maryp20's reviews
26 reviews

The Sinner by Shantel Tessier

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

I definitely enjoyed seeing more of the Lords universe but this felt a little more surface level than what we saw in The Ritual. Other than that I enjoyed it, it was an easy read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Rape, Cursing, Death, Pedophilia, Stalking, Torture, Blood, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Addiction, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Gun violence, and Drug use

Moderate: Death of parent

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

“Before the Coffee gets Cold” is such an interesting story that is written so beautifully. You see different people go through love and loss and heartache. There is a beautiful message of how important family and loved ones are and to see the impact of that on different characters was amazing. This story really does leave you thinking about the question “if you could go back, who would you  want to meet?”

King of Wrath by Ana Huang

emotional funny lighthearted 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? No

4.0

Ana has absolutely done it again, I swear any time I pick up one of her books I absolutely fly through it. I loved the story of Dante and Vivian, they absolutely melted my heart several times throughout the whole book. Vivian was witty and funny with the best banter throughout the book and Dante is the perfect morally grey tough guy with a soft spot for her. The one thing for me was that it was predictable, if we didn’t know about the blackmail from the start I think I would’ve been more shocked by the reveal. Other than that I ate this up and can’t wait to read the next one!

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

adventurous emotional tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.5

This was my most anticipated read of 2023 and it was honestly so amazing. We see constant character development from all of our beloved characters from Book 1 while maintaining an intriguing plot. I absolutely adored seeing the evolution of certain characters and relationships while new ones were formed. My issues that prevented me giving the book 5 stars was that it felt rushed at times, there was always so much happening and it started to become a tad difficult to keep track of things. My other issue was that new aspects of magic were introduced but we got minimal explanation throughout the entire book so I wished that she spent more time on that. But all in all this book kept me on the edge of my seat and absolutely wrecked me by the end

The Graham Effect by Elle Kennedy

funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it did not disappoint! Elle Kennedy absolutely nailed this! There was the perfect mix of new characters to get to know and fall in love with, with the visits from older characters we already know and love. I could not have asked for a better story between Ryder and Gigi it was absolutely amazing and cannot wait to read more of this series.

Satan's Affair by H.D. Carlton

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

3.0

I really enjoyed beginning to learn about Sibby’s past and how she came to be this character. I did wish that this was longer and had more details but overall loved the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Blood, Violence, Death, Torture, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Murder

Minor: Trafficking, Child abuse, Car accident, Child death, Vomit, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Rape, and Pedophilia

The Legacy by Elle Kennedy

funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

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

5.0

This whole series has been amazing and I’m so sad that it’s over. These characters and stories are so loveable and I find myself constantly laughing at the writing. We see all of the couples throughout the book with their continuing friendship and the ups and downs of life. While I loved this series and want the book to longer so we can see all the details and so it really wouldn’t end, I could not think of a better ending to this series. 

The Goal by Elle Kennedy

funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

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

4.5

As always, I loved this installment of the Off-Campus series. Elle Kennedy’s writing is funny and easy going, I mean I read this, just like the rest of the series, in one day. I absolutely loved Tucker, my favorite mmc from the series by far, and the relationship between him and Sabrina.

I honestly wished it was longer and had more details about her pregnancy and the decision to keep the baby.

I just felt that some things were glossed over but all in all I absolutely adored this story.

What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I genuinely did not expect some of the twists at the end but some of the others were kind of predictable. Like we all felt that certain characters were sus and or not from the start and so when some reveal or twist happened it wasn’t as big of a deal. I felt that it was pretty slow moving until the last 60-70 pages and I really struggled to want to read it. I did definitely enjoy it and would read more of her work in the future.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, and Violence

Moderate: Gun violence, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Murder, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Child abuse, Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Sexual assault

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.0

I thoroughly enjoyed this book in the series. The last book introduced us to all these new characters so I was happy to see the development of the characters and their stories throughout. However, the switching of POVs definitely disrupted the momentum of the plot at times. I was so happy to see Aelin get her revenge and I was so happy with the ending I cried tears of joy for her.