kayaj's reviews
513 reviews

A Curse for True Love by Stephanie Garber

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After the finale* of the Caraval trilogy disappointed me, I had hesitantly high hopes for this final book in the Once Upon A Broken Heart series. The first two were full of magic and whimsy, tinged with darkness at the edges. A poisoned apple of a book series if you will. However, this one just lost a lot of the magic for me unfortunately.

*yes yes, i am well aware that the final book was named finale so it seems like i’m making a not-so-clever reference to it. and so what if i am? i never promised clever and original quips

We follow Evangeline, who has lost her memories after the ending of Ballad. She is married to Prince Apollo, who will stop at nothing to keep her safe from Jacks, whom she doesn’t even remember. She has it all: a prince, a castle, true(?) love. However, when she meets Jacks in the form of Archer, she slowly starts to realize that there’s something dreadfully wrong with her “happily ever after”. 
 
A Curse For True Love actually disappointed me more than I thought it did. To start, we get at least twice the amount of chapters from Apollo’s perspective as we do Jack’s. And that tragedy summarizes the crux of the problems with this book: Jacks is not present enough*. As a reader, I do not care about Apollo. His coolest attribute is that he shares the name of a Greek god. His chapters either hint towards some political maneuvering that is never fully fleshed out or some complex villain arc that is…guess what? Never fully realized! Ding ding ding!

*i know it sounds like i’m simping but guys, for once in my life i am OBJECTIVELY not. well…actually i am but come on, it’s jacks!

Not only are we stuck reading from a character who we don’t care about*, but Evangeline’s lack of memories is so frustrating to experience. The first half of this book is incredibly slow, and it kind of feels like nothing of consequence is happening. The only truly captivating parts are when the Valors appear and seem to be vaguely plotting something. Like I said, the politics and mind games never feel truly fleshed out so I couldn’t find it in myself to really care. I was more or less just waiting for Jacks the entire time.

*i just realized i owe the two apollo lovers that exist in the world an apology. i’m happy the two of you get to read about a character you adore.

“He would carry her through more than just freezing waters. He would pull her through fire if he had to, haul her from the clutches of war, from falling cities and breaking worlds . . .”
 
 
Jacks is not present enough in this book. The overwhelming chemistry of the first two books just…melts away. Evangeline and Jacks hardly encounter each other and when they do, it’s obviously complicated because of Evangeline’s amnesia*. This not only made the majority of the book a waiting game, but it cheapened the ending. I think it would be better to read all of the books back-to-back, so the banter, side glances, and chemistry carry you through this book.

*sorry for all these side tangents but have i ever stated how much i HATE amnesia as a plot device??? the only time it’s ever worked is for dory in finding nemo and even dory doesn’t get a full pass.

The issue with a fantasy romance series is that it often relies heavily on the romance being fleshed out. When that’s not working, the flaws in the fantastical elements really come to light. This book never felt like pure magic in its treatment of setting and characters, not the way the others did. However, I did really enjoy the last 100 pages. We finally got yearning! Love! High stakes! Twists and more twists! The last 100 pages of this book are what I wanted the entire 400 pages of this book to be.

I will add that I own the Owlcrate edition of this book, which means I got to read a very interesting bonus epilogue. There are some characters that I would like to read more about for sure. I think that if Stephanie Garber does end up writing those stories, I can see why this book feels the way it does because it truly feels like a prequel for another series and not the finale to Evangeline and Jack’s.

So that’s it! Overall, I am heartbroken. I still enjoyed the writing, and the characters, not to mention that the first two books definitely softened me for this one. It’s just a shame that this did not feel like a consequential finale for the most part. 



Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

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4.5

i think i like elsie better than olive and adam better than jack but i really enjoyed the plot of this one more than the love hypothesis. rtc!
One for My Enemy by Olivie Blake

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 0%.
i didn’t love the romance, but honestly i just didn’t have a desire to pick this up. i wasn’t even completely bored or anything. just wasn’t invested.
When You Wish Upon a Lantern by Gloria Chao

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  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
 
When You Wish Upon A Lantern feels a little bit like a Disney movie and a little bit like a warm hug. We follow Liya, whose family owns a lantern shop, and Kai, whose family owns a baking shop. They were childhood friends but then a huge misunderstanding came between them. When Liya’s shop is at risk of closing for good, she recruits Kai to help her fulfill the wishes that are written on the lanterns.

This book has a surprising amount of tropes! There’s miscommunication of course, but also found family. If you love watching a community rally together, then check this out! Personally, I did really enjoy Liya and Kai’s story. However, I felt like it leaned a little younger than I was expecting. That’s perfectly fine, because now I have a go-to book to recommend to my little sister and her friends! 

 
Like I said, this story does lean a little younger. But it feels like a Disney short come to life. Okay, so maybe I’m mostly just thinking of Tangled but still! Liya and Kai are absolutely adorable together, and watching them serve* their community by fulfilling the wishes of the store’s customers was so fun.

*sure, they had some ulterior motives. but personally, i think they went above and beyond. to infinity and beyond!

Every single scene with the lanterns was so magical. It’s truly the perfect foil for any and all romantic moments. But beyond the romance, I loved that we got to see a variety of relationships. Liya and Kai have different relationships with their parents. Every character has a different dynamic from other characters. And honestly, I just thought Chao did a really great job at creating a world so alive that it felt like you could meet any of these characters any day. 



The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

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lighthearted
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

 
The Love Hypothesis, if nothing else, is a big win for STEM girlies everywhere. Now me personally, I’m deathly allergic to math and physics and all that*. But I appreciate the representation and the references to the absurd difficulties women face when trying to make it in the world of academia, especially BIPOC women. It obviously doesn’t dive into a ton of depth since it’s first and foremost a romance, but it still does touch on those subjects which I did enjoy.

*although, i only have a slight intolerance to statistics and chemistry. and this book definitely has chemistry so it wasn’t all bad.

We follow Olive, a chemistry Ph.D. student who can’t for the life of her convince her best friend Anh to date her ex since Anh truly doesn’t want to hurt her. So, in a moment of panic, she kisses the first guy she sees. Who happens to be a young hotshot professor with a stingy reputation. They end up agreeing to fake-date for a certain period of time as they both have something to gain from the arrangement. 

You’d best BELIEVE that this was originally Reylo fanfiction. And you know what? There’s nothing wrong with that since it’s not bad fanfiction! And considering the lack of lightsabers, Millennium Falcons, and Stormtroopers*, I think it’s safe to say it stands on its own. Olive and Adam have excellent chemistry. Since they’re both chemists**. But seriously, Adam’s slight grumpiness and cold exterior to everyone but Olive (in a wholesome way I promise) is actually so much fun to read about. His hatred of all things sweet and Olive’s addiction to all things sweet is the best dynamic ever okay?

*that and darth vader are the height of my star wars knowledge I’m sorry I’m sorry!

**i’m actually such a comedian today kevin hart better be looking for another job SOON

The plot had just enough happening to keep me at least vaguely interested. Olive and Adam have to keep up their ruse, which means awkward situations on top of awkward situations. Add to that the fact that they both have important science-y stuff to do and I’d say this story never lacked in purpose. There was a part in the middle that I felt did slow down a little, and I found myself getting a bit bored, hence the 4-star rating. It did pick back up again though!

“I wish you could see yourself the way I see you”.
So that’s it! Overall, this was an entertaining read. Adam and Olive’s interactions were absolute gold and carried me through the slower parts of the story.