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maryp20's reviews
42 reviews
The Dixon Rule by Elle Kennedy
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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
4.0
I ate all of this up; the plot lines, the humor, the banter, the spice, all of it. There was some phenomenal character development and I loved the mental health representation throughout the book. Another phenomenal book from Elle Kennedy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Terminal illness and Blood
Camp Deviant by Kady Ash
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Absolute pure smut, no plot; and honestly I wouldn’t have it any other way. It was a very easy read and I look forward to reading the others in the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Incest, Violence, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I unfortunately had the major plot point spoiled for me so I knew what was gonna happen just not exactly how it panned out so that definitely did not help me enjoy the book.
It was not bad by any means and I did really enjoy the story. I honestly could have done without the romance arc with Kane but it was at least not the focal point of the story. I debated with myself a lot on whether or not Claire was a reliable narrator or not especially with the jumps from the past to present and the memory loss which I did enjoy in this setting. I just wished the story had moved a little faster or had some more action to it,and I hate to say it but I wish we got to see more of what happened on the ship before Claire left and what ended up happening to Lourdes and Ny
.
It was not bad by any means and I did really enjoy the story. I honestly could have done without the romance arc with Kane but it was at least not the focal point of the story. I debated with myself a lot on whether or not Claire was a reliable narrator or not especially with the jumps from the past to present and the memory loss which I did enjoy in this setting. I just wished the story had moved a little faster or had some more action to it,
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Gun violence
King of Sloth by Ana Huang
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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? Yes
5.0
Hands down, this is my favorite Ana Huang book this far. I absolutely loved the character development for Sloan and Xavier. I almost wished we had seen their work relationship a bit more in the beginning but I can’t resist the way they slowly opened up to each other and learned everything about the other. I loved that we also saw each of them go through very realistic problems, with Xavier’s dad passing and Sloan’s fish passing , all while still having to go about life was so refreshing honestly.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness and Death of parent
Minor: Grief
King of Greed by Ana Huang
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
4.0
I, once again, absolutely adored another one of Ana Huang’s stories. I felt like I was able to relate to Alessandra as she really was trying to focus on herself and finding who she is without Dominic and overall she was a lovely and well written character. With Dominic, I really enjoyed seeing the character development and learning from his actions throughout the story. The only thing I wished I had been able to see more of was the flashbacks to the beginning of their relationship, it really helped tie things together so I wish we had gotten more of that.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, and Grief
King of Pride by Ana Huang
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? Yes
4.0
Absolutely adored Kai and Isabella’s relationship and the banter throughout the whole story. Ana Huang does an amazing job of showing both characters pride and how it gets in the way of things.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Blood, Stalking, Murder, and Alcohol
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