kendranh's reviews
61 reviews

funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Canadian vampire meets bird man and falls in love? Sold!

In all seriousness though, this was such a fun spin on a typical vampire romance. I have never read any of the previous books so it was nice that I was able to read this one without constantly trying to figure out what was happening.

Loved:

Stephanie and Thorne’s relationship
The way they both struggled with feeling inferior
It’s set in Canada 🇨🇦
Stephanie’s dog and cat

Meh:

The ending felt a bit rushed
Would have liked more focus on rebuilding the relationship between sisters
Sometimes I will admit it would have helped if I had read the previous 33 books (I know this is a me problem)

Disliked:

Nothing. It was a pretty satisfying read overall and there isn’t anything that stands out as a dislike!

Content Warnings

Ace of Betrayal (Hand of Revenge, #1) by Jessica Jude

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challenging dark reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

If you are a fan of Gossip Girl, this is the book for you! Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rich kids, revenge plots, second chance romance, and characters that you somehow root for despite them being objectively pretty terrible people.

Loved:

Walker’s love of the spooky
The way Jessica Jude built a whole new country somewhere between the US and the UK
Walker and Heath learning so much about each other as the story went on. The surfing, the reading, etc.
Walker’s revenge on her friends by auctioning what they loved most for charity. What a classy way to get back at them!
The spice!!

Meh:

The revenge poker games. You’re telling me that every week these 20-somethings choose someone to fuck with? It’s a small island (as far as I can tell), how are they still getting away with it?

Didn’t Like:

How long it took for Heath to
stop the revenge plot against Walker. He kept saying he cared about her, but did nothing at all? I can understand his reluctance to tell the truth about cheating, but why didn’t he just say “Let’s not do this”
It was hard to root for the characters when they all kind of just seemed like bullies
The lack of resolution
around Walker’s professor assaulting her. All that work and she just decides to give up on her dreams? I wanted more from that

I will say I am looking forward to the next book in the series!

Content Warnings

Surrender: A Bitter Creek Novel by Joan Johnston

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adventurous hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This book started with a bang which is great if you like spice!

Honestly though, had a hard time getting into it. Possibly because it was clear how much character development happened in other books in the series, so would not recommend this as a standalone.

I really liked the survival plot, but after they were rescued it became a lot of mediocre men acting mediocre.

Not bad, but I’m not seeking out more by the author.

The Auction by LovesBitca8

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

For non-book records, review text and ratings are hidden. Only mood, pace, and content warnings are visible.

Dark Succession by Katee Robert

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dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

3.5 might be a bit generous but it wasn’t a bad book. Fairly typical dark mafia romance.

Loved:

Spice level was great
Sequels were set up in a way that made me invested in the characters

Meh:

Romance felt rushed
So much conflict that could be so easily resolved
If you kill the “loveable” character so quickly, it’s hard to care about them

Disliked:

What was the point of
the FBI side plot?
The ending was way too rushed to enjoy

Content Warnings

The Chaos Weaver by Aubrey Winters

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Thank you to the author for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Chaos Weaver tells the story of a young woman pulled into another world while trying to save her brother from a dragon. Aubrey Winters has created a truly unique magical world and I cannot wait to dive deeper in the next book!

Loved:

The magic systems being set up by the author
The FMC having a unique talent that beyond just power.
Raising the dead has so much potential for future books!
The FMC focusing on injustice in the world and doing everything she can to protect those who can’t protect themselves
Hints of a revolution. I love a fantasy series with some revolution in place

Meh:

The romance built up a little faster than I would like. It felt like Everly went from fear to lust in an instant
Who the hell am I supposed to trust in this book?! The whole time I was internally screaming because everyone is sus as hell
It felt like a bit of an incomplete story. I know it is first in a series but I still would have liked more

Disliked:

Everly is waaaaaay too trusting for someone who grew up trusting no one to stay alive. Wouldn’t she be less trustful in a new world rather than more so? All those good instincts mentioned in the beginning of the book went right out the window

Content Warnings

Revenge Puck by L.A. Hart

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hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Huge thanks to the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. If you’re a grumpy/sunshine sports romance lover, this is a great quick read!

Loved:

The inclusion of a curvy heroine!
Not glossing over Elle’s insecurities and her struggles with the social media attention
Preston doing everything he could to protect her from the negative comments
Preston’s relationship with Maya

Meh:

The insta-love was a little too rushed for me. I just wish their relationship had more time to develop
Preston’s temper and distrust of Elle. Like come on dude
Some plot holes. What happened to
the letters Christian sent to Maya? On that note, I often felt more invested in Maya and Christian’s story than Elle and Preston’s
Minor typos throughout the book. Nothing terrible, but it did interrupt my reading flow

Disliked:

There was more manufactured conflict than I would like considering there were actual things that could cause real conflict
Why would Elle tell Christian that the relationship was fake? It just seemed very out of character and caused some of the stupid manufactured conflict
Sometimes it was hard to root for Preston because he was such an asshole in a lot of moments

The West Wind by Alexandria Warwick

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adventurous emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This book could have been half as long and just as good.

Loved:

Curvy girl/plus size heroine
Physically strong heroine
Zephyrus’s redemption arc
Anxious girl representation

Meh:

Harper’s redemption arc. Some bullies don’t deserve redemption
Random Greek mythology forced in there?
So much religion

Hated:

All the bullying
So much filler of just walking from place to place
Random conflict for no plot-serving purpose
Was there even a plot beyond bringing Brielle and Zephyrus together??

A Fire Endless by Rebecca Ross

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adventurous emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Such a good read! After becoming so attached to the characters in the first book, I spent most of this book worrying about them.

I loved seeing Adi and Jack’s relationship grow and strengthen. The support and love they show each other is absolute goals. I also appreciated the role Torin was given in the story and how it made him such a stronger character.

While the twist with Bane’s identity was slightly predictable, it was good nonetheless!

I will say I wasn’t a huge fan of how one dimensional some of the Breccans were, but I understand the purpose they serve.

Overall a great read!

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

What a roller coaster of a book. Rebecca Yarros may have started a little slow in this one with lots of characters who I forgot since reading Iron Flame plus lots of war strategy conversations, but holy crap did it pick up fast. The number of times I was afraid for Tairn’s life in this book is a little excessive. Because yes, if anything happens to grumpy old man Tairn, I lose my mind.

I loved exploring more of the world and seeing the way magic influences the politics of the islands. Having Ridoc more involved, especially with Quest Squad, was absolutely amazing! Plus it was so cool to see additional details about Violet’s history being revealed.

That being said there were some things I wasn’t a huge fan of.

When Andarna returns at the end, her arrival really serves no purpose. Why is she there? She literally could have been replaced with a wall. Plus it felt very fast after her departure for her to come back. I didn’t expect to see her until the next book. Also, Xaden kept making bad choices. Like dude, I get that you’re not yourself, but COME ON.

Overall, an amazing book and I cannot wait for the next one!

Content Warnings

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kendranh's reviews 61 reviews

kendranh's reviews
61 reviews