lekiare's reviews
635 reviews

The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I am not a prude but 15 pages of smut is just a bit too much for me.

In all seriousness, this is still a good read but I also understand why some of the reviewers were less enthused by this sequel. The first novel had suspense and mystery and twists that were entirely unexpected. The second book is a bit more introspective. It still has its twists and mystery, but it just feels like something is missing.

Also, other than Mische, the other characters don't get very much development.  I read Vale and Lilith's story, but they really aren't utilized as much here.  It's mainly the Raihn and Oraya show, which is still great here, but it drags in places, and maybe it could have been shortened by 100 pages.

Other than that, I still enjoyed reading this sequel. And more than likely, I will read the next book in the series. For sure.

Six Scorched Roses by Carissa Broadbent

dark emotional mysterious sad tense

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

3.25

The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

I took a chance on this book. The majority of reviews said it was great. People raved about the plot and the twists and the romance, and I figured it couldn't be too bad. But I'm always a little leary when books advertise that romance is a big part of the story. In the past that always meant more romance than story or plot or anything remotely smart. Thank goodness this is one of the better books! Actually, this book was awesome. So much so, that I was still awake at 3:00 a.m. last night trying to read because I really wanted to know what was going to happen next. 

 Honestly, I was really surprised by this novel. There were so many twists, so much world building that really immerses you in the story that I honestly could not stop reading.  The fact that I didn't know how it was going to end, and that I was surprised by the way it did end, was just so thrilling to me. It is taking every ounce of willpower that I have to not start the second novel tonight.  I really need to sleep! 😂

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Sexual content

From Sand and Ash by Amy Harmon

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

The House at the End of the World by Dean Koontz

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Rise of the Coven by E.E. Holmes

adventurous emotional funny mysterious fast-paced

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

3.0

I’m not gonna lie. I still really enjoyed this book. For some reason, though, it felt like something was missing. Maybe it’s because the stakes weren’t as high as they were in the previous book. Or, it could just be that it has been so long, since I’ve read the series that there were certain details that I couldn’t remember.

Either way, when the next book comes out, I will more than likely read it.

The Snow Gypsy by Lindsay Jayne Ashford

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

4.0

The Lost Village by Camilla Sten

challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

Some of the criticisms that I saw regarding this book were odd. I really enjoyed reading this novel, and found it tragic and may be slightly hopeful. it is very accurate to describe it as Blair Witch Project meets any psychological, thriller imaginable. Truly, the descriptions, and the mood really put you in that frame of mind that you’re watching a movie and it is impossible to close your eyes because if you do you obviously won’t know what happens next.

The only thing I really found to be lacking was the whole story around Matthias and the cult. I get why certain things happened and in a way, I understand why the character has the past that he does, but it all comes across as very one dimensional. Almost like, the author decided it was time to finish the novel and because of that everything else was just extra. Not important. And to her credit, I did not see that ending coming, but it left me feeling like something was missing. Still, I really did enjoy this book. 

The Fervor by Alma Katsu

dark tense fast-paced

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

2.0

The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.5