mosaicheartsxx's reviews
259 reviews

Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

okay, i see you, pacat.

i read the dark rise series first and i ended up falling in love with it so. obviously had to try out her other series.

and it DID NOT disappoint!

only finished book 1 but i'm already seeing the potential in this becoming one of my favourites enemies-to-lovers relationships.

now. i do not condone anything that laurent has done.

he's actually a villain that's not even in disguise and i am DISGUSTED especially by 2 things: his calculated actions to get damen raped and for damen to rape a CHILD, and his flogging damen to almost-death. that's the act of someone unfeeling and laurent does come off that way 99% of the time. idk how pacat is gonna resolve this. UNLESS, ofc, i got the pairing wrong. again. COME ON PLS NOT THAT OKAY. I ALREADY SUFFERED WONDERING WHERE TF WAS TOM IN DARK RISE AND HE WAS NEVER EVEN THE MALE LEAD gosh-

i do like that i learned sooooo many words with this book. be prepared with a search engine or a dictionary. bet on

nicaise's blue diamond earrings that you have no idea what avuncular, machicolation, and verisimilitude mean.

from reading the dark rise series, i had NOOO idea that this book is literally referencing

sex

for probably 95% of the time. oh my god. i've never been big in reading plots about

nothing but sex

so this book surprised me alot because despite all the

sex mentioned

the plot is intact. like if you read the dark rise series first you would NEVER KNOW MAN I SWEAR-

but this book IS for adults after all so as an adult myself i can't say i was squeamish myself, just turned off if too much

"bedding"

was mentioned. thankfully there weren't many. it just makes the plot shallow then, you know?

and right after saying that, i'm gonna say this:

why tf are there so many twinks in this world? nothing against twinks ofc. just so curious. it's like stepping into a world completely different from our own. heterosexual relationships are a no-no in vere, can you believe it? it's so interesting to view sexual relationships in this sense where something that's not the norm IS the norm. i hope this doesn't come off as hateful. i love the LGBTQIA+ community 🏳️‍🌈 aND i know twinks ≠ gay bUT in this book...THEY DO SJKSJSJS.

AND

erasmus is such an interesting character. i read "the training of erasmus" at the end and it was super interesting?!?! kallias, my dude, if you don't explain yourself, i'm going to enter the story in my dreams and slap you not once, not twice, but thrice.

idk why my review seems more and more unhinged as i go on so imma stop. overall, a great story with great characters with mostly an interesting dynamic that I NEED to see the end of, and along the way, maybe learn what machicolation means.

The Engagement Party by Darby Kane

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

you made me look over my shoulder!

you really did, kane.

never have i ever done that with a book!

especially that

shed scene, bro. wtf. the head rolling and the thunder and the dark and the spoken horror was all it took.

i got goosebumps everytime something odd/haunting/unnatural happened. again, something that has never happened with any book i read before.

really got the chills in this one. BIG applause for that 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

if there's something that sadly made me realise i wouldn't be giving this a 5☆ is that

everyone really followed cassie's ridiculous spiels. you're caught in a storm without electricity and the woman who was so clearly being defensive and bossy is the one you choose to listen to? the woman who tried to kill you? those parts are really dumb.

last but not least, the female characters in this one

(minus cassie)

were bold, empathetic, sassy, generally intelligent, and don't act like they're in a fricking horror movie. i love the last part the most.

Dark Heir by C.S. Pacat

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

🎶 here we go againnnn 🎶

my 2nd 5☆ book wooooo!

i mean, granted. it's the same series but i can count it as a different book right?

this book made me wail whenever i saw something tragic. and it is tragic.

losing your royal steed, giving your all to kill someone you trusted, but at the same time realising you're in love, remembering family that was family, eventhough you didn't want to. knowing who you were and hiding it in hopes that you can gain a real bond, only for those very people to turn hard and cold once they realised who you were.

gOsH it's a good book.

in case you didn't know: tragedy = a good book to me. because it's so hard for both the readers AND the author to watch and read how these normal people have their lives turned inside-out.

ALSO.

we get our 1st ever james pov. i wonder whether this symbolises how this will be the first and last pov we'll see of james in a while. PLEASEEE. THERE'S GOT TO BE A HAPPY ENDING FOR HIM.

and this is another reason why i like this book: because the characters are so deep and developed that we can't call them evil or good.

they're just humans.

decided to pick this up THREE times and look where it got me. 2 books done in 8 days. i'm all geared up for the 3rd (and hopefully last! 'cause as much as i love this series I have a baaaadddd history of commitment. with fantasy series ofc.) bUT I will be on the lookout for whenever the next book comes!

until then, i will fill my time with my good ol' thrillers and captive prince. because i'm all aboard the c.s. pacat train now.

Wicked Lies Boys Tell by K Webster

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

1.0

okay well i wanted to read it so i'll suffer the

smut bits

as well.

seriously. i would've not picked this up if i knew the amount of times

penn and cope got their dicks hard because wtf.

i came here for the angst and bitebacks.

not

wattpad level YA sex scenes 😢

like. i get that they're fun but c'mon.

nearly every chapter?

i would also like to speak on the enemies-to-lovers aspect and how this book played it out.

well.

i'm not gonna add a spoiler tag to this because you deserve to know.

there was basically none.

the supposed enemy was never one. he was just confused. so like. it didn't even deliver what it was suppose to 😭 good grief.

one thing i absolutely hated was the level of misogyny in this book. there was always the undermining of girls and the MLs being seen as wussies if they "cried like a girl" or were going to be "[made) love to [like] a girl".  

...

GUYS.

this book was published in 2019. long enough to have been educated on equality, misogyny, and why you don't write a book if you don't understand these concepts.

and one more thing: how is it that

in 5 years leah has not one, not two, but THREE kids? gurl is like 22-23. hOw. does she not need to work? does max do all the breadwinning? or are they implying that you can have three children without actually really taking care of them because you need the money? like i get they're rich. but still. super unrealistic. the same goes for penn and cope but NOT AS unrealistic as leah.

either way. wtf did i just read?

this is probably something 14-year-old me would've enjoyed. 

not current me 🙃 

The Drift by C.J. Tudor

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

well, this was certainly a ride.

i have to say, i really liked the plot for this one. so mysterious~

AND kudos to the author for making the ending of each POV a suspenseful line that only made me want to skip the other POVs just so i could find out what in the drift was going on. of course i ended up loving each POV.

and WOWWWW. the plot twist happening about ¾ in the story was nOT what i expected WHAT. IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW.

i originally thought that daniel in hannah's POV was a fricking impostor TUDOR I KNOW YOU'RE SMIRKING.

i looked forward to picking up this story everytime i put it down and i don't regret picking this one to read. that's all i want as a reader. and that's what i got.

also. fuck welland and his stupid soya induced gas. you didn't get me with the asthma, man.

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

2nd colleen hoover book i've read in my lifetime and i have to say it wasn't bad.

i'm someone who's waaayyy too picky about romances, hence, i don't actually read much romance. i find that i really enjoy a romance when it's laced with tragedy. when i already know who's gonna end up with who, i immediately lose interest. and when i try to find a reason for this, i think it just ends up being under my scope of personal preferences and usually, my preference tells me it's too clichè.

and yet.

i found myself rooting for

miles and tate.

one thing i believe hoover succeeded in doing was creating a complicated character with a complicated history.

when i read miles' tragedy, i inadvertently gasped at the sheer horror and surprise of it all. no wonder dude's screwed up.

so when you combine this intricate complication + why-are-we-dancing-around-the-truth's, it makes for mediocre suspense but a good plot because how the heck are you suppose to have a romance with that. HOW? THAT'S WHY I NEED TO READ FURTHER.

and that i did.

one thing i didn’t particularly enjoy (though this is wholly my fault, the summary tells me what i'm getting into) is the amount of

sex that happens throughout the book. again. i should've known. but did we really need a description of how hard it was to pull down tate's panties? and how many times she needs to pick up her bra from the side of whatever furniture they're doing the deed on?

i found myself reading these parts quickly – not because it was too in-your-face – but because it bored me and i was merely interested in how the relationship develops,

not why the level and frequency of eye contact determines whether one is having sex or making love,

and how it was all going to end.

so there you have it. a solid 4☆ enjoyable and easy to read (did not need to Google any words i didn't know). but please read the summary properly before getting into it like i did LMAO.

Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra
Did not finish book. Stopped at 12%.

i def need to come back to this when I'm up for it again..

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb

challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.5

so, this book was actually a recommendation to a masters in counselling student like myself.

i was told to listen to the audio book but god forbid i just can't with audio books so i read the physical version instead.

and boi did it open up a whole new world to me.

the world of counselling and therapy and psychology and yeah-you-get-what-i'm-feeling-don't-you's.

i read this book over the course of a year and nearly 5 months. when i started, i was a practicum fledgling – barely understanding what kind of therapeutic orientation meant for different clients and different issues – and now i'm more than halfway through my internship.

i know what kind of therapeutic orientation means for different clients and different issues now. i know it's fulfilling and scary at the same time when a client tells you something you know they've been saving and keeping all this while. i know that hesitation to take a risk into the unknown, either by telling the client about yourself, or telling the client about themselves.

this book felt like a very big, warm hug to me, and to all the mental health practitioners out there. i laughed and gasped and widened (or rolled) my eyes throughout various parts of this book. it felt like i was visiting a land i barely got to know, but over time familiarised myself in it, and this book was my tour guide. showing me the obvious places but also letting me find out for myself the details of it.

the various presenting issues in this book was also very interesting. i haven't come across all these issues in my (albeit still short) working experience in the mental health field but if i do, hey, i have a cheatsheet now *wink wink*.

but in all honesty, it was definitely an eye-opener and i would love to re-read this and annotate and highlight the many parts of this book that i know deep down i'll come back to when i feel lost or uncertain on how to proceed in the therapy process. 

that's why it's a big, warm hug. 

No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

i started this book on a whim. i read the description and i've always been curious about osamu dazai in ikèmen vampire but i quit before his route started and decided this book could be a good way to pass the time.

i won't lie to you.

the book started off with a long description of the translator.

and that was it.

my reading slump got to me just from that. 

so. this is my warning to anyone who's sensitive to reading slumps. start this off at your own risk HAHAHAHA.

i read this book in paragraphs. a few paragraphs, if i must admit. there were months were i didn't touch it.

but somehow, i still kept coming back to it.

the MC is certainly a walking irony. feeling like a foreign being yet making some of the most human mistakes any human could make in their lifetime. the frightening and sad revelation is that the MC was human all along.

he had depression, suicidal ideation, substance abuse issues, attachment issues that later manifested themselves in the many relationships he halfheartedly(?) attempted to make.

Overall, it tells a tragic tale, but not one captivating enough that I would finish in 3 days. or 1. in fact, it took me 8 months and 1 week to finish this. but it is certainly something tangible enough to read to pass the time or learn what it may feel like to be someone with all the issues the MC has.

The Fury by Alex Michaelides

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

yay, my 10th read book of the year!

this book to me had a really nice start –a private island, a murder,

an affair.

the way everything played out in the beginning is, as said, spectacular.

i know the MC mentioned that this wasn't going to be another agatha christie but still. maaannn, it could've really been good if it were pulling an agatha christie.

so. where did it start to go wrong?

well, i would say that would be when the whole past narration started. you see, i really enjoy reading thrillers that are simply set in the moment. i know the past provides valuable intel on what is currently happening but it could've been done on snippets rather than quite the number of chapters. it could've been divided into several chapters with small bits that eventually add up. but this is just a personal preference soooo...

i didn't really like the MC but i guess that's part of the point? he's supposed to be shown as a monster, but yet human. i think that depiction was pretty great in this book.

the other characters were rather bland tbh. only

lana seemed like a prominent character.

the plot twist was kinda cool but nothing more. i knew a murder was gonna happen anyway.

the MC getting back at those who humiliated him is a pretty human move. though his acts may be rather harmless in the end.

all in all, it was a fun read. but i'll probably forget about this story a few months down the line ngl shshjsks.