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meg_'s reviews
480 reviews
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I have so much to say that I'm not sure where to start with this review. I really did not enjoy this second installment of this series. I'm going to try to break it down into primary reasons why so here goes. There will be lots of spoilers that I will try to cover up as I am able!
1. Length and Pacing. This book was soooo unnecessarily long. Over 600 pages of this book all for what I feel was very little pay out when it came to world building and truly understanding the threat that is posed and how to address it at the root rather than just putting a bandaid over it. Beyond the length, the pacing of this story felt so weird to me. So much happened and it felt like the plot was constantly jumping all over the pace that it made it hard to feel invested in anything that was happening before dynamics shifted so significantly that the previous plot point almost didn't matter any more.
2. Plot. Oh my word this was alllll over the place plot wise. I was lost about the reasoning for so much of what happened. The first chunk of this book where we are coming to terms with the fact thatBrennan is alive and Violet didn't know happened so quickly and then they were immediately back at Basgiath. The first chunk of the plot at Basgiath truly felt so pointless. There is this whole conflict between Violet and the Vice Commandant that seemed to have no reasoning behind it, but still has such high stakes for Violet in the end. Additionally, the "collaborate with other quadrants" challenge or second year test was so out of place and I genuinely feel that could have been cut out of the book completely without any major plot points being effected. Ultimately, the plot goes from Violet being with the rebellion in Resson, back to Basgiath, back to the rebellion, all to end up right back at Basgiath. Like what was the point of any of it!?
3. Stakes. There are so many points in this book where we are told by our narrator that things are super dangerous or that people are going to die and we are made to believe that each of these situations are super high stakes as a result. But for each of these situations it's told to us rather than shown to us. This includes the final climax of the book where Violet says there is no way that her entire squad will make it out of the battle alive and the they still all do despite the build up of how HUGE thehoard of venin is described to be. It just makes it really hard to care about anything that happens because the stakes just feel non existent.
4. The romance/relationship. I didn't love this relationship in book one. It felt nothing like the enemies to lovers I was promised and these two were move love at first sight without knowing anything about one another. In this book it just got worse. They are almost obsessive toward each other despite the fact that I still feel like neither of them actually know anything about one another. Violet did not even know about Xaden's past long term relationship and literal betrothal. I just don't understand this undying love we read about when it feels like there's been no development to that love that we've read. It feels again like more telling rather than showing by this author.
Lastly, I wanted more dragons. I feel like there was very little flying/fighting in this one and I think that contributed to how bored I was the whole fucking book. Those are my main gripes, but I feel like this convinced me I won't be continuing to read this series.
1. Length and Pacing. This book was soooo unnecessarily long. Over 600 pages of this book all for what I feel was very little pay out when it came to world building and truly understanding the threat that is posed and how to address it at the root rather than just putting a bandaid over it. Beyond the length, the pacing of this story felt so weird to me. So much happened and it felt like the plot was constantly jumping all over the pace that it made it hard to feel invested in anything that was happening before dynamics shifted so significantly that the previous plot point almost didn't matter any more.
2. Plot. Oh my word this was alllll over the place plot wise. I was lost about the reasoning for so much of what happened. The first chunk of this book where we are coming to terms with the fact that
3. Stakes. There are so many points in this book where we are told by our narrator that things are super dangerous or that people are going to die and we are made to believe that each of these situations are super high stakes as a result. But for each of these situations it's told to us rather than shown to us. This includes the final climax of the book where Violet says there is no way that her entire squad will make it out of the battle alive and the they still all do despite the build up of how HUGE the
4. The romance/relationship. I didn't love this relationship in book one. It felt nothing like the enemies to lovers I was promised and these two were move love at first sight without knowing anything about one another. In this book it just got worse. They are almost obsessive toward each other despite the fact that I still feel like neither of them actually know anything about one another. Violet did not even know about Xaden's past long term relationship and literal betrothal. I just don't understand this undying love we read about when it feels like there's been no development to that love that we've read. It feels again like more telling rather than showing by this author.
Lastly, I wanted more dragons. I feel like there was very little flying/fighting in this one and I think that contributed to how bored I was the whole fucking book. Those are my main gripes, but I feel like this convinced me I won't be continuing to read this series.
Skyward by Brandon Sanderson
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was overall a fun and fast paced read. I don't have a ton to say in terms of why I'm rating it at a 3 star because I think a large part of that is just that I didn't really love these characters a ton and didn't feel super connected to them. However, I think that is also largely due to the fact that this book is geared toward a younger audience and I am not that audience. I do think Brandon Sanderson does a great job with world building and character building and this was definitely a book that could be flown through because the pacing was super good. I would definitely recommend this, but only to the YA audience it's written for.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, War, Death, and Death of parent
Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This was such a cute and fun read. Which may not be expected based on the title, but I think that's what makes it even more fun. So many elements of the book are unexpected, but the through-line really is this tension and dynamic between The Villain and Evie. The grumpy sunshine/I hate everyone but you trope was unmatched in this story and Tristan at his core is really just a big softie. I loved so much of this book. I will say, it's another one that I think I read too fast to fully appreciate so the rating may have been different if I read this at a different time, but here we are. My main critique I would say is that some of the fantastical elements of this book, including the ending, fell flat for me and didn't feel super well developed. In spite of those things, I would definitely recommend this book!
Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I'm not sure how much I would trust my opinion on this book because I feel like I read it during a time where I felt like I truly could not focus on it or appreciate what I was reading fully. I also read it sooo quickly I don't know how much I actually absorbed of the content. For me, I felt like this was just mediocre. The plot felt a bit all over the place and none of the characters were super memorable. I know this is a well loved/favorite for many so I will likely continue reading in the series but this was just super forgettable to me.
Magnolia Parks by Jessa Hastings
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
My feelings about this book are so complicated that even a week after reading I'm still not totally sure how I feel.
One thing I know for sure is I love Magnolia Parks as a character. Her every emotion felt so real and despite how insanely rich and perfect she is, she still felt like a character that anyone could connect to based on her experiences. I absolutely loved her. The other element of this book that I felt was worthy of a 5 star rating was the writing. It was poetic and beautiful and made every feeling experienced on page a feeling that was viscerally experienced by the reader at the same time. I feel like I can't even accurately describe it because it just made me feel everything so intensely, even though there are virtually no elements of this plot that I could relate to my reality.
Things I absolutely hated in this book is where the rating falls. Number one and most hated thing about this book is BJ Ballentine. I hate that man and if I read another book in the story and they end up together I will rip my hair out. I love Magnolia and I understand the soul deep bond she feels with BJ, but after the fuck shit he did and literally admitted on page to enjoying and not giving two fucks about Magnolia while doing I do not fuck with that man. I also think the way he behaves throughout the story is deeply immature and infuriating and he continually treats Magnolia (who is perfect and beautiful) like absolute dogshit. The other part of the book I hated so much was how absolutely repetitive and never-ending the plot was. There was genuinely a part of reading this where I questioned whether I was reading After 2.0 because the whole plot here is: fight, make up, immediately fuck up the making up part by rubbing it in the other person's face that your with someone else, feelings are hurt, fight again, make up. Very big yikes and very not entertaining or fun to read.
So, this is why I have such complicated feelings about this book! The things I loved were things I love so much it hurts my heart and the things I hate are things I hate so much I want to scream and/or rip my hair out. Also, the ending of this book stomped directly on my heart and just to re-iterate, fuck BJ. And if Magnolia ends up with him I will riot. Okay, that was convoluted and rambling review, but I think I'm done. Can't wait to read the next book in this universe!
One thing I know for sure is I love Magnolia Parks as a character. Her every emotion felt so real and despite how insanely rich and perfect she is, she still felt like a character that anyone could connect to based on her experiences. I absolutely loved her. The other element of this book that I felt was worthy of a 5 star rating was the writing. It was poetic and beautiful and made every feeling experienced on page a feeling that was viscerally experienced by the reader at the same time. I feel like I can't even accurately describe it because it just made me feel everything so intensely, even though there are virtually no elements of this plot that I could relate to my reality.
Things I absolutely hated in this book is where the rating falls. Number one and most hated thing about this book is BJ Ballentine. I hate that man and if I read another book in the story and they end up together I will rip my hair out. I love Magnolia and I understand the soul deep bond she feels with BJ, but after the fuck shit he did and literally
So, this is why I have such complicated feelings about this book! The things I loved were things I love so much it hurts my heart and the things I hate are things I hate so much I want to scream and/or rip my hair out. Also, the ending of this book stomped directly on my heart and just to re-iterate, fuck BJ. And if Magnolia ends up with him I will riot. Okay, that was convoluted and rambling review, but I think I'm done. Can't wait to read the next book in this universe!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, Addiction, and Infidelity
Moderate: Gaslighting
The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was an interesting and compelling read. I didn't love it and probably will not come back to read it again, but I found it to be a great October/spooky time read. The feminist themes were great and the overall ties of sisterhood made me enjoy the story overall more than I think I typically would have. I just didn't feel especially connected to any of the main characters and I wish their history and how they came to become the women they are today was explored further. Overall I enjoyed.
The Honeymoon Crashers by Christina Lauren
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This book feels hard to review because it honestly just felt like a pretty unnecessary installment to this story. I felt like everything that happened was really inconsequential and none of what happened had any gravity to it. Even the primary conflict, which was a huge miscommunication between the main characters, felt so unimportant. I didn't dislike the characters but I did dislike the plot and overall arc of the story. I wouldn't recommend this and certainly will not be re-reading it.
The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem
adventurous
dark
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? Yes
3.0
This was a solid fantasy read. I have to be honest, the 3 star rating is partly due to the fact that I don't think I gave this book my full attention throughout my read and felt super distract-able while reading. This is obviously no fault of the book or the story itself but I'm not sure if I can give any different rating as a result.
This was a super well fleshed out fantasy world and I absolutely loved the characters and the way they grow throughout the story. I especially loved getting to see Arin slowly defrost with Sylvia. This is for sure my type of romance subplot because they truly move forward romantically at a glacial pace.
Another element of this story that I really appreciated that I don't think gets fleshed out well in other books is the present day impact of all of the trauma that Sylvia experienced. She has many moments within the story where she has to use grounding techniques to regulate and be able to focus and there are times she experiences flashbacks and overwhelming feelings due to her past trauma. I felt this was all handled really well and written about in a way that actually felt realistic. I really appreciated that this element of Sylvia's past is discussed and described how it impacts her current daily life.
I will absolutely be reading whatever book(s) come next from this author and within this series.
This was a super well fleshed out fantasy world and I absolutely loved the characters and the way they grow throughout the story. I especially loved getting to see Arin slowly defrost with Sylvia. This is for sure my type of romance subplot because they truly move forward romantically at a glacial pace.
Another element of this story that I really appreciated that I don't think gets fleshed out well in other books is the present day impact of all of the trauma that Sylvia experienced. She has many moments within the story where she has to use grounding techniques to regulate and be able to focus and there are times she experiences flashbacks and overwhelming feelings due to her past trauma. I felt this was all handled really well and written about in a way that actually felt realistic. I really appreciated that this element of Sylvia's past is discussed and described how it impacts her current daily life.
I will absolutely be reading whatever book(s) come next from this author and within this series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Child abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
Happy Place by Emily Henry
emotional
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? Yes
5.0
I absolutely adored my time reading this book. This has solidly taken its place as the best Emily Henry book by far. The story was so intricately weaved between past and present in a way that made me truly feel ingrained in these character's individual lives and their relationships with one another. This has convinced me that second chance romances actually are my thing lol.
As with almost every Emily Henry book, this is so much more than just a romance. It's a story about friendships that stand the test of time in spite of periods of growing apart, and about grief (including the lows and uncertainty it brings), and about growing up and life changing so rapidly even when we want things to stay the same. I loved almost every element of this book, but especially the friendships that read like a soul bond that can't be broken, no matter time apart or individual differences.
The romance in this story was also just perfect to me. (Disclaimer, that there is a major under-lying theme of miscommunication/lack of communication that results in the conflicts between our two main characters.) In spite of this, reading their love story made me laugh and cry and feel so deeply. Their love felt so grounded and safe, in spite of all of the shit they dealt with. They are seriously soul mates and I just their love.
PLEASE read this if you haven't already!!
As with almost every Emily Henry book, this is so much more than just a romance. It's a story about friendships that stand the test of time in spite of periods of growing apart, and about grief (including the lows and uncertainty it brings), and about growing up and life changing so rapidly even when we want things to stay the same. I loved almost every element of this book, but especially the friendships that read like a soul bond that can't be broken, no matter time apart or individual differences.
The romance in this story was also just perfect to me. (Disclaimer, that there is a major under-lying theme of miscommunication/lack of communication that results in the conflicts between our two main characters.) In spite of this, reading their love story made me laugh and cry and feel so deeply. Their love felt so grounded and safe, in spite of all of the shit they dealt with. They are seriously soul mates and I just their love.
PLEASE read this if you haven't already!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Grief
Moderate: Sexual content
A Proposal They Can't Refuse by Natalie Caña
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
I feel horrible for giving this such a low rating because I really wanted to love it. It has a bunch of my favorite tropes, specifically marriage of convenience/fake dating, and I loved the idea of these family businesses maintaining their successes in the face of gentrification.
However, there were so many elements of the overall plot that felt super disjointed. There were just too many things happening at once and I felt like none of them truly got resolved in a way that felt fulfilling. There was the overarching romance plot with a background of being childhood best friends that is supposed to be believable but feels so underdeveloped that it's not believable at all. There's also not one but two major competitions that both of the main characters family businesses are involved in that cause stress and conflict with everyone. Then we have one character who is terminally ill and the male main character processing his grief. Again, all these huge plot elements that we got parts of but that never felt fully resolved.
I also absolutely HATED this male main character. He felt deeply emotionally immature and seemed to blame all of his personal problems on Kamilah when she absolutely did not deserve his shitty attitudes. He treated her so poorly that by the end of the book I did not feel happy to see the two of them together because I genuinely felt that Kamila deserved better.
In addition to that, I felt that the end conflict of this book was blown ridiculously out of porportion with not only Liam, but Kamilah's whole family icing her out for "lying" and being immature. The reality with this is that I feel like she may have lied, but she had solid reasoning behind doing so and I don't feel taht she was regularly engaging in this behavior. It felt like her family absolutely shit on her for doing something that made a lot of sense for herself and maintaining her family connections. (I will say that there may be cultural elements to the family response to Kamilah that I may not fully understand/grasp). The only person who was absolutely justified in their anger about Kamilah's dishonesty (in my opinion) was Sofi because Kamilah's dishonesty truly had an impact on her life. BUT then we don't even see any resolution to this either which is absolutely wild to me. We get to know Sofi in the book as this super longstanding and steady friend to Kamilah for YEARS but there's no conversation on their friendship mending or the conflict being resolved but I'm still supposed to believe in a happily ever after? That would not be happening for me.
Again, I really wanted to love this, but just couldn't. I do want to say that the one bright spot in this book for me was Kamilah as a character. I found her loveable and super loving to all of her friends, family, and Liam. That may be part of why I dislike the main conflict of the story so much because everyone was just awful to Kamilah and she was the only character who I was enjoying learning and reading about. Regardless, this still just fell super flat for me as a whole.
However, there were so many elements of the overall plot that felt super disjointed. There were just too many things happening at once and I felt like none of them truly got resolved in a way that felt fulfilling. There was the overarching romance plot with a background of being childhood best friends that is supposed to be believable but feels so underdeveloped that it's not believable at all. There's also not one but two major competitions that both of the main characters family businesses are involved in that cause stress and conflict with everyone. Then we have one character who is terminally ill and the male main character processing his grief. Again, all these huge plot elements that we got parts of but that never felt fully resolved.
I also absolutely HATED this male main character. He felt deeply emotionally immature and seemed to blame all of his personal problems on Kamilah when she absolutely did not deserve his shitty attitudes. He treated her so poorly that by the end of the book I did not feel happy to see the two of them together because I genuinely felt that Kamila deserved better.
In addition to that, I felt that the end conflict of this book was blown ridiculously out of porportion with not only Liam, but Kamilah's whole family icing her out for "lying" and being immature. The reality with this is that I feel like she may have lied, but she had solid reasoning behind doing so and I don't feel taht she was regularly engaging in this behavior. It felt like her family absolutely shit on her for doing something that made a lot of sense for herself and maintaining her family connections. (I will say that there may be cultural elements to the family response to Kamilah that I may not fully understand/grasp). The only person who was absolutely justified in their anger about Kamilah's dishonesty (in my opinion) was Sofi because Kamilah's dishonesty truly had an impact on her life. BUT then we don't even see any resolution to this either which is absolutely wild to me. We get to know Sofi in the book as this super longstanding and steady friend to Kamilah for YEARS but there's no conversation on their friendship mending or the conflict being resolved but I'm still supposed to believe in a happily ever after? That would not be happening for me.
Again, I really wanted to love this, but just couldn't. I do want to say that the one bright spot in this book for me was Kamilah as a character. I found her loveable and super loving to all of her friends, family, and Liam. That may be part of why I dislike the main conflict of the story so much because everyone was just awful to Kamilah and she was the only character who I was enjoying learning and reading about. Regardless, this still just fell super flat for me as a whole.