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megbreyer's reviews
217 reviews
Blood & Honey by Shelby Mahurin
4.0
The beginning and middle of this book were quite slow, and for a good chunk I found myself quite irritated with both Lou (which I believe was Shelby’s intent since she was slowly painting Lou’s spiral) and Reid (which I do not think was her intent since I mainly found him hypocritical on his feelings and whishy washy). The final third-quarter of the book, though, was fantastic — the climax was riveting and the cliffhanger has me anxious (in the best way!) with the whole Nicholina thing/blood witch betrayal and I am so excited to read Gods & Monsters.
The Crown of Gilded Bones by Jennifer L. Armentrout
4.0
Loved it, I’m so glad Poppy has had such great character growth. The Poppy at the end? Incredible. Felt long to read, probably because there were definitely points where it hit a lull. Getting kind of sick of the info dumps by Poppy asking her ‘tons of questions’ and Kieran (or someone else) knowing everything about everything
A Shadow in the Ember by Jennifer L. Armentrout
4.0
I really did enjoy this, especially at the end.
My personal cons:
- I get the whole “I have to kill you” trope, but to me I feel like that whole plot point could have been solved through communication. Sera saw the Rot in the Shadowlands, and Nyktos had been to Lasania enough times to know it exists. Literally all she had to do was ask him about it and she would’ve known. Also, the whole thing about the Rot became irrelevant at the end since Kolis is the real antagonist.
- As I’ve noticed in the Blood and Ash books, this one definitely had its slow points due to landscape building and background knowledge. While this is a con, I know this means the next book will be great.
- I got frustrated with Sera/her dialogue at moments. I felt like there were so many moments where she could and should have asked obvious questions that would have solved a lot of problems, but she didn’t. This irks me because she’s frequently
described as a character whose mouth gets her in trouble. Why wouldn’t she ask the important questions?
Pros:
- I prefer Sera to Poppy, and I adore Poppy. Their parallels are really nice, but Sera has a roughness that even Poppy still does not have.
- DRAKENS. The babies are precious.
- I didn’t know where this series was going to go, if I’m being honest, and there really is so much here to work with and I am really looking forward to that. The universe she built with the gods and Primals is so intriguing and will make for really interesting future stories. Even the story of Sera and Nyktos still has so much to grow.
For the majority of the blood it felt like a 3.5, but the last bit elevates it to a 4 for me.
My personal cons:
- I get the whole “I have to kill you” trope, but to me I feel like that whole plot point could have been solved through communication. Sera saw the Rot in the Shadowlands, and Nyktos had been to Lasania enough times to know it exists. Literally all she had to do was ask him about it and she would’ve known. Also, the whole thing about the Rot became irrelevant at the end since Kolis is the real antagonist.
- As I’ve noticed in the Blood and Ash books, this one definitely had its slow points due to landscape building and background knowledge. While this is a con, I know this means the next book will be great.
- I got frustrated with Sera/her dialogue at moments. I felt like there were so many moments where she could and should have asked obvious questions that would have solved a lot of problems, but she didn’t. This irks me because she’s frequently
described as a character whose mouth gets her in trouble. Why wouldn’t she ask the important questions?
Pros:
- I prefer Sera to Poppy, and I adore Poppy. Their parallels are really nice, but Sera has a roughness that even Poppy still does not have.
- DRAKENS. The babies are precious.
- I didn’t know where this series was going to go, if I’m being honest, and there really is so much here to work with and I am really looking forward to that. The universe she built with the gods and Primals is so intriguing and will make for really interesting future stories. Even the story of Sera and Nyktos still has so much to grow.
For the majority of the blood it felt like a 3.5, but the last bit elevates it to a 4 for me.
Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco
3.0
I actually wish that the book was longer. Other than the very drawn out beginning (especially the prologue which I don’t think is too helpful yet considering Emilia’s aura power from her cornicella was pretty much irrelevant other than identifying one of the other Wicked after Wrath), it moved so quickly. A lot wasn’t explained and the book left with a lot of questions that I doubt will be answered in the next book considering it takes place in Hell - like what happened to Claudia? Why did she scry with human bones? What about the werewolves? They were a random addition that may be relevant later but I doubt they’ll come to Hell?
Also, I don’t get the end for a lot of reasons. First, how can Emilia marry Pride when she’s already halfway through a marriage bond with Wrath? How is Wrath cool with that? And better yet, it said he had his full powers, how is that possible? From conversations throughout the book, I don’t think the bond could just be broken or Wrath and Emilia would’ve done that already.
And why is Wrath back to being an ass to her at the end? Why are they “enemies” again? The betrayal didn’t seem that crazy to me (maybe it needed to be flushed out more?), but either way I get why Emilia was mad at him to an extent. But they literally went: Wrath being super sketchy and doing stuff without her, betrayal, Wrath is begging for her to stay/trying to explain/etc., Wrath sacrificing himself for her while she is begging Envy not to do it and obviously in distress for him, her trying to summon him again and it not working, to finally him showing up to escort her to Hell. No discussion about any of what happened, just enemies again? I don’t get it.
I’m giving this a 3 because no matter how frustrated I am with it, I read it in less than a day because it really was a high-paced book with a good storyline. I only slightly saw the killer coming but still, but that was really good. I really enjoyed the character dynamics, especially when the other Wicked we’re brought it, and I’m excited to see that in the next book. I have higher hopes for the second one since I feel like Emilia has grown a lot and I’m excited for her to be a more confident badass.
Also, I don’t get the end for a lot of reasons. First, how can Emilia marry Pride when she’s already halfway through a marriage bond with Wrath? How is Wrath cool with that? And better yet, it said he had his full powers, how is that possible? From conversations throughout the book, I don’t think the bond could just be broken or Wrath and Emilia would’ve done that already.
And why is Wrath back to being an ass to her at the end? Why are they “enemies” again? The betrayal didn’t seem that crazy to me (maybe it needed to be flushed out more?), but either way I get why Emilia was mad at him to an extent. But they literally went: Wrath being super sketchy and doing stuff without her, betrayal, Wrath is begging for her to stay/trying to explain/etc., Wrath sacrificing himself for her while she is begging Envy not to do it and obviously in distress for him, her trying to summon him again and it not working, to finally him showing up to escort her to Hell. No discussion about any of what happened, just enemies again? I don’t get it.
I’m giving this a 3 because no matter how frustrated I am with it, I read it in less than a day because it really was a high-paced book with a good storyline. I only slightly saw the killer coming but still, but that was really good. I really enjoyed the character dynamics, especially when the other Wicked we’re brought it, and I’m excited to see that in the next book. I have higher hopes for the second one since I feel like Emilia has grown a lot and I’m excited for her to be a more confident badass.
Legendary by Stephanie Garber
3.0
Similarly to Caraval, I was intrigued by the world — although less so in this story, though the addition of the Fates was interesting. I really enjoyed Jacks as a character and I certainly liked Tella better in this book (though I really couldn’t stand her after Caraval). This was a light and entertaining read and it definitely kept me hooked throughout. She made questionable judgments, but was a much more entertaining protagonist. At the end of the day, I did enjoy it and wanted to keep knowing more, which is why I’m giving it 3 stars instead of lower.
A lot of things about the book irked me, though. Dante as Legend was painfully obvious and frustrating, as was the trope of Tella being Jacks’s one true love. How could she have been Jacks’s one true love when she was dying from his kiss until one random moment? He felt ice cold during their dinner with the empress, which was after the kiss, but warm with a heartbeat later on?
I couldn’t stand the blatant miscommunication/obvious lying that is never questioned — Tella still going about this whole adventure while keeping Scarlett in the dark even though she could’ve been helpful, Scarlett being MIA while seeking out her old fiancé and no one questioned much, and Dante telling Julian that he only cared about Tella for the cards yet Tella never bringing that up and so blindly trusting him (like Scarlett did Julian despite red flags). I hated that even after the reveal Tella wasn’t upset or anything because I sure as hell would’ve been. Another little thing about that scene — she used her final breath to apologize about their stupid kiss? What about maybe sending a message to her poor sister? No? Cool. And why did she not think about everyone saying Legend constantly led girls on and it was always a game? That didn’t cross her mind until he ~shockingly~ left her.
Also, similar to Caraval, I felt like this book wasn’t as flushed out as it should have been. A lot of information is given in the form of info dumps through characters telling stories, which doesn’t feel natural. Or, information is offered at the ~perfect~ time — example: Tella fighting the Undead Queen and her weakness being mentioned for the first time. It was too convenient, as was a lot of other things Tella stumbled upon (similar to Scarlett’s round of Caraval).
All in all, Scarlett and Tella need to get the hell away from Caraval and it’s players.
A lot of things about the book irked me, though. Dante as Legend was painfully obvious and frustrating, as was the trope of Tella being Jacks’s one true love. How could she have been Jacks’s one true love when she was dying from his kiss until one random moment? He felt ice cold during their dinner with the empress, which was after the kiss, but warm with a heartbeat later on?
I couldn’t stand the blatant miscommunication/obvious lying that is never questioned — Tella still going about this whole adventure while keeping Scarlett in the dark even though she could’ve been helpful, Scarlett being MIA while seeking out her old fiancé and no one questioned much, and Dante telling Julian that he only cared about Tella for the cards yet Tella never bringing that up and so blindly trusting him (like Scarlett did Julian despite red flags). I hated that even after the reveal Tella wasn’t upset or anything because I sure as hell would’ve been. Another little thing about that scene — she used her final breath to apologize about their stupid kiss? What about maybe sending a message to her poor sister? No? Cool. And why did she not think about everyone saying Legend constantly led girls on and it was always a game? That didn’t cross her mind until he ~shockingly~ left her.
Also, similar to Caraval, I felt like this book wasn’t as flushed out as it should have been. A lot of information is given in the form of info dumps through characters telling stories, which doesn’t feel natural. Or, information is offered at the ~perfect~ time — example: Tella fighting the Undead Queen and her weakness being mentioned for the first time. It was too convenient, as was a lot of other things Tella stumbled upon (similar to Scarlett’s round of Caraval).
All in all, Scarlett and Tella need to get the hell away from Caraval and it’s players.
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
5.0
I am absolutely fangirling. Everything about this book was adorable and it hooked me immediately. Olive and Adam are precious, and I even loved all of the side characters and their distinct personalities. Olive as a narrator was great, I loved her moments of going down the rabbit hole in panic. The only thing about that that irked me was that she was so convinced that what Holden said was about someone else despite him saying it was about her, but still this was absolutely a 5 star read for me.
Finale by Stephanie Garber
3.0
I’m always a fan of a happy ending that wraps everything up with a nice shiny bow. It was sweet to see both girls get their happily ever afters after the chaos they endured. The writing style of these books has been very interesting and definitely kept me hooked.
I felt as if this book was too rushed. In reality, it probably should’ve been two more books with much more detail added. I would have loved to have seen more of the Fates and the Fated objects — they were such cool ideas that weren’t flushed out. Why were some allegiant to the Fallen Star and others weren’t? When they were in scenes, they were really fun to see. I wish we got more of Paradise, too, because she seemed fantastic.
Still not a massive fan of Tella. While I’m likely biased because as an older sister I relate much more to Scarlett, I find Tella’s attitude and behavior contradictory and a bit hypocritical. She says that all she cares about is Scarlett and her well-being but blatantly lies to her and makes decisions without considering her sister. Whether it’s something as small as disregarding Scarlett’s plans with Nicolas and the need to watch Paloma because what she has to do is obviously more important or something as large as agreeing to become immortal for Legend without her sister even crossing her mind (I know, it’s her choice but for someone so passionate about doing everything for her sister, she didn’t think of Scarlett once). Also, that last letter: Super cute… unless she was being serious? Like…did she want Legend to stage her kidnapping? Ma’am, your (teenage) older sister has become empress and you want to STAGE YOUR KIDNAPPING? I’m going to imagine that it was a fun way of asking Legend to go on vacation and explore because dang.
The big bad(s) were too easy to defeat. The Fallen Star aka Mr. Anti-Love didn’t feel love when actually seeing Paloma again, but felt love at his regret for killing her? And he wasn’t even mad! He was an abusive and power-hungry asshole the whole time and wasn’t even mad that he was killed? And Jacks’s spell being broken by Tella’s love for Legend felt more like a cop-out than anything else.
Overall, I enjoyed the books, though I wish the climaxes were longer/expanded upon.
I felt as if this book was too rushed. In reality, it probably should’ve been two more books with much more detail added. I would have loved to have seen more of the Fates and the Fated objects — they were such cool ideas that weren’t flushed out. Why were some allegiant to the Fallen Star and others weren’t? When they were in scenes, they were really fun to see. I wish we got more of Paradise, too, because she seemed fantastic.
Still not a massive fan of Tella. While I’m likely biased because as an older sister I relate much more to Scarlett, I find Tella’s attitude and behavior contradictory and a bit hypocritical. She says that all she cares about is Scarlett and her well-being but blatantly lies to her and makes decisions without considering her sister. Whether it’s something as small as disregarding Scarlett’s plans with Nicolas and the need to watch Paloma because what she has to do is obviously more important or something as large as agreeing to become immortal for Legend without her sister even crossing her mind (I know, it’s her choice but for someone so passionate about doing everything for her sister, she didn’t think of Scarlett once). Also, that last letter: Super cute… unless she was being serious? Like…did she want Legend to stage her kidnapping? Ma’am, your (teenage) older sister has become empress and you want to STAGE YOUR KIDNAPPING? I’m going to imagine that it was a fun way of asking Legend to go on vacation and explore because dang.
The big bad(s) were too easy to defeat. The Fallen Star aka Mr. Anti-Love didn’t feel love when actually seeing Paloma again, but felt love at his regret for killing her? And he wasn’t even mad! He was an abusive and power-hungry asshole the whole time and wasn’t even mad that he was killed? And Jacks’s spell being broken by Tella’s love for Legend felt more like a cop-out than anything else.
Overall, I enjoyed the books, though I wish the climaxes were longer/expanded upon.