 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓫𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓲𝓷 𝓮𝔁𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓮 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓶𝔂 𝓱𝓸𝓷𝓮𝓼𝓽 𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

5.0

Oh my word. It is such a beautiful, tragic, and well-told story. 

The story is told by Patroclus, a cast-off prince who is exiled from his kingdom and sent to live with Peleus, the Father of Achilles. At first, he despises Achilles, for Achilles seems to be everything he is not, but he soon finds Solace and friendship in the other boy. 

I love how Madeline Miller explores the human condition and themes like war, love, grief, and where the true value lies within a person. Although I haven't read the source material and I'm not well-versed on Greek mythology (outside of some base knowledge), I think it's safe to say that this was a very clever and wonderful reimagining. 

The narrator, Frazer Douglas, also did a fantastic job.

~

"He is half of my soul, as the poets say."

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

I finished reading this one on Hobbit Day (September 22nd), which is just perfect because the end of this story has me arriving right at the start of Bilbo and Frodo's birthday celebration (the start of Fellowship). This was my first ever read through of this story (and I haven't seen the film for this one either). 

I really enjoyed my little reading adventure. I'm not fond of actually reviewing classics, but I just wanted to share some thoughts and my own experience with this. 

~ 

It's amazing how classic stories like this one have the ability to be so relatable and funny. You can't help but love Bilbo, who longs for his cozy home and delicious food at times of peril, but you're also keenly aware that he does want to go on this journey with Gandalf and the dwarves. I think a lot of people can relate to that internal struggle of do I, or don't I? Although it is a very hard decision to have to pass up second breakfast. 

I loved the narration style, Tolkien talks to his audience frequently, and it feels like a story that you would sit and listen to while drinking something warm and cozying up next to a fire. It's very whimsical, with songs, poems, riddles, and illustrations throughout the story. 

I'm excited to continue my journey with these stories, and I'd highly recommend anyone who fantasy books to give this one a go! 

~ Quotes I like: 

"Sorry! I don't want any adventures, thank you. Not today! Good morning! But please come to tea - anytime you like! Why not tomorrow? Come tomorrow! Goodbye!"  

"Escaping goblins to be caught by wolves!” he said, and it became a proverb, though we now say ‘out of the frying-pan into the fire’ in the same sort of uncomfortable situations." 

"There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West. Some courage and some wisdom, blended in measure. If more of us valued food and cheer and song above gold,  it would be a merrier world."

This Fatal Kiss by Alicia Jasinska

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

This was great. It was whimsical, fun, and true to the YA age classification. 

I love stories rooted in folklore, so this Slavic Folklore-based story hits the mark. It's told through three different POVs (third person) with a sassy and spirited FMC (Gisela), a no-nonsense exorcist MMC (Kazik) and a handsome charismatic boy that they've both set their sights on. 

It has some wonderful lgbtq+ representation and a little bit of polyamorous pining. The banter was cute, the plotline of a water nymph trying to regain her humanity was fun, and the characters were quirky. I also felt that this story has a fairytale retelling type of vibe. 

I did feel like some of the folklore aspects and worldbuilding could've been a little bit more fleshed out. I'm assuming there will be a continuation of this book as we are left with some unresolved conflict, but this isn't very clear from the marketing. Another thing I struggled with is that there are things that are unsaid and overlooked - including some miscommunication - that almost doesn't feel realistic for the characters, at times.

Overall, it is a very good YA fantasy, fairytale-esque, and lighter than anticipated while also beautifully handling some darker themes. I do hope there will be a sequel!

The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

Okay, so this was excellent. 

Captivating from the very first page, immersive, with beautiful writing and so much eeriness throughout. I couldn't put it down. 

This story feels very fast-paced, with everything happening quickly. The beautiful descriptive writing sets the scene for The Hacienda. The haunted house is enthralling with its vividly described setting. You also can't help but root for our narrators, Beatriz and Andres, both of whom see the Hacienda as a sanctuary of sorts. There is a lot of suspense and a "whodunnit" element that keeps the pages turning quickly as well. 

I did find that the ending felt a little bit rushed for me, with some of the conflict resolving almost a little bit too easily for my liking... after such an amazing build-up. I also would've liked to have connected a little bit more with the characters in the story. Two of the characters had very similar names, which i'll admit threw me off for a little while. 

Overall, I devoured this in less than a day and enjoyed it immensely. Shiver-inducing and atmospheric.

Lights Out by Navessa Allen

dark funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

I loved it. 

This was such a sweet, spicy, and funny read. It reminded me a lot of Butcher and Blackbird with its dark comedy romance theme.

Aly is a trauma nurse with a little bit of a mask kink. Josh is a hacker... with a few masks of his own. I loved how these characters complimented one another. The cat-and-mouse game between this strong FMC and slightly edgy (but golden retriever at heart) MMC was a lot of fun. 

I did find that the first half was more engaging than the 2nd half of the story. I thought that some of the interactions and plotlines in the second half dragged a little bit, and the spice became less engaging.

Overall, I had a lot of fun, and the narrators also did an excellent job on this duet.