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mariedaniella's reviews
219 reviews
Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.75
Hooked on Hollywood by Mia Summers
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
Hooked on Hollywood is a light-hearted romance read that follows Olivia Bloom and Hollywood actor Ryan Jones, both back in their hometown—Olivia after a bad breakup and Ryan to recover his public image—and get handcuffed to each other for days after an auction dinner date for the community theater.
While an easy read, this book felt flat. It needed more depth with its characters and storytelling. Everything was too convenient or instant with adult characters being too juvenile. I wanted more tension and exploration, an unpredictable plot, and chemistry.
Although, I see the potential for the story or that this would be enjoyable for someone looking for a quick and cute read but overall, I found this very lackluster.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sterling & Stone for providing a free e-book in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.25
There were a few times the first time I read the Throne of Glass book series that I was confused about some missing background info or felt that some of the characters were a bit unnecessary until I (finally) got around to reading this book too upon my second reread of the series.
I thought the novellas added depth and intensity, especially to Celaena’s character. It also added to the series’ world and made the later developments in the series more seamless.
One thing that was “so-so” was that I was expecting something more emotional with Sam’s story. Admittedly, I knew how it would end so I was more or less bracing in anticipation which would have made whatever was delivered lackluster. 🤷♀️
Overall, I enjoyed the novellas. I think they’re important to the series and I honestly wish these stories were added somewhere in the first two books rather than a separate prequel novellas. It would have made for a much better start to the series.
I thought the novellas added depth and intensity, especially to Celaena’s character. It also added to the series’ world and made the later developments in the series more seamless.
One thing that was “so-so” was that I was expecting something more emotional with Sam’s story. Admittedly, I knew how it would end so I was more or less bracing in anticipation which would have made whatever was delivered lackluster. 🤷♀️
Overall, I enjoyed the novellas. I think they’re important to the series and I honestly wish these stories were added somewhere in the first two books rather than a separate prequel novellas. It would have made for a much better start to the series.
The Graham Effect by Elle Kennedy
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
(This is going to be a bit long as I highly anticipated this and I have ~thoughts~)
Let me start by saying that I love the Off-Campus books and Garrett and Hannah are my top favorites so when I learned that we’re getting their kids’ books, I was extremely excited and happy. So much so that I was counting down the days to the release. Upon reading it, I couldn’t put this book down and initially really loved it but now that a couple of weeks have passed, I realize there are a few things I didn’t like.
Mainly with Ryder’s side of the story — I thought there were too many things going on that it was just a mess with little to no payoff at all. It seemed like everything was piled on top of one another as either an opening for future books or for some flare of drama if that makes sense.
For example, Ryder’s backstory. Without spoiling anything, he’s orphaned and comes from bad foster homes but the author added an unnecessary trauma yet again (see: all of Off-Campus and Briar U books have some traumatic background/event) that was brushed off in something gimmicky like “oh, don’t keep it in, let it out and you’re okay.” It was very irksome, to say the least. If it truly wasn’t possible to have a character to just have a simple life, I wanted to settle on one thing and explore that. Properly.
Nothing much else was seen with Ryder except for his romance, too. His team's troubles were all “resolved” in just one scene and everything else was off-page. I would have loved to see the team bonding and have their moments learning to be friends as it was quite important to the story. It could have been charming and probably have made me look forward to the rest of the series. 😭
That being said, I did enjoy Gigi’s side of the story. Gigi’s development was also done well. I liked her being close to the family and them being a big part of the story without overpowering Gigi being the lead of this book. What I really loved though is Garrett Graham. Did I read this just for the Off-Campus cameos? Yes, but my man Garrett truly delivered. 💘
Not only was he being such a girl’s dad was super cute but I thought he and Hannah were aged well — they still had their familiar quirks and humor but had changed, as expected, with more maturity and are very good parents. I loved every moment with Gigi and her family. Hannah also welcomed Ryder like her own son and it tugged my heartstrings!
I have some thoughts of Kennedy clowning all of us with the “next-gen” thing. This book even promised a Boxing Day Beatdown with full cameos and families but only for it to be just one sentence recap in the next chapter 🤡 But that might be too long of a rant.
Overall, I enjoyed this one but not really for the main storylines and leads. Heck, even Dean’s small cameo had all my star ratings than all other things that happened in this book. 🙈
Let me start by saying that I love the Off-Campus books and Garrett and Hannah are my top favorites so when I learned that we’re getting their kids’ books, I was extremely excited and happy. So much so that I was counting down the days to the release. Upon reading it, I couldn’t put this book down and initially really loved it but now that a couple of weeks have passed, I realize there are a few things I didn’t like.
Mainly with Ryder’s side of the story — I thought there were too many things going on that it was just a mess with little to no payoff at all. It seemed like everything was piled on top of one another as either an opening for future books or for some flare of drama if that makes sense.
For example, Ryder’s backstory. Without spoiling anything, he’s orphaned and comes from bad foster homes but the author added an unnecessary trauma yet again (see: all of Off-Campus and Briar U books have some traumatic background/event) that was brushed off in something gimmicky like “oh, don’t keep it in, let it out and you’re okay.” It was very irksome, to say the least. If it truly wasn’t possible to have a character to just have a simple life, I wanted to settle on one thing and explore that. Properly.
Nothing much else was seen with Ryder except for his romance, too. His team's troubles were all “resolved” in just one scene and everything else was off-page. I would have loved to see the team bonding and have their moments learning to be friends as it was quite important to the story. It could have been charming and probably have made me look forward to the rest of the series. 😭
That being said, I did enjoy Gigi’s side of the story. Gigi’s development was also done well. I liked her being close to the family and them being a big part of the story without overpowering Gigi being the lead of this book. What I really loved though is Garrett Graham. Did I read this just for the Off-Campus cameos? Yes, but my man Garrett truly delivered. 💘
Not only was he being such a girl’s dad was super cute but I thought he and Hannah were aged well — they still had their familiar quirks and humor but had changed, as expected, with more maturity and are very good parents. I loved every moment with Gigi and her family. Hannah also welcomed Ryder like her own son and it tugged my heartstrings!
I have some thoughts of Kennedy clowning all of us with the “next-gen” thing. This book even promised a Boxing Day Beatdown with full cameos and families but only for it to be just one sentence recap in the next chapter 🤡 But that might be too long of a rant.
Overall, I enjoyed this one but not really for the main storylines and leads. Heck, even Dean’s small cameo had all my star ratings than all other things that happened in this book. 🙈
The Silvered Serpents by Roshani Chokshi
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Air Awakens by Elise Kova
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0