lindaskessler's reviews
24 reviews

Viciously Yours by Jamie Applegate Hunter

adventurous fast-paced

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

3.0

March was a month of romances (and more specifically erotica) for me 👀 some hit and some were a little hit and miss. For meee, this book was the latter.

I picked up this title after seeing an absolutely unhinged TikTok review so I can’t say I didn’t know what I was getting into and yet 🤔 

I really enjoyed the premise at its core—letter writing between fated mates who can’t meet until a certain age, but it just fell a bit flat for me. 

I will say the authors note and dedication alone make this book not a regret 😂 So pick it up, at your own risk

royal elves, fated mates, MMC possessive (and violent) to a fault, FMC not super fleshed out

spicy scenes are a mixed bag, premise enjoyable, but ultimately—meh

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

“I want to survive this world that keeps trying to destroy me.” 

This is a dark academia featuring cultish magic and rituals, good ol’ boys clubs, and people (often women or POC) caught in the crosshairs. It’s twists and turns, some are alluded to more and others caught me by surprise. First in a trilogy 👀

“Mors irrumat omnia. Death fucks us all.”

Well this was a wildly different vibe than pretty much all my other reads this month! And a first for me as I’ve never really ventured into the dark academia genre before but this was a book club pick for my @citygirlswhowalkdc sci fi and fantasy book club 📚 

In movies, books, TV, and to some extent even in real life, when people lean too hard on a character being “bad,” not fitting in, or mysterious in a suspicious way I think a lot of people tend to go hm.. bet there’s more to this person than meets the eye and such was the case here. Her “issues” were harped on so much and everyone around her seemed to not give her much respect to the point I was just running a little Galaxy fan club in my head. Surely if everyone and everything is against her she’s our antihero, right?

I don’t want to give anything away, the mystery elements are a main driver of the plot of this story, but I will say I recommend this book for those who enjoy dark academia. 

Trigger warning, I will say that in my opinion (and seemingly that of many) the author was too detailed with the sexual assault scenes. There is a way to be more delicate with these topics. I understand those experiences being included, they happen in real life and can happen in stories too, but to me I was wondering why are we getting a moment to moment play by play of this. And I do think if the author had (imho) handled those scenes with more care I would have given this book a higher rating.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault

The Rose by Tiffany Reisz

adventurous funny fast-paced

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

4.5

if you enjoy smutty Greek mythology and wish you could have sex with a god (in more ways than one) “The Rose” is the book for you

this is the second standalone book in The Godwicks series

“Lia, I could make you come so hard that your body floats three feet off the sheets and lightning will explode from your belly. You will see smells and hear colors. The heavens will break open and you will touch the face of God when I make you come. And I could do it with my hands tied behind my back.”

I…

I don’t know if there’s anything else I can say to encourage you to read this book that would be better than that quote. 9.5/10 would recommend

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez

adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

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

3.5

I wish you all could be in the text chain I had with my friends while reading this book—just a series of predictions, ranting, pining, and more. I can’t deny this was a fun read, it took me on an emotional roller coaster, but at the end of the day I am left reeling from a tornado of twists and turns that took away more than they added to the story.

I saw a reel advertising the sequel to this book—Where the Library Hides—and was drawn in immediately. Nearly all my booksta friends had read this already, so they got a front row seat to my commentary as I listened to the audiobook. 

I wanted to love this story, I really did. Magic, mystery, adventure, romance, historical fiction featuring Egyptian artifacts and lore—it has the makings of a fan favorite, but alas not for me.

I understand this is a mystery, and part of that is that ultimately everyone is unreliable and you as a reader don’t know who can be trusted. But the whiplash I received for multiple characters as we swung from trusting to not and back again (or do we??) was wild. 

I had a lot of emotional reactions to this book, and I’d like to slap a number of characters upside the head. I feel for our MC and the myriad of traumas she endures in short succession. Some events, particularly a gruesome fate met by one of our cast, I didn’t understand why were included. It felt gratuitous and upsetting as it didn’t really do much to further the plot, just to upset our MC and the reader. 

The beginning of the book was a bit slow rolling, then settled into a medium pace until (imho) the author steamrolled us with information and plot points in the last 10th of the book. I enjoyed some reveals and the romantic tension (“have you thought about kissing me? 👀) but this just didn’t quite hit the spot for me.

Really hoping the author delves more into the magic in the upcoming (Nov. 2024) sequel!! There is so much potential there and I’d love to see it explored.

When Night Breaks by Janella Angeles

adventurous emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

3.5

You know the meme of the guy ferociously trying to get in a locked gate, yelling let me in? That’s me, shaking Angeles by the shoulders and begging for answers to the many questions left forgotten by the end of this book. I am surprisingly sad to leave some of these characters behind and wish there was just one more book to round everything out.

Back in 2020 when I was attending NYU’s Summer Publishing Program I received an absolutely gorgeous ARC for the first book in this biology—Where Dreams Descend. It ended on a devastating cliffhanger and the sequel wasn’t due to be out for over a year. I lost track of the release, but finally finished the tale this month.

It’s hard for me to figure out just what to say about this book. There are elements I loved: the showmanship of it all, specific characters that I would happily read novellas about to get to spend more time with them, the idea of there being a mirror dimension only magicians can access. But ultimately, this book fell short for me. The elements I loved do not outweigh the struggles I had: an exposition heavy 2/3 of the book that went 0 to 100 in the last section, feeling rushed, only to leave us with a myriad of unanswered questions and plot points that went no where as far as the reader can tell. Saddest of all, the ending simply skipped over all the scenes I so desperately wanted to watch unfold. I think I will miss Jack and Vain (well, really all the Diamond Rings and maybe even Harold) most of all. 

Life of Melody by Mari Costa

adventurous hopeful lighthearted 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? No

4.0

This graphic novel was an absolute delight and I wish it went on even longer! An unlikely duo, Razzmatazz and Lancelot are basically “parent trapped” by a sweet baby girl they find abandoned in the woods. Some family drama, some light romance, this is a wholesome tale (ha, get it?) of a supposedly temporary found family 🥹

Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon

adventurous emotional 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? No

3.5

interspecies spice in a galaxy far far away there are some plot points that i wish got more  attention, but paired with the sexcapades it makes for a fun read

Who among us, the scrollers and posters on booksta and booktok, has not heard of “Ice Planet Barbarians”? 

A friend lent me this book probably a full calendar year ago and it took me until this week to binge it it one sitting!

I will say, this series is probably a one and done for meee (I’m not much of a series girlie anyhow) but I can now cross reading IPB off my bookish bingo card

I will leave you with a quote from our FMC: 

“It’s just that . . . out of all the worst-case scenarios I’ve come up with since being abducted by aliens, being licked until I come isn’t anywhere on the list.”

The Grim Reaper's Lawyer by Mea Monique

funny mysterious fast-paced

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

3.5

“He rolls up his sleeves, providing me the perfect view of his shapely forearms. Aiden’s arms are proof that God is a woman. But then again, maybe only a man would put such an ungrateful personality in a gorgeous package.”

Well this was a fun read! A very twisty turvy plot with spicy hot sex scenes throughout 👀 

For me, “The Grim Reaper’s Lawyer” was a ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 read. I felt like it was a fun, frisky, and fast read that maybe bit off a little more than it could chew. By the end I felt like the rails were off the tracks with all the plot twists BUT, it was definitely entertaining. 

If you’re into brat/brat tamer, choking, possessive/protective MMCs (with a big 🍆) then this may be the book for you 😉

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

adventurous emotional 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? Yes

4.0

“A dragon without its rider is a tragedy. A rider without their dragon is dead.”

I feel like I have to start by saying not only did I obsessively binge this 21 hour audio book in what Libby says was 24 hours and 43 minutes, but I almost immediately devoured a whole host of fan fiction (please go look up VoidMyWarranty on AO3) to get more of a *certain relationship* 👀 🔥 

“My breath catches and my body warms, the traitorous bitch. You are not attracted to toxic men, I remind myself, and yet, here I am, getting all attracted.”

Fourth Wing is a widely trending fantasy (romantasy, if we must) book involving dragons, magic, enemies, friends, secrets, sex, and many, many deaths and near-death experiences. It does tend to read a little more YA (with the exception of the spicy scenes) particularly, I think, because of the room for more maturity and growth for our main character Violet. 

“Fascinating. You look all frail and breakable, but you’re really a violent little thing, aren’t you?”

I really don’t want to give much away, but I will say that if you’re looking for excitement and sass paired with characters that you will love and hate and miss when it’s over, I highly recommend this book.

It’s not perfect, and the ending nearly made me yell (why why WHY did we switch POVs and narrators??) but I can’t deny that it was a fun read and that I’ll probably be picking up Iron Flame in the near future. 

“No one stays friends forever, Mira. Eventually those closest to us become our enemies in some way, even if it’s through well-intentioned love or apathy, or if we live long enough to become their villains.”—The Book of Brennan

A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales

funny lighthearted mysterious medium-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

5.0

“Acceptable reading material includes sermons, poetry, etiquette guides, and social columns. Ladies must not read grisly articles, scandalous novels, or anything excessively funny.”—The Lady’s Guide to Swampshire

Bridgerton and Jane Austen meet Knives Out and Sherlock Holmes in this regency era who dunnit with a romance subplot. 

I absolutely delighted in listening to this audiobook! This story is full of cheesiness in the most decadent way possible and it knows exactly what it’s doing.

If you love a murder mystery, twists and turns, and laugh out loud moments with a mix of just what the fuck is going on added in—you will love this book! 

One of my favorite things about the way Seales wrote this story is how she begins each chapter with a text that really adds to the worldbuilding of Swampshire. A page from the Lady’s Guide, a letter from a beau, an excerpt from one of Miss Bolton’s many plays—it really helped endear me to the town and the people in it.

The cast of characters had me loving, hating, and questioning just about everyone. The asides about middle child Mary had my eyebrow quirked nearly every time. What a ride from start to finish!

“Let go of what everyone is supposed to be, and you shall see who they truly are, and they shall reach their greatest potential.”